Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Using TC Fields for Notes.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 7, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
There are many times you may need to keep a "list" of editing work that needs to be done on a document. Keeping such a list manually, particularly in regards to a long document, can be difficult. Usually I put some sort of textual key in the document for which I can later search to find the location of where work needs to be done. For instance, I may put the text ***HERE in the document, knowing that I can search for that and find the exact spot that needs work.
There is another approach that can be taken, however. This involves the use of the TC field, which is normally used to mark Table of Contents entries. You can also use these fields to indicate places where work needs to be done. This works because you can place anything within the TC field, and what you enter ends up in the TOC. This makes them a natural for creating notes to yourself. For example, you could use any of the following TC fields within your document:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
{tc "send this tc tip to Allen Wyatt for WordTips"}
{tc "check this formula for accuracy"}
{tc "rewrite this paragraph before it leaves your desk"}
The potential uses are virtually endless. Later, when you are ready to do your editing work, you simply generate a TOC at the beginning of your document. The entries dutifully end up there, and since the page numbers are hyperlinks, double-clicking the page numbers will take you to the spot where you need to work.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1400) 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: Using TC Fields for Notes.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
Need to add the occasional zero with a slash through it? There are a couple of ways you can accomplish this task.
Discover MoreNeed to count the number of times a particular field appears in a document? It's easy to do when you apply the techniques ...
Discover MoreWord allows you to protect documents that are intended to be used as forms. If you want to convert the form responses ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-10-05 12:18:45
Greetings:
Thanks for your TIPS.
Your information is priceless.
Just like to share an observation that i have for a lot of technical writing and that is assumptions by the author. I bet that i am not the only reader who sometimes lacks an understanding of where the author is starting from. If a reader lacks understanding of a single term in the early steps, the info is stifled.
I read your article and searched a bit for TC Fields and learned a lot about many things but do not yet know what a TC Field is but someday i will as i persist.
I have gotten a lot of fabulous information from your TIPS and understand the limitations of space in the format you have but i thought i should share so that you knew my perspective. I am most grateful and will continue to learn and grow from your work. Blessed Be you and your family and all readers.
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments