Field Codes in different language versions (Word 97 2000 and XP)

Topic

New Reply

Tom

A simple example of one the problem field codes would be useful – a small doc generated with the Spanish version of Word which gives the error when opened with the English version.
Also are the English & Spanish versions of Word the same release, say 2000?

Bob_D

Reply | Quote

Replies

Edited by teblackl on 19-Aug-01 16:10.

Hello

The field codes or built in document properties in the English and Spanish version of Word are different. In an office where both versions of Word have to be used and the documents passed back and forth, this is a problem. It causes an error of Error! Unknown Switch Argument. So for example if the document is created in the Engilish version and saved then opened in the Spanish version you will get this error. If you fix the field code in the Spanish version and save it then open it in the engilish version you will get the same error. The version of Word doesn’t seem to matter. I have tried it in 97, 2000 and XP. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Tom

Reply | Quote

Here’s the response I posted elsewhere:
————————————————————–
Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2001 01:54:18 -0400
From: Howard Kaikow
Subject: Re: MSOFFICE-L Digest – 19 Jul 2001 to 17 Aug 2001 (#2001-21)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii”; format=flowed

You don’t say what versions of Word are involved.
ALL Word documents use the same internal code to represent a given field type.

In each language version of Word, the field will display the correct result.
In some versions of Word, when you display field codes, instead of field
results, you will see a different field code.

In more recent versions of Word, MSFT has allegedly changed this so that
all field codes are displayed in English, tho I have seen periodic reports
of exceptions.

Again, this is normal behavior and does depend on the word version used.

If you are referring specifically to the DocProperty field, the arg to that
field is, as I recall, a string. Strings cannot be converted between
language versions. It is only the field code and option switches that get
automatically converted.

Reply | Quote

I looked at the original poster’s attachment.

The formatting characteristic is not being translated from Spanish to English. And you say that it is not being translated from English to Spanish either.

As a workaround, I would suggest including a document_open macro that re-inserted the field each time the document was open.

Reply | Quote

Didn’t know about this problem – that’s gawdawful – the simplest “solution” unfortunately is to have everyone in your office use just one language version of Office – but I assume that’s not an option for you.

Just to add a twist to Howard’s suggestion, it might be possible to have a macro run on open that would examine the codes in every field, and translate them English/Spanish/English as appropriate. If there are not too many terms in the field codes that change language, it might no be too hard to do.

Gary

Reply | Quote

Not much help- but some KB articles. There’s a suggested fix of saving to RTF, but this does not work.

http://www.microsoft.com/Office/ORK/2000/Six/90t2_8.htm

---

For all languages except French, German, and Spanish, Word 2000 field codes such as Author, Date, and Time are stored in English. When a localized version of Word 95 or Word 6.0 document is opened in Word 2000, the document

Reply | Quote