Using AutoText in Word

The instructions apply generally to Word 97, 2000 and XP.

When you create an AutoText entry, it's automatically linked to the paragraph style of the text or graphic you stored in the entry. That way, when you're ready to insert an AutoText entry into a document, you can choose from a list of the entries that are relevant to the style of the text you're working on.

For example, Word includes built-in AutoText entries (such as salutations and closings) that are available when you create letters.

Fllow the steps below to set up autotext or autographic insertion capability:

1. Select the text or graphic you want to store as an AutoText entry.

[color red]**NOTE To store paragraph formatting with the entry, include the paragraph mark () in the selection.[/color]

2. On the Insert menu, point to AutoText, and then click New.

3. When Word proposes a name for the AutoText entry, accept the name or type a new one.

[color red]** NOTE By default, Word makes the AutoText entry available to all documents by storing it in the Normal.dot template. If you want AutoText entries limited to particular documents, you can specify a template to store the entry in. Select the text or graphic you want to store as an AutoText entry. On the Insert menu, point to AutoText, click AutoText, and then click a template name in the Look in box. In the Enter AutoText entries here box, type a name for the AutoText entry. Click Add. [/color]

Tip: If you plan to create, insert, or modify lots of AutoText entries, you may want to use the AutoText toolbar instead of the AutoText command. To display this toolbar, point to Toolbars on the View menu, and then click AutoText.

Some other suggestions that I have gathered from esteemed colleagues:

1. Use 4-letter, lowercase strings for my autotext entries. They're long enough to force the popup of the autotext "tip" box, and are shortest to type. Make sure your autotext entries aren't "real" words. Something like mysg would be good for a signature for example.

2. You can create pages and pages in an autotext. You can mix up text and graphics too. To use the autotext entry, you then type mysg (or whatever you have called your autotext entry) and hit Enter and everything you selected when you created the autotext entry auto-appears.

[color red]**NOTE The only thing that has been a problem is creating an autotext entry table that contained nothing in the cells. This did not work.[/color]