Using one WORD document for different audiences

[ErikJan]

I'm exploring the path where I use some VBA code to toggle text in my document (building on SNB's feedback).

Problem is that with the hidden text displayed, I can edit and change that but everything I do is not kept as it disappears the next time I toggle.
Seems the only way to change the advanced text is in the Alt-F9 mode where I display the field...
Now that is disappointing and cumbersome... Back to the paragraph style?

My document has this test field:

Code: Select all

{ IF {DOCVARIABLE  "EJH" } ="v" <hidden text and formatting here>" ""}

My VBA code looks like this (triggered by a button in the document):

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Private Sub EJH_Hide_Click()
    'One time use only to create variable EJH if it does not exist
    'ActiveDocument.Variables("EJH").Delete
    Dim oVars As Variables, D
    Set oVars = ActiveDocument.Variables
    On Error Resume Next
    D = oVars("EJH").Value
    If Err.Number = 5825 Then ActiveDocument.Variables.Add Name:="EJH", Value:="v"
    'Toggle (v=visible, h=hidden)
    If D = "v" Then
        D = "h"
        EJH_Hide.Caption = "Normal"
    Else
        D = "v"
        EJH_Hide.Caption = "Extended"
    End If
    'Apply
    With ActiveDocument
        .Variables("EJH") = D
        .Fields.Update
    End With
End Sub

[snb]

As I showed in the file I uploaded:

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Private Sub EJH_Hide_Click()
   with ActiveDocument.Variables("EJH")
       .value=iif(.value="v","h","v")
   end with
   activedocument.fields.update    
End Sub

There's no reason to add a new docvariable every time. Once added, a docvariable can't be removed manually. (BTW you can remove the Docvariable-Field, but that doesn't effect the Docvariable nor its value.
You can toggle between 'field editing mode' and 'reading mode' using Alt-F9.
The 'field editing mode' is 100% independent of the (in)visibility in 'reading mode'

[ErikJan]

I am not adding a new variable every time. It's just there to create it the first time (if it doesn't exist yet).

And yes, as I said, I seem to be able to only edit the information in the field in field editing mode. But if one has that off, it's very tempting to start making changes in the text you see (only to find out that everything you do is void and disappears without warning).

[ErikJan]

OK, so I created a special paragraph-style that (I hope) doesn't do anything but just servers as a marker.
This is how it looks now:

2024-04-11 12_33_18-Modify Style.png

If I apply this to text (and yes, I shouldn't use manual formatting but just use character- and paragraph-styles. I always used the latter but need to get used to character styles as well now), some of this seems to work.
But if I apply this style to a section my document that e.g. has headers, the headers disappear. Now that's NOT what I want.
So I think, there's still too much formatting in my style. It seems however I can't do less than this. What am I missing now?

[StuartR]

You need to use a character style for this. Not a paragraph style

[ErikJan]

Ah... OK. I apolize. Will try

[snb]

it's very tempting to start making changes in the text you see (only to find out that everything you do is void and disappears without warning

That isn't correct; you must be making several mistakes doing this.

[ErikJan]

You need to use a character style for this. Not a paragraph style

This time the heading styles survive, but the character style "Strong" (to make bold characters) is removed...

2024-04-11 18_15_49-Modify Style.png

[StuartR]

That is correct, you can't have two character styles applied to the same text at the same time.

[ErikJan]

OK, so the fact that I hardly ever used character styles (but always use paragraph styles) actually helps me here ;-)

[ErikJan]

Picked this back up and exploring the option where I can set a character style to 'hidden' by clicking a button (which calls VBA code).
I also added a background color to highlight the hidden text so when I edit the document I can see in which part I'm doing that.
New question: how do I remove the hidden text from the TOC? I think I need more VBA code for that

[ChrisGreaves]

... I can set a character style to 'hidden' by clicking a button (which calls VBA code).

Hi ErikJan. This seems to be getting awfully complicated for what ought to be a simple solution.

(1) I have oft been frustrated with using {IncludeText} (and today I see in Word2003 the {REF} field which I think I have never used.)
(2) I have mainly used the {IncludeText} field to insert an entire training module into an all-singing all-dancing customized training manual for a client's five-day course.
(3) I too found a difficulty in making edits to included text. Right up to the time I stopped paid work, I could not find a simple way to, say, right-click on included text and get my VBA code to open the included text document file for editing. Let alone the text that appeared in that included text from a lower-level {IncludeText}. (I felt that I should be able to construct a training manual the way that I construct programs - by using pre-tested components)
(4) That I can, using VBA code, edit Included-from-file images makes the task even more frustrating:-

Untitled.png

(5) Using Paragraph and/or Character styles is another issue
(6) Using Paragraph and/or Character styles under switch control (in your case "make it [in]visible") is another issue.
Cheers, Chris

[ErikJan]

Chris,

Thanks for the response but I miss your point. Are you suggesting I should approach this differently?
I'm currently sort of happy with what I have now. The document has a button that with hide or unhide the 'special' sections.
I know that I can set hidden text not to print (or export: it's not exported in a PDF as well).
All I'm looking for now is a trick to hide this text (if hidden) from the ToC. If I find a way to do that, I can add that to the code so it does that when I switch between hidden/not hidden (and then of course, I update the ToC if needed as well through VBA)

[ChrisGreaves]

Thanks for the response but I miss your point. Are you suggesting I should approach this differently?

Hi ErikJan. Don't worry about missing my point; I often miss it myself.
I posted because of a vague unease I have that what ***I*** think should be a simple exercise ("hide text using a switch") looks as if it is developing into a major solution.
That's why I said that I'd faced much the same problem for twenty years - an independent operation on Included text - in your case hiding text AND editing the source of the included text.

I don't have a simple solution for your problem.
But I do worry that it appears to be building up a lot of "stuff".

I still have a feeling that if I was better at {field codes} I'd have a nifty solution with {IF} and {INCLUDETEXT}

I'm currently sort of happy with what I have now. ... All I'm looking for now is a trick to ...

This too sets off alarm bells: "It just needs one more grommet hooked through the left-handed blivot and then ..."

Cheers, Chris

[ErikJan]

Made me think about this Chris ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag

[HansV]

[ErikJan]

I think I got a solution for the ToC!

I now use Heading levels 1-4. I changed Heading levels 5-8 to be based on 1-4.

Then I start to use Heading levels 5-8 for the additional / extended paragraphs.

Next, remember that I use a button that calls VBA code which makes text in the Character style that I use for the extended sections hidden or not hidden.
In that same code, I will now try to add code that shows a ToC with Heading levels only from 1-4 or a ToC with headinglevels from 1-8 (for the extended view), then I re-create the ToC each time.

I'll let you know if I can get that to work.

[ErikJan]

It's working! I'm optimizing the code now and will share later