WD: Word: Properties Contents Tab Is Blank

• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you view the Contents tab in the File/Properties dialog box, the Contents area is blank, or shows only the document's title, or shows the first line of the document.

CAUSE

In Word, the Contents area displays only the document's title or first line. In other Office programs, the Contents area displays information about parts of the file. For example, in Microsoft Excel, the Contents tab lists the Sheets that are part of a workbook. In PowerPoint, the Contents tab lists fonts used in the presentation as well as slide titles. In Binder, the Contents tab lists the sections in the file.

MORE INFORMATION

Unless you specify a document's title, Word uses the first line of the document for the title when you first save the file. Word places this information on the Summary tab and Contents tab of the Properties dialog box.

To specify a document title, click Properties on the File menu, click the Summary tab, and type a title in the Title text box. If you specify a title, Word copies it from the Summary tab to the Contents tab.

If a file does not show a title on the Summary and Contents tabs, it hasn't been saved yet, it is not a Word file, or it was created in an earlier version of Word.

A document can inherit its template's title; if a template has a title, the same title will appear in documents based on that template.

To view a document's properties from within Word, use the following steps:

1. On the File menu, click Properties.

2. Click the Summary tab to see the document's Title; click the Contents tab to see the Title.

To view a document's properties from Windows 95, use the following steps:

1. With the right mouse button, click the document icon.

2. Click Properties.

3. Click the Summary tab and the Statistics tab to get information about the file.