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Archiver > TMG > 2001-12 > 1009747560


From: Terry Reigel <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Editing report in Word
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 16:26:10 -0500
References: <4.3.2.7.2.20011230144721.00aac950@pop3.airmail.net>


Linda Lawhon wrote:

> Well, after using TMG for umpteen years I just noticed something. I
> created a report in MS Word format. Then I opened it in Word to edit the
> report. I removed various entries which automatically removed the
> footnote. What I noticed is: the deleted footnote source is still listed
> in the bibliography. Is this normal???

Yes. When you delete the text that the footnote referees to the footnote is automatically deleted by Word because TMG has created the footnote in the format that Word recognizes as a footnote. That is, TMG creates the note in Word's built-in footnote format.

The footnote is actually embedded as hidden codes in the body of the text at the point where the note number appears - Word then then interprets it and puts the note either at the bottom of the page (if it's marked as a footnote) or at the end of the text (if it's marked as an endnote). Thus when you delete the portion of text containing the hidden codes the note no longer exists - and Word just changes the following note numbers to close up the gap in numbers.

But bibliographies use no such built-in feature in Word. Rather, TMG builds the Bibliography in ordinary text (like it does with endnotes if you use "Unique Endnotes"). So Word sees the Bibliography as ordinary text, and has no way to know that it's linked in any way to the footnotes.

Word has powerful automation features, so it might be possible to create coding that would link source notes and the bibliography (one of our Word experts might to speak to whether that's even possible). But it would be quite complex. The coding would have to link all footnotes refering to each source, and then figure out if all are removed. And I suppose if Bob V figured out how to do it in Word, then the users of other word processors would want it to work for them too <VBG>.

Terry Reigel

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