format, styles, normal

[Evan]

One problem that I've always had with Word is that when I paste text,
it always carries its formatting into the new document. An even
bigger problem is that when I'm editing and make a deletion, suddenly
a whole section changes its formatting. This is a major distraction
in composing and editing. I need the text to be basically formatted,
in order to read it. But I find I get way too distracted by
constantly reformatting. (I made a reformatting macro, but it was
slow, working with my large document, and led to a crash.) So I think
I need to learn how to manage templates and styles. I've read some
things, but have had trouble fixing things.

For the near term, now, I want to format footnotes using a template or
style. I can find the footnote reference style, but where is the
style for the footnote text itself?

Anyway, I have another document which is formatted fine. Would it
make sense to copy its footnote formatting into my Normal template?
How do I do that? Recently I was changing my Normal template, and
made a mess by accidentally stripping a document of all its
formatting. I don't want to mess up my templates. Should I start
from scratch, with a new Normal template, and build it from there?

My related concern is with the view of document. I want to maximize
the readability of the font, yet also maximize how much text I can see
on the screen (and the manageability of Word, which generally means I
keep the formatting bar visible).
I like to use Times New Roman Font. The best method I've found, so
far, has been to type everything in 7-pt bold, 1.5-line spacing, and
view it in normal view, page-width. But the disadvantage of this
method is that before I print, or paste into a document to send
someone, I must switch to a larger font. Ideally I'd like to know how
to view, say, 11-point font in a way that suits my on-screen needs for
composing and editing.

Thanks!

--Evan

 

[Greg Maxey]

Evan,

For the pasting issue, you can use Edit>Paste Special>Unformatted Text. If
you want you can record a simple macro of this process and assign it to a
toolbar, menu, or keyboard shortcut. Also if you are using Word2002 or
higher you may be interested in the paste option features decribed here:

http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/styles/HowPasteOptionsWorks.html

The style for your footnote text is "Footnote Text." Assuming that you are
using Word2002 or higher, you should see it listed when you put your cursor
in the footnote text and in the "Formatting of selected text" window of the
Styles and Formatting task pane.

You can copy styles from an existing document to Normal.dot using the
Organizer. The organizer is accessed using Tools>Templates and Addins and
clicking the Organizer button. Open your document first and then open the
organizer.

If you wan tips on building a template here is a good place to start:
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm

As far as your readability during editing, I would use the formatting of the
final product and view in Print Layout with a zoom setting that you are
comfortable with.

 

[dfbuo502]

Hey! I'm very grateful for your reply!
About the pasting option, that is fantastic.
(I wonder how to configure Word 2002 so that it *always* pastes to match the
destination formatting.)

The viewing problem persists, though. When I use normal view and 7 pt. bold
Times font, I can compose and edit much more easily than using print view,
or another font. So, if its not already available, I hope MS developers
will improve views so that we can use our target font-size, such as 11, but
for composing and editing get it to display on screen as screen-fillingly as
7-pt font. Meanwhile, I'll continue with workarounds such as the paste
options.

Anyway, I hoped the paste of option of 'match destination formatting' might
solve my problems with the document I'm now formatting. I have a finished
document whose format I want to use for a draft whose
styles/formats/templates are messy, especially for the footnotes. So I
thought, I'll just paste the draft into the finished document. But after
the paste, the footnotes are still in different fonts.

Anyway, is there some way to get Word 2002 to create a template based on the
direct formatting that's already in my document?

Because, I haven't used styles or templates much, so far. I've produced my
documents mostly with direct formatting.

I suppose, to manage formatting as I produce my dissertation, I should learn
the basics of how to set up and modify a template or style (and the
difference between them). I think (but am not sure) I need a template,
because I want to lots of cutting and pasting with several documents all in
the same style. I suppose I should be able to download a suitable template
for starters, and modify it according to my needs.

Please, where can I find a tutorial in these basics?

Moreover, I will still have the problem of getting the text of my
drafts--which carry direct formatting--into the proper format! And that,
too, is where I need help.

Thanks!

--Evan

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The article Greg referred you to
(http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm) will
be a good start for template formatting. As for the view, have you
experimented with changing the zoom ratio? Also, since you seem to want to
get more text on the screen (by using a smaller font), and since you prefer
Normal view anyway, perhaps you would like the "Wrap to window" setting
(Tools | Options | View).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Dayo Mitchell]

Hi Evan,

Much better to keep the conversation in the same thread by hitting Reply,
for ease of viewing and searching.

I always type in Palatino 12pt but don't like to print in that, so I
recorded a macro that Selected All in the main body and the notes, changed
the font in both places, and did whatever else. Then I assigned it to a
toolbar icon, and now I just save the doc, then click that icon, print, then
close without saving. Usually I am just printing drafts, so don't want to
keep the format changes.

I too am writing a dissertation, and yes, it will be easier if you design a
template before you start, although I found reformatting a friend's finished
dissertation was a great tutorial for me on styles and templates, etc. Start
off with the links (and sites) below, some of which are explicitly about how
to Create a Template, others are general techniques that make long documents
easier. My DissTemplate uses a DissFont which all other styles (DissText,
BlockQuotation, Appendix, Bibliography) are based on so that I can easily
change from my preferred onscreen font to the printing font. Note that if
you have already started writing, you can Find and Replace styles.

Good luck, learning to control Word will pay off over the dissertation
process!

Dayo

***Styles & Templates***

http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/styles/TipsOnStyles.html

http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Formatting/UsingOLView.htm

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/legal/Styles.asp and a supplemented
version of the same article, http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/index.htm

http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart1.htm

http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Formatting/WorkWithSections.htm

http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm

http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/UseBuiltInHeadingStyles.html


***Other Useful Links***

http://home.zebra.net/~sbarnhill/AutoCorrect.htm

http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Formatting/NonPrintChars.htm

http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Numbering/CreateIndex.htm

http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Formatting/FootnoteOnDiffPage.htm

http://home.zebra.net/~sbarnhill/index.htm

***Master Documents***

Why Master Documents corrupt
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/WhyMasterDocsCorrupt.htm

How to recover a Master Document
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/RecoverMasterDocs.htm

http://www.addbalance.com/word/masterdocuments.htm

General advice from the experts is that putting all chapters (if you have
chapters) in one document as different sections (not always necessary), and
using styles and headings properly, works fine for long documents.

 

[Greg Maxey]

(I wonder how to configure Word 2002 so that it always pastes to match the
destination formatting.)

Try recording a macro of the steps taken to paste matching destination
formatting and assign the macro to run on your with your normal method of
pasting.

I never use Normal view and so I can't help with that issue.

Please, where can I find a tutorial in these basics?

I think I gave you one already:
If you wan tips on building a template here is a good place to start:
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm

Shauna Kelly's website with the paste options contains some good material on
styles as well:
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/

AFAIK no version of Word will create a template from direct formatting in a
Word Document.

Actually you have used a template and at least one style every time you have
used Word. Just not very well ;-)

Word out of the box creates all new blank documents on a Template called
Normal.dot and a Style called Normal. Take a few minutes to read through
the information in the above links and I think you will be convinced to
create a template and appropriate styles for your new draft work and abandon
your plans to cobble it together using your current finished work.