Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 25, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Word includes a cross-reference feature that allows you to indicate the contents of a paragraph formatted with a specific style. This is done with fields, and is used primarily in headers or footers. For instance, let's suppose your document uses headers or footers that refer to headings appearing on the page. This is frequently done in reference material, and is a great help to the reader. You can use the following steps to set up this type of cross-reference.
If you set up your header or footer this way, then every time the contents of the referenced paragraph style changes, the contents of the header or footer will change. For instance, let's say that you are using the Heading 2 style in the field. Every time a new paragraph formatted with the Heading 2 style is encountered in your document, the contents of that paragraph are inserted in place of the field in the header or footer.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1002) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Inserting a Cross-Reference to the First Style on a Page.
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