Formatting marks (v. 2003)

[Epinn]

Suzanne and Dave have written an excellent article

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

which I should have read long ago or even when I first started to use Word. Thank you both for your wisdom. I have a few questions.



1. No empty paragraphs ¡V I don¡¦t recall having read the reason. Just want to confirm I understand this correctly. Let¡¦s say I have finished one paragraph and press enter. Then, I want a few blank lines or even just one more before the next paragraph starts. I *should not* just press enter a few more times. I should press the space bar (at least once) and then enter, and I should do this for the no. of times I want the blank lines. Am I correct?

2. Date field ¡V I do insert > date and time etc., and to my surprise the current date inserted is not a date field. Can you give me an example how a date field is created? Table > formula?

3. TOC field ¡V The article says, ¡§There are two types of field codes that are toggled with the Show/Hide ? button rather than the Toggle Codes command. Both TC (table of contents entry) and XE (index entry) fields are formatted as Hidden text; when you insert either type of field, the display of nonprinting characters is toggled on by default so that you can see these codes.¡¨ Is the writeup for version 2003? If yes, I don¡¦t understand. After I have inserted the TOC, I have to do alt+F9 to see the field code. I don¡¦t see TOC field code as an exception; it behaves like the other fields, namely, reference field. Am I missing something?

4. Black square bullet ¡V The article says, ¡§¡K¡Kif you double-click on the ¡§bullet¡¨ itself, you will bring up this dialog with the Line and Page Breaks tab selected¡K¡K¡¨ For me, I can only get the bullet on the *left* margin to do the above. If I double click on the bullet on the *right* margin, the ¡§pilcrow¡¨ (paragraph mark) places itself on top of the black square bullet. Don¡¦t understand what¡¦s going on. Also, I don¡¦t understand how I have created a whole line of black square bullets across the page. This is shown when the Show/Hide feature is on *hide* mode. Please explain the cause. Copy and paste? Looks like I can only delete the line of square bullets with the paragraph. How do I just delete it without deleting the paragraph? I have tried normal view, print view, Show/Hide on show etc. and no luck.



Appreciate guidance.



Epinn

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

1. A paragraph containing a space is still really an "empty paragraph" in
the sense Dave and I intended. You should not use "extra" paragraphs to
create blank lines. Instead, using Spacing Before/After from the Format |
Paragraph dialog to create extra space between paragraphs. You can quickly
add 12 points Spacing Before (about the equivalent of an empty paragraph) by
pressing Ctrl+0, but it's preferable to define (or modify) styles to have
the desired amount of spacing. Look at Word's built-in heading styles, which
by default all have some Spacing Before and After. They're also formatted as
"Keep with next," which keeps the heading with the following paragraph; if
that following paragraph is empty (contains no printable text), then your
heading can still be orphaned at the bottom of a page with the following
text paragraph at the top of the next page.

2. If you check the box for "Update automatically" when you use Insert |
Date and Time, the result will be a DATE field in the format you have
selected. You can also insert a DATE field (in the format you have chosen as
the default in that dialog) using the Alt+Shift+D shortcut or the Insert
Date button on the Header and Footer toolbar. But a DATE field is rarely
what you really want; more often you want a CREATEDATE or possibly SAVEDATE
or PRINTDATE field. For more on date fields, see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/DateFields.htm.

3. There is a difference between a TC (Table of Contents Entry) field and a
TOC (Table of Contents) field. In most cases you will be building a TOC
based on headings or outline levels rather than TC fields, so you may not be
familiar with them; you can learn more from the "Field codes: TC (Table of
Contents Entry) field" Help topic.

4. The black square bullet in the left margin is the one we're referring to
concerning double-clicking. I have never seen one in the right margin;
perhaps this is something you get when using a right-to-left language?

5. For the explanation of your row of square bullets, see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/CantGetRidOfLine.htm.



Suzanne and Dave have written an excellent article

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

which I should have read long ago or even when I first started to use Word.
Thank you both for your wisdom. I have a few questions.



1. No empty paragraphs ¡V I don¡¦t recall having read the reason. Just
want to confirm I understand this correctly. Let¡¦s say I have finished one
paragraph and press enter. Then, I want a few blank lines or even just one
more before the next paragraph starts. I *should not* just press enter a
few more times. I should press the space bar (at least once) and then
enter, and I should do this for the no. of times I want the blank lines. Am
I correct?

2. Date field ¡V I do insert > date and time etc., and to my surprise
the current date inserted is not a date field. Can you give me an example
how a date field is created? Table > formula?

3. TOC field ¡V The article says, ¡§There are two types of field codes
that are toggled with the Show/Hide ? button rather than the Toggle Codes
command. Both TC (table of contents entry) and XE (index entry) fields are
formatted as Hidden text; when you insert either type of field, the display
of nonprinting characters is toggled on by default so that you can see these
codes.¡¨ Is the writeup for version 2003? If yes, I don¡¦t understand.
After I have inserted the TOC, I have to do alt+F9 to see the field code. I
don¡¦t see TOC field code as an exception; it behaves like the other fields,
namely, reference field. Am I missing something?

4. Black square bullet ¡V The article says, ¡§¡K¡Kif you double-click on
the ¡§bullet¡¨ itself, you will bring up this dialog with the Line and Page
Breaks tab selected¡K¡K¡¨ For me, I can only get the bullet on the *left*
margin to do the above. If I double click on the bullet on the *right*
margin, the ¡§pilcrow¡¨ (paragraph mark) places itself on top of the black
square bullet. Don¡¦t understand what¡¦s going on. Also, I don¡¦t
understand how I have created a whole line of black square bullets across
the page. This is shown when the Show/Hide feature is on *hide* mode.
Please explain the cause. Copy and paste? Looks like I can only delete the
line of square bullets with the paragraph. How do I just delete it without
deleting the paragraph? I have tried normal view, print view, Show/Hide on
show etc. and no luck.



Appreciate guidance.



Epinn

 

[Jay Freedman]

Answers in-line...

Suzanne and Dave have written an excellent article

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

which I should have read long ago or even when I first started to use Word. Thank you both for your wisdom. I have a few questions.



1. No empty paragraphs ¡V I don¡¦t recall having read the reason. Just want to confirm I understand this correctly. Let¡¦s say I have finished one paragraph and press enter. Then, I want a few blank lines or even just one more before the next paragraph starts. I *should not* just press enter a few more times. I should press the space bar (at least once) and then enter, and I should do this for the no. of times I want the blank lines. Am I correct?

Let's make a distinction: In a small document that you're going to
print and throw away, there's no reason not to make blank lines by
pressing Enter two or more times. In a larger document that will be
edited repeatedly or passed to other users, avoid multiple Enters like
the plague. They cause problems with Keep With Next paragraph
formatting, blank lines at the tops of pages, sorting, and various
other situations.

Your proposed procedure is *not* correct -- you'd just get a space
character followed by the same multiple paragraph marks. I don't know
where you found this, but it's wrong.

Instead of multiple Enters, use the Format > Paragraph dialog and set
Space After for the paragraph you just finished, or Space Before for
the next paragraph. Note that this has nothing at all to do with
pressing the space bar!

An even better solution is to define a style that has the amount of
Space Before or Space After that you want, and apply that style to
each paragraph that needs it.

2. Date field ¡V I do insert > date and time etc., and to my surprise the current date inserted is not a date field. Can you give me an example how a date field is created? Table > formula?

When you do Insert > Date and Time, the dialog contains a checkbox
that says "Update automatically". If the box is checked, you get a
date field. If it's unchecked, the current date is inserted as plain
text and doesn't update.

You can also use the Insert > Field dialog and choose the Date field.
If you want a field that always shows the date the document was
created (for example, for a letter), choose the CreateDate field
instead.

3. TOC field ¡V The article says, ¡§There are two types of field codes that are toggled with the Show/Hide ? button rather than the Toggle Codes command. Both TC (table of contents entry) and XE (index entry) fields are formatted as Hidden text; when you insert either type of field, the display of nonprinting characters is toggled on by default so that you can see these codes.¡¨ Is the writeup for version 2003? If yes, I don¡¦t understand. After I have inserted the TOC, I have to do alt+F9 to see the field code. I don¡¦t see TOC field code as an exception; it behaves like the other fields, namely, reference field. Am I missing something?

You're confusing the TC field and the TOC field.

The TC fields go in the body of the document, as an alternative way of
indicating what to include in the table of contents (instead of, or in
addition to, picking up heading styles). They are formatted as Hidden.
In most documents there is no reason ever to use TC fields.

The TOC field is the one that displays the table of contents. It is
not formatted as Hidden.

4. Black square bullet ¡V The article says, ¡§¡K¡Kif you double-click on the ¡§bullet¡¨ itself, you will bring up this dialog with the Line and Page Breaks tab selected¡K¡K¡¨ For me, I can only get the bullet on the *left* margin to do the above. If I double click on the bullet on the *right* margin, the ¡§pilcrow¡¨ (paragraph mark) places itself on top of the black square bullet. Don¡¦t understand what¡¦s going on. Also, I don¡¦t understand how I have created a whole line of black square bullets across the page. This is shown when the Show/Hide feature is on *hide* mode. Please explain the cause. Copy and paste? Looks like I can only delete the line of square bullets with the paragraph. How do I just delete it without deleting the paragraph? I have tried normal view, print view, Show/Hide on show etc. and no luck.

The black square bullet discussed in the article is only in the left
margin. I've never seen a bullet of any kind in the right margin.

The line of bullets across the page is a paragraph border created by
the AutoFormat As You Type feature when you type three or more
asterisks in an otherwise empty paragraph and press Enter. See
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/CantGetRidOfLine.htm to find
out how to remove it with the Format > Borders and Shading dialog.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Epinn]

Suzanne,



Thank you for your expertise. I feel that you can read my mind or actually see my action. I appreciate the details and I get to learn more than what I have asked for. I assure you that your time is well spent because I will “clean up my act.” I’ll follow your advice to proof-read twice – once for the content and once for the formatting marks. It may take longer to prepare documents but I think it is worth it.



1.. Empty paragraphs – I did pick up “space before and after” from your article. But, unfortunately, I didn’t connect it to Format | Paragraph dialog. I had to laugh at myself talking about using the space bar. I am glad I asked for clarification and thank you for straightening me out.
2.. Thanks for reminding me about Alt+Shift+D. I like shortcut keys. Your article on date fields is good reference.
3.. Ah, I see - TOC field vs. TC entry field. So, the answer to my question “Am I missing something?” is …Yes, the word “entry.” I wouldn’t have known the subtle difference if you had not pointed it out to me. I check the dialog box and now I see the three options – styles, outline levels, table entry fields. The first two are ticked but not the last one. Interesting!
4.. It’s a good idea to turn off those AutoFormat options and I did.
Wow! I don’t believe that I have learned so much in one post. I hope I can apply most of what I have learned to 2007. I heard about ribbons. Wonder if the focus is more on themes. Styles are still in? I know there is a link to 2007, but frankly I don’t want to overload myself with info at this point. I hope I can remember most of what I have just learned.



Thanks a lot for your help and thanks for reading.



Epinn



1. A paragraph containing a space is still really an "empty paragraph" in
the sense Dave and I intended. You should not use "extra" paragraphs to
create blank lines. Instead, using Spacing Before/After from the Format |
Paragraph dialog to create extra space between paragraphs. You can quickly
add 12 points Spacing Before (about the equivalent of an empty paragraph) by
pressing Ctrl+0, but it's preferable to define (or modify) styles to have
the desired amount of spacing. Look at Word's built-in heading styles, which
by default all have some Spacing Before and After. They're also formatted as
"Keep with next," which keeps the heading with the following paragraph; if
that following paragraph is empty (contains no printable text), then your
heading can still be orphaned at the bottom of a page with the following
text paragraph at the top of the next page.

2. If you check the box for "Update automatically" when you use Insert |
Date and Time, the result will be a DATE field in the format you have
selected. You can also insert a DATE field (in the format you have chosen as
the default in that dialog) using the Alt+Shift+D shortcut or the Insert
Date button on the Header and Footer toolbar. But a DATE field is rarely
what you really want; more often you want a CREATEDATE or possibly SAVEDATE
or PRINTDATE field. For more on date fields, see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/DateFields.htm.

3. There is a difference between a TC (Table of Contents Entry) field and a
TOC (Table of Contents) field. In most cases you will be building a TOC
based on headings or outline levels rather than TC fields, so you may not be
familiar with them; you can learn more from the "Field codes: TC (Table of
Contents Entry) field" Help topic.

4. The black square bullet in the left margin is the one we're referring to
concerning double-clicking. I have never seen one in the right margin;
perhaps this is something you get when using a right-to-left language?

5. For the explanation of your row of square bullets, see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/CantGetRidOfLine.htm.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

Suzanne and Dave have written an excellent article

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

which I should have read long ago or even when I first started to use Word.
Thank you both for your wisdom. I have a few questions.



1. No empty paragraphs ¡V I don¡¦t recall having read the reason. Just
want to confirm I understand this correctly. Let¡¦s say I have finished one
paragraph and press enter. Then, I want a few blank lines or even just one
more before the next paragraph starts. I *should not* just press enter a
few more times. I should press the space bar (at least once) and then
enter, and I should do this for the no. of times I want the blank lines. Am
I correct?

2. Date field ¡V I do insert > date and time etc., and to my surprise
the current date inserted is not a date field. Can you give me an example
how a date field is created? Table > formula?

3. TOC field ¡V The article says, ¡§There are two types of field codes
that are toggled with the Show/Hide ? button rather than the Toggle Codes
command. Both TC (table of contents entry) and XE (index entry) fields are
formatted as Hidden text; when you insert either type of field, the display
of nonprinting characters is toggled on by default so that you can see these
codes.¡¨ Is the writeup for version 2003? If yes, I don¡¦t understand.
After I have inserted the TOC, I have to do alt+F9 to see the field code. I
don¡¦t see TOC field code as an exception; it behaves like the other fields,
namely, reference field. Am I missing something?

4. Black square bullet ¡V The article says, ¡§¡K¡Kif you double-click on
the ¡§bullet¡¨ itself, you will bring up this dialog with the Line and Page
Breaks tab selected¡K¡K¡¨ For me, I can only get the bullet on the *left*
margin to do the above. If I double click on the bullet on the *right*
margin, the ¡§pilcrow¡¨ (paragraph mark) places itself on top of the black
square bullet. Don¡¦t understand what¡¦s going on. Also, I don¡¦t
understand how I have created a whole line of black square bullets across
the page. This is shown when the Show/Hide feature is on *hide* mode.
Please explain the cause. Copy and paste? Looks like I can only delete the
line of square bullets with the paragraph. How do I just delete it without
deleting the paragraph? I have tried normal view, print view, Show/Hide on
show etc. and no luck.



Appreciate guidance.



Epinn

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I'm glad you found so much value in my post (and also Jay's which paralleled
it in every particular). I should probably be more careful in referring to
"Spacing Before/After" rather than "Space" (since "Spacing" is what the
dialog actually says), and if I don't refer specifically to the Format |
Paragraph dialog, I should. Thanks for that tip.



Suzanne,



Thank you for your expertise. I feel that you can read my mind or
actually see my action. I appreciate the details and I get to learn more
than what I have asked for. I assure you that your time is well spent
because I will “clean up my act.” I’ll follow your advice to proof-read
twice – once for the content and once for the formatting marks. It may take
longer to prepare documents but I think it is worth it.



1.. Empty paragraphs – I did pick up “space before and after” from
your article. But, unfortunately, I didn’t connect it to Format | Paragraph
dialog. I had to laugh at myself talking about using the space bar. I am
glad I asked for clarification and thank you for straightening me out.
2.. Thanks for reminding me about Alt+Shift+D. I like shortcut
keys. Your article on date fields is good reference.
3.. Ah, I see - TOC field vs. TC entry field. So, the answer to my
question “Am I missing something?” is …Yes, the word “entry.” I wouldn’t
have known the subtle difference if you had not pointed it out to me. I
check the dialog box and now I see the three options – styles, outline
levels, table entry fields. The first two are ticked but not the last one.
Interesting!
4.. It’s a good idea to turn off those AutoFormat options and I did.
Wow! I don’t believe that I have learned so much in one post. I hope
I can apply most of what I have learned to 2007. I heard about ribbons.
Wonder if the focus is more on themes. Styles are still in? I know there
is a link to 2007, but frankly I don’t want to overload myself with info at
this point. I hope I can remember most of what I have just learned.



Thanks a lot for your help and thanks for reading.



Epinn



1. A paragraph containing a space is still really an "empty paragraph" in
the sense Dave and I intended. You should not use "extra" paragraphs to
create blank lines. Instead, using Spacing Before/After from the Format |
Paragraph dialog to create extra space between paragraphs. You can quickly
add 12 points Spacing Before (about the equivalent of an empty paragraph) by
pressing Ctrl+0, but it's preferable to define (or modify) styles to have
the desired amount of spacing. Look at Word's built-in heading styles, which
by default all have some Spacing Before and After. They're also formatted as
"Keep with next," which keeps the heading with the following paragraph; if
that following paragraph is empty (contains no printable text), then your
heading can still be orphaned at the bottom of a page with the following
text paragraph at the top of the next page.

2. If you check the box for "Update automatically" when you use Insert |
Date and Time, the result will be a DATE field in the format you have
selected. You can also insert a DATE field (in the format you have chosen as
the default in that dialog) using the Alt+Shift+D shortcut or the Insert
Date button on the Header and Footer toolbar. But a DATE field is rarely
what you really want; more often you want a CREATEDATE or possibly SAVEDATE
or PRINTDATE field. For more on date fields, see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/DateFields.htm.

3. There is a difference between a TC (Table of Contents Entry) field and a
TOC (Table of Contents) field. In most cases you will be building a TOC
based on headings or outline levels rather than TC fields, so you may not be
familiar with them; you can learn more from the "Field codes: TC (Table of
Contents Entry) field" Help topic.

4. The black square bullet in the left margin is the one we're referring to
concerning double-clicking. I have never seen one in the right margin;
perhaps this is something you get when using a right-to-left language?

5. For the explanation of your row of square bullets, see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/CantGetRidOfLine.htm.



Suzanne and Dave have written an excellent article

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

which I should have read long ago or even when I first started to use Word.
Thank you both for your wisdom. I have a few questions.



1. No empty paragraphs ¡V I don¡¦t recall having read the reason. Just
want to confirm I understand this correctly. Let¡¦s say I have finished one
paragraph and press enter. Then, I want a few blank lines or even just one
more before the next paragraph starts. I *should not* just press enter a
few more times. I should press the space bar (at least once) and then
enter, and I should do this for the no. of times I want the blank lines. Am
I correct?

2. Date field ¡V I do insert > date and time etc., and to my surprise
the current date inserted is not a date field. Can you give me an example
how a date field is created? Table > formula?

3. TOC field ¡V The article says, ¡§There are two types of field codes
that are toggled with the Show/Hide ? button rather than the Toggle Codes
command. Both TC (table of contents entry) and XE (index entry) fields are
formatted as Hidden text; when you insert either type of field, the display
of nonprinting characters is toggled on by default so that you can see these
codes.¡¨ Is the writeup for version 2003? If yes, I don¡¦t understand.
After I have inserted the TOC, I have to do alt+F9 to see the field code. I
don¡¦t see TOC field code as an exception; it behaves like the other fields,
namely, reference field. Am I missing something?

4. Black square bullet ¡V The article says, ¡§¡K¡Kif you double-click on
the ¡§bullet¡¨ itself, you will bring up this dialog with the Line and Page
Breaks tab selected¡K¡K¡¨ For me, I can only get the bullet on the *left*
margin to do the above. If I double click on the bullet on the *right*
margin, the ¡§pilcrow¡¨ (paragraph mark) places itself on top of the black
square bullet. Don¡¦t understand what¡¦s going on. Also, I don¡¦t
understand how I have created a whole line of black square bullets across
the page. This is shown when the Show/Hide feature is on *hide* mode.
Please explain the cause. Copy and paste? Looks like I can only delete the
line of square bullets with the paragraph. How do I just delete it without
deleting the paragraph? I have tried normal view, print view, Show/Hide on
show etc. and no luck.



Appreciate guidance.



Epinn

 

[Epinn]

Jay,

Thank you for your support. Glad you said "in-line" instead of "on-line." It's okay if you don't understand what I'm trying to say.

Epinn

Answers in-line...

Suzanne and Dave have written an excellent article

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

which I should have read long ago or even when I first started to use Word. Thank you both for your wisdom. I have a few questions.



1. No empty paragraphs ¡V I don¡¦t recall having read the reason. Just want to confirm I understand this correctly. Let¡¦s say I have finished one paragraph and press enter. Then, I want a few blank lines or even just one more before the next paragraph starts. I *should not* just press enter a few more times. I should press the space bar (at least once) and then enter, and I should do this for the no. of times I want the blank lines. Am I correct?

Let's make a distinction: In a small document that you're going to
print and throw away, there's no reason not to make blank lines by
pressing Enter two or more times. In a larger document that will be
edited repeatedly or passed to other users, avoid multiple Enters like
the plague. They cause problems with Keep With Next paragraph
formatting, blank lines at the tops of pages, sorting, and various
other situations.

Your proposed procedure is *not* correct -- you'd just get a space
character followed by the same multiple paragraph marks. I don't know
where you found this, but it's wrong.

Instead of multiple Enters, use the Format > Paragraph dialog and set
Space After for the paragraph you just finished, or Space Before for
the next paragraph. Note that this has nothing at all to do with
pressing the space bar!

An even better solution is to define a style that has the amount of
Space Before or Space After that you want, and apply that style to
each paragraph that needs it.

2. Date field ¡V I do insert > date and time etc., and to my surprise the current date inserted is not a date field. Can you give me an example how a date field is created? Table > formula?

When you do Insert > Date and Time, the dialog contains a checkbox
that says "Update automatically". If the box is checked, you get a
date field. If it's unchecked, the current date is inserted as plain
text and doesn't update.

You can also use the Insert > Field dialog and choose the Date field.
If you want a field that always shows the date the document was
created (for example, for a letter), choose the CreateDate field
instead.

3. TOC field ¡V The article says, ¡§There are two types of field codes that are toggled with the Show/Hide ? button rather than the Toggle Codes command. Both TC (table of contents entry) and XE (index entry) fields are formatted as Hidden text; when you insert either type of field, the display of nonprinting characters is toggled on by default so that you can see these codes.¡¨ Is the writeup for version 2003? If yes, I don¡¦t understand. After I have inserted the TOC, I have to do alt+F9 to see the field code. I don¡¦t see TOC field code as an exception; it behaves like the other fields, namely, reference field. Am I missing something?

You're confusing the TC field and the TOC field.

The TC fields go in the body of the document, as an alternative way of
indicating what to include in the table of contents (instead of, or in
addition to, picking up heading styles). They are formatted as Hidden.
In most documents there is no reason ever to use TC fields.

The TOC field is the one that displays the table of contents. It is
not formatted as Hidden.

4. Black square bullet ¡V The article says, ¡§¡K¡Kif you double-click on the ¡§bullet¡¨ itself, you will bring up this dialog with the Line and Page Breaks tab selected¡K¡K¡¨ For me, I can only get the bullet on the *left* margin to do the above. If I double click on the bullet on the *right* margin, the ¡§pilcrow¡¨ (paragraph mark) places itself on top of the black square bullet. Don¡¦t understand what¡¦s going on. Also, I don¡¦t understand how I have created a whole line of black square bullets across the page. This is shown when the Show/Hide feature is on *hide* mode. Please explain the cause. Copy and paste? Looks like I can only delete the line of square bullets with the paragraph. How do I just delete it without deleting the paragraph? I have tried normal view, print view, Show/Hide on show etc. and no luck.

The black square bullet discussed in the article is only in the left
margin. I've never seen a bullet of any kind in the right margin.

The line of bullets across the page is a paragraph border created by
the AutoFormat As You Type feature when you type three or more
asterisks in an otherwise empty paragraph and press Enter. See
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/CantGetRidOfLine.htm to find
out how to remove it with the Format > Borders and Shading dialog.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Did you understand what Jay meant by "inline"? He means that his answers are
below your questions, which he understood correctly.



Jay,

Thank you for your support. Glad you said "in-line" instead of "on-line."
It's okay if you don't understand what I'm trying to say.

Epinn

Answers in-line...

Suzanne and Dave have written an excellent article

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

which I should have read long ago or even when I first started to use Word.

Thank you both for your wisdom. I have a few questions.

1. No empty paragraphs ¡V I don¡¦t recall having read the reason. Just

want to confirm I understand this correctly. Let¡¦s say I have finished one
paragraph and press enter. Then, I want a few blank lines or even just one
more before the next paragraph starts. I *should not* just press enter a
few more times. I should press the space bar (at least once) and then
enter, and I should do this for the no. of times I want the blank lines. Am
I correct?

Let's make a distinction: In a small document that you're going to
print and throw away, there's no reason not to make blank lines by
pressing Enter two or more times. In a larger document that will be
edited repeatedly or passed to other users, avoid multiple Enters like
the plague. They cause problems with Keep With Next paragraph
formatting, blank lines at the tops of pages, sorting, and various
other situations.

Your proposed procedure is *not* correct -- you'd just get a space
character followed by the same multiple paragraph marks. I don't know
where you found this, but it's wrong.

Instead of multiple Enters, use the Format > Paragraph dialog and set
Space After for the paragraph you just finished, or Space Before for
the next paragraph. Note that this has nothing at all to do with
pressing the space bar!

An even better solution is to define a style that has the amount of
Space Before or Space After that you want, and apply that style to
each paragraph that needs it.

2. Date field ¡V I do insert > date and time etc., and to my surprise

the current date inserted is not a date field. Can you give me an example
how a date field is created? Table > formula?

When you do Insert > Date and Time, the dialog contains a checkbox
that says "Update automatically". If the box is checked, you get a
date field. If it's unchecked, the current date is inserted as plain
text and doesn't update.

You can also use the Insert > Field dialog and choose the Date field.
If you want a field that always shows the date the document was
created (for example, for a letter), choose the CreateDate field
instead.

3. TOC field ¡V The article says, ¡§There are two types of field codes

that are toggled with the Show/Hide ? button rather than the Toggle Codes
command. Both TC (table of contents entry) and XE (index entry) fields are
formatted as Hidden text; when you insert either type of field, the display
of nonprinting characters is toggled on by default so that you can see these
codes.¡¨ Is the writeup for version 2003? If yes, I don¡¦t understand.
After I have inserted the TOC, I have to do alt+F9 to see the field code. I
don¡¦t see TOC field code as an exception; it behaves like the other fields,
namely, reference field. Am I missing something?

You're confusing the TC field and the TOC field.

The TC fields go in the body of the document, as an alternative way of
indicating what to include in the table of contents (instead of, or in
addition to, picking up heading styles). They are formatted as Hidden.
In most documents there is no reason ever to use TC fields.

The TOC field is the one that displays the table of contents. It is
not formatted as Hidden.

4. Black square bullet ¡V The article says, ¡§¡K¡Kif you double-click

on the ¡§bullet¡¨ itself, you will bring up this dialog with the Line and
Page Breaks tab selected¡K¡K¡¨ For me, I can only get the bullet on the
*left* margin to do the above. If I double click on the bullet on the
*right* margin, the ¡§pilcrow¡¨ (paragraph mark) places itself on top of the
black square bullet. Don¡¦t understand what¡¦s going on. Also, I don¡¦t
understand how I have created a whole line of black square bullets across
the page. This is shown when the Show/Hide feature is on *hide* mode.
Please explain the cause. Copy and paste? Looks like I can only delete the
line of square bullets with the paragraph. How do I just delete it without
deleting the paragraph? I have tried normal view, print view, Show/Hide on
show etc. and no luck.

The black square bullet discussed in the article is only in the left
margin. I've never seen a bullet of any kind in the right margin.

The line of bullets across the page is a paragraph border created by
the AutoFormat As You Type feature when you type three or more
asterisks in an otherwise empty paragraph and press Enter. See
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/CantGetRidOfLine.htm to find
out how to remove it with the Format > Borders and Shading dialog.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
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