Word: Assigning automated cross-references

Based on a Writing Tip I wrote for my work colleagues. Warning: LONG! as there are different instructions for each type of cross-reference.

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In many of the Word documents you write, you may need to refer the reader to another section, an appendix, a table, or a figure, or numbered reference in a References list. You do this with a cross-reference (e.g. ‘see Table 5-2’). Although you can just type the cross-reference (x-ref), if you add more sections/tables/figures etc. or delete some, then some or all of your typed x-refs will be incorrect and take the reader to the wrong place.

The solution is to use automated x-refs.

That way, when you add/move/delete sections/tables/figures etc., you just need to update the fields in your document to automatically update the x-ref numbers to reflect the new numbering of these elements. The other advantage of automated x-refs is that they are clickable in the Word document (Ctrl+click) and sometimes in PDFs (depending on the Acrobat settings) – in both cases, clicking the link will take you straight to the place referred to.

Assumptions: All the instructions below assume you are working in a document that is based on a template that uses:

• automatic outline numbering for the sections (e.g. Section 5.3.2) and appendices
• automatic caption numbering for the table/figure captions (e.g. Table 2-3)
• automatic list numbering for the items in the References list (assuming you have a manual list of numbered References).

The instructions vary a little for each type of cross-reference—figure/table, section, appendix, numbered References list item. However, for each you will start with the References tab > Captions group > Cross-reference button:

 

Insert an automated cross-reference to a figure or table

1. Place your cursor in the text where you want to insert the cross-reference.
2. Go to the References tab > Captions group, then click Cross-reference.
3. In the Reference type field, click the drop-down arrow and select either Figure or Table (they’re at the bottom of the list).
4. In the Insert reference to field, click the drop-down arrow and select Only label and number.
5. Select the figure or table from the list in the lower half of the dialog box.
6. Click Insert.

Insert an automated cross-reference to a section

1. Place your cursor in the text where you want to insert the cross-reference.
2. Type the word ‘Section’ and a space.
3. Go to the References tab > Captions group, then click Cross-reference.
4. In the Reference type field, click the drop-down arrow and select Heading.
5. In the Insert reference to field, click the drop-down arrow and select Heading number (no context).
6. Select the section from the list in the lower half of the dialog box. Hint: If it’s a long list, type the main section number – e.g. type 8 to take you straight to headings starting with ‘8’.
7. Click Insert.

 

Insert an automated cross-reference to an appendix

1. Place your cursor in the text where you want to insert the cross-reference.
2. Go to the References tab > Captions group, then click Cross-reference.
3. In the Reference type field, click the drop-down arrow and select Numbered item (first in the list).
4. In the Insert reference to field, click the drop-down arrow and select Paragraph number (no context).
5. Select the appendix from the list in the lower half of the dialog box. Hint: Appendices are always listed at the END of the list, so you might have to scroll down a long way.
6. Click Insert.

 

Insert an automated cross-reference to an auto-numbered Reference list item in a citation

1. Go to the References section, note its section number (e.g. 9.0), then identify the row number in the References list for the document you want to cite (e.g. row number 23).
2. Place your cursor in the text where you want to insert the cross-reference.
3. Type ‘(Ref. )’; make sure you add a non-breaking space (Ctrl+Shift+spacebar) after the full stop, then put your cursor after the space and before the closing parenthesis.
4. Go to the References tab > Captions group, then click Cross-reference.
5. In the Reference type field, click the drop-down arrow and select Numbered item (first in the list).
6. In the Insert reference to field, click the drop-down arrow and select Paragraph number (no context).
7. Go to the References section (e.g. 9.0)  in the lower half of the dialog box.
8. Scroll down the list of numbers after the section number/heading and select the number of the row you identified in Step 1.
9. Click Insert.

What happens to the x-ref numbers if I’ve added new tables/figures/sections etc.? How do I update them?

When you add a new section, table/figure, appendix etc. Word automatically applies the correct sequential number for where you’ve placed it. If you move an existing section or appendix, these heading numbers will change automatically too. But tables and figures and all the x-refs DON’T change their numbers until you update all the fields in your document.

Although there are several ways to update all the fields (and therefore the automated numbers), the quickest, simplest, and most foolproof way is to switch to Print Preview mode, then switch back—almost all your numbers automatically update:

1. IMPORTANT: Make sure Track Changes is turned OFF. Weird things happen if track changes is on, including possibly losing your x-refs!
2. Go to File > Print. The print preview of your document shows on the right.
3. Go back to the Home All your fields are updated automatically.

That’s it!

However, this method doesn’t update your table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, etc.—you have to do those separately using the applicable Update Table buttons on the References tab, or use the method below.

To update EVERYTHING in your document at once:

1. IMPORTANT: Make sure Track Changes is turned OFF.
2. Select the entire document (Ctrl+A).
3. Right-click on the selection and select Update Field.
4. When asked about updating the table of contents etc. select Update entire table and click OK. You may have to answer this several times for each contents list.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 once more to be sure you got everything. Sometimes, the first update will update the numbers for moved figures/tables etc. but not the x-refs too—to be certain you update the x-refs, repeat these steps a second time.

 

TROUBLESHOOTING

What does ‘Error! Reference not found.’ mean?

You’ll get ‘Error! Reference not found.’ for any x-refs that have nothing to point (refer) to. The most common reason for these error messages is that you’ve deleted a section heading (or a figure/table caption) without realizing that there was a x-ref to it somewhere else in the document. Behind the scenes, Word has unique ID numbers for each x-ref that refers to specific sections, tables, etc. So if you delete the section heading/caption but not the x-ref, Word loses the connection between the two when the fields are updated, and so reports ‘Error! Reference not found.’. The only simple solutions are to:

• delete the message if the table etc. has been deleted, OR
• replace the message by creating a new x-ref to the correct place.

What about Section 0?

If you notice some ‘Section 0’ x-refs after you update the fields, there’s a good chance you inserted a new paragraph by pressing Enter at the beginning of an existing section heading and then changed the style of the new paragraph. This screws up the internal IDs. Best practice is to insert a new paragraph at the END of the previous paragraph by pressing Enter. For detailed information on this problem and various methods of solving it, see: http://www.thedoctools.com/demos/demo_crossref_2.html

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See also:

• https://cybertext.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/message-to-microsoft-fix-words-cross-reference-dialog-box/

[Links last checked August 2014]

Fixing some table of contents update issues

(adapted from a ‘Writing Tip’ email I recently sent to work colleagues [Word 2007 environment])

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Bottom line: Before releasing your document, turn off Track Changes then update the Table of Contents, List of Tables, and List of Figures so that they reflect the current headings, captions, and page numbers.

Some recent questions from my authors have related to updating the Table of Contents (TOC), List of Tables (LOT), and List of Figures (LOF), common things that can go wrong when doing so, and how to fix them.

1. Why does my Table of Contents look a mess?

In this example, the TOC entries are all in red and there’s a change bar to the right of the TOC. There’s also a deleted TOC below the inserted TOC. How did it get like this? You had Track Changes turned on when you updated the TOC.

To fix it, turn off Track Changes (Review tab), then update the TOC again (see below for how).

That’s it! Super easy with an immediate reduction in stress related to things going wrong with your document just before your deadline ;-)

2. Why aren’t the things I’ve added, changed or deleted reflected in the TOC/LOT/LOF?

The second issue relates to why the new tables/figures, sections etc. that you’ve added to the document aren’t appearing in the TOC/LOT/LOF, or why your changes or deletions aren’t reflected in the TOC/LOT/LOF. Typically, the reason is that you’ve forgotten to update the TOC/LOT/LOF – these lists don’t update automatically. There are several ways you can update these lists, but the safest way that seems to work properly every time, is to use the ‘Update Table’ buttons on the References tab in Word.

To update a TOC:

1. Turn off Track Changes.
2. Click anywhere inside the TOC.
3. Go to the References tab.
4. Go to the far left of that tab, and click the Update Table button in the Table of Contents group.
5. If asked, select the option to Update entire table and click OK.

To update a LOT:

1. Turn off Track Changes.
2. Click anywhere inside the List of Tables.
3. Go to the References tab.
4. Go to the middle of that tab, and click the Update Table button in the Captions group.
5. If asked, select the option to Update entire table and click OK.

To update a LOF: Same procedure as for updating a LOT, but for step 2, you click anywhere inside the List of Figures first.

3. Why aren’t all my tables/figures listed even though I’ve updated the lists using the methods above?

This issue invariably relates to Track Changes. If you’ve inserted or deleted a table or figure, then it’s possible that the table or figure caption won’t get listed in the LOT/LOF. Dealing with the table/figure Track Changes by accepting/rejecting them usually sorts this out. After accepting/rejecting the change, update the LOT/LOF and all should be well again. I haven’t found any other way of solving this one.

4. I get an ‘Error! Reference not found’ message in the TOC/LOT/LOF instead of a page number.

I’m not sure what causes this, but turning off Track Changes and updating the TOC/LOT/LOF should fix it.