How to display figure number only in cross reference

Anonymous
2012-03-09T17:01:27+00:00

Is there a way to have a cross reference to a figure only display the number, without displaying the label?

For example, I want to reference several figures at once, so it is most natural to say "see Figures 1,3,6, and 9".  It is less natural to say "see Figure 1, Figure 3, Figure 6, and Figure 9",

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Stefan Blom 352.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2012-03-09T19:53:23+00:00

After you have inserted the cross-reference, add a so-called numeric picture switch to specify a number format. To do that, press Alt+F9 to display field codes; you'll find that the cross-references are REF fields. Add # "0" to the end of the relevant REF fields. Press Alt+F9 again to hide the codes, and press F9 to update fields in the selection.

Alternatively, manually add a bookmark around the figure number and then insert a cross-reference to the bookmark text.

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Stefan Blom 352.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2012-03-15T22:46:33+00:00

OK, if heading numbering is included with the captions, you can't use the workaround with the numeric switch.

Edit: You actually can use a numeric switch; see Suzanne's article at http://wordfaqs.mvps.org/CombineXrefs.htm.

As previously suggested, you can add a bookmark around the caption number and insert a cross-reference to bookmark text. Alternatively, use the "kludgy" workaround in the article at http://wordfaqs.mvps.org/CombineXrefs.htm.

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  1. Stefan Blom 352.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2016-10-25T19:10:10+00:00

    As you have noticed, you can't edit the result of a cross-reference (REF) field like that. Any edits will be lost the next time you update the field. (This applies to most fields in Word.)

    In this case, manually enclosing just the figure number with a bookmark and then create a cross-reference to bookmark text is the easiest solution.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-12-14T08:33:00+00:00

    These workarounds are pathetic. Openoffice and similar opensource office packages handle this brilliantly without fiddling with code etc.

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  3. Stefan Blom 352.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2016-12-14T09:40:05+00:00

    All word processors have their strengths and their weaknesses. Since all cross-references in Word make use of (hidden) bookmarks, adding one manually isn't a terribly inconvenient workaround...

    That said, you are of course free to choose the word processor that you prefer.

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