Charles
Sat Feb 11 12:04:44 CST 2006
Most of the AutoFormat can be turned off. Tools > AutoCorrect Options
AutoFormat as you type
Here is some general info on moving from Word Perfect to Word:
Word and Word Perfect work very differently from one another. Each program's
methods have strengths and weaknesses; but, if you try to use one of these
programs as if it were the other, it is like pushing on a string! You can
easily make a lot of extra work for yourself. If you are unwilling to take
the time to learn to use Word's methods, you should stick to using Word Pad.
You'll have a lot less grief, although you'll miss out on a lot of raw
power. In the (short) long term spending the time to learn Word will save
you time if you are spending any time at all (more than an hour a day) using
Word.
See
http://www.addbalance.com/word/wordperfect.htm
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/WordVsWordPerfect.htm
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/TipsAndGotchas.htm
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/RevealCodes.htm
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/WordPerfectConverters.htm
http://businesssoft.about.com/compute/businesssoft/library/blconvert.htm
for information on Word for Word Perfect users.
For more:
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart1.htm
http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm
http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/WhatTemplatesStore.htm
Function Keys
In Word 2000 (or later) You can get the function keys to display in a
special toolbar at the bottom of the screen if you want (something like
pressing F3 twice in WP). The following macro will do this.
Sub ShowMeFunctionKeys()
Commandbars("Function Key Display").Visible = True
End Sub
Word's Extend key (F8) gives something similar to block processing.
Formatting and Styles
Learn about Styles - really learn!
http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm I resisted for years and now
regret every day of those years because although that string was still very
hard to push, it kept getting longer and longer, and had some very important
projects tied to it! Once you understand styles and the Word concept of
organizing things into Chinese boxes everything falls into place and instead
of pushing a string, you can push a button that turns on the very powerful
text processing machine known as Microsoft Word and it will start doing your
work for you instead of running around behind you trying to undo what you
just thought you did.
Converting documents Word / Word Perfect
Some special characters in Word Perfect documents don't convert well to
Word. There is a macro to assist with this described at
http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/wptoword.html#macroword and can be found
at
http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/WPSymbolConv.bas.
This was prepared by Edward Mendelson.
Otherwise, look at the macro from
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=212396
Use these on _copies_!
As for converting documents from Word Perfect to _use_ in Word... In a word,
don't plan on it. I would not recommend using converted documents long-term.
They will be filled with formatting anomolies that will get you at the worst
time. This is especially true of any documents containing automatic
numbering or bullets. Try recreating form documents in Word using the
following process:
In Word Perfect (if you still have it, in Word if not) save your files as
text files.
Use your converted files as references to show you how you want your
formatting to look.
Create a new document in Word and insert the text from the text file. Save
this new document as a Word template. Format it the way you want using
styles, not direct formatting. Save it again.
To use a template within Word, use File => New and pick your template. This
will create a new document for you.
Merge documents have special problems and should be recreated from text
files or retyped in Word. To convert data files, consider generating labels
in WP as a document, converting that to Word, and then using
http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels_into_mail_merge.htm to get a new Word
data file.
Note that conversions usually do create documents that look passable and
print OK; the problems I'm referring to have to do with editing / making
changes, that is, using the documents long-term. (See below on reusing
documents vs. using templates.)
Conversion back to Word Perfect: There is a problem (in addition to the ones
mentioned for conversion _to_ Word) with Version 2002 (XP) and later of
Word. The conversion file only works for conversion _to_ Word, not from Word
to Word Perfect! Earlier versions went both ways. To fix this, you need to
find the old conversion file WPFT532.CNV from a Word 97 or Word 2000
installation and copy it to your new installation, replacing the file of the
same name. Note, the change making the file one-way was done as a security
measure. While I don't know of any problems the old file causes, keep the
new installation's file somewhere as a backup just in case.
Boilerplate and Forms
In WP a lot of people use macros to hold chunks of text - boilerplate. In
Word this function is filled by Templates, AutoText and AutoCorrect, not
macros. Follow the links at
http://addbalance.com/word/wordwebresources.htm#AutoText for more
information on these tools.
You can use FILLIN and ASK fields or UserForms to query the user. For more
about online forms, follow the links at
http://addbalance.com/word/wordwebresources.htm#Forms or
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/FillinTheBlanks.htm especially Dian
Chapman's series of articles. You may also want to look at
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/LinesInForms.htm.
Reusing Documents vs. Using templates
General practice in WP is to have a document and copy and edit it to create
a new document. This is not good practice in Word. In Word, construct a
good, tight, template for your documents and use that template when
constructing new documents. Among other things, this can avoid embarrassing
"metadata" (
http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/metadata.htm) and things
like surprise headers and footers from creeping into new documents.
It's a lot of reading, I know. It's OK to chunk it down and do a bit each
day, but I would recommend that you make it a top priority to do that bit
each day. In the (short) long run, it will save you both time and grief.
--
Charles Kenyon
Word New User FAQ & Web Directory:
http://addbalance.com/word
Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide)
http://addbalance.com/usersguide
See also the MVP FAQ:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
"davelmm" <davelmm@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:34EA0D5B-9CCD-4825-A5B7-487EEA09C806@microsoft.com...
> The auto format is very aggravating to me an many people I talk to. We
> used
> to use
> word perfect which was much easier to use , at least in its earlier
> versions. Most of us (older users) do not have time to spend learning a
> lot
> of how to use what should be a simple program that we can just use
> instead
> of spending a lot of time learning
> how to program a typed in document. A full "manua" option should be
> offered so that we can type in what we want without the program changing
> or
> "correting it for me ." Because of limited funds, I often do not have
> access
> to a secretary that might know how to format a Word document. I often have
> to
> do my own typing of documents and I am ( along with others) extremely
> frustrated with the Word auto formating and how it changes something back
> after I try to change it or it won't let me change something on the
> document.
> I learned to type in the 1960's and I would like to be able to just type.
> The program should have a very simple method of programing features such
> as
> "auto return" etc. I would be more than happy to
> discuss this in greater detail. I believe you would have a lot more happy
> users if
> this would be offered. As I said, many people I talk to are frustrated
> with
> Word.
> We use it because it seems to have become the standard format for most
> users.
> When I have to stop and try to go into help to try to figure out what to
> do,
> I waste time that I don't have and often can't easily find what I need.
> Again
> I mention the
> high levels of frustration me and many of my coworders have with Word. We
> had a
> hard time getting several staff members in my office to switch from word
> perfect to word. Anything you can do soon to make this an option would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
> ----------------
> This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
> suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
> Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow
> this
> link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
> click "I Agree" in the message pane.
>
>
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=34ea0d5b-9ccd-4825-a5b7-487eea09c806&dg=microsoft.public.word.vba.general