Working with Cross-References

Cross-referencing is a great way to help readers find relevant material scattered throughout a long document. However, many writers avoid manual cross-referencing because it is difficult to manage and update. Every time you edit your document and change its page numbering, who will go through the entire document and fix every cross-reference?

Word will. Word 2003 automates cross-references, making them exceptionally convenient and flexible. And if there's a cross-referencing task Word won't handle by itself, chances are you can still make it happen with field codes.

You insert nearly all your cross-references through the Cross-reference dialog box. To display it, choose Insert, Reference, Cross-reference. (If Cross-reference does not appear in the Insert menu, use the double-down arrow to make Word display its full menus.) Figure 22.14 shows the Cross-reference dialog box.

This deceptively bare-looking dialog box packs quite a wallop: You can create cross-references to nine different elements of your document and customize the contents of any of them. More specifically, you can create cross-references to the following document elements.

• Headings you formatted using one of Word's built-in heading styles. (Example: "For more information about Honus Wagner, see Baseball in the 1920s.") Headings are natural reference points within a document. They stand out due to size and formatting, so they're easy for your reader to find. Moreover, they define important topics in your document that are often worth referencing.

• Numbered items (paragraphs and/or headings) you numbered using Word's Outline Numbering feature. (Example: "See Section I.2.a.")

• Bookmarks. (Example: "See coverage on page 133.") Occasionally, you'll want to cross-reference a block of text that doesn't correspond neatly to a document heading. For example, you might want to refer to an anecdote that was covered elsewhere in a different context; the anecdote may not have been important enough to warrant its own heading. Cross-referencing a block of text that is not a heading requires an extra step before proceeding. You must first select the text you want to cross-reference and use Insert, Bookmark to create a bookmark. Creating bookmarks is covered in more detail earlier in this chapter.

• Footnotes or endnotes. (Example: "See Footnote 7.")

• Equations, figures, and tables for which you created captions using Word's Caption feature. (Example: "See Table 3.2: 1999 Quarterly Results.") If you captioned the equation, figure, or table using Word's Caption or AutoCaption feature, you can easily insert an automated cross-reference.

To understand cross-referencing, it helps to first understand the steps involved in creating any cross-reference. After that, we'll take a closer look at the cross-references you're most likely to create: headings, bookmarks, footnotes, and figures.

Creating a Cross-Reference

Whenever you create a cross-reference from the Cross-reference dialog box, you follow the same general steps:

The steps just listed may be slightly modified depending on the type of element you are cross-referencing.

The following sections review some of these differences more closely.

Cross-Referencing a Heading

To cross-reference a heading or bookmark, choose Heading or Bookmark from the Reference Type drop-down box in the Cross-reference dialog box. Then, in the Insert Reference To drop-down box, choose the aspect of the heading or bookmark you want to reference. The following options are available:

• If you choose Heading Text or Bookmark Text, Word inserts the entire text of the heading or bookmark.

• If you choose Page Number, Word inserts the page number on which the heading appears.

• If you choose Heading Number, Word inserts the heading number that appears in your document, but only if you already inserted heading numbers with Word's Outline Numbering feature (see Chapter 18, "Outlining: Practical Techniques for Organizing Any Document").

• If you choose Heading Number (No Context), Word inserts an abbreviated heading number (you must be in the same section as the text you're referencing). For example, if you're in section 6.F and you insert a cross-reference to heading 6.C, Word inserts the reference C rather than 6.C. You might use (No Context) if you think it would be redundant to include the section number. This setting has no effect if you cross-reference a document element elsewhere in your document. For example, if you're in section 6.F and you insert a cross-reference to heading 3.L, Word inserts 3.L no matter what?never just L.

• If you choose Heading Number (Full Context), Word inserts a full heading number, even if you're in the same section as the heading you're referencing.

• If you choose Include Above/Below, Word inserts the word "above" or "below" in your cross-reference, depending on whether you're placing your cross-reference before or after the text you're referencing. If you move either the cross-reference or the reference text, Word can automatically adjust?switching "above" to "below," or vice versa, if needed.

After you've selected the aspect of the heading you want to bookmark, you must establish any other dialog box settings you need. For example, if you want the reference to be inserted as a hyperlink, make sure that the Insert as Hyperlink check box is enabled. When you are finished, click Insert.

Cross-Referencing a Footnote or an Endnote

You may at times want to cross-reference a footnote or an endnote. To do so, display the Cross-reference dialog box, and choose Footnote or Endnote as the Reference Type. Establish your other settings; then, in the Insert Reference To drop-down box, choose the aspect of the footnote or endnote you want to reference:

• If you choose Footnote Number (or Endnote Number), Word inserts the number of the footnote or endnote.

• If you choose Page Number, Word inserts the page number where the footnote began.

• If you choose Above/Below, Word inserts the word "above" or "below" in your cross-reference, depending on where the referenced text appears.

• If you choose Footnote Number (Formatted) or Endnote Number (Formatted), Word inserts the number, formatted as if it were another footnote (or endnote) in your document. This enables you to create multiple footnotes or endnotes that refer to the same footnote text and use the same footnote or endnote number, as is often required by scientific journals. Because you're actually inserting a cross-reference that resembles a footnote, not a "true" footnote or endnote, the numbering of the other footnotes and endnotes in your document isn't affected.

When you're finished, click Insert to add the cross-reference in your document.

Cross-Referencing a Figure (or Another Captioned Item)

To cross-reference a figure, a table, or an equation you've already captioned, display the Cross-reference dialog box, and choose Figure, Table, or Equation as the Reference Type. Establish your other settings; then, in the Insert Reference To drop-down box, choose the aspect of this document element you want to reference:

• If you choose Entire Caption, Word inserts the entire text of the caption, including its label and figure number.

• If you choose Only Label or Number, Word inserts the label and figure number, for example, Figure 1.1.

• If you choose Only Caption Text, Word inserts the text of the caption, excluding label and figure number.

• If you choose Page Number, Word inserts the number of the page where the figure, equation, or table appears.

• If you choose Above/Below, Word inserts only the word "above" or "below," depending on the figure's location relative to the cross-reference.

When you're finished, click Insert to add the cross-reference in your document.

Linking Cross-References to the Content They Reference

By default, Word inserts cross-references into your document as links, which means that if you press Ctrl while clicking on a cross-reference, Word jumps to the spot in the document you cross-referenced.

If you do not want to insert a cross-reference as a link, clear the Insert as Hyperlink check box in the Cross-reference dialog box. Note that Word doesn't format linked cross-references any differently than the surrounding text; they are not blue and underlined, like true hyperlinks. This is true even if you display your document in Web Layout view?and even if you resave the document as a Web page. In fact, the only difference between a linked cross-reference and one that isn't is the presence of an \h switch in the underlying field code.

You can add hyperlinking to a cross-reference by manually adding the \h switch, or checking the Hyperlink check box in the Cross-reference dialog box. You can remove a hyperlink from a cross-reference by deleting the \h switch, or clearing the Hyperlink check box.

Because hyperlinks look like ordinary text, there's rarely a reason not to format cross-references as hyperlinks. Even if you're creating a document for print, leaving Insert as Hyperlink checked makes it easier for you to move to the text you're referencing, making sure that your references are accurate and read as they should.

Automating Cross-References with { ASK } Fields

You've learned that you can create a bookmark and use it to create a cross-reference. After you do this, Word can place the text you bookmarked in many locations throughout your document, wherever you insert a cross-reference to that bookmark.

Sometimes, however, you'll want to repeat text throughout your document, but you don't have an existing bookmark to work with. In fact, you don't know what text you want to repeat yet. What then?

Using the { ASK } Field to Create References That Reflect User Input

Imagine the following scenario: You have a standard boilerplate letter, as shown in Figure 22.15. As you can see, this letter offers a discount to a specific customer. What if you want to offer an extra-large discount to a specific customer? You can set up the letter to request input from whoever is preparing the letter. Word stores that information as if it were a bookmark and then inserts it anywhere your cross-reference looks for that bookmark.

To create a reference that reflects user input, follow these steps:

Now that you've created the { ASK } field and provided it with sample input, you can create your cross-reference.

Choose Insert, Reference, Cross-reference, and follow the steps described earlier to create a reference to a bookmark. Use the bookmark name you specified in the { ASK } field. Next, click Insert to place the cross-reference in your document. Repeat steps 1?3 to insert another identical cross-reference anywhere you want the same information to appear.

You're done?except for one thing. Like most fields, { ASK } must be updated in order to change its value. Unless a user presses F9, the Prompt dialog box will not display, and the user will not be given an opportunity to enter a new value.

Fortunately, there's a way to make sure that the dialog box displays when the file opens. You can record a simple macro that consists of the two commands needed to do this. Follow these steps:

Using Fields to Create More Intelligent Cross-References

Until now, you've been using { ASK } and { REF } fields to enable users to customize letters one at a time. What if you could set up a cross-reference that would automatically know for what discount each customer was eligible, based on some other piece of information you provide, such as the size of the order the customer placed? You can, though it takes a little doing.

In this example, assume that customers who place orders larger than $10,000 are eligible for a discount of 10% on their next orders. Customers with smaller orders aren't eligible yet, but they will be if they reach the $10,000 threshold?and you'd like to encourage them to do so.

First, create an { ASK } field, as covered in the preceding section. This { ASK } field asks a user to specify the dollar value of a customer's orders to date. After the user responds, the information is stored in a bookmark named dollarvalue:

{ ASK dollarvalue "Value of customer's orders to date?" }

Now that you've captured the value of a customer's order in a bookmark, you can use an { IF } field to show Word what decisions you want it to make?and what text you want it to place in your letter as a result. A generic { IF } field uses the following syntax:

{ IF test "DoIfTrue" "ElseDoThis" }

At the heart of an { IF } field is a test. You specify a condition, and Word sees whether that condition has been met. For example, the test might include a formula that asks, "Has the customer ordered at least $10,000 worth of merchandise?"

To create a formula such as this, first create a bookmark for the location in your document that contains the value you want to test. Often, you'll want to bookmark a table cell. In the following example, you create a bookmark named dollarvalue and use it in a formula that serves as the test:

IF dollarvalue >=10000

Next, the { IF } field specifies the text you want Word to insert if the condition has been met. In this example, you use the following text, surrounded by quotation marks:

"You've just qualified for a 10% discount on your next order!
Thanks for being such a great customer!" 

Finally, the { IF } field specifies the text you want Word to insert if the condition has not been met. Again, this text should appear in quotation marks:

"Qualify for a 10% discount when you place $10,000 in orders!
You're well on your way!" 

Now build the { IF } field by putting all three components together: the test, the text that should appear if the test comes back "true," and the text that should appear otherwise:

{ IF dollarvalue >=10000 "You've just qualified for a 10% discount on your
next order! Thanks for being such a great customer!"  "Qualify for a 10%
discount when you place $10,000 in orders! You're well on your way!"  }

After Word knows the size of the order, it also knows what text to add to the letter.

You might want to place the same text in several locations throughout your document, or perhaps on an accompanying envelope stored as page 0 of the same file. That's the easy part. Select the entire field (or field result) and mark it as a bookmark. In this example, the bookmark is named discount. Insert a cross-reference to the bookmark anywhere you want the text to appear.