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View Full Version : Condensed captions for figures/photos etc. in Word 2007?


Mechta
6th Dec 2011, 18:32
I'm putting together a document with some fairly long captions to pictures and diagrams.

Is there a way of condensing the caption displayed in the Table of Figures at the beginning so it doesn't show the whole text?

Spurlash2
7th Dec 2011, 22:23
I haven't found a way of condensing a caption, but there may be a workround.

Is it an online document or printed?

How many words are there in the captions to the pictures/diagrams?

If there is a lot of text, would it not be better in the main body?

Would a strict précis of the caption not be in order?

I lied, 4 things.

PS. Edit 8 Dec.

Why not insert a caption as normal, but with minimum explanatory text for the ToF. ie: Figure1.........Electrical Busbar Flange.

Then in the main body of text, insert your full text relevant to the image/diagram, but formatted with a different Heading Style, centre justified, italic, for instance to make it standout.

You would have the shortened ToF in your document (with your brief text), but the image in the document can all the words you want.

treadigraph
8th Dec 2011, 09:07
I'd specify a caption heading style, to be picked by the TOF and then a separate caption body style to provide the narrative.

ie


Figure 1: view of the wing
This image shows the wing blah blah...


Think that's roughly what Spurlash is suggesting in his edit today?


If anyone has a better suggestion, I'd be please to hear it; we have a number of docs with overly long Heading 2 titles that need to be edited down in the TOC every time we update them.

Spurlash2
8th Dec 2011, 19:47
Treadigraph,

When you format the text with your Heading Style, everything you select will show in the ToC. The following is what I think you want.

Select the text at the beginning of the sentence you want for the TOC.

Apply Heading Style.

Now, to make the formatted text appear normal, (so it doesn't look out of place with the rest of the text) format as required. So, if Heading 2 is Cambria (Heading), Blue, Bold, 13, select that formatted text, and make it Arial 12 normal (if that is what you want your text to be seen as).

Now insert TOC, and you will see just the words you selected, so you will need to re-format if you want them funky.

Does that make sense?

treadigraph
10th Dec 2011, 11:55
Ah excellent, it works perfectly! I thought if you applied a style, it affected the entire paragraph, didn't realise it could be part applied... one lives and learns!

Cheers!