OLE, Publish, and Subscribe Links Lost When Converted to RTF
  
PSS ID Number: Q107201
Article last modified on 03-07-1997
 

 

 

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5.00 5.10
MACINTOSH
kbole
 
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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.1
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SYMPTOMS
========
 
One or more links disappear from a document that has been saved and
reopened in the Interchange (RTF) format. The linked information
remains (server and client text), but the connecting links are lost.
In the case of embedded objects (such as objects from Microsoft Excel,
MS Graph, and the Equation Editor) the object remains, but Word treats
it as a picture.
 
CAUSE
=====
 
ALL three of the following circumstances must be met for the problem
to occur:
 
1. The document must have been saved in Interchange (RTF) format.
 
2. The document must contain a .c. table of contents and/or .i.
   index entry that ends with a hidden semicolon. Take for example,
   the following table of contents entry,
 
      .c.Chapter One; Yearly Report
 
   with the .c. and the semicolon formatted as hidden.
 
3. Something in a table of contents or index entry must be a client
   or server in an OLE link or Publish/Subscribe link. For example, in
   part 2 above, the word One might be an OLE server.
 
All servers and clients following or within the table of contents  or
index entry lose their connecting information. To retain their links,
servers AND their clients must exist before a table of contents  or
index entry.
 
Once the file is saved in RTF, there is no way to globally repair the
links. Each link must be reconnected individually.
 
WORKAROUND
==========
 
If a document must be saved in the RTF format, then before saving, use
these steps to preserve the links:
 
1. From the Edit menu, select Replace.
 
2. In Find What, enter ".i" or ".c" (without the quotation marks),
   depending on whether it is an index or table of contents  entry.
 
3. From the Find What Format menu, select Character. Select the Hidden
   option and choose OK. The word Hidden should appear to the right of
   the Find What Format menu.
 
4. In Replace With, enter a special character that is not used
   elsewhere in the document.
 
5. Make sure Search is set to All and then choose Replace All.
 
6. Save the document in Interchange (RTF) format.
 
7. When you reopen the document, use the Replace command to replace
   the special character inserted in step 4 with the ".c" or ".i"
   (without the quotation marks) entries in the document.
 
STATUS
======
 
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word for the Macintosh
versions 5.0, and 5.1. This problem was corrected in Word for the Macintosh
version 6.0.
 
REFERENCES
==========
 
For additional information about links in Word 5.x, see the "Microsoft
Word User's Guide," Chapter 37.
 
For additional information about alternate converters in Word 5.x, see
the "Microsoft Word User's Guide," 660-664.
 
KBCategory: kbole
KBSubCategory:
Additional reference words: 5.00 5.10 gone miss missing remove broken
macword5 rich text edition winword
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1997.