Work menu, pt 2

[Scott]

OK, I can't figure this out. Recap:
added two documents in the same directory to the Work menu. One had the
entire path in the Work menu, the other just the file name. I want just
the file name.

So, I removed BOTH files from the menu, then added them again. Bingo:
both now appeared with just the document name, pathname gone. But as
soon as I quite and relaunched Word, the pathname appeared again, BUT
ONLY ON THE ONE THAT HAD IT THE FIRST TIME. This happens REGARDLESS of
the order that they're added to the Work menu--i.e., whether the one
that keeps getting the pathname attached is first or second.

aarrgh.

 

[Jim Gordon]

Hi Scott,

The work menu is the answer to the question "Wouldn't it be great to have a
way to get at regularly used Word documents quickly and easily?" It does
that, but there are some things about the way it works you think should be
different from what they are now.

Let me propose a slightly different question. "If you could re-design the
work menu to an ideal state, how would it behave?'

This brings up some other thoughts. Would it be better to have an
Office-wide Work menu, say perhaps in the Project Gallery? On a menu?

The thing to do is to write up the way you would like to see it work, then
submit the suggestions to Microsoft via the feedback item on the Help menu
in office applications. That way you can be sure your ideas have been read
and tracked in their database.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

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[Jan Martel]

Quite a long time ago someone, probably on this newsgroup, answered a
complaint I had about the Work menu with a suggestion that has worked
wonderfully for me. So I'll try to pass it on to you, undoubtedly not as
articulately as it was explained to me, but hopefully it'll make sense. You
don't *have* to use the built in work menu to get its functionality, and you
can organize things better if you don't. You can create your own "work"
menu, organized as you want it and with things named as you want them named.

I'm not sure I'll be able to explain this exactly, but if you play with it
it will work. First you need to open any documents you want to have on your
"My Files" menu (you can call it anything you want; that happens to be my
name for it). Then you go to Tools->Customize and remove the Work menu from
the menu bar. Then go down to "new menu" in the list of things on the left
of the customize box (top one is "all commands"). Drag that new menu up to
the menu bar. Double click on it and name it whatever you want to call it.
Now go back to "all commands" (because I can never figure out where else to
find things ) and go to "file open file." Assuming I'm remembering
correctly, you'll find the names of the files that are currently open in a
drop down menu thing on the right side. Choose one of them, drag it up and
stick it under your new menu. Now you can double click on it and edit its
name to whatever you want to call it (you don't need to use its real name or
its file path, just whatever you want). Keep on adding and editing until all
the documents you want are there. You can also put in headings and stick the
documents off to the side (OK, I don't remember how I did that, but you can
do it), and put the files in whatever order you want, and put lines in
between them if you like that.

The downside of doing your own substitute for the Work menu is you can't
just say "add to work menu" and have your document there. The upside is you
get to name things however you want, have them in your preferred order, and
put them in "folders" (I guess the proper language is hierarchical menus).

Jan Martel
WordX, OSX