Ctrl + a + F9 = you give me the whoops

Summary

An individual encounters a frustrating experience with a Microsoft Word document where the Table of Contents (TOC) displays "Ctrl + a + F9" instead of page numbers, leading to a journey of troubleshooting and learning about Word's field updating functionality.

Abstract

The author of the web content receives a Microsoft Word document with an unconventional TOC displaying "Ctrl + a + F9" instead of page numbers. Despite initial attempts to resolve the issue by pressing the suggested keys, the document's text becomes highlighted and shadowed in gray, causing further complications. After unsuccessful attempts to rectify the problem, including adjusting Word settings and seeking advice, the author discovers that a slight delay between pressing "Ctrl + a" and "F9" resolves the issue. The experience prompts reflection on the complexity of modern technology compared to simpler times when such tasks were more straightforward.

Opinions

The author initially finds the "Ctrl + a + F9" command in the TOC confusing and frustrating, indicative of a lack of user-friendliness in Microsoft Word.
There is a sense of annoyance at the document's unintended behavior, such as the text highlighting and shadowing, which occurs as a result of the troubleshooting process.
The author expresses a preference for simpler times when technology was less complex and more reliable, suggesting a degree of skepticism about the necessity of advanced features in software.
The author's tone conveys a mix of relief and accomplishment after eventually solving the problem, but also a lingering dissatisfaction with the overall experience.
The incident leads to a broader question about the role of technology in our lives, implying that while technology can be beneficial, it is not always the best solution for every problem.

Ctrl + a + F9 = you give me the whoops

a popular “meme”

So at work this week I was emailed an important Microsoft Word document and to my surprise, I saw that the one page Table of Contents had instead of page numbers, some weird and annoying letters, being:

ctr-a, F9

Luckily even though I am of revered (or ancient) age, I love software and learning and knew that my keyboard had function keys including F9.

I tried pressing all 3 keys at once — the Ctrl key and at the same time the letter a (easy to do as these 2 keys were close together) and at the same time, I used my other hand to press the F9 key.

Nothing happened.

So I googled the issue to find that the command Ctrl + a, F9 is a wonderful function to update a Table of Contents (TOC). You know, maybe you want to add or minus something from your document, thus changing the page numbers?

Only thing is that this document was one that is not to be amended by the user/recipient, but was not locked from editing, and had Ctrl +a, F9 instead of page numbers in the TOC.

At some point, I managed to get the page numbers showing but all the text in the entire document was highlighted or shadowed in gray (because the Ctrl + a selects all text, that much I know).

When I tried to get rid of the shadowing, which I don’t like, the entire content of my document scarily disappeared. I was not impressed. Don’t know what I was doing wrong but I closed the document and began again.

Among one of my tries, after finding on Google that I should go to File / Options / Display & tick “Update fields before printing” it still didn’t work!

By now, steam was virtually coming out of my ears. First up it took me ages to find the word Options on Word (there it was at the very bottom as the last option on the list on the left of the Files area, but my eyes weren’t looking down that far, and I wish it was at the very top, not the very bottom).

The next day I showed my work colleague that I had accidentally discovered that one presses Ctrl plus a together, waits a second and then presses F9.

Now the document was better behaved as when I clicked out of the TOC, the gray shadowing disappeared.

Phew! Made it, but it left me thinking what the hell happened to the good old days of ease, when page numbers were page numbers and actually appeared in the Table of Contents plus printed out without taking 2 days to do so, and causing a ruckus?

Ctrl + a + F9 = you give me the whoops

Technology can be great, but is it always needed?

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