Linked text in Word docs malfunctions with cloud files

Thank you for the reply.  I read this post, and the other one you linked to, and the one Neha linked to, and the article that that post linked to as well.

Your linked post about the relative paths was the only one that told me anything potentially useful, and even that fell short in that I am working from a cloud folder that is synced to my computer, and the files in that folder have C:/ paths listed in their properties rather than their actual cloud-based paths.  This is probably a shortcoming of Windows 10, another Microsoft product.  Even if what I'm trying to do is possible with cloud-based files, it requires technical ability and diligence that people who are using products like Word shouldn't be expected to need.

According to the post linked by Neha, and the post embedded within that one, the whole practice of trying to link documents together in MS Word is best avoided altogether.  This has been the case for at least 10 years it seems, and has only gotten worse with the advent of cloud file storage.  I hope Microsoft will fix their product to work as advertised, or remove the functionality entirely if they cannot.

The problem you're having is due to the fact that links between Word files use absolute paths. Consequently, your files will always look to where the links were originally created. This is compounded by the fact that, when you use "paste special -> paste link -> formatted text" to insert the text, Word does so using LINK fields whose paths can't be made to function in a relative manner.

If you open the destination and press Alt-F9 your links will display as fields coded something along the lines of:

{LINK Word.Document.12 "C:\Users\Username\Documents\Document.docx" "OLE_LINK1" \a \r}

Changing the field code to:{INCLUDETEXT "C:\Users\Username\Documents\Document.docx"}

will get essentially the same result, but using an INCLUDETEXT field. The advantage of using an INCLUDETEXT field is that you can modify the path so it becomes relative. To see how to implement relative paths in Word using INCLUDETEXT fields, check out the solution I've posted at:

http://www.msofficeforums.com/word/38722-word-fields-relative-paths-external-files.html

Another advantage of using INCLUDETEXT fields is the you can update a source document by editing a destination document. Simply make the edit to the linked portion then press Ctrl-Shift-F7.

Hi Jason,

Sorry for the trouble you are facing because of this issue. If the above method didn’t work for you, please check the following thread, MVPs in the thread have provided some suggestion, please check this thread and see if this helps.

Embed multiple word documents into a master document, all stored on the same Sharepoint library

Thanks,

Neha

Thank you for the thorough reply.  Unfortunately this solution is less than ideal for me, because I don't want to necessarily insert an entire file.  I'd like to be able to choose the text that I'm importing and bring in different relevant parts of source documents to different master documents.

But it is better than nothing, and I will work with it.  It would be nice if Microsoft would fix this!

*edit* No this doesn't work either.  Inserting the entire file as an object automatically starts it on a new page.  So if I write a file with the text for a chapter, then in the master document I want to write a chapter heading then insert the body of the text below it as an object, the text starts on a new page after the chapter heading.  I can't see how to make it work any other way.

Hi Jason,

I tested on my end; I also got the same error when I tried to update the link after re-opening the document.

I noticed when right clicked on the pasted text (before closing the document), usually there are two options: Update Link and Linked Document Object.

But when the document stored in cloud location is opened, the link breaks and instead we see only one option i.e. Object, clicking this option generates the above error.

So, I suppose the above method does not work well when the documents are stored in cloud.

May I suggest another method i.e. inserting an object as a link? I tried this method, it works, the link stays and gets updated when the documents are stored in cloud location.

Linked objects can be updated if the source file is modified. Linked data is stored in the source file. The Word file or email message (the destination file) stores only the location of the source file, and it displays a representation of the linked data. Use linked objects if file size is a consideration.

For detail steps, see Insert an object in Word or Outlook

Regards,

Neha