WD: Calculation in Form Field Shows Wrong Result (110656)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0
- Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0a
- Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0c
- Microsoft Word for Windows NT 6.0
- Microsoft Word for Windows 95
- Microsoft Word for Windows 95 7.0a
- Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 6.0
- Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 6.0.1
- Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 6.0.1a
This article was previously published under Q110656 SYMPTOMS
When a form field calculation involves another calculated form field, the
results may be incorrect.
The two scenarios below illustrate this symptom.
Scenario #1 - No formatting in the Number Format of a Form Field
TYPE OF
TEXTFORM ACTUAL EXPECTED
FIELD EXPRESSION BOOKMARK RESULT RESULT
-------------------------------------------------------------
NUMBER NONE Text1 100 100
CALCULATION =Text1 Text2 100 100
CALCULATION =Text1 + Text2 Text3 100200 200
This results in doubling the value of form field 2 (Text2).
Scenario #2 - Dollar sign on either or both form fields
TYPE OF
TEXTFORM ACTUAL EXPECTED
FIELD EXPRESSION FORMATTING BKMRK RESULT RESULT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUMBER NONE Dollar Sign Text1 100 100
CALCULATION =Text1 Dollar Sign Text2 $100 $100
CALCULATION =Text1 + Text2 Doesn't Matter Text3 $300 200
This results in doubling the value of form field 2 (Text2).
CAUSE
Word defines the bookmarks assigned to the calculation form fields
incorrectly. As a result, Word does not correctly parse these form fields;
it concatenates them instead.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, use any of the following methods.
Method 1: Avoid Referring to Any Other Calculation Fields
Change the final calculation to avoid referring to any other calculation
fields. Include all math formulas in one calculation field. This method is
only appropriate for simple calculations.
In the earlier example, because the third form field includes a formula
from the second form field, the entry in the third form field expression
would need to be changed to: Text1 (Bookmark from the first form field) +
Text1 (Expression from the second form field).
Method 2: Redefine the Bookmarks So Word Calculates the Formula Correctly
NOTE: You must repeat this procedure each time you change a particular form
field in the Text Form Field Options dialog box.
To redefine the bookmarks so Word calculates the formula correctly, use
these steps with each incorrect Calculation form field:
- Turn on field code view by pressing ALT+F9 (Windows) or OPTION+F9
(Macintosh).
- Select the Calculation form field that produces incorrect results.
Be sure to include the field brackets ({}) in the selection.
- On the Edit menu, click Bookmark.
NOTE: The bookmark for the selected form field should be selected.
- Click Add.
NOTE: This redefines the bookmark to include the field brackets.
- Press F9 to update the field, and then press ALT+F9 (Windows) or
OPTION+F9 (Macintosh) to switch back to field code results view.
The result should now be correct.
Method 3: Define a New Bookmark That Includes the First Calculation Field
NOTE: You do not need to repeat this procedure if you change the form field
in the Text Form Field Options dialog box.
To define a new bookmark that includes the first Calculation field in your
formula plus one space following it, follow these steps:
- Turn on field code view by pressing ALT+F9 (Windows) or OPTION+F9
(Macintosh).
- Select the first Calculation form field that is referenced in your
formula (=) field. Include the space that follows this field in your
selection. The selection should resemble the following example:
{ FORMTEXT {=text1}}
^ ^
| |
Start of End of
selection selection
- On the Edit menu, click Bookmark.
- Type a new name in the Bookmark Name box and then click Add.
- Turn off field code view by pressing ALT+F9 (Windows) or OPTION+F9
(Macintosh).
- In your second calculation field, use the bookmark you defined in step 4
above instead of the bookmark that Word set for the first Calculation
form field.
Method 4: In a Table, Use Table Cell References Rather Than Bookmark Names
Use table cell references rather than bookmark names in the Calculation
form field.
NOTE: This method works only if there are no other Number form fields in
any table cell you reference in your Calculation form field.
For example, change this calculation
{FORMTEXT {=Text1 + Text2}}
to the following
where the Text1 bookmark is in table cell A1 and the Text2 bookmark is in
table cell A2.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products
listed at the beginning of this article.
REFERENCES
"Microsoft Word User's Guide," version 6.0, pages 309-312
Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 8/16/2005 |
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Keywords: | kbhowto kbproof KB110656 |
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