figures and subfigures and cross refencing in Word 2003

[H. S.]

Hi,

I am trying to make figures in a technical document and I am running
into the following problems:

1) I am not able to keep the captions of figures and tables together.
The last time I dealt with this (which was a while ago) I had read about
putting the figure/table and it's caption in a text box to keep them
together. Is it still the prefered method (rather a work around)? If
not, is there a better method now in Word 2003? After all it is simple
logic to keep them together. It just doesn't make sense to think otherwise.

2) I would like to include subfigures in a figure. For example, I want
to show 4 pictures with lables "(a)", "(b)", "(c)" and "(d)". All of
them make up one figure, say "Figure 1". And I want to be able to cross
reference them as either "Figure 1" as whole (which is easily done) or
cross reference each subfigure indiviually as "Figure 1 (a)" or "Figure
1 (b)" etc. First, is this even possible in MS Word 2003? If yes, how
(or a link a webpage for instructions). If no, is there a work around to
this?

Thanks a ton,
Sam.

 

[Robert M. Franz]

Hello Sam

I am trying to make figures in a technical document and I am running
into the following problems:

1) I am not able to keep the captions of figures and tables together.
The last time I dealt with this (which was a while ago) I had read about
putting the figure/table and it's caption in a text box to keep them
together. Is it still the prefered method (rather a work around)? If
not, is there a better method now in Word 2003? After all it is simple
logic to keep them together. It just doesn't make sense to think otherwise.

As long as the figures are "inline" instead of floating around, then the
prefered method is to use a "keep with next" (Paragraph formatting) to
the figure paragraph; that way it will stick to the following caption
paragraph.

2) I would like to include subfigures in a figure. For example, I want
to show 4 pictures with lables "(a)", "(b)", "(c)" and "(d)". All of
them make up one figure, say "Figure 1". And I want to be able to cross
reference them as either "Figure 1" as whole (which is easily done) or
cross reference each subfigure indiviually as "Figure 1 (a)" or "Figure
1 (b)" etc. First, is this even possible in MS Word 2003? If yes, how
(or a link a webpage for instructions). If no, is there a work around to
this?

I can't think of any built-in way for doing this with Word. Which means,
you insert the subtype-number by hand in your cross-reference ...

2cents
Robert

 

[H. S.]

Apparently, _Robert M. Franz_, on 22/01/05 08:23,typed:

Hello Sam

As long as the figures are "inline" instead of floating around, then the
prefered method is to use a "keep with next" (Paragraph formatting) to
the figure paragraph; that way it will stick to the following caption
paragraph.

Okay, I am going to try this in the document and see how it improves things.

I can't think of any built-in way for doing this with Word. Which means,
you insert the subtype-number by hand in your cross-reference ...

2cents
Robert

That is just too bad. I am wondering about a method, but correct me if I
am wrong (or if any of the following is impossible):
1) Make a new label and number is so that it includes the label and
number of a figure of choice
2) Put a picture and label it using the above label while telling that
new label to use Figure 1 as the base figure.
3) Possible make a macro to do this.

The result should be "(a)" in the figure but define the cross reference
to make it "Figure 1 (a)" in the text. Now, I am just thinking here, I
have no idea at present how to try pulling this off.

Suggestions? Alternatives?

thanks a ton,
Sam.

 

[Robert M. Franz]

Hello Sam

H. S. wrote:
[..]

That is just too bad. I am wondering about a method, but correct me if I
am wrong (or if any of the following is impossible):
1) Make a new label and number is so that it includes the label and
number of a figure of choice
2) Put a picture and label it using the above label while telling that
new label to use Figure 1 as the base figure.
3) Possible make a macro to do this.

The result should be "(a)" in the figure but define the cross reference
to make it "Figure 1 (a)" in the text. Now, I am just thinking here, I
have no idea at present how to try pulling this off.

I must admit I cannot follow the path you're describing above. Hopefully
someone else sees through it better.

OTOH, automatic labels and cross-references are there to save you work.
So that, when you reference picture n and later on insert a new picture
before it, you don't have to manually change the reference. But the
chance that either of these 4 sub-pictures will change (i.e., sub-pix
(b) will later on somehow magically become sub-pix (c)), doesn't seem
all too high. In that case, I wouldn't bother finding a complicated
method of doing numbering these, w/ or w/o VBA.

But that's just me, of course!

2cents
Robert

 

[Thomas Campitelli]

I realize that this does not directly answer your question, but would
you consider breaking the sub-figure up into separate figures? If that
would not work, would it be sufficient to just reference the entire
figure in the text and allow the reader to determine the section to
which you are refering?

Thomas Campitelli

 

[Sam]

Apparently, _Thomas Campitelli_, on 23/01/05 20:55,typed:

I realize that this does not directly answer your question, but would
you consider breaking the sub-figure up into separate figures? If that
would not work, would it be sufficient to just reference the entire
figure in the text and allow the reader to determine the section to
which you are refering?

Thomas Campitelli

I have done something like that. Put a caption for the entire figure and
gave labels a,b,c and d to the subfigures manually. As another poster
mentioned, as long as I do not change the labels of subfigures this
scheme will work. Not general and not thorough, but an okay work around.

Thanks,
Sam.