[Edit - All relates to Microsoft Office Word 97 - 2003 Template (.dot) and Microsoft Office Word 97 - 2003 Document (.doc)]
I've made up a generic Word template to be distributed to a group of authors, with the usual "varying" software versions (and degrees of computer skills). In an effort to make features work properly across this range, I decided to store all metadata in Document Property fields. The idea is that users can customize these via the file properties sheets tabs - Details and Custom. For instance, the owner's contact phone number is entered in Properties -> Custom -> Telephone Number; the multiline Details -> Comments tag holds the address block. This avoids issues with permission to run macros, autotext disappearing, novices getting lost working with Fields etc. - in other words, as universal as possible. Two questions relating to this...
I'm surprised that I have been unable to find a little freebie utility with the ability to easily change these editable fields/tags, presenting them in a nice windowed form after drag/dropping a file onto the app. Everything I've seen seems to be limited to the very generic file attributes - Read Only, Date Modified etc. While it is very easy to change them from the Properties dialogs in the file context menu, it would be easier still for novice users to have such an app. Anybody know of something geared to the Property Sheets for MS Office files?
Second issue is the age-old one of Word not updating (some) fields unless forced to do so. I have included instructions for users to use Ctrl+A, F9 if they think things have not updated e.g. word count. They also must double-click header and footer regions and repeat the process. I'm expecting the answer "No"
but is there any way, without using VBA or the "sometimes works" Print Preview, to ensure that fields update properly, at least when a document is first opened?Thanks for any suggestions.
Alan
