Wrong conditional text displaying when using FM Track Changes facility

[Combs, Richard]

Heidi Bailey wrote: 
 
> FM8p277, Windows XP.
> 
> I have a document with 3 conditions in: call them A, B and C for ease. I
> add text with the Track Changes facility on, so that reviewers can see
> what's new. I then apply the relevant conditions to relevant
> words/numbers/sentences.
> 
> Then I set just condition A text to show, so that I can make a pdf file.
> However, condition A and B text is showing! Condition C seems to behave
> as you'd expect: the condition C text only displays when you set it to
> show.
> For example, a table cell has the entry 108.00, where condition A
> applies to the 10 (so the entry for A should show 10.00) and condition B
> applies to the 8 (so the entry for B should show 8.00). Instead it shows
> 108.00.
> 
> I checked that I had the right condition set to show, and that the text
> only had the right condition applied. The problem persisted.
> 
> The only way I have found to eliminate the problem is to accept the
> tracked change on the bits of text that don't behave as expected. The
> conditions A and B remain on the text, and then display correctly when
> set to show.
> 
> Anyone else seen this? Anyone got any suggested workarounds? My
> reviewers would like to see which characters have changed, which is why
> we use this rather than just change bars.

I don't have much experience with Track Changes, but I'm pretty sure it relies on a couple of additional "under the covers" conditions to mark inserted and deleted text. So when you insert "10" and apply condition A to it, it's really got two conditions applied, A and Inserted. When you tell FM to hide A, but haven't accepted the changes, the Inserted condition is still set to display. So FM displays the "10" because you're telling it to. :-)

BTW, most people who use conditional text will advise you not to conditionalize on as granular a level as you're using -- it's just asking for trouble. If it were me, I'd put "10.00" and "8.00" in separate paragraphs and conditionalize the paragraphs (not that it would help with your issue, other than making what's displayed less confusing). 


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
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