New in Word 97...

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 Versions   Tracking 
 Revisions  		 Document 
 Map  		 Insert 
 Comments  		 AutoText   AutoComplete   AutoCorrect & 
 AutoFormat 
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Microsoft Word 97 has some goodies that either weren't available in earlier versions or were improved in the 97 version. If you haven't had time to explore them yet, this article introduces some of them and gets you started with those that you find useful.

Versions

PLEASE NOTE: These notes were taken partly from the Office 97 Help articles on Versions. See Help for more information, as well as some demos, on how to use this feature.

The Versions feature in Word 97 lets you save multiple versions of a document in a single file by saving only the differences between documents, instead of saving each version in a separate file (thereby saving tons of disk space!). When you save a document using Versions, you can go back and review, open, print, and delete earlier versions.

  • You can save a version anytime. For example, you save the version you've sent out to be reviewed, and after you've incorporated the suggested changes, you save another version.
     
  • You can set up the document so that Word saves a version automatically each time the document is closed. For example, you should do this when you need a record of who made the changes and when the changes were made, such as for a legal document.
     
  • After you've saved multiple versions of a document in one file, you will want to save a specific version as a separate file in two instances:
     
    1. If the document you're sending to be reviewed contains several versions, make sure that you're sending only the most recent version or the specific version you want. Otherwise, reviewers will be able to open earlier versions of the document.
       
    2. If you want to compare an earlier version of the document with the current version, you must first save the earlier version as a separate file. You can only use the Compare Documents subcommand (Tools menu, Track Changes command) to compare separate files.

Save the current state of a document by using versioning

  1. On the File menu, click Versions.
     
  2. Click Save Now.
     
  3. In the Comments on version box, type descriptive information about the version you're saving.

    Note: Because you are archiving document versions, you cannot go back and modify a saved version of a document. Before you can modify an earlier version, you must open that version and use the Save As command to save it as a separate file.

Set up versioning to automatically save a version on close

  1. On the File menu, click Versions.
     
  2. Select Automatically save a version on close.
     
  3. Click Close.
     

Save a version of a document as a separate file

  1. In the File menu, click Versions.
     
  2. Click the version of the document you want to save as a separate file.
     
  3. Click Open.
     
  4. In the File menu, select Save As.
     
  5. In the File name box, enter a name, and then click on Save.
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Tracking Document Revisions

The Track Changes function (Tools menu), when turned on, will track changes made to a document - either changes you make, or those made by others. In the example, deleted text is crossed out, but not deleted; new text is underlined and shown in its own color. Paragraphs with changes are marked with a vertical bar. If multiple users had made revisions to this document, each person's changes would be shown in a unique color, making it easy to see who made which changes.

This is very handy when several people are reviewing and editing versions of the same document. To learn more, see these sections of Word Help: Sharing Data with Other Users and Applications; Revising and Sharing Documents.

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Document Map

Note: the Document Map (shown below) works best in documents that use Paragraph Styles.

(from Word 97 Help)

Document Map ExampleThe Document Map is a separate pane that shows an outline of a document's headings. You can use the Document Map to quickly navigate around the document and keep track of your location in it. For example, click a heading in the Document Map to instantly jump to the related part of the document.

Word automatically displays the Document Map in online layout view, but you can display it in any view.

Navigate Using the Document Map

  1. Click the Document Map button on the Standard Toolbar.
     
  2. In the Document Map, click the heading you want to go to. Word displays the heading at the top of the page. In the Document Map, the heading is highlighted to show your location in the document.

 

Tips

  • You can choose the level of detail to display in the Document Map (see below).
     
  • To adjust the size of the Document Map, first point to the right edge of the pane. When the pointer changes, drag to the left or right. If your headings are too long to fit in the Document Map, it's not necessary to resize the pane; just rest the pointer on a heading to view the entire heading.
     
  • To close the Document Map, click the Document Map button, or double-click the right edge of the pane.
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Choose the level of detail to display in the Document Map

In the Document Map, you can display just the headings you want. For example, to see a high-level overview of the document's structure, you can "collapse" (or hide) the subordinate headings. When you're ready to see the details again, display the subordinate headings.

  1. Click the Document Map button.
     
  2. To collapse the subordinate headings under a heading, click the minus sign (-) next to the heading.
     
  3. To display the subordinate headings under a heading (one level at a time), click the plus sign (+) next to the heading.

Note: To display only the headings below a specific level, right-click a heading in the Document Map, and then click a number on the shortcut menu. For example, click Show Heading 3 to display heading levels 1 through 3.

 

Comments

(partially taken from Word Help)

Word Comment ExampleComments are actually part of the Track Changes function. They can, however, be used independently to add comments to a document. They're great for leaving yourself notes and reminders and, if you wish, can be printed with the document. When you insert a note in a document, it inserts your initials (non-printing) and adds a pale yellow highlight.

In the example at right, the comment was displayed by moving the mouse pointer over the highlighted area. The comment will close when the pointer is moved to another area of the page.

Insert a comment

  1. Select the text or item you want to comment on, or click at the end of the text.
     
  2. On the Reviewing toolbar, click Insert Comment.
     
  3. Type the comment text in the comment pane at the bottom of the screen.

To view your comment, simply move the mouse pointer over the yellow highlight. The comment, including the name of the person who entered it, will pop up on the screen.

Note: If your computer has a sound card and a microphone, you can record voice comments. With a pen-equipped system, you can add pen comments.

Edit/Modify a comment

  1. Click the light yellow text that's associated with the comment.
     
  2. On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Edit Comment button.
     
  3. Modify the comment in the comment pane at the bottom of the screen.

Delete a comment

  1. Display the comment you want to delete.
     
  2. On the Reviewing toolbar, click the Delete Comment button. Word automatically renumbers any remaining comments.
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AutoText...

AutoText is a wonderful time saver if you frequently use the same block of text in your documents. The text can be a single word or phrase, a signature block, one or more paragraphs of standard text, a graphic, or a combination of text and graphics.

AutoText is quick and easy to use and Word 97 includes a long list of standard items that can be used immediately.

To insert one of the 'built-in' AutoText entries into a document:

  1. Highlight AutoText on the Insert menu.
     
  2. From the popup menu, select a category, then a specific entry.
     

The choices include:

Attention Line
  Attention:, ATTN:

Closing
  Cordially, Sincerely, Love, Take Care, etc.

Header/Footer
  Author, Page #, Date; Filename, etc.

Mailing Instructions
  Certified Mail, Registered Mail, Confidential, etc.

Reference Line
  In reply to:, RE:, Reference:

Salutation
  Dear Sir or Madame:, To Whom It May Concern:, Dear Mom and Dad,

Subject Line
  Subject:

You can also open the AutoText toolbar to select entries from a dropdown list:

  1. Highlight Toolbars in the View menu, then click on AutoText, or right-click on any open toolbar and select AutoText from the context menu.
     
  2. Click on the All Entries button on the toolbar and select from the list in the appropriate category.

Create a new AutoText entry:

  1. Type the entry in a document, proofread it carefully, and check the spelling.
     
  2. Highlight the text, then click on AutoText in the Insert menu, or click the AutoText button on the toolbar.
     
  3. Select New... or press [Alt + F3]. In Enter AutoText entries here:, type in a keyword for your entry. For example, if you frequently type Speedy Jet Aviation, Inc. Maintenance Department, you might call this entry spjmx.

    At the bottom of the window, you'll see a preview of the beginning of your new AutoText entry. When you want to insert this phrase into a document, simply type the keyword you assigned to it (spjmx) and, when the tag with the full entry appears, press the [Enter] key.

    NOTE: If you want to copy the formatting as well as the text in an AutoText entry, be sure to include the paragraph mark when you highlight and copy the text. If you don't want to include formatting, copy only the text. (To be able to see the paragraph marks (¶) click on the Show/Hide button on the Standard toolbar or press [Ctrl + *] from the keyboard.

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AutoComplete

The easiest way to insert frequently used AutoText is to set it up as an AutoComplete entry:

  1. Insert the word or phrase once from the Insert menu into your document as described above (or just type it in the way you want it), highlight it, then click on New on the AutoText toolbar.
     
  2. In the Create AutoText dialog, type a short name for the entry in the text box under Please name your AutoText entry:

    For example, for Respectfully, you might use respf. Click Okay to save the keyword you just created. Now, when you type respf into your document, you should see the popup text tag for the entry. Just press [Enter] to have Word 97 finish typing the AutoText word or phrase for you.

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AutoCorrect & AutoFormat

These functions are all found in the AutoText dialog box (Insert menu) or in the AutoCorrect dialog box (Tools menu).

AutoCorrect

In the top portion of the dialog box, click to put a check next to the item that you want to be corrected automatically as you type. The options are:

  • Correct TWo INitial CApitals - automatically corrects this capitalization error. Use the Exceptions list (see below) to prevent Word from correcting words such as PCs or IDs.
     
  • Capitalize first letter of sentences. Careful: If you choose this options, make sure to use the Exceptions list and add any that may apply. Otherwise, every time you type etc. (and a lot of other things!) in the middle of a sentence, the program will capitalize the next word as though it was the beginning of a sentence. It really believes that every period indicates the end of a sentence!
     
  • Exceptions contains a fairly long list of exceptions to both of the above (Capitalize first letter and Correct TWo INitial CApitals) and you can add any that aren't already there.
     
  • Capitalize names of days.
     
  • Correct accidental use of cAPS LOCK key.
     
  • Replace text as you type. This function will automatically correct anything you enter in the list. When you type whatever is on the left side of the list and then press the space bar, the spelling will be corrected automatically.

    Enter a typical misspelling in the left column, then put the correct spelling in the right column, making sure that the right-column entry is spelled correctly. Next time you make the same typo and press the spacebar, AutoCorrect will replace it with the correct spelling (your right column entry).
     

  • AutoFormat. Use the AutoFormat function (in the Format menu) to format your document after you finish typing it. It will be analyzed and formatted based on the document template you used.

    For instance, if the document begins with a single line of text that starts with a capital letter and doesn't have a period at the end, it is assumed to be the main heading of the document or chapter/section, and the Heading 1 style is assigned to it. Heading I style text is much larger, usually bold or italic, possibly centered, etc. depending on which template you're using.

    If a paragraph consists of a block of text containing several lines, it is assumed to be body text and is assigned the Body Text style with average-size font and perhaps a small amount of extra space after the paragraph.
     

  • Customize AutoFormat Specify how you want the command to work before using it for the first time: Click on the AutoFormat tab in the AutoCorrect dialog (Tools menu) then make sure there's a check next to each item you want the program to use. Remove the check from any that you don't want.

    If you're not certain of what a command will do, click on the button with the question mark in the upper right corner then click on the item you don't understand. An explanation of that item will be displayed when you click on it.
     

  • AutoFormat As You Type Word will make certain formatting changes for you as you type (which can be absolutely wonderful or totally annoying!) Some of my favorites:

    Word will automatically create bulleted lists for you. Begin the first bullet by typing an asterisk (*), then tab once and begin typing the first item. When you're ready to begin the second item, press the [Enter] key. Word will automatically create a hanging indent and insert a bullet in place of the asterisk, as well as placing a bullet at the beginning of the second paragraph. When you're finished with your bulleted list, simply backspace to turn off the automatic hanging indent feature.

    You can select a different bullet style if you prefer:

    1. Select the bulleted paragraphs.
       
    2. Select Bullets and Numbering... from the Format menu.
       
    3. In the dialog box that opens, select the bullet style you want to use. Click on the Customize button to see some additional choices. If you're still unable to find a bullet you like, you can specify a different style by selecting a different font (e.g., WingDings or Monotype Sorts), then select a new bullet.

      You can also set up the indents for bulleted and numbered lists in the Customize dialog. Just change the appropriate setting(s) and watch the graphic to see how the changes will effect the appearance of your list.

      Numbered lists can be created and customized the same way: type the number one and a period, then press the [Tab] key. Type in the first item then press [Enter]. The text will be properly aligned with a hanging indent, and the next paragraph will be automatically numbered 2.

      Caution: Use this only for simple lists. If you need to do an outline with several levels, use the Outline Numbered tab (Format menu, Bullets and Numbering...) to select a format for multilevel outlines. Use the Customize button to design your own outline numbering, if none of the standard formats are to your liking.

  • When you type 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4, Word will automatically convert them to the fraction symbols ¼, ½, ¾. 1st, 2nd, 4th, etc. will be changed to 1st, 2nd, 4th, etc. You can see some of the other options in the illustration on the previous page.
     
  • Split Split lets you split the screen by clicking and dragging (or from the Windows menu, or add a Split button to your toolbar), making it easy to view 2 parts of the document at the same time. Great for copying from one part of the document to another, manual creation of tables of contents, etc.
     
  • Highlighter How many times have you wished you could highlight something in an online document? Now you can. The highlighter gives you a choice of about 15 colors. Use it as you would a regular highlighter on a paper document. Click on the button, then drag across the text you want to highlight.

    Note: The highlight will show up on your printed document - as a gray block. If you don't want it to print, just select None from the color menu and repaint the selection.

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