{INDEX} "\k" field switch anomaly

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ChrisGreaves
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{INDEX} "\k" field switch anomaly

Post by ChrisGreaves »

I am back to working with {Index} fields (Word2003) and meandering through the switches.

This is a bit esoteric, I confess, but (see attached text file), of all the {Index} field switches (d, e, g, k, l) that allow one to specify non-default separator strings, all but \k are limited to five characters (X(5) in COBOL terms).

The \k switch permits one to specify as much text as one wants, as in

Code: Select all

\k "I am back to working with {Index} fields (Word2003) and meandering through the switches"
but only the first fifteen characters of the enclosed string will be used.
This limitation is not mentioned in the Help files.

I have always been struck by an apparent silo-mentality of MS software design. Was the guy who wrote \k in an office on a different floor? Different campus? Didn't show up for design meetings? Couldn't get Outlook to work?

Me? I can't think of a good idea why there should be a limit on these separator strings at all, at all, but if there has to be a limit, why not be consistent?
Cheers
Chris
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