Word 2000 in a Nutshell

Name

Insert → Object

Synopsis

An object, in Word-speak, is a document or part of a document created in another program and inserted into Word. An Excel spreadsheet, a paragraph from another Word document, and a PowerPoint slideshow are all examples of objects and each could be placed inside a Word document.

There are two ways to insert an object into Word:

Linking

When an object is linked to a Word document, a field for that link is created in the document. The location of the object (say, a spreadsheet) and the object’s source application (say, Excel) are stored in that field. The object itself remains separate from Word and is updated in the Word document when the original object is updated.

Embedding

An embedded object actually becomes a physical part of the Word document and is stored in the document file. Updating the original file from which the object came does not update the object embedded in the Word document.

The choice between linking and embedding objects is not always a clear one. Most people link objects that they expect to change, especially if the object is used in multiple documents. That way, changing the original object updates the object linked to the various documents. When a document is ready for distribution, it is easy enough to break the link so that future changes to the original object are not updated. Once a link is broken, however, there is no way to reestablish it other than to create the link again from scratch.

Embedded objects are often used when ...