ASK Field Behavior

I was doing some experimenting and stumbled on some odd
ASK field behavior and was hoping someone could explain
what is going on under Word's hood.

I put {ASK Name "What is your name?"} in the body of a
document and {REF Name} in the header. All is well.

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately FOLLOWING the ASK field
bookmark indicator and the REF field results will not
display. Odd.

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately PRECEEDING the ASK
field bookmark indicator and the REF field results will
display but only after I fire the prompt (F9) and respond
a second time. Very odd.

Can anyone explain the reason for this behavior?

Thank you.

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately FOLLOWING the ASK field
bookmark indicator and the REF field results will not
display. Odd.

I don't get this here (Word 2003).

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately PRECEEDING the ASK
field bookmark indicator and the REF field results will
display but only after I fire the prompt (F9) and respond
a second time. Very odd.

Broadly speaking, this is because Word executes the field codes in the
sequence they appear in the text. If you select the whole header and
press F9, when Word tries to execute the REF field, no Age bookmark
exists yet. Word will typically display "Error! Reference source not
found." Then WOrd will execute the ASK field, which will result in the
creation of the ASK bookmark. Word won't go back and re-execute the REF
field. In fact, it doesn't even execute it when you print with the
Print|Update Fields option set. But if you carefully select the REF
field and press F9, you should see Word insert the value you specified
when you responded to the ASK.

Peter Jamieson

Peter,

I was using Word 2000, but I am at home now and still and see the same
behavior.

I have {REF Age}{ASK Age "How old are you?"}{Ref Age} in the document
header.

The first REF field generates the error you mention on first attempt to
update and the displays on the second update. The REF field following the
ASK field will not display. I see the same behavior if I separate the ASK
and REF field with text {REF Age}{ASK Age "How old are you?"} XXXX {Ref
Age}

If I cut and paste the ASK field into the main document and update, both REF
fields in the header update and display normally. If I cut and paste the ASK
field back in between the two REF fields, the first will udate on the second
attempt but the second REF field retains and displays the previous value and
will not update.

Very odd????

A REF Field in the main document or footer visually following the ASK field
updates and displays normally.



--
Greg Maxey
A peer in "peer to peer" support
Rockledge, FL
To e-mail, edit out the "w...spam" in

Peter Jamieson wrote:
I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately FOLLOWING the ASK field
bookmark indicator and the REF field results will not
display. Odd.

I don't get this here (Word 2003).

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately PRECEEDING the ASK
field bookmark indicator and the REF field results will
display but only after I fire the prompt (F9) and respond
a second time. Very odd.

Broadly speaking, this is because Word executes the field codes in the
sequence they appear in the text. If you select the whole header and
press F9, when Word tries to execute the REF field, no Age bookmark
exists yet. Word will typically display "Error! Reference source not
found." Then WOrd will execute the ASK field, which will result in the
creation of the ASK bookmark. Word won't go back and re-execute the
REF field. In fact, it doesn't even execute it when you print with the
Print|Update Fields option set. But if you carefully select the REF
field and press F9, you should see Word insert the value you specified
when you responded to the ASK.

Peter Jamieson

Greg, move the ASK field to the body of the document. Then it should work
pretty well.
--

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.

"Greg Maxey" wrote in message
. ..
Peter,

I was using Word 2000, but I am at home now and still and see the same
behavior.

I have {REF Age}{ASK Age "How old are you?"}{Ref Age} in the document
header.

The first REF field generates the error you mention on first attempt to
update and the displays on the second update. The REF field following the
ASK field will not display. I see the same behavior if I separate the ASK
and REF field with text {REF Age}{ASK Age "How old are you?"} XXXX {Ref
Age}

If I cut and paste the ASK field into the main document and update, both
REF
fields in the header update and display normally. If I cut and paste the
ASK
field back in between the two REF fields, the first will udate on the
second
attempt but the second REF field retains and displays the previous value
and
will not update.

Very odd????

A REF Field in the main document or footer visually following the ASK
field
updates and displays normally.



--
Greg Maxey
A peer in "peer to peer" support
Rockledge, FL
To e-mail, edit out the "w...spam" in

Peter Jamieson wrote:
I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately FOLLOWING the ASK field
bookmark indicator and the REF field results will not
display. Odd.

I don't get this here (Word 2003).

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately PRECEEDING the ASK
field bookmark indicator and the REF field results will
display but only after I fire the prompt (F9) and respond
a second time. Very odd.

Broadly speaking, this is because Word executes the field codes in the
sequence they appear in the text. If you select the whole header and
press F9, when Word tries to execute the REF field, no Age bookmark
exists yet. Word will typically display "Error! Reference source not
found." Then WOrd will execute the ASK field, which will result in the
creation of the ASK bookmark. Word won't go back and re-execute the
REF field. In fact, it doesn't even execute it when you print with the
Print|Update Fields option set. But if you carefully select the REF
field and press F9, you should see Word insert the value you specified
when you responded to the ASK.

Peter Jamieson

Charles,

Yes I have noticed that, I am just confounded by the behavior. Especially
after Peter commented that he wasn't experiencing it. I am using Word2003
here and that following REF field just won't update or display :-(

--
Greg Maxey
A peer in "peer to peer" support
Rockledge, FL
To e-mail, edit out the "w...spam" in

Charles Kenyon wrote:
Greg, move the ASK field to the body of the document. Then it should
work pretty well.

"Greg Maxey" wrote in message
. ..
Peter,

I was using Word 2000, but I am at home now and still and see the
same behavior.

I have {REF Age}{ASK Age "How old are you?"}{Ref Age} in the document
header.

The first REF field generates the error you mention on first attempt
to update and the displays on the second update. The REF field
following the ASK field will not display. I see the same behavior
if I separate the ASK and REF field with text {REF Age}{ASK Age
"How old are you?"} XXXX {Ref Age}

If I cut and paste the ASK field into the main document and update,
both REF fields in the header update and display normally. If I cut
and paste the ASK field back in between the two REF fields, the
first will udate on the second attempt but the second REF field
retains and displays the previous value and will not update.

Very odd????

A REF Field in the main document or footer visually following the
ASK field updates and displays normally.



--
Greg Maxey
A peer in "peer to peer" support
Rockledge, FL
To e-mail, edit out the "w...spam" in

Peter Jamieson wrote:
I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately FOLLOWING the ASK field
bookmark indicator and the REF field results will not
display. Odd.

I don't get this here (Word 2003).

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately PRECEEDING the ASK
field bookmark indicator and the REF field results will
display but only after I fire the prompt (F9) and respond
a second time. Very odd.

Broadly speaking, this is because Word executes the field codes in
the sequence they appear in the text. If you select the whole
header and press F9, when Word tries to execute the REF field, no
Age bookmark exists yet. Word will typically display "Error!
Reference source not found." Then WOrd will execute the ASK field,
which will result in the creation of the ASK bookmark. Word won't
go back and re-execute the
REF field. In fact, it doesn't even execute it when you print with
the Print|Update Fields option set. But if you carefully select the
REF field and press F9, you should see Word insert the value you
specified when you responded to the ASK.

Peter Jamieson

FWIW I experience the same 'problem' here with Word 2003.
Update of fields in headers has always been a bit hit and miss. The only way
I was able to get this to display correctly was to modify my update macro to
use two techniques - the first to update the fields and the second to switch
print preview which forces the first field to display correctly without
forcing the prompt on the ask field for a second time.

Sub UpdateAll()
Dim oStory As Range
Dim oField As Field
For Each oStory In ActiveDocument.StoryRanges
For Each oField In oStory.Fields
oField.Update
Next oField
Next oStory
Options.UpdateFieldsAtPrint = True
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
PrintPreview = True
PrintPreview = False
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.Type = wdPrintView
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Greg Maxey wrote:
Charles,

Yes I have noticed that, I am just confounded by the behavior.
Especially after Peter commented that he wasn't experiencing it. I
am using Word2003 here and that following REF field just won't update
or display :-(


Charles Kenyon wrote:
Greg, move the ASK field to the body of the document. Then it should
work pretty well.

"Greg Maxey" wrote in message
. ..
Peter,

I was using Word 2000, but I am at home now and still and see the
same behavior.

I have {REF Age}{ASK Age "How old are you?"}{Ref Age} in the
document header.

The first REF field generates the error you mention on first attempt
to update and the displays on the second update. The REF field
following the ASK field will not display. I see the same behavior
if I separate the ASK and REF field with text {REF Age}{ASK Age
"How old are you?"} XXXX {Ref Age}

If I cut and paste the ASK field into the main document and update,
both REF fields in the header update and display normally. If I cut
and paste the ASK field back in between the two REF fields, the
first will udate on the second attempt but the second REF field
retains and displays the previous value and will not update.

Very odd????

A REF Field in the main document or footer visually following the
ASK field updates and displays normally.



--
Greg Maxey
A peer in "peer to peer" support
Rockledge, FL
To e-mail, edit out the "w...spam" in

Peter Jamieson wrote:
I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately FOLLOWING the ASK field
bookmark indicator and the REF field results will not
display. Odd.

I don't get this here (Word 2003).

I put {ASK Age "How old are you?"} in the HEADER of a
document and {REF Age} immediately PRECEEDING the ASK
field bookmark indicator and the REF field results will
display but only after I fire the prompt (F9) and respond
a second time. Very odd.

Broadly speaking, this is because Word executes the field codes in
the sequence they appear in the text. If you select the whole
header and press F9, when Word tries to execute the REF field, no
Age bookmark exists yet. Word will typically display "Error!
Reference source not found." Then WOrd will execute the ASK field,
which will result in the creation of the ASK bookmark. Word won't
go back and re-execute the
REF field. In fact, it doesn't even execute it when you print with
the Print|Update Fields option set. But if you carefully select the
REF field and press F9, you should see Word insert the value you
specified when you responded to the ASK.

Peter Jamieson