Hyperlinks Part 3...ACK!...and a pause for bookmarks

My next post assumes you have a document that includes the application of heading styles and the addition of bookmarks. I went looking for the post on how to add bookmarks. It's at this point that I yelled, "ACK!" It appears that I've only talked about bookmarks in passing. So we're going to pause while I do a bit of back filling...that is, tell you about bookmarks...a very handy item.

After you have added bookmarks to a document, you can either add a cross reference to the bookmark (with a page number) or create a hyperlink to the bookmark.  The decision to add a cross reference as opposed to a hyperlink is based on the type of document you'll be producing. As a general rule of thumb, cross references with page numbers appear in printed documents and hyperlinks appear in online document (for example, a PDF posted at a website).


Why create a hyperlink to a bookmark?
Let's suppose that you have provided an extensive description of a place (Sparta, Illinois) in running text at the beginning of your document. Later in your document, when you mention Sparta, you might want to add a cross reference or hyperlink to the full description as a convenience for your reader. However, since both mentions of Sparta are in the middle of running text, they most likely have a body text type of style applied. You need something on which to hang that cross reference or hyperlink.

If you remember, a cross reference requires a reference type to add the reference. Hyperlinks use two of the same reference types (Headings and Bookmarks). To use these reference types, you must:

• Apply heading styles to heading text 
• Add bookmarks in running text 

Insert a Bookmark

1. Select a place to add a bookmark. For example, you would want to add a bookmark (the destination) to the full description of Sparta.
   --You can simply click beside a word where you want to place the bookmark.
   --You can use your mouse to select text where you want to place the bookmark. 
2. Open the Bookmark dialog.
   --In Word 2003, click Insert on the main menu, and then select Bookmark.
   --In Word 2007/2010, on the Insert tab, locate the Links group, and then select Bookmark.
   
   
3. In the Bookmark name field, type the name of the bookmark. The name must be one word. The get one word you can use Camel case; for example, SpartaIllinoisDescription. Or, you can use underscores; for example, Sparta_Illinois_Description. If you add any spaces, Word will ignore the bookmark.
4. Click the Add button, and then click the Close button. Word closes the Bookmark dialog and you see nothing! MS Word adds the bookmark as a hidden mark. You can show bookmarks. If you insist, I'll tell you how but for the most part, you won't really care.  

After the bookmark exists, you can create a cross reference or hyperlink to it. For example, you would add a cross reference or hyperlink to subsequent mentions of Sparta, Illinois that take your reader to the full description (the destination a.k.a. the bookmark).

• To create a cross reference, see Adding an Electronic Page Number for a Cross Reference. You need to make one change in the instructions. In the Reference type field, select Bookmark. Otherwise, the instructions are the same. 
• To add a hyperlink, see my next post, which is what I really really was going to post about tonight. 

Additional Usage Tip
When I'm editing a long document and I'm interrupted, I add the bookmark StartHere to mark the place where I stopped editing. I can save and close my document, do several other tasks, and then come back to the document I was editing. To find my place, I open the document, display the Bookmark dialog, click the bookmark StartHere in the list of bookmarks, and then click the Go To button. My document scrolls to the last place where I was editing. I can keep the bookmark or delete it (display the Bookmark dialog, click the bookmark, and then click the Delete button). As is usual with MS Work, your use of this tool is limited only by your imagination.