creating master documents

Question

We are attempting to create a master document from several word documents.  We insert a section (next page) break at the end of the first document "try" to keep the page/section numbers as created for each document.  Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.   Our biggest problem is when adding or deleting sections within the created master document, it totally destroys all formatting, page/section numbering and we have to either start all over or go back and modify each page/section.

We are creating these documents for very large project bid specifications and it is typical to have to add/delete sections, pages, from a contract book.

Answer 1

If all the documents that make up the contract are based on the same template, take a look at http://www.gmayor.com/Boiler.htm  which allows the storing of projects by folder and thus enables a selection of documents to be assembled from those folders. Documents based on disparate templates are less predictable to handle.

Another possibility is to have the various sections in the form of building blocks, but they are perhaps less easy to manage.

Answer 2

It is not really clear what you mean by "keep the page/section numbers as created for each document".

Exactly what do you want to end up with?

Almost certainly however, you may need to unlink the headers and footers in each of the documents from those in the preceeding section and this may require that you insert a Section Break at the beginning of the individual documents so that you can unlink the headers and footers in the rest of that document, rather than insert the Section Break at the end of the document.