Strange blue text with dotted underline

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brenda from Michigan
  • Start date Start date
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Brenda from Michigan

Word 2003 SP3

User has sent me a document she receives on a regular basis. If Hidden Text
is turned on, you see (blue text) within parens with a dot leader underneath,
similar to a hyperlink except dots replacing the solid line and most but not
all of these blue selections have a blue bolded number to their left. This
text is always to the left of black text that has a faint gray line around
it, similiar to gridlines of a table. If you turn off Hidden Text, all the
blue text disappears but leaves the black text with the faint line around it.
I can't test printing right now.

I've looked at the References selections but this does not seem to be a
Table, Index, Footnote, Endnote or anything else I can find. Can anyone tell
me what I'm looking at please? Thank you very much.
 
Does the hidden text make sense in the context of the nonhidden text?
Maybe it's just text that the author didn't intend you to see.
 
I've further discovered this is full of "FormText" and "FormDropdown" codes.
However, it also does contain actual data. I think this document is the
middle of some process, but I"m not sure what.
 
I think I got it. This document was completed by someone else. Pressing F9
shows the codes for either a Formtext field (and text has been entered) or a
Formdropdown (one of the two selections has been chosen). The individual
involved has Hidden Text showing, so she sees the Field Names. When I turn
off Hidden Text, I still see her data. However, I'll just bet her Update
Fields is checked because all the data disappears and does not print if
that's checked.

Thanks for the idea. I think we've solved this mystery.
 
It sounds more as if she has field codes displayed (rather than Hidden
text).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org
 
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