Microsoft Office Forums - View Single Post - How do I link a Word document to another Word document with automatic update?

macropod · 05-15-2012, 03:54 PM

Hi KristinLeigh,

You can link Word documents together via INCLUDETEXT fields, which can span multiple pages. When using Insert|Object with 'Link to File', be sure to use the 'Text from File' option; otherwise you'll get a LINK field.

If you want an INCLUDETEXT field to preserve the source document's formatting, etc, position the cursor anywhere in the field and press Shift-F9. The field code will then display, looking something like:
{INCLUDETEXT "C:\\Users\\KristinLeigh\\Documents\\Source.do c"}
Simply add '\!' to the field code, thus:
{INCLUDETEXT "C:\\Users\\KristinLeigh\\Documents\\Source.do c" \!}
and press F9 to update it.

If you go to Insert|Quick Parts|Field and check the INCLUDETEXT entry, you'll see that it has a number of other options as well, any of which you can add as per the above.

If you check Word's option to 'update automatic links at open', you won't need a macro to get the links to update. See under Word Options > Advanced > General.