track changes problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fred Kruger
  • Start date Start date
F

Fred Kruger

for legal reasons i am wanting to track changes people
make to documents so that they can be audited if need be.

users create the various documents from templates which
contain formfields and protected and unprotected sections
to allow large ammounts of texts to be placed in them.

When i activate the track changes and enter and
alter/delete things in the form fields some of the time
the changes are highlighted some of the times they are
not.

When i enter text into the unprotected sections the new
text appears as red and under lined but the deleted text
never shows at all and it the deleted parts of the
document which is important.

Can anyone help with this problem i am using office 97
version of word on XP prof
 
G'day "Fred Kruger" <[email protected]>,

The best bet is probably using a flat file versioning approach. That
is, you store each version in a version control system (eg VSS) but
before you store it, you flatten it with a

Ctrl + A (Select all)

Ctrl+Shift + F9 (Turns all fields into static text)

This will make your compares easier.

When you want an accurate list of changes, use Tools > Track changes >
Compare Documents on the updated copy and the last checked in version.


Steve Hudson - Word Heretic
Want a hyperlinked index? S/W R&D? See WordHeretic.com

steve from wordheretic.com (Email replies require payment)


Fred Kruger reckoned:
 
Hi Word Heretic

Thanks for this but unfortunatley I dont have the
facility to make and keep multiple saves of the same
document it is not possible. I work for a law enforcement
agency and we create thousands of documents a day and not
all need to be verified so it would be a massive problem.

The track changes works on the text enetered in the
document after the new document has been created but
doesnt show any deletions.

By flattening the formfields this prevents them from
being accessed at a later stage which is no good.

It is the deleted stuff that doesnt show up any ideas.

Cheers in anticipation

Fred
 
G'day "Fred Kruger" <[email protected]>,

I exclusively avoid Tracked Changes for the simple reasons:

1) They are broken (your prob is but 1 eg)
2) They are one of the quickest paths to corrupt documents I know
about.

Unfortunately I would have to liase extensively on a commercial basis
with you and your manager to ascertain a methodology or automated
solution that would be suitable for your unique environment.

Steve Hudson - Word Heretic
Want a hyperlinked index? S/W R&D? See WordHeretic.com

steve from wordheretic.com (Email replies require payment)


Fred Kruger reckoned:
 
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