WD: Cannot Go to Bookmark in a Subdocument

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This article was previously published under Q105885

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Go To command in Microsoft Word, you cannot go from one subdocument (or document component) to a bookmark in another subdocument or the main body of the document. Similarly, you cannot go from the main body of a document to a bookmark in a subdocument. In other words, you cannot go from one layer of a document to a bookmark in another layer. The bookmark does not appear on the Bookmark Name list in the Edit Go To dialog boxes. In the Edit Bookmark dialog box, the Go To button is unavailable when you select a bookmark in another layer or subdocument.

NOTE: As used in this article, the word "subdocument" refers to document components and not to the documents in a master document. The main body of the document is what you can see in normal view. The following document elements are examples of subdocuments or document components: headers or footers, footnotes, endnotes, annotations, text boxes, or callouts.

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Examples

You cannot go from a header to a bookmark in a footnote, and you cannot go from the main body to a bookmark in the header.
If you create a text box (using the Text Box button on the Drawing toolbar) and then insert a bookmark in that text box, you cannot go to the bookmark unless you position the insertion point in the text box. If your insertion point is in the main body of the document or in any other layer of the document, you cannot go to the bookmark using the Go To command. In other words, you cannot go from the drawing layer in one subdocument to a bookmark in the drawing layer of the main body or another subdocument.

You can, however, go from one text box in the drawing layer of the main body to a bookmark in another text box in the drawing layer of the main body because both text boxes are in the same layer of the same subdocument.

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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use the appropriate method for your situation.

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Method 1

Position the insertion point in the subdocument before you go to the bookmark.

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Method 2 (Word 97 and Word 98)

Write a Visual Basic for Applications macro that checks for the existence of the bookmark and if it exists, goes to that bookmark. The following macro checks for and goes to the bookmark "test", if it exists:

If ActiveDocument.Bookmarks.Exists("test") = True Then
      ActiveDocument.Bookmarks("test").Select
   Else
      MsgBox "Specified bookmark does not exist."
   End If

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Method 3 (Word 6 and Word 7)

Write a WordBasic macro that goes to the text box and searches for a bookmark. The following macro searches for the first text box in the document and locates the bookmark called "test."

   Sub main
   DrawSetRange "\Doc"
   Select Case DrawGetType(1)
     Case 3   'Text box
        DrawSetInsertToTextbox 1
     Case 8   'Callout
        DrawSetInsertToTextbox 1
     Case Else
   End Select
   EditGoTo .Destination = "test"
   End Sub

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

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MORE INFORMATION

There is an exception to this behavior. If the insertion point is in a header or footer when you click Go To on the Edit menu, Word moves the insertion point into the body of the document and returns it to the last position before you switched to the header or footer. This means you cannot go to a bookmark in the header or footer using the Go To command on the Edit menu. This does not happen when you use the Bookmark command on the Edit menu and click Go To; the insertion point stays in the header or footer and you can go to your bookmark, as expected.

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Visual Basic for Applications Example

   Sub FindBookmark()
      ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdPageView
      ActiveWindow.View.SeekView = wdSeekCurrentPageHeader
      ActiveDocument.Bookmarks("test").Select
   End Sub

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WordBasic Example

The following macro opens the Header/Footer and goes to the suggested bookmark.

   Sub Main
      ViewHeader(Footer)
      EditBookmark .Name="test", Goto
   End Sub

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APPLIES TO

Microsoft Word 6.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Word 6.0a
Microsoft Word 6.0c
Microsoft Word 95 Standard Edition
Microsoft Word 95a
Microsoft Word 6.0 for Macintosh
Microsoft Word 6.01 for Macintosh
Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition
Microsoft Word 98 for Macintosh

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kbbug kbdtacode kbmacro kbmacroexample kbprogramming KB105885

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Retired KB Content Disclaimer

This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.

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