Unresolved cross reference in Word output

[navoff]

I have a project where I created a target output for PDF. I used some cross references to create links to other topics. I built and printed my target and everything looks beautiful.

However, our secretary doesn't want to send a PDF file to the company who prints our documents because the last time she had a PDF generated from a word file, when it got printed out, the blank pages disappeared (though they printed fine on our local printers and looked fine in Acrobat). So, she wants a Word file. I created a new Word target but when I look at the output that was generated, I get "UNRESOLVED CROSS REFERENCE" everywhere I put in a cross reference (note: I didn't include the page number just the topic title as the cross reference). For example:

PDF output:

pdf_cross_reference.png

Word output:

word_cross_reference.png

All of the cross references are included in the TOC and they work in the PDF file. So, any idea why they don't work in the Word file?

[LTinker68]

I don't know why you're getting the xref errors, but you didn't create a PDF from Word, you created a PDF from Flare. If you see the blank pages in the PDF output, then they're there for the printers. So tell the secretary it's fine to send the PDF. You can get a lot fancier on the PDF output in Flare, too, than you can with the Word output from Flare.

[navoff]

I don't know why you're getting the xref errors, but you didn't create a PDF from Word, you created a PDF from Flare. If you see the blank pages in the PDF output, then they're there for the printers. So tell the secretary it's fine to send the PDF. You can get a lot fancier on the PDF output in Flare, too, than you can with the Word output from Flare.

No kidding. Plus, I don't have to go through and "touch up" the PDF like I do with the Word output. My headers and footers look like crap and the nice little horizontal line I included in the Flare page layout to set off the header and footer doesn't show up in Word so I have to manually go back and change the paragraph borders in the Word file. I just spent half a day "fixing" the stupid thing. The woman is adament about using a Word file. She's paranoid that we'll have to eat the cost if the print job comes back wrong (not that we did last time....). I've asked her to at least send both the Word and PDF outputs and have the company test the PDF file to see if it would have the same problem. I've tried to explain to her that being PDF in and of itself isn't enough to cause the problem and since this PDF is generated from XML rather than Word, it may very well play nice with their printers.

<grumble, grumble>

[KevinDAmery]

PDF is already or is becoming the standard way to give files to print houses these days, so she's definitely out to lunch. (In fact, odds are if you give the print house a Word doc they'll just make a PDF out of it before running it through the press... if you know which company it is, you might be able to call them up and find out.)

[navoff]

Okay, I admit. I was a Bad Girl. I sent our secretary the PDF and the Word file (just the word file and not the accompanying folders with the images in them). Gosh, she opened up the file and none of the graphics were there! I guess she'll have to use the PDF file. I neglected to mention to her that there's a way after the fact to embed all the images but after spending a day cleaning up other Word excentricities, I wasn't in the mood to be helpful.

I am so glad Madcap didn't design Flare's Word output to enable the embedding of images during the conversion process....

[KevinDAmery]

Yes, very bad girl - ten lashes with a wet noodle for you

[owenf]

I'm having the same problem. My xref includes paratext and page number, and it points to a flare created bookmark, on a header within the same topic. the word output has a link on the page number (a pageref link to the bookmark that flare adds on that word 'heading') but it has no link on the paratext - despite being formatted as a link. the PDF target on which i based this word output obviously works just fine. Any (serious) ideas how to get around this?
i won't get away with not embedding images and claiming Word output won't work..

[Msquared]

Do any of the xrefs of that type in the Word output work correctly? Can you get the same xref style to work in a very simple topic that perhaps references another section in the same topic?

I wonder if that xref format has never worked for Word output? Every time I think I've got all my day jobs done, so I'll play with Flare's Word output and try to get it working, I am staggered by how appallingly buggy the Word output is.

I don't do anything terribly fancy in my styles, but almost nothing comes out correctly. Perhaps you've just found another example?