Re: Word and PowerPoint, linking ( OLE , FIELD CODES , LINK )

[Ned Bedinger <nbedinger -at- USWEST -dot- NET>]

In re:

>From:   Barclay Blanchard [SMTP:Bblancha -at- MANHATTANASSOCIATES -dot- COM]
<snip>
>        I used the Edit -> Paste Special option to link to the slides.
>        Here's the field code for a slide link:
>       { LINK PowerPoint Slide 8 "path:\\filename.ppt." "395" \a \p }


You might get a more thorough treatment from one of the newsgroups in the
microsoft.public.word.xxx hierarchy.  I think the main refrain here for
people trying to build object documents is "Use FrameMaker".

Anyway, here's my $2 worth, based on long and trying experinece with OLE,
Powerpoint, and Word.  You vill excuse the disorganized state of my
thoughts, but this is a big topic that I've never quite gotten a grip on.

------------------------
Revision tracking
------------------------

Is revision tracking on in Word?  If it is turned on, you'll see hideously
bloated docs that will simulate a locked-up machine (they're so big
Word/Windows gets overwhelmed and can't scroll or update the screen very
well).  This condition quickly leads to corruption of the document.
SOmething as simple as a TOC field can generate endless revisions that are
kept in the doc when Revision Tracking is on.

------------------------
The LINK field
------------------------

{ LINK PowerPoint Slide 8 "path:\\filename.ppt." "395" \a \p }

Your Link field saves the object as a Picture, not a Powerpoint slide.
(The \p flag specifies 'picture').  Microsoft has apparently done some
stuff to manage the image in the Word file while still maintaining the LINK
reference to the actual Powerpoint file. This may have some bearing on how
Word interacts with Powerpoint  when you double-click on it in Word to
edit. If Powerpoint is not open when you try to edit the Word copy of a
slide, does it open in Picture editor?

Your link is to the entire ppt file (path:\\filename.ppt...), albeit to a
specific slide ("395) in the file.  This may be adding up to big Word files
very quickly !!  Do a test, one link formed this way in a new word doc and
then saved.  How big is the file? In my test run here, I incurred  183k of
filesize per powerpoint slide that I inserted by Edit >Paste Special>Insert
as Link  in a Word doc.

In your example, there is a number referring to Powerpoint's internal
tracking number for slides. If I Edit > Paste Special > Insert as Link, the
LINK field can't be viewed as field code text when I hit <SHIFT>+<F9> -- it
 does nothing.  Are you using VB to investigate the properties of the
linked Powerpoint object?  Where did your LINK field come from?

I have used the internal number in the past, but not with this version of
Word or Powerpoint.  If you're mixing PP from Office '97 with older version
of Word, lookout for problems!   Are you working with an existing
powerpoint from a previous version of PP?

 If you don't really need to link for editing in Word, drop that!  It
complicates your doc and you don't need unnecessary complications unser
Word and OLE. Even when it comes down to a question of linking or embedding
simple GIF files in a Word doc, you're better off (les trouble) embedding,
sorrry to say. If you can get away with a HYPERLINK instead of a LINK, it
might work better and it does display the slide in the word doc as an
image, not a hot link.

If you have to stick with LINK, I have the following thoughts for it:

Your link field is missing the flag that would keep the doc size small:
your link field should have a '\d' in it to store the object in powerpoint,
not in word, like this: { LINK PowerPoint Slide 8 "path:\\filename.ppt."
"395" \a \p \d }. It is documented in online help for LINK field, but isn't
an option when you go through the Edit >Paste Special dialogs. As noted
above, I never managed to recreate a LINK like yours (with the internal
slide reference  and all) so I couldn't test the Link field with \d flag
for file size improvement.

OLE linking in Word has been so variable through the last three or so
iterations of Word, your sucess with it really depends on which version
you're working with.

Powerpoint has had its own problems with OLE and as Sue Hamilton's group
has observed, there are unexpected problems in trying to use Powerpoint as
an OLE server.  I've had big problems with the internal reference number
(the "395" in your example) changing when I add or remove slides, hope
that's fixed or you'll have plenty o' problems with your Link fields,
probably on the night before the doc is due to be
delivered.

HTH.
Edward Bedinger
Technical Communications
Edword Co.
206.782-0378

-------------------------------------------------------------------
If this were merely my opinion, I'd probably keep it to myself.
My employer is, nonetheless, not responsible for my expressions.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=