OHSU's Microsoft Migration

Mike Miller · Joined: 02 Nov 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Portland, Oregon

Word 2007 introduced some differences in how graphics are handled. These difference often manifest themselves when someone is trying to select more than one graphic item at a time, for purposes of grouping them or multi-item editing.

The text below is from an established MVP (Microsoft Valued Professional) and should help explain what the issue is and ways to work around it.

I've made only minor context related edits since this is a copy from another forum.

If all of the shapes, Wordart and pictures in your Word 2007 document already have a text wrapping choice of other than 'in line with text', and you're still getting a 'lead bell' ding sound when trying to group the items, my guess would be that it is likely picture (via Insert=>Picture from File), that may be the point of frustration.

In 'old' Word versions (or instant 'Classic' as MS calls the last version before this one) the graphics/pictures and shapes from the MS Drawing Objects engine were managed within Word's capabilities. For Office 2007 there was a new graphic engine created and, unfortunately for us, it was only partially implemented in Word 2007 (for example Word doesn't have 'new' WordArt, only classic while Excel and Powerpoint have new WordArt ).

Because of that partial implementation, the inserted pictures and SmartArt are managed by the new Office graphics engine, while the inserted shapes and shape handling is still managed in Word. The basic result is that Word's 'classic' grouping and multiple object selection tool don't 'see' the inserted pictures to allow you to group them with the shapes. If you select a picture that you inserted and right click, copy then on the Home tab look at the Paste Special Dropdown the graphic type is
"Microsoft Office Graphics Object", rather than the Word classic "MS Office Drawing Object".

When you save in 'compatibility' mode (.doc) the pictures are reset to 'classic' types, but if you then upvert (save as the new file formats) the pictures will tend to break away from the grouping.

Basically, if an item has white pearl sizing handles (new graphics object) it usually can't be directly grouped with an item that has flat square sizing handles (old/classic graphics engine object).

There are several workarounds. Here are some you may want to consider. The workarounds give the 'new items' the appearance to Word of being 'classic' objects.

1. Work in 'compatability mode' (i.e. save in Word .doc format). Lets you work as before, but turns off some of the newer features in Word 2007.

2. Work within a Word drawing Canvas:
Use Insert=>Shapes=>New Drawing Canvas (at the bottom of the shapes dialog) and Insert all of your items to group into the canvas. A canvas automatically groups/contains the pictures and shapes within a single frame and within the canvas you can selectively have subgroups. Separately, a canvas can be grouped with drawing items outside of the canvas.

3. Revert to 'classic' by extracting items from a drawing canvas.
A variation of item 2 allows you to move items out of a drawing canvas back into Word's "regular" area where they can be handled as Word 'classic' objects, even in .docx files.

While in the drawing canvas created in 2., above, after applying shadows, styles, etc to the items, use the shift key and click on, for example an inserted picture and a shape, right click and group them.

4. Use a textbox shape to hold the inserted picture.

Use Insert=>Textbox=>Draw a Textbox (bottom of the gallery), then inside the text box use Insert=>Picture or double click the textbox and use Textbox Tools=>Format=>Shape Fill=>Picture.
(If you use Insert=>Picture you can apply the Word 2007 picture tool effects to the graphic that is in the text box.

I hope that I didn't confuse things too much.

Bob Buckland
MS Office System Products MVP