WD97: Properties Contents Tab Is Blank

ID: Q138327

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you view the Contents tab (on the File menu, click Properties), the Document contents box is blank, shows only "Title", or shows the title (or first line of text) of the document.

CAUSE

This functionality is by design. In Microsoft Word, the Contents tab displays only the document's title or first line. However, in other Microsoft Office programs, the Contents tab 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 Microsoft PowerPoint, the Contents tab lists fonts used in the presentation as well as slide titles. In Microsoft 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 and Contents tabs 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, one of the following is probably true:

The file has not been saved.

-or-

The file is not a Word file.

-or-

The file 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 appears in documents based on that template.

To view a document's properties from Microsoft Word, click Properties on the File menu. Click the Summary tab to see the document's title, or click the Contents tab to see the title.

NOTE: If you change the document's title, the updated title does not appear on the Contents tab until you click OK and then reopen the Properties dialog box.

To view a document's properties from Windows, right-click the document in Windows Explorer and then click Properties on the shortcut menu that appears. Click the Summary tab and the Statistics tab to get information about the file.

New Functionality for Microsoft Word 97 for Windows:

The Contents tab can be used to show the organization of the document by displaying the contents of the heading styles (Heading 1 through Heading 3) paragraphs. (H1 through H3 headings are also displayed for Web pages.)

To allow the text formatted with Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3 styles to appear on the Contents tab, follow these steps:

In your Word document, format the text that you want to appear on the Contents tab with the Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3 style, and then save your document.

Microsoft Word Help

Help

apply a style

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On the File menu, click Properties.

On the Summary tab, select the Save preview picture check box and click OK.

NOTE: If Save preview picture is not selected, the first word, phrase, or sentence that appears in the document when it is saved for the first time is displayed on the Contents tab.

When you now view the Contents tab, the organization of the document based on the heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3) is displayed.

Text that appears on the Contents tab may be used as search criteria when you are trying to find a particular document. To do this, follow these steps:

Close your Word document.

On the File menu, click Open.

In the Open dialog box, click Advanced.

In the Advanced Find dialog box, under the Define more criteria section, change the Property box to Contents. Then change the Condition and Value boxes to what you want to search for, and click Find Now.

Additional query words: binder file open tab empty

Keywords : kbualink97 kbdta
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb