Administrative Assistant's Update

MAY 2018 6 Work fast with Microsoft Word Quick Parts By Arnold Villeneuve Microsoft Word Quick Parts makes some of the AutoText and Building Blocks features easily available on the Insert tab of the ribbon. Quick Parts help you store and quickly insert con- tent into your documents more easily. AutoText If you have blocks of text that you need typed out frequently in your documents, you can use the AutoText feature in Word to insert them by typing a short code instead. The fol- lowing discusses utilizing AutoText in Word, storing entries efficiently, and more. Backing up your AutoText entries Do you have a number of AutoText en- tries defined already? You'll undoubt- edly want to back them up at some time. It is likely most of your commonly used AutoText entries are in the Nor- mal template file, so backing up this file will help you retain the majority of your information. Many Word users, however, also store AutoText entries in other template files. For example, you may have your AutoText entry for your signature block stored only in the template you use to create letters. Changing fonts for AutoText entries If you use AutoText entries a lot, you may wonder if you can change the formatting stored with your existing entries. The short answer is that you cannot edit AutoText entries. You can only replace them. However it is not that challenging to do the replacing — just insert the entry, make the chang - es, select the entry, and save it using the same name as it previously had. Word asks you if you want to replace the entry; you should answer yes. There is one caveat that has to do with where AutoText entries are stored. By default they are stored in the Normal template file. You should note where the AutoText entry you are replacing is originally stored and make sure that you store the replacement in the same template. Creating an AutoText list The AutoText feature of Word is very powerful. It allows you to assign com - mon blocks of text to shorter place- holder names that you define. If you use AutoText often, you should create a drop-down list of AutoText entries in your document. This is done most easily through the use of the AUTO- TEXTLIST field. • Position the insertion point where you want the drop-down list to ap- pear. • Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a pair of field braces. The insertion point should be between the braces. • Enter your field so that it appears as shown here: { AUTOTEXTLIST "[Pick an Entry]" } • With the insertion point still within the field (between the braces), press F9. Word collapses the field, and you see the text [Pick an Entry]. Now, anyone that right-clicks on the text ([Pick an Entry]) will see a listing of all the AutoText entries that have been defined, provided they use the same style as the paragraph in which the field is located. Building Blocks The Building Blocks feature, which includes AutoText, is a useful tool to insert blocks of text or data in Word. You can even make building blocks available on the Quick Parts menu in the Insert tab of the ribbon for easy ac - cess. We will explore Building Blocks in the next newsletter. Arnold Villeneuve has over 25 years in the computer technology and services industry working with standalone and networked microcomputers, minicomputers, and mainframe systems. He has been an author and Instructor with Learning Tree International since 1993, where he has developed seven courses for instructor-led, computer-based training, and e-learning initiatives. Learning Tree offers practical, real-world training in today's most in-demand skills, including Microsoft Office, SharePoint, project management, leadership and professional development. Visit www.LearningTree.ca for more information.

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