Using Office 2007 in a corporate proposal environment, we are finding that Word tends to multiply comments and graphics when combine is used (under Review/Compare). We frequently have a document to send out to multiple reviewers, each of whom returns a copy with tracked-change modifications and comments. Combining the original with Reviewer A's version duplicates some--not all--comments, as well as all of the graphics, even though none were apparently altered by either author. Combining Reviewer B's version with the result of the first combine operation adds another set of duplicate graphics and comments, so that now there are three for each one. And so on. A graphic thus appears with a change bar to the left, while each duplicate appears with deletion lines through it.

My unsuccessful attempts thus far to isolate the issue have included: checking word options settings; looking for some View or Review setting I might have forgotten exists; unchecking Moves in the combine dialogue; combining to the revised document instead of a new one; searching the Web for mention of the problem.



Anyone else experience this or have a clue?

Thanks,
Ulodesk

Hi Ulodesk,

Just speculating, but perhaps it's related to what changes have been made to the surrounding text - especially to any preceding text. Since Word can't 'read' a graphic's contents, maybe it takes the 'safe' approach and includes duplicates when there's enough 'doubt' (whatever that means in coding terms) as to whether it's the same image.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Hi, Paul. I have continued to try to explore this issue, and have spent about an hour testing. I attach herewith two documents, created from scratch. Doc 2 was created by simply copying the content of Doc1 and pasting it in. Doc1 has two comments and a picture; in Doc2, I added two comments. No custom templates or styles have been applied; all is straight Normal.

Now, when I combine these to a new document, using 1 as the original and 2 as the revised, I still get two copies of the picture -- both with change bars and underlined in blue with the pilcrow also in blue -- even though it hasn't been changed. None of the comments are duplicating, at least, as they continue to do in the corporate docs that brought this issue to my attention.

I have tried combining them to the original with the same result. I also tried saving the two corporate docs as 2003-compatible (.doc). Curiously, I still got the duplicated comments, but not pictures.

I'm stumped! I have been combining documents for many years without this issue coming up. Do you get the same result with these?

Thanks,
Philip

Attached Files

	Doc1.docx (100.1 KB, 9 views)
	Doc2.docx (101.9 KB, 9 views)

Hi, Paul. I have continued to try to explore this issue, and have spent about an hour testing. I attach herewith two documents, created from scratch. Doc 2 was created by simply copying the content of Doc1 and pasting it in. Doc1 has two comments and a picture; in Doc2, I added two comments. No custom templates or styles have been applied; all is straight Normal.

Now, when I combine these to a new document, using 1 as the original and 2 as the revised, I still get two copies of the picture -- both with change bars and underlined in blue with the pilcrow also in blue -- even though it hasn't been changed. None of the comments are duplicating, at least, as they continue to do in the corporate docs that brought this issue to my attention.

I have tried combining them to the original with the same result. I also tried saving the two corporate docs as 2003-compatible (.doc). Curiously, I still got the duplicated comments, but not dpulicated pictures.

I'm stumped! I have been combining documents for many years without this issue coming up. Do you get the same result with these?

Thanks,
Philip

Attached Files

	Doc1.docx (100.1 KB, 11 views)
	Doc2.docx (101.9 KB, 10 views)

Hi Ulodesk,

Yes, I get the same results. Given that documents in the 97-2003 .doc format don't behave that way, I'd say it's a bug in the way Word 2007 handles the .docx format.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]