Auto Correct

[DC Berk]

I am writing a large manuscript and use a custom template for this that I
don't use for anything else. I rely heavily on customized Auto Correct
entries. However, many of these AC abbreviations are not suitable for, and
interfere with, other things I do. Some of them pop up when I am writing an
email in Entourage, for instance. I try to choose odd abbreviations for the
AC entries, so it always surprises me when I find something corrected that I
failed to anticipate.

I have Normal.dot stripped to its basics, and almost never use it. I tried
turning off Auto Correct in the Normal.dot and turning it on in my custom
template. But if I leave it on in the latter, it turns back on in Normal.dot.
(Why am I not surprised by this.) And, if it is on in Normal, it affects
Entourage.

Is there any way to prevent this cross-over? I switch back and forth between
Word and Entourage often, and it would be a nuisance to turn Auto Correct off
every time I do so, then turn it back on again.

Am I correct that AutoCorrect entries are saved in the .acl file? Is there
any way to attach a different .acl to the customized manuscript template? Or
is there some other solution?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

The AutoCorrect setting--whether the checkbox is on or off--is actually
saved in your preferences file, not in Normal.dot. So that whole template
switcheroo is never going to work, sorry. Actually, I think AutoCorrect is
totally independent of templates entirely.

There is not a way to attach a different .acl to a certain template, so far
as I know.

AutoCorrect is language-dependent, but I don't think it makes a
differentiation between flavors of English.

AutoText is saved in templates, and is style-dependent, so I think setting
the AutoText to custom styles would make it effectively template-dependent.
It is not nearly as convenient as AutoCorrect, but might be worth
investigating.
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/AutoText.htm

You could try adding odd punctuation to your AC abbreviations, that might
help prevent the problem. E.g., they all end with a $.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

PS. I'm perfectly well able to turn off AutoCorrect "replace text as you
type" in Entourage and have it on in Word (tho I've not checked to see what
happens when I quit and restart). That's in Office 2004.

What version of Office are you using?

 

[DC Berk]

Daiya:

I am using Office 2004 for Mac.

Since I posted, I found something obvious that I hadn't noticed before.
There is a separate setting for AutoCorrect in Entourage under the Tools
menu, which somehow I just didn't see, and it was checked.

So, I've solved the email AutoCorrect situation, but still have the problem
when using templates other than the one for my manuscript. However, your
suggestion of adding an odd character to my custom abbreviations is probably
the best workaround. I suspect it will slow me down for awhile, but I'll get
used to it, and it is probably still better than AutoText.

Thanks very much,
DCBerk

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

I don't understand why you would not delete the AutoCorrect entries from
your Normal template?

AutoCorrect is an "Application" setting: it's on or off for the whole of
Word. However, the example in the Help will get them out:

myValue = InputBox("Enter the AutoCorrect entry to delete.")
For Each anEntry in AutoCorrect.Entries
If anEntry.Name = myValue Then
myMatch = True
myConfirm = MsgBox("Are you sure you want to delete " & _
anEntry.Name, 4)
If myConfirm = vbYes Then
anEntry.Delete
End If
End If
Next anEntry
If myMatch <> True Then
MsgBox "There was no AutoCorrect entry: " & myValue
End If

If you wanted to do the lot in one hit without prompting, try:

For Each anEntry in AutoCorrect.Entries
anEntry.Delete
Next anEntry

Warning: Ensure you have only one template open when you run the second
macro, because it will expunge them all from wherever they are

Cheers

Daiya:

I am using Office 2004 for Mac.

Since I posted, I found something obvious that I hadn't noticed before.
There is a separate setting for AutoCorrect in Entourage under the Tools
menu, which somehow I just didn't see, and it was checked.

So, I've solved the email AutoCorrect situation, but still have the problem
when using templates other than the one for my manuscript. However, your
suggestion of adding an odd character to my custom abbreviations is probably
the best workaround. I suspect it will slow me down for awhile, but I'll get
used to it, and it is probably still better than AutoText.

Thanks very much,
DCBerk

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Enlighten me, John. If AutoCorrect entries are held in the MS Office ACL
[English] file in prefs, how does that interact with the Normal template?
For instance, if I switch my Normal out, my AC entries still work.

DCBerk's question just started me wondering.

Daiya

 

[DC Berk]

Daiya/John:

Not sure where I came across it, but I also thought AC entries were held in
the .acl file, which makes them available regardless of which template is in
use.

In any case, I don't want to get rid of all my nice little AC entries -- I
like them, I use them all the time. The only problem is when one of them pops
up in unexpected places when I'm not writing the mss for which they are
intended.

Maybe I can work up a little keystroke macro to toggle AutoCorrect off when
I feel it will get in my way.

But hypothetically, if I did want to purge the AC list for some reason,
would Word generate a new default english.acl file if it was trashed? Or, I
suppose, if you were at the end of a project that required a lot of unique AC
entries, you could just dump the .acl file and replace it with a clean one
that you keep on hand somewhere -- somewhat like keeping a clean normal.dot
on hand.

Hmmmm. Where are the AutoText entries stored?

DC

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

{Sob} Sorry about that: I had a "senior moment" there.

AutoCorrect entries are stored in two places:

* The "Formatted" ones are in the template (Normal or Attached) along with
the AutoText entries.

* The Unformatted once are stored in the ACL list.

They are both sensitive to the language, keyboard layout, and paragraph
style: you will be offered only the ones applicable to the language, layout,
or style you are using.

As far as I know, the macro will delete entries from either the ACL or the
template. All entries are stored in a single collection while Word is
running.

Hope this helps

Daiya/John:

Not sure where I came across it, but I also thought AC entries were held in
the .acl file, which makes them available regardless of which template is in
use.

In any case, I don't want to get rid of all my nice little AC entries -- I
like them, I use them all the time. The only problem is when one of them pops
up in unexpected places when I'm not writing the mss for which they are
intended.

Maybe I can work up a little keystroke macro to toggle AutoCorrect off when
I feel it will get in my way.

But hypothetically, if I did want to purge the AC list for some reason,
would Word generate a new default english.acl file if it was trashed? Or, I
suppose, if you were at the end of a project that required a lot of unique AC
entries, you could just dump the .acl file and replace it with a clean one
that you keep on hand somewhere -- somewhat like keeping a clean normal.dot
on hand.

Hmmmm. Where are the AutoText entries stored?

DC

Enlighten me, John. If AutoCorrect entries are held in the MS Office ACL
[English] file in prefs, how does that interact with the Normal template?
For instance, if I switch my Normal out, my AC entries still work.

DCBerk's question just started me wondering.

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410

 

[Beth Rosengard]

In addition to what John said, yes, Word would generate a new .acl file if
you trashed the old one. Also, instead of moving a "backup" .acl file
somewhere else, you could just rename it and leave it in the Microsoft prefs
folder with the new one. Then rename it back whenever you want and replace
the newer one.

--
***Please always reply to the newsgroup!***

Beth Rosengard
MacOffice MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/index.htm>
(If using Safari, hit Refresh once or twice ­ or use another browser.)
Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org>

 

[DC Berk]

Beth:
Thanks for that confirmation; I suspected as much, and it is a useful little
bit of information -- Knowing that I can rename the .acl file with the custom
AC abbreviations in it and generate a new one means that I can have
multiples. If a project goes into hibernation, or I have to switch between
two major projects with totally different vocabularies, this is a pretty good
solution.

I think I still need a little macro to toggle AC.

Where is AutoText saved -- can I generate a new one of those, or is that
part of the same .acl file?

DCB

 

[Beth Rosengard]

It was a long time ago in this thread , but Daiya already answered that
question: