StyleRef fields

I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary. However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is lost. This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that should be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see any way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it picks up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone help with this?

Have you tried the \* MERGEFORMAT switch. I normally avoid using this and it
often will lose the formatting of words after the first word, but it may be
what you want.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary.
However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is lost.
This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that should
be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see any
way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it picks
up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone help
with this?

No, MERGEFORMAT isn't any good unfortunately. That switch can be used to
avoid "update field" overwriting any formatting you apply directly to the
result. It might help if we elect to fix the problems by hand, but that's not
really any use because if the document changes the formatting we apply could
end up on the wrong page. If the last entry on a page is italicised and we
apply italics to the field result in the header, a slight change in format or
content could shift that entry to the next page and the italics we applied in
the header wouldn't move with it. I'm dealing with scientific text which is
why italics, small caps and so on are so important.

"Charles Kenyon" wrote:

Have you tried the \* MERGEFORMAT switch. I normally avoid using this and it
often will lose the formatting of words after the first word, but it may be
what you want.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary.
However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is lost.
This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that should
be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see any
way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it picks
up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone help
with this?

Are you applying the specific formatting in the body text using a character
style? Does doing so change what happens with the MERGEFORMAT switch? Just
guessing, here, but I use StyleRef regularly and usually want the opposite
result of what you are trying to achieve; that is, I want special formatting
in the header/footer to override the formatting that the information has in
the body.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
No, MERGEFORMAT isn't any good unfortunately. That switch can be used to
avoid "update field" overwriting any formatting you apply directly to the
result. It might help if we elect to fix the problems by hand, but that's
not
really any use because if the document changes the formatting we apply
could
end up on the wrong page. If the last entry on a page is italicised and we
apply italics to the field result in the header, a slight change in format
or
content could shift that entry to the next page and the italics we applied
in
the header wouldn't move with it. I'm dealing with scientific text which
is
why italics, small caps and so on are so important.

"Charles Kenyon" wrote:

Have you tried the \* MERGEFORMAT switch. I normally avoid using this
and it
often will lose the formatting of words after the first word, but it may
be
what you want.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary.
However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is
lost.
This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that
should
be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see
any
way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it
picks
up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone
help
with this?

MERGEFORMAT is definitely not the answer I'm afraid - that's to do with
whether formatting applied to the field result is preserved, which is not
what I'm after.
I have managed to improve matters by using Unicode sequences for the symbols
rather than switching to Symbol font (the rtf for this document is generated
by a program). Other formatting such as italics, small caps and
sub-/superscript are important due to the scientific content of the document,
but I guess we will have to live without them in the header.
It would be good if Microsoft could provide a new switch for StyleRef fields
to provide users with the option to replicate the text's formatting.


"Charles Kenyon" wrote:

Are you applying the specific formatting in the body text using a character
style? Does doing so change what happens with the MERGEFORMAT switch? Just
guessing, here, but I use StyleRef regularly and usually want the opposite
result of what you are trying to achieve; that is, I want special formatting
in the header/footer to override the formatting that the information has in
the body.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
No, MERGEFORMAT isn't any good unfortunately. That switch can be used to
avoid "update field" overwriting any formatting you apply directly to the
result. It might help if we elect to fix the problems by hand, but that's
not
really any use because if the document changes the formatting we apply
could
end up on the wrong page. If the last entry on a page is italicised and we
apply italics to the field result in the header, a slight change in format
or
content could shift that entry to the next page and the italics we applied
in
the header wouldn't move with it. I'm dealing with scientific text which
is
why italics, small caps and so on are so important.

"Charles Kenyon" wrote:

Have you tried the \* MERGEFORMAT switch. I normally avoid using this
and it
often will lose the formatting of words after the first word, but it may
be
what you want.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary.
However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is
lost.
This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that
should
be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see
any
way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it
picks
up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone
help
with this?

One warning, not directly related to your question, but there is a 255
character limit to the size of the text copied by the styleref field
(undocumented of course).

Chip


"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary.
However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is lost.
This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that should
be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see any
way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it picks
up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone help
with this?

Since StyleRef fields are mostly used in headers/footers and are designed to
pick up headings (usually relatively short) or single words (in
dictionary-style headings), this would not ordinarily be a problem, but it's
good to be aware of the limitation. Thanks.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Chip Orange" wrote in message
...
One warning, not directly related to your question, but there is a 255
character limit to the size of the text copied by the styleref field
(undocumented of course).

Chip


"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary.
However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is
lost.
This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that should
be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see any
way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it picks
up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone
help
with this?

Thanks, that's useful to know.

"Chip Orange" wrote:

One warning, not directly related to your question, but there is a 255
character limit to the size of the text copied by the styleref field
(undocumented of course).

Chip


"Catherine Haines" wrote in
message ...
I want to use StyleRef fields for a running header in a dictionary.
However, only the text is inserted in the header and any formatting is lost.
This is a problem because I have symbols and italics and so on that should
be applied in the header as well as the text on the page. I can't see any
way of getting a StyleRef field to respect the format of the text it picks
up. I think I will have to write a macro to do it instead - can anyone help
with this?