F3 key doesn't open AutoText

[Carolyn]

I cannot open an AutoText entry in Word 20070 when I type the Auto Text's
entire name and press the F3 key. I get the message "The specified text it
not a unique building block name. Provide a unique name." If I save the
contents of the Auto Text to a new Auto Text name, the F3 key works. Is there
a way to make the original name of the AutoText work with the F3 key? Thanks.

-- Carolyn

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

Word is telling you that what you typed is not yet unique. F3 will work if
you type enough of the name so that it couldn't possibly be anything other
than a particular autotext entry.

For example, if I have:

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Oblivion

Then I would have to type at least "Federal Bureau of I" or "Federal Bureau
of O" for F3 to work.

It might be that Word 2007's many built-in Building Block items have names
that overlap with your own items. For your own to work, they need to be
unique earlier in the string. One way to handle this is to add something to
the beginning to make your own unique.