How to use IncludeText with minor changes?

[Guest]

I have to keep 4 user guides updated for 4 products. There are many features
that are the same between the products, and many features that are "pretty
much" the same. For example, one of our products works for the C programming
language, and one for the Ada language, so the paragraphs that I want to
include might have slight differences.

After I insert the includetext using the bookmark from the source document,
what do I do if there are slight modifications? Should I mark them as hidden
text in the source document so that I can un-hide the text for one user
manual and un-hide the different text for the other user manual?

I'm beginning to realize that the power of INCLUDETEXT is the automatic
updating from the source file, so this IncludeText idea might not work.

Much obliged,
Ella Davis

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

There are probably a lot of different ways to do this, but one way might be
to use DocProperty fields. Some possibilities:

1. Create document properties that contain the actual text that changes; add
a UserForm that allows users to fill in the document properties with the
appropriate text (perhaps selected from a dropdown list) at document
creation. Insert the text in the document using DocProperty fields.

2. If there are a lot of things that vary, create a single document property
that tells which user guide this is. Then use nested IF fields to insert the
appropriate text based on a test of the DocProperty. One way this could work
would be to use AutoText or IncludeText fields instead of using text in the
IF fields. There could be a different AutoText entry or bookmarked text
range for each version of the manual.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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[Guest]

Thank you so much! There are *lots* of slight differences between the
different user guides. I am just now learning about INCLUDETEXT, so I am
going to look at IF fields. I will see if I can set a DocProperty to specify
which user guide is the current one.

I'll let you know.
Ella Davis

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Be sure to look at the Help topic that illustrates how to nest IF fields
(the "Specify multiple conditions" example in "Examples of IF fields").

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Hi Suzanne,
Why do I need *nested* IF statements, not just one level of IF statements?
Ella

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Because IF statements are binary (True/False). So if your document property
can have four different states, you can test only two at a time. Look at the
example I cited.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.