How do I compile a 'List of Effective Pages'

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Using Word 2003, how do I compile a 'List of Effective Pages' containing 4
columns e.g 'Chapter', 'Page No', 'Revision No', and 'Page Date' from the
information on each page footer (or header)?

The idea is that the List will automatically update as pages are amended.
 
This practice is very common in the aviation industry where, of course,
safety is paramount. Every copy holder of the relevant document, usually a
manual, is provided with a set of amended pages and it is a legal requirement
that the changed pages are read and the document is updated!

So, back to that list....
 
Hi Catster
This practice is very common in the aviation industry where, of course,
safety is paramount. Every copy holder of the relevant document, usually a
manual, is provided with a set of amended pages and it is a legal requirement
that the changed pages are read and the document is updated!
Click to expand...

Which does not mean that changes are in fact read nor inserted at the
proper place in the documentation (see Doug's link ;-)).

So, back to that list.... [..]
Click to expand...

Word has no real concept of a "page" in its file: pages are created at
run-time by layout out the text with the printer driver at hand.

That's why any page-oriented work as you describe it above is terribly
hard in Word. You yourself will have to do all the "page versioning"
(Revision no and Page Date), you will have to maintain that large table.

A very clever macro, based on your exact document structure, might help
you with that, but there is certainly nothing built-in to Word.

Also, don't try referencing anything that's in the header or footer. You
can't. You can only reference to something that is also _shown_ in the
header or footer (but the target must be in the main text area).

You might have to work with one section per page.

2cents
Robert
 
Hello Robert

Not what I wanted to hear but thanks for the wisdom! I was beginning to
suspect the headers and footers were a bit isolated.
Which does not mean that changes are in fact read nor inserted at the
proper place in the documentation (see Doug's link ;-)).
Click to expand...

When it comes to Operations Manuals for aircraft carrying up to 800 people,
I rather hope it does.

Back to the list again...

If I work with one section per page, manually updating the individual
page-versioning info in the main text area when necessary, can this be pulled
into the required list using fields? If so what field type would be best to
use? Would it work if the info was in a single-row, four-column table of
hidden text in the page body?

Any ideas gratefully received!

Catster.


Robert M. Franz (RMF) said:
Hi Catster
This practice is very common in the aviation industry where, of course,
safety is paramount. Every copy holder of the relevant document, usually a
manual, is provided with a set of amended pages and it is a legal requirement
that the changed pages are read and the document is updated!
Click to expand...

Which does not mean that changes are in fact read nor inserted at the
proper place in the documentation (see Doug's link ;-)).

So, back to that list.... [..]
Using Word 2003, how do I compile a 'List of Effective Pages' containing 4
columns e.g 'Chapter', 'Page No', 'Revision No', and 'Page Date' from the
information on each page footer (or header)?

The idea is that the List will automatically update as pages are amended.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Word has no real concept of a "page" in its file: pages are created at
run-time by layout out the text with the printer driver at hand.

That's why any page-oriented work as you describe it above is terribly
hard in Word. You yourself will have to do all the "page versioning"
(Revision no and Page Date), you will have to maintain that large table.

A very clever macro, based on your exact document structure, might help
you with that, but there is certainly nothing built-in to Word.

Also, don't try referencing anything that's in the header or footer. You
can't. You can only reference to something that is also _shown_ in the
header or footer (but the target must be in the main text area).

You might have to work with one section per page.

2cents
Robert
--
/"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign | MS
\ / | MVP
X Against HTML | for
/ \ in e-mail & news | Word
Click to expand...
 
Catster said:
When it comes to Operations Manuals for aircraft carrying up to 800 people,
I rather hope it does.
Click to expand...

I hope so, too, every time I'm boarding a plane!

I've worked (in bookkeeping, not quite the same security environment)
with regulations where the updates were shipped as you describe it (even
paragraph wise). It's good practice, to be sure, to update the fully
printed documentation manually in that way, because then you have read
each change at least once.

But nowadays, it might be cheaper to simply issue a full copy of the
changed manual, or an electronic copy. With update-history.

Back to the list again...

If I work with one section per page, manually updating the individual
page-versioning info in the main text area when necessary, can this be pulled
into the required list using fields? If so what field type would be best to
use? Would it work if the info was in a single-row, four-column table of
hidden text in the page body?
Click to expand...

Never having done this, hmm: if you can manage to bring 'Chapter',
'Revision No', and 'Page Date' into one line (read: one paragraph) on
each page, give it a designated style, then you could get there by a
normal TOC field at the beginning (it will pick up the page number
naturally), pointed to that style only. That's probably the simples
solution, but you're not fully flexible in the how you present the
information.

..2cents
Robert
 
Well, to start with, Headers and Footers are not an attribute of a Page in a
Word document, they are attributes of the Sections.

You could create a macro that iterated through the Sections of the document,
and accessed the range of the Header to obtain the information and build a
table that contained the data, but, it would not be automatic, you would
have to run the macro.


--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

Catster said:
Hello Robert

Not what I wanted to hear but thanks for the wisdom! I was beginning to
suspect the headers and footers were a bit isolated.
Which does not mean that changes are in fact read nor inserted at the
proper place in the documentation (see Doug's link ;-)).
Click to expand...

When it comes to Operations Manuals for aircraft carrying up to 800
people,
I rather hope it does.

Back to the list again...

If I work with one section per page, manually updating the individual
page-versioning info in the main text area when necessary, can this be
pulled
into the required list using fields? If so what field type would be best
to
use? Would it work if the info was in a single-row, four-column table of
hidden text in the page body?

Any ideas gratefully received!

Catster.


Robert M. Franz (RMF) said:
Hi Catster
This practice is very common in the aviation industry where, of course,
safety is paramount. Every copy holder of the relevant document,
usually a
manual, is provided with a set of amended pages and it is a legal
requirement
that the changed pages are read and the document is updated!
Click to expand...

Which does not mean that changes are in fact read nor inserted at the
proper place in the documentation (see Doug's link ;-)).

So, back to that list.... [..]
Using Word 2003, how do I compile a 'List of Effective Pages'
containing 4
columns e.g 'Chapter', 'Page No', 'Revision No', and 'Page Date' from
the
information on each page footer (or header)?

The idea is that the List will automatically update as pages are
amended.
Click to expand...

Word has no real concept of a "page" in its file: pages are created at
run-time by layout out the text with the printer driver at hand.

That's why any page-oriented work as you describe it above is terribly
hard in Word. You yourself will have to do all the "page versioning"
(Revision no and Page Date), you will have to maintain that large table.

A very clever macro, based on your exact document structure, might help
you with that, but there is certainly nothing built-in to Word.

Also, don't try referencing anything that's in the header or footer. You
can't. You can only reference to something that is also _shown_ in the
header or footer (but the target must be in the main text area).

You might have to work with one section per page.

2cents
Robert
--
/"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign | MS
\ / | MVP
X Against HTML | for
/ \ in e-mail & news | Word
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks, Robert
Never having done this, hmm: if you can manage to bring 'Chapter',
'Revision No', and 'Page Date' into one line (read: one paragraph) on
each page, give it a designated style, then you could get there by a
normal TOC field at the beginning (it will pick up the page number
naturally), pointed to that style only. That's probably the simples
solution, but you're not fully flexible in the how you present the
information.
Click to expand...

I've tried using this method with fair success using an 'Advance\y###' Field
to push it to the bottom of the page with a suitable page break afterwards. A
top border for that line of text gives it an appearance of a 'footer'.

To compile the list I used {TOC\t "paragraphstyle" \w } which seems to hold
the tabs OK. The only glitch comes when I 'Update Field - Update entire
Field' when it insists on reverting to "TOC" Style instead of maintaining my
applied style, but thats easily reinstated afterwards.

Hopefully, that will be good enough - I'm not at all into Macros!
But nowadays, it might be cheaper to simply issue a full copy of the
changed manual, or an electronic copy. With update-history.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately hard copies are required and the set of amended pages is the
way that's needed. Luckily there will not be many copies and hopefully not
too many amendments!:-)

Thanks again

Catster
 
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