RE: Word Troubles

Subject: RE: Word Troubles
From: "Lauren" <lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu>
To: "'Jonny Benjamin'" <jonnyben -at- gmail -dot- com>, "'TECHWR-L'" <TECHWR-L -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 10:51:37 -0800

This is what happens when you copy all of the text from one document into a
new document. Word "fixes" things. You have options and they are all
annoying. Make sure that all of the automatic formatting and automatic
updating is turned "off" and try the options that follow.

* Copy and paste your original text as plain text into your clean template
and reapply the correct styles.

* Use the document that you have with the jacked styles and use 'Replace' to
search for the jacked style and replace it with a correct, or nearly correct
but in your template, style.

* You can also try pasting your original text as plain text and then have
Word Autoformat according to your template.

A Warning about templates. When you attach a template and check the
"Automatically Update Styles" checkbox and somebody else opens the document
but does not have the template, then Word will attach "Normal.dot" and jack
your document for you. This can vary by version of Word and settings. If
you make changes to your "Normal.dot" and have automatic updating turned on
and somebody opens the document with their own copy of Normal.dot, then Word
will update according that copy of Normal.dot.

It used to be that documents could be saved with an "embedded style sheet,"
but those days are gone apparently. Unfortunately, with the way Word fixes
things now, you need to make several copies of a "good" document and then
change the settings and open as a user would on another system.
Essentially, these days documentation requires a little usability QA. Sad.

Lauren

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> Behalf Of Jonny Benjamin
> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 4:17 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Word Troubles
>
> Hi all,
>
> In an attempt to clean up a Word document, I created a brand
> new template containing the styles I need, attached a new
> document to this new template and then copy and pasted the
> contents from the existing manual. The new creation still
> carried over all the extraneous styles that Word seems to
> create at whim.
>
> What would be the best approach to create a "clean" document
> and why does Word seem to create new unwanted styles as my
> colleages claim? In any event, it's my job to clean them up.
> Alternatively, if someone could point me to online resources
> dealing with this issue. (I just want to point out that I
> have had the good fortune of not having to work with Word as
> my main authoring tool for the past 13 years as a TW but at
> my new company it is the tool of choice for all documentation needs).
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jonny Benjamin
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Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

Now shipping: Help &amp; Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help &amp; Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com

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