Hello mnmedia
I am creating a manual, currently the document is rich in content, images,
graphs, etc. creating a very large file which takes forever to open.
one of the key points here is to setup a template containing a
relatively small set of styles, and use these consistently. Avoid direct
formatting at all cost. Use inline pictures and graphs (not the fancy
"run text around objects" shapes).
A lot on this subject has been written before:
Creating a Template – The Basics (Part I, by Suzanne Barnhil)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart1.htm
Creating a Template (Part II, by John McGhie)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm
Plus,
I need to allow multiple people to work on different sections of the document
at the same time. I was wondering if there was some way to separate the
document into sections to allow for faster opening and closing and multi-
user access but have one unified table of contents and cover page, all with
the same formatting throughout the document?
There is nothing in Word that will allow you to concurrently edit parts
of a file. That means you have to split the parts. Sections are due
whenever you need to change a section property (like: paper size and
orientation, margins, header or footer setup).
When you have your template ready, you can create individual documents
from it. There are two or three ways to bring the files together into
one again:
1. INCLUDETEXT fields in one main document.
This actually pulls the individual files together into one.
2. RD field in one main document.
This only servers to create TOC, INDEX and other related material. The
individual parts are only referenced so Word finds page numbers of
certain things like headings or index entries.
3. MasterDocument feature.
This is supposed to be the most powerful, but has historically been the
one to fail most easily.
A couple more links for you here:
Working with Sections (by Dave Rado)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/WorkWithSections.htm
Why Master Documents corrupt (by John McGhie)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/General/WhyMasterDocsCorrupt.htm
How can I recover a corrupt document or template – and why did it become
corrupt? (by Dave Rado and John McGhie)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/CorruptDoc.htm
HTH
Robert
