WD: General Information About Cross-reference Fields

ID: Q193732

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SUMMARY

This article describes what cross-references are, how to create them, how to edit them, how to update them.

MORE INFORMATION

What Is a Cross-reference?

The cross-reference feature in Word allows you to create a reference to an item in either the same document or a different document, for example, "See Table 6 on page 22." If the item in the cross-reference changes, for example, if Table 6 becomes Table 5, or Table 6 moves to page 23, you can update the cross-reference field without retyping it.

What You See in the Cross-reference Dialog Box

This section defines the items that you see when you click Cross-reference on the Insert menu.

Reference Type:

The Reference Type list lets you select the type of item you want to cross- reference. Word allows you to cross-reference the following items:


   Item                    Description
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Heading                 Text that is formatted with one of the nine
                           heading styles that come with Word.

   Bookmark                Text that is marked by using the Bookmark
                           command on the Edit menu.

   Footnote                Footnote reference marks inserted in a document
                           by using the Footnote command on the Insert
                           menu.

   Endnote                 Endnote reference marks inserted in a document
                           by using the Footnote command on the Insert
                           menu.

   Figure/Table/Equation   A caption inserted with one of the preceding
                           labels by using the Caption command on the
                           Insert menu.

Insert Reference To:

The Insert Reference To list lets you identify the information you want to appear in the cross-reference. These choices depend on your selection in the Reference Type list. All of the possible choices are listed below.


   Item                    Description
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Heading Text            Inserts the text of the heading.

   Heading Number          Inserts the number of the heading.

   Page Number             Inserts the number of the page containing the
                           item.

                           NOTE: For footnotes and endnotes, the page
                           number that appears in the cross-reference is
                           the location of the footnote or endnote text,
                           not the location of the note reference mark.

   Paragraph Number        Inserts the paragraph number of a bookmark.
                           See the "More About Paragraph Number" section
                           later in this Article for more details.

   Bookmark Text           Inserts text marked with a bookmark.

   Footnote Number         Inserts a footnote reference mark.

   Footnote Number         Inserts a formatted footnote reference mark.
   (formatted)

   Endnote Number          Inserts an endnote reference mark.

   Endnote number          Inserts a formatted endnote reference mark.
   (formatted)

   Entire Caption          Inserts the label, number, and any additional
                           text of a caption, for example, Table 1:
                           International Air Distances. Applies only to
                           Equations, Figures, and Tables.

   Only Label And Number   Inserts only the label and number of a caption,
                           for example, Table 1. Applies only to Equations,
                           Figures, and Tables.

   Only Caption Text       Inserts only the additional text you have added
                           to a caption, for example, International Air
                           Distances. Applies only to Equations, Figures,
                           and Tables.

   Above/Below             Inserts the words Above or Below as appropriate,
                           for example, See Table: Above.

For Which <Reference Type>:

This area lets you select the specific item you want to refer to. For example, if you select Footnote in the Reference Type box, this area is called "For which footnote," and displays all of the footnotes in the document.

Insert:

Inserts the cross-reference at the insertion point in the document. The cross-reference dialog box remains open so that you can insert additional cross-references.

Close:

Closes the cross-reference dialog box.

How to Create a Cross-reference in the Same Document

If the item you want to refer to is located in the current document, follow these steps.

NOTE: For this example, your document must contain at least one of the following: a table with a caption, a footnote, an endnote, an equation with a caption, a bookmark, a figure with a caption, or a paragraph formatted with a heading or a numbering style.

In the document, type the introductory text that begins the cross-reference. For example, type the following:

For more information, see:

On the Insert menu, click Cross-reference.

In the Reference type list, click the type of item you want to refer to, for example, a Heading or Table.

In the Insert reference to list, click the information you want to insert into the document, for example, Heading Text.

In the For Which <Reference Type> list, click the specific item you want to refer to. For example, if you click Heading in the Reference type box and the document has six headings, click the heading that you want to refer to.

Click Insert and then click Close.

NOTE: If you see an entry that looks something like {REF _Ref249586 \* MERGEFORMAT} instead of text, Word is displaying field codes instead of field results. To see the field results, press CTRL+F9.

How to Create a Cross-reference to Another Document

If the item you want to refer to is located in another document, follow these steps.

NOTE: Both documents must be subdocuments in the same master document.

Open the master document that contains both subdocuments.

On the View menu, click Normal.

Follow the steps outlined in "How to Create a Cross-reference in the Same Document" section earlier in this article.

For additional information about cross-references in master documents, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q119514 WD: Errors in Cross-References in Master Document or Subdocument

How to Edit What a Cross-reference Refers To

Select the cross-reference in the document, for example, "Figure 1."

NOTE: Do not select the introductory text, for example do not select "For more information, see." To modify the introductory text in a Cross- reference, simply edit the text in the document.

On the Insert menu, click Cross-reference.

Make sure the Reference Type list contains the type of cross-reference you are editing, and make sure the For Which <Reference Type> list contains the correct item.

Under Insert Reference To, click the new item you want to refer to.

Click Insert and then click Close.

How to Update a Cross-reference

To update cross-references, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Update All Cross-references:

To update all cross-references in a document, click Select All on the Edit menu and then press F9.

Method 2: Update One Cross-reference:

To update a single cross-reference in a document, select the cross- reference and press F9.

REFERENCES

For additional information about cross-references, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q112542 WD: Text Added to End of Line Not Included in Cross-Reference

Q116225 Wrong Formatting Appears in Cross-References

Or, see the reference below appropriate to your version of Word.

Word 6.x

In Word 6.x, click "Search For Help On" on the Help menu, type "cross," click "cross-references," and then click Display.

Word 7.x

In Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.x, click Answer Wizard on the Help menu, type "cross reference," click Search, click one of the topics, and then click Display.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbdta wordnt kbfield ntword word6 word7 word95
Version : MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a; WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a; winnt:6.0
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbinfo