Using Advanced Revision Marks
Compare Documents
When faced with two versions of a document, such as two sets of comments from different reviewers, use the Compare Documents command. Open one of the documents, then select Compare Documents from the Track Changes command on the Tools menu. Select the file you want to compare to the current document. (This is a memory-intensive operation: we suggest closing all non-necessary applications when comparing documents.) Variations between your current document and the document you're comparing will appear as revision marks. Now review your document and accept or reject the changes. Save the final document as a new version to preserve the separate revisions by either choosing Save As on the File menu or clicking the Save Version icon on the Reviewing toolbar. Using the Save Version option lets you include comments about the version.
Inserting Comments
If you want to append a footnote to a section or want your comments to remain in a document after all revisions have been accepted, use the Insert Comment command. Click Comment on the Insert menu, or select Insert Comment on the Reviewing toolbar. The document window will split and you can enter your comments in the new lower window. In the body of the text, your note will be flagged by a highlighted footnote.
To jump quickly between comments, use the Next Comment and Previous Comment icons on the Reviewing toolbar. Also on this toolbar, you'll find icons to edit and delete comments.
You can insert voice and other sound recordings in your Word document using comments. Click Insert Comment and then click the Insert Sound Object button. If you have a sound card and a microphone connected to your PC, click the Record button (the button with the red dot) and begin speaking to record a voice comment. Click the black rectangular Stop button when you've finished to automatically insert your audio comment into your document. To insert a prerecorded sound file into a Word document, click the Insert Sound Object button, click Insert File... from the Edit menu, then browse to the sound file you want to include in your document.
To print comments, make sure the Include with Document...Comments box is selected on the Printing tab of the Options dialog box. Comments will print on a separate page at the end of the document, and will include the name of the person commenting from their Word User Information.
Tracking Key Data
You probably already know how to add your name and the current date to your document and understand how Word can automatically update these fields. (If not, see the tips below.) Word 97 has many other built-in fields you can use to track important data.
Click Fields on the Insert menu and select Date and Time to access the following options:
- CreateDate: Adds the date a document was created
- EditTime: Adds the total editing time for a document
- PrintDate: Shows when a document was last printed, a potentially paper-saving option
Click Fields on the Insert menu and select Document Information to access the following options:
- LastSavedBy: Shows who last saved the document
- Author: Shows from the Summary Info who created the document
Tips
- Check your name: Check that Word has your correct name and initials by clicking Options on the Tools menu and then reviewing the information on the User Information tab.
- Update the date and time: On the Insert menu choose Date and Time and select the Update Automatically check box. With this option checked, every time you save the document, the date field will be updated. Or, select the Update Fields check box on the Print tab of the Options dialog box, to update all fields in the document. You can also insert the date, time, and your name from the Header/Footer toolbar.
Getting Started with Revision Marks
When in doubt, always ask for help from the Word 97 Office Assistant by clicking the Question Mark icon on the far right of the Standard toolbar). Search for "Ways to add comments and keep track of changes" and you'll find an excellent, annotated screenshot of revision techniques.
Reviewing Toolbar
Get started by activating the Reviewing Toolbar (under View, on the Toolbars menu, select Reviewing). This toolbar gives quick access to many key procedures.
Track Changes
Clicking Track Changes on the toolbar will activate revision marks (alternative: from the Tools menu, select Track Changes, select Highlight Changes, then check the Track Changes While Editing check box, and the Highlight Changes on Screen check box). Now anything you type appears on screen in colored type; although these marks are included in the document, they can be hidden or styled as follows.
Visible or Invisible Revision Marks?
You can determine how revisions will appear. Under Track Changes on the Tools menu, Highlight changes on screen will make changes visible on your monitor but not in the printed document. To make comments appear when printing, check Highlight Changes in Printed Document. By changing these options, you can create "clean" versions of documents to edit or share while preserving the revision marks for later review.
Customize Revision Marks
To customize the appearance of revision marks, select Options in the Highlight Changes dialog box (also found on the Tools menu under Options). You can select color, style, and formatting: for example, a red underline style for inserted text and green strikethru for deleted text.
Built-In Highlighter
Think of the highlight feature (not to be confused with the Highlight Changes option for revision marks) as a built-in highlighter pen. Click the Highlight icon on either the Formatting or the Reviewing toolbar and drag the cursor, which now looks like a highlighter, over the target text. The default color is yellow but you can select a new color by clicking the arrow to right of the icon. To undo the highlighting, select the highlighted area and click the Highlighter icon.
Reviewing Revision Marks
On the Reviewing toolbar, click Next Change and Previous Change to navigate from revision to revision. The revision will appear in highlights: click Accept Change to have Word incorporate the revision into the document. Click Reject Change to cancel the revision. You can also accept or reject all changes at once instead of reviewing them one by one: Go to the Tools menu, click Track Changes and then click Accept or Reject Changes. Clicking Accept All will incorporate all revisions; clicking Reject All will cancel them.
—Sharon Knolle
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