5 Minute Tips General Creating AutoText Submenus in Microsoft Word | Creating AutoText Submenus in Microsoft Word |
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| Monday, 16 May 2005 | ||
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Recently, we wrote a tutorial about using AutoText in Microsoft Word. As usual, one tip led to a series of follow-up questions. On the top of the list was how do you access and organize autotext entries. (Includes flash tutorial)
AutoText is a feature that can be used in many situations. We know a real estate inspector that builds customized reports by creating submenus for each report section (foundation, roof, chimney etc) and then includes descriptive autotext paragraphs underneath. Another example might be for customizing a cover letter or resume to a specific job opportunity. Our preferred method for organizing is to create a menu item for similar autotext items. This approach adds to Microsoft's menu structure as shown in the screen below. This allows you to enter an autotext entry either from the menu, or by label. Another advantage to using a menu structure is you can turn off the AutoComplete suggestions, which may impact performance.  Before making menu changes, I recommend backing up the Word template you're using. In this case, it is the default Word template called normal.dot. This amounts to closing Word and renaming the file. If you need more details, Microsoft has a KB article with this information under the Global Template (normal.dot) section. The steps below were done with Microsoft Word 2002. Your screens may appear slightly different. To add a sub-menu to AutoText list,1. From the Format menu, select Styles and Formatting 2. In the Styles and Formatting panel, click New Style. 3. In the New Style dialog, type the name for your AutoText sub-menu. Remember the menus are sorted alphabetically. 4. Click the Add to template checkbox. Optionally, you can apply formatting code at this stage. 5. Click OK. At this point, you've created the style. Since the style doesn't have any autotext entries yet, it won't show in the AutoText menu. The style does show in the Formatting toolbar.  To add items to the Autotext sub-menu1. Type or highlight the text for the autotext entry. 2. From the Formatting toolbar, select the style name you just created. 3. Press Alt-F3 and enter a label.  Your AutoText entry should show in your new sub-menu. To insert the text, simply select it from the menu. You can then apply any formatting as needed.
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 28 July 2006 ) | ||
