User FAQs

1) How can I get a trial version of this add-in ?
To obtain a trial version of this add-in please contact us by using the form on this page

2) What versions of word are supported ?
This add-in works in all version of Word after Word 2010 and supports different languages.
This add-in works with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Word.
This add-in will work with Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows 7.

3) Can I upgrade from a previous version ?
Yes of course just contact us with your order number from your purchase.
Please include the name and email address used during the order process.

4) Can cross-references inserted using this tool be mixed with cross-references inserted using built-in functionality ?
Yes. Both methods can be used for inserting cross references without any conflict.

5) Can users who do not have this add-in installed work with my documents ?
Yes. The references inserted using this tool are exactly the same as the ones inserted using built-in functionality ?
Other users can work with your documents as they would normally.

6) Where can I find general information about field codes and field switches ?
You can find information about possible switches and format switches in Microsoft's help online.
The easiest way to find information about REF, PAGEREF and NOTEREF field switches may be to search the Internet for e.g. "field codes ref field", "field codes pageref field", "field codes noteref field" or something like that.

7) Are there any keyboard shortcut keys ?
Alt+Ctrl+Shift+X: Open the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box
F9: Update all fields in the selection
Alt+F9: Toggle field codes of all fields in a document
Shift+F9: Toggle field codes of selected fields only

8) Is it possible to add shortcuts to the quick access toolbar (QAT) ?
The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is found just above or below the Ribbon.
* QAT can be customized by the individual user.
* You can add a DocTools CrossReferenceManager command to the QAT by right-clicking the command in the Ribbon and selecting "Add to Quick Access Toolbar".
* You can add commands to the QAT as part of a template so the commands are available in the QAT for all documents attached to that template. To do this, add commands to QAT via File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar and make sure to select the template in the top-right field.

9) Is there a quick way to access the filter field ?
If you work with documents that include many headings, you may want to go directly to the Filter field to quickly find the target item you need.
METHOD 1 - Turn on the "go to filter field .. option in the "Set Cross-reference Defaults" dialog box
Turn on the option "Go to Filter field instead of first field when opening the Insert Cross-reference dialog box" in the "Set Cross-reference Defaults" dialog box. When the option is turned on, the cursor will automatically be positioned in the Filter field each time you open the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box, ready for quickly filtering the list.
This is especially useful if you typically insert the cross-references with the same settings again and again in the same document.
If the option is turned off, the cursor will be in the first fields in the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box each time you open it.
METHOD 2 - Press Alt+F to activate the Filter field in the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box (you do not need to use the mouse)
If you most often need to switch between different cross-reference settings in each document, you may not want to turn on the option described in METHOD 1 above. But you can still quickly go to the Filter field, also without using the mouse.
As explained above, the underlined characters in dialog boxes function as shortcuts (keyboard accelerators). Notice that the letter F is underscored in the label "Filter target items". This means that you can:
* Press Alt+F to activate the Filter field.

10) Why does the "insert cross-reference" dialog box close when I insert a cross-reference instead of remaining open ?
The "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box closes after each insertion by design. The main reasons are:
A. If remaining open, the dialog box would take up space on the screen. Since the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box remembers both its last position and size and all the settings you selected most recently, it is ready for you to continue immediately where you left when opened the next time. You can use the shortcut Alt+Ctrl+Shift+X or the right-click menu to quickly open the dialog box.
B. Since you may have changed anything that may have influenced target items in the document between two insertions, the list of target items would have to be updated for every use even if it remained open. This means that no measurable time would be saved compared to closing and reopening the dialog box.
C. Since you may switch to another document or open or create a document, code would have to continuously keep track of this to handle the dialog box appropriately if it was open. This would cost time and thereby slow down things a bit.

11) What happens to selected text when I insert a cross-reference ?
The option DocTools tab > "Cross-reference Tools" > "Set Cross-reference Defaults" > "Inserted cross-reference replaces selection when possible" lets you determine what happens to selected text when you insert a cross-reference via the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box.
* If the option "Inserted cross-reference replaces selection when possible" is turned OFF, the cross-reference will always be inserted in front of the selected text and no text will be deleted.
* If the option "Inserted cross-reference replaces selection when possible" is turned ON, the selected text will be deleted and replaced by the inserted cross-reference whenever possible. However, it is not always possible to delete the selected content and make the cross-reference appear in the place you might wish. If that is the case, the cross-reference will instead be inserted in front of the selected text and no text will be deleted. For example, this is the case if you have selected part of a table plus content above or below the table or if the last character in the selection is a paragraph mark immediately before a table. If needed, you can manually delete superfluous content afterwards.
NOTE: From version 2.6, this option is turned on by default. You can turn it off/on as desired.

12) Where is your personal cross-reference information stored ?
The add-in needs to store you your personal preferences. The information that is stored includes:
* Custom cross-reference texts you define
* The defaults you define via "Set Cross-reference Defaults"
* Latest position and size of the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box
In order to store this information, DocTools CrossReferenceManager automatically adds a folder named "DocTools CrossReferenceManager Setup" as a subfolder in the Word STARTUP folder on your PC. Inside the subfolder, configuration files are added to hold the information:
The custom texts are stored in a file named "DocTools CrossReferenceManager Custom Texts.ini". Other personal information is stored in a file named "DocTools CrossReferenceManager Custom Texts.ini".

13) How can more users get access to the same custom cross-reference texts ?
If more users need the same custom cross-reference texts, only one user needs to create the texts. You can then copy the file "DocTools CrossReferenceManager Custom Texts.ini" from that user's PC to the subfolder named "DocTools CrossReferenceManager Setup" in the other users' Microsoft Word STARTUP folder.

14) How to save specific cross-reference defaults in templates ?
If you are creating templates and if all users of the templates have DocTools CrossReferenceManager installed, you can store relevant cross-reference defaults in a template as follows:
1) Add content temporarily that allows you to insert a cross-reference of a specific type (e.g. insert a heading to be able to insert a cross-reference to a heading or insert a caption to a figure to be able to insert a cross-reference to a caption to a figure).
2) Insert a cross-reference with the desired settings.
3) Repeat for each type of cross-reference for which you want to store default information in the template.
4) Delete the temporary content and the cross-references you inserted and save the template.
The settings you selected for the types of cross-references you inserted in Step 2 above are now saved in the template and will be inherited by any document created based on that template.
The document-specific cross-reference defaults will not have any effect on documents based such template if the user does not have DocTools CrossReferenceManager installed.

15) Automatically scrolls the selection into view when toggling field codes?
DocTools CrossReferenceManager includes special functionality that scrolls to make sure the current selection is visible in top of the windows when you toggle field codes.
Normally, Word often pushes the selection far away from the visible area when toggling field codes in documents with many fields.
Also note that some of the dialog boxes include a button that lets you toggle field codes of the selection while the dialog box is displayed. This can be helpful, e.g. when examining cross-reference problems.

16) What is the quickest way to insert a cross-reference ?
Once you have selected the desired options in the fields above the "Filter target items" field in the "Insert Cross-reference" dialog box, you can quickly insert a cross-reference following one of these methods:
METHOD 1: Enter sufficient text in the "Filter target items" field so that only 1 item is shown in the "Target items" list. Press Enter.
METHOD 2: Double-click the desired target item in the "Target items" list.
METHOD 3: Click the desired target item in the "Target items" list. Then click "Insert" or press Enter.

17) Tips about using the filter field to find one specific numbered heading
In documents with numbered headings, you may remember the number your cross-reference is going to refer to. In that case, the fastest way to reduce the target items list to 1 item is often to type the number in the Filter field.
TIP 1: In the target items list, it is always a SPACE character that separates the number from the paragraph text, no matter whether the real text in the document has e.g. a tab after the number. Therefore, you can enter a SPACE character to remove headings at lower outline levels from the target items list.
TIP 2: Headings at outline levels 2-9 are preceded by SPACE characters in the target items list.
Therefore, you can use SPACE characters to remove headings at lower outline levels from the target items list.
If the document contains different outline levels of numbered headings, you may e.g. have items in the target items list with numbers:

4 
4.1 
4.2 
    4.2.1 
    4.2.2 
      4.2.2.1 
.. 
14 
14.1 
14.2 

If you want to refer to 4.2, you can get lower levels below 4.2 removed from the list by adding a SPACE character AFTER 4.2 - but 14.2 will still be shown.
If you type a SPACE character BEFORE 4.2, only item 4.2 will remain. This means that you can reduce the target items list to that single item by typing:
SPACE + 4.2 + SPACE