[Word] Cross-Reference: Unexpected error message

[David A. Gray]

Cross references refer to bookmarks. Unless the referenced bookmark contains
_some_ text, Word displays this error. Occasionally, I have had it happen
that a bookmark that I thought contained certain text was actually defined
as an empty bookmark. Empty bookmarks are legal; indeed, there is one such
at both ends of every document.

A bookmark can become empty if the selection collapses during the definition
process. Lots of things, including wild mice, can cause this. To see what's
in the bookmark, use the GoTo dialog box to navigate to the bookmark. When
you go there, its entire contents will be selected. If you see only the
I-beam cursor, without any adjacent selected text, your bookmark is empty.
To correct it, simply redefine the bookmark.

HTH.

David Gray, MBA
WizardWrx - Making computer magic since 1985 

	
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-----Original Message-----
From: word-bounces at dcomp.com [mailto:word-bounces at dcomp.com] On Behalf Of
Leonard S. Berkowitz
Sent: Friday, 24 April, 2009 10:18
To: Word List
Subject: [Word] Cross-Reference: Unexpected error message


Background: I use footnotes extensively on a current project. Since the
"document" is lengthy (600 printed pages and counting), it is convenient to
compose and edit it in small chunks. Footnotes occur in more than one chunk.
In order to maintain consistency, I insert the footnotes as linked objects,
rather than pasting the text. This also makes the text of the footnote
dynamic so that subsequent updates to the footnote text will be reflected in
every chunk where it occurs.

Sometimes the need for a particular footnote arises a second, third, etc.
time in a single chunk. At the first occurrence, I insert the footnote. For
succeeding occurrences, I insert two cross-references, to the first
occurrence: one for the footnote number and one for the page number, as
follows:

See footnote <footnote number> on page <page number>.

This has been working very well until yesterday. When I attempt to enter the
footnote number where indicated, the correct footnote number is inserted.
However, when I attempt to enter the page number, the following error
message is displayed:

The requested reference is empty.

Why is this and how can I overcome the problem?

(Of course, I can insert the page number manually, but then if the addition
or deletion of text before the first occurrence of the footnote may change
its location, and that will not be reflected in the cross-reference.)

Thanks for reading this far, and thanks in advance for any insight you can
offer.

-- 
Leonard S. Berkowitz
Leonard.S.Berkowitz.c56 at alumni.upenn.edu

Using TheBat! 4.0.28.3

Windows Vista 6.0 
Build 6001 Service Pack 1


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