Err Msg in Place of REF Field Result: Bookmark Not Defined

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a, 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SUMMARY

If you type nothing in response to an ASK field prompt, Word for Windows records a null value, which may result in one of the following error message to appear as the result of the REF field that references the empty ASK field result:

Word 1.x and 2.x:       Error! Bookmark not defined.

This happens because you cannot assign a bookmark to a null value. A bookmark must represent a value, such as a selection or the insertion point (the insertion point is not the same as a null value).

Workaround 1

To prevent the above error message from appearing, insert a SET field before the ASK field, as shown in the example below. The SET field assigns the insertion point, or no selection (""), to the bookmark (instead of a null value) so the error message does not occur.

   {SET address2 ""}{ASK address2 "What is the second line of
   the address?"}{REF address2}

NOTE: The \d (default) ASK field switch has no effect on this workaround.

Workaround 2

Insert an IF field that compares the reference to the ASK field bookmark with a reference to an intentionally undefined bookmark. If the bookmarks are the same (which means that both produce the error message), Word inserts an alternate result.

NOTE: Be sure to choose a unique bookmark name as the intentionally undefined bookmark. If this bookmark name is later assigned to a value, the workaround fails.

In the following example, which illustrates this workaround, "xxxx" is an undefined bookmark name. If the value of the mybkmark bookmark is null, Word inserts "No name given" as the result of the IF field.

   {ASK mybkmark "Type your name:"}

   {IF {mybkmark} = {xxxx} "No name given" {mybkmark}}

"User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 477-478, 640-644, 646-650