Newsletter- Microsoft Latest Fixes - Rhode Island

Please Note: This newsletter was originally published in 2008. Some of the links may not be up to date.

The ProfitPoint Group Newsletter

Other than your practice management software, we probably spend more time using Microsoft Word than any other program on our PC's. Yet most of us continue to suffer with Word's sometimes archaic default settings. We also fail to take advantage of functions built-into Word that would make our jobs easier.

This issue will cover some key Word tips and tricks that you can use in your firm. Some are as simple as changing Word's default behavior to put you back in control of your typing. Others are more esoteric, but equally useful. The tips covered in this newsletter are far from exhaustive, but they are a good start. They are based on Word 2003, but most should work with minor modifications in Word XP. For a more in- depth exploration of MS Word, The ProfitPoint Group offers training customized to your firm's needs. Call us for details.

Fix Word's Annoyances (Default Settings)

Fixing Word's AnnoyancesWord's "default" settings often don't make sense. New Word users often complain that Word tries to "take over" your typing in a way that WordPerfect never did. There is some truth to this complaint.

The best place to start is to turn off many of Word's automatic formatting features.

AUTOCORRECT

  • Choose AutoCorrect (or AutoCorrect Options) from the Tools menu, then click on the AutoFormat tab.
  • Clear the check boxes for the AutoFormat items that you want to disable. We suggest disabling everything except the "fractions" and "ordinals" features.
  • Now do the same for the AutoFormat As You Type tab.

These changes will help put you back in control.

OFFICE ASSISTANT (AKA "MR CLIPPY")

Next, exterminate the pesky Office Assistant (that pesky paperclip that pops up when Word thinks you don't know what you are doing!).

  • When he (she, it?) pops up, Click on the Office Assistant, then click on Options.
  • Clear the Use Office Assistant check box.

You can also customize the behavior of the Office Assistant by checking or clearing the checkboxes on the Options tab. If you want to learn how to customize the Office Assistant, but it's not currently visible, choose Show the Office Assistant from the Help menu.

EMAIL ADDRESSES AND URL'S AS HYPERLINKS

Another annoyance is Word's habit of treating every email address or Internet URL you type as a blue hyperlink. That causes two problems. First, if you click on the address or URL to edit it, a new email message window or Web browser window will open, interrupting your work. Second, with a monochrome laser printer, the blue hyperlink will print slightly grayed-out. To fix this problem:

  • Choose AutoCorrect (or AutoCorrect Options) from the Tools menu.
  • Click on the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
  • Under Replace As You Type, clear the Internet and network paths with hyperlink check box.

If you didn't turn off AutoCorrect before you started typing and now you have a document full of hyperlinks that you don't want, you can turn them off, either one at a time, or all at once:

  • To turn a link off, right-click on the link, select Hyperlink from the pop-up menu, and then select Remove Hyperlink.
  • To remove all links from the document, choose Select All from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+A, and then press Ctrl+6 to remove all hyperlinks.

DEFAULT DOCUMENT FOLDER

By default, Word sets your opening document folder to My Documents on your local C: drive. But most law firms store their documents on a shared network drive, frequently on the firm's file server. You want to set Word to open to the network folder where you keep your documents:

  • Choose Options from the Tools menu.
  • Click on the File Locations tab. Click on Documents under File Types.
  • Click on the Modify button.
  • Use the Look in list to locate the folder you want to use from now on.
  • Click on the folder name, then click on OK to select that location.
  • Click on OK.

Getting Word Formatting Defaults Right

DEFAULT MARGINS

Word's default left and right margins are typically set at 1.5 inches. However, most legal writing is one with 1 inch margins all the way around. Instead of changing each document individually, change your default margins:

  • Choose Page Setup from the File menu.
  • Click on the Margins tab.
  • Set the margins the way you want them, then click on Default.
  • Word will inform you that this change will affect all documents based on the Normal template.

DEFAULT FONT

Every firm has it own preferred font style and size. (If you don't, you should - standardized document appearance is part of firm "branding" in your marketing strategy). To set your default font:

  • Choose Font from the Format menu, then set all of the attributes you want for your default font.
  • Click the Default button.
  • Word will inform you that this change will affect all documents based on the Normal template.

AutoText and AutoCorrect — Speed Text Entry

There are two functions in Word that will speed entry of standard text in your documents. They are AutoText and AutoCorrect.

AUTOTEXT

AutoText is a way to store and quickly insert text (also graphics, fields, tables, bookmarks, and other items that you use frequently). Word comes with a library of built-in AutoText entries (see the items listed under AutoText on the Insert menu or turn on the AutoText toolbar, then click on All Entries). Most importantly, you can create your own AutoText entries with either of the following methods:

Method 1:

  • Choose AutoCorrect or AutoCorrect Options from the Tools menu, then click on the AutoText tab.
  • Type the text of your new AutoText entry in the Enter AutoText entries here box, then click on Add.
  • Make sure the Show AutoComplete tip check box is checked.
  • Click OK.

Method 2:

  • Turn on the AutoText toolbar (choose Toolbars from the View menu, then select AutoText).
  • Select the text you want for an AutoText entry, then click on the New button on the AutoText toolbar.
  • Make up a shortcut name for this entry.
  • To use the shortcut, type the shortcut, then immediately press F3.

AUTOCORRECT

AutoCorrect is similar to AutoText, except the desired text is automatically inserted when you type the shortcut text or characters and then hit the space bar. Use AutoCorrect for often typed words, names, or phrases. For example, create an AutoCorrect entry for your name and the names of others in your firm or major clients so that typing their initials will automatically result in their full name being inserted into your document. You can do the same thing for frequently used legal or technical terms such as plaintiff (perhaps "pl") or defendant (maybe select "def"). AutoCorrect entries can be short or long, such as a full paragraph or even multiple paragraphs, of boilerplate language. Just be sure to pick a shortcut that isn't a word you might otherwise use, because as soon as you hit the spacebar, your AutoCorrect entry will be instantly inserted into your document.

  • Choose AutoCorrect or AutoCorrect Options from the Tools menu, then click on the AutoCorrect tab.
  • Type the shortcut text of your new AutoCorrect entry in the Replace box.
  • Then type the text you want inserted into your document in the With box.
    In the alternative, find the text you want somewhere in your document and copy and paste in into the With box.
  • Make sure the Show AutoCorrect Option Buttons check box is checked.
  • Click OK.

Use Templates for Standard Forms

Every law firm has standard word processing forms it uses over and over again. But most firms make the mistake of saving those forms in standard (.doc) format. Because they are standard documents, they can be too easily modified or overwritten. We all know the anger that results when someone creates a document from a standard form and then selects Save instead of Save As.

Standard forms should be saved as document templates with the .dot extension. As templates, they are better protected and can be used to create new documents based on the original template.

It is remarkably easy to create a document template in Word. Just open your standard form and click on Save As under the File menu. At the bottom of the Save As dialog box will be a drop-down list of file types. The standard document format (.doc) is selected by default. Instead, hit the drop down arrow and select Document Template (*.dot) as your file format.

Before you click OK, you will notice that the location for saving your template has been automatically changed by Word. By default, Word stores its document templates in a hidden folder buried deep in your user profile on your local C: drive. That may not be the best place for it. For one thing, that hidden folder is almost never backed up by your backup software. If your hard drive crashes, you lose your templates. Also, the contents of that folder are not generally shared across the network with other users. If you have a great form that is of use to others in the firm, you should share it.

To do that, before you hit OK in the final step of saving your template, browse to a shared folder on your network where you want to keep all of your firm's standard forms (this may already exist or you may have to create it). Save your template into that folder so others can benefit from your hard work!

The final step in this template sharing process is to set your Workgroup Templates folder to point to that shared folder on the network where you are now saving all of your firm's standard forms (make sure it is being backed up!). Go to Tools>Options and select the File Locations tab. Click on Workgroup templates, then the Modify button, and browse to the location where you are now storing your firm's templates. Finally, click OK. You will need to do this on each computer in your office separately (or at least each computer you want to have ready access to your templates).

Use Track Changes When Collaborating on Documents

Whether you are collaborating on a Word document within your firm or with co-counsel or opposing counsel, it can be critical to clearly see all changes made to a draft and to know who made them.

Word's Track Changes feature gives you this ability. Track Changes allows an author (or a group of co-authors) to retain deleted text to be accepted or rejected once the document is finalized. With the feature activated, Word "red lines" text deleted from the original document so that is visible, but distinct from the surrounding text. A related feature, called Compare Documents, highlights the differences between two versions of a document. It will be described in the next section of this newsletter.

To turn on Track Changes:

  • Complete your first draft and save it.
  • Choose Track Changes from the Tools menu, then choose Highlight Changes.
  • Select the Track changes while editing checkbox.

If you have the Word's Status Bar (Tools>Options>View tab) on the bottom of your screen activated, you can simply double-click on the grayed-out TRK to activate Track Changes. As you make changes for your second draft, you'll see how Word displays the changed text.

The Track Changes feature can be a bit tricky to use, especially if multiple authors are collaborating on a document. For multiple authors, you can also enable document protection with the tracked changes feature. This will allow reviewers to edit the document, but they will not be able to turn off Track Changes and they will not be able to accept or reject changes. To protect a document for tracked changes:

  • Complete your first draft and save it.
  • Choose Protect Document from the Tools menu.
  • Under Protect document for select the Tracked changes radio button.
  • Enter a password (you'll be prompted to confirm the password).

The Track Changes feature will be enabled automatically.

Don't forget the password. There is no way to unlock the document if you don't have the password!

Compare Two Versions of the Same Document

OK, so you forgot to protect your document for Track Changes when you sent it to your collaborator. Despite this oversight, is there a way to easily see all of the changes made by the other author? Yes, it is the Compare Document feature in Word.

Comparing documents is easy:

  • First, save your current document (just to be safe).
  • Then go to Tools>Compare and Merge Documents.
  • In the dialog box that opens, browse to the document you want to compare to your current document (perhaps the original version you emailed to your collaborator) highlight it, and click the Compare button.

You will now see a new document that combines the two you are comparing and highlights the differences. You then have the option of using the Accept or Reject Changes feature in the Reviewing toolbar (also available in Track Changes) to accept or reject the differences.

Use Styles — The True Power of Word

We saved the best for last. You only think you miss WordPerfect's Reveal Codes feature. Once you begin to use Styles in Word, you may forget all about Reveal Codes.

A style is a set of formatting characteristics. These characteristics include font, spacing, margins, justification, indents, etc. You can apply a style to text in your document quickly. The Style list is that dropdown list on the Formatting toolbar, where it usually says Normal in a white box. You apply styles by selecting text, then choosing a style from the list. There will be a few there by default. You can create your own styles:

  • Select the text that contains the formatting you want to use for your style.
  • On the Formatting toolbar, click inside the Style box.
  • Type over the existing style name to create the name for the new style, then press Enter.

You can set additional formatting characteristics for paragraph styles:

  • On the Format menu, click Styles and Formatting.
  • In the Styles and Formatting box that appears on the right of the screen, select the style you want to modify, click on the dropdown arrow, and then select Modify.
  • Select the options you want.

Note: Styles travel with the document. However, you can use the Modify option to copy them to other templates or your default Normal template