WD2000: Adding AutoText to the AutoText Menu

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This article was previously published under Q207925

SUMMARY

This article describes how to add AutoText submenus (groupings), how to add AutoText entries to the AutoText drop-down lists, and how to use the AutoTextList field for easy access to these AutoText entries.

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MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Word provides a set of predefined AutoText submenus (groupings). Each of these submenus is defined by a style name. The following table lists the predefined AutoText submenus and their drop-down lists.


AutoText Submenu       AutoText drop-down menu
----------------------------------------------------------------

Attention Line         Attention:, ATTN:

Closing                Best regards, Best wishes, Cordially,
                          Love, Regards, Respectfully
                          yours, Respectfully, Sincerely yours,
                          Sincerely, Take care, Thank you, Thanks,
                          Yours truly

Header/Footer          -Page-, Author Page # Date, Confidential
                          Page # Date, Created by, Created on,
                          Filename, Filename and path, Last
                          printed, Last saved by, Page X of Y

Mailing Instructions   CERTIFIED MAIL, CONFIDENTIAL, PERSONAL,
                          REGISTERED MAIL, SPECIAL DELIVERY, VIA
                          AIRMAIL, VIA FACSIMILE, VIA OVERNIGHT
                          MAIL

Reference Initials     Author's initials. Taken from Initials
                          box on the User Information tab (click
                          Options on the Tools menu).

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

Salutation             Dear Mom and Dad, Dear Sir or Madam:,
                          Ladies and Gentlemen:, To Whom It May
                          Concern:

Signature              Author's name. Taken from Name box on the
                          User Information tab (click Options on
                          the Tools menu).

Signature Company      Author's company. Taken from Mailing
                          Address box on the User Information tab
                          (click Options on the Tools menu).

Subject Line           Subject:

The AutoText submenus are created with styles. To add a new AutoText submenu, create a new style name.

The AutoText lists are created with text that has been formatted with the appropriate style name and saved as an AutoText entry.

For example, the submenu "Subject Line" is a style name. The "Subject:" list is text that has the "Subject Line" style applied to it.

To create AutoText entries that appear in the AutoText list, first create a style, and then create an AutoText entry using the new style.

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To Create a New AutoText Entry in the AutoText List

NOTE: The following steps add a new AutoText entry to the AutoText list in your Normal.dot template (the default template in Word). If you want your AutoText entry available only when you are working from a particular template, open the template file before proceeding with the following steps.

You can use an existing style, or you can use the following steps to create a new style for your AutoText entry:
1. On the Format menu, click Style.
2. Click the New button.
3. In the Name box, type a name for your new AutoText style, and then click to select the Add to template check box.
4. Use the Format button to make any formatting changes, and then click OK.
5. Click Close.
To create a new AutoTextlist with one entry, follow these steps:
1. Type the item you want to add to the AutoText list.
2. Select the item.
3. Apply the style you created in Step 1, or use an existing style.
4. On the Insert menu, point to AutoText, and click New.
5. Type a unique name for the AutoText entry and click OK.

The style you created in step 1 appears on the AutoText submenu, and the AutoText entry you created in step 2 appears in the AutoText list. To add entries to your AutoText submenu, repeat steps 2a-2e for each new entry.

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To Change the Name of an Existing AutoText Submenu

When you add a new AutoText submenu (for example, when you use the steps in the "To Create a New AutoText Entry in the AutoText List" section of this article), the submenu is created as a result of a style. This style is actually stored as part of the AutoText entry and remains part of the AutoText entry even if the style is renamed or deleted from the document or template. Note that the AutoText submenu does not appear on the AutoText list in the Organizer. It is not possible to rename the AutoText submenu. You must delete the AutoText entries that reside under the AutoText submenu, and you must then create a new AutoText submenu using a different or renamed style.

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To Delete an Existing AutoText Submenu and Its Entries

To delete an AutoText submenu and its entries, follow these steps:

On the Insert menu, point to AutoText, and then click AutoText.
On the AutoText tab, click to select the AutoText entry that appears under the AutoText submenu, and then click Delete. Repeat this step for each of the AutoText entries that appear on the AutoText submenu, and then click OK.

NOTE: After you have deleted the last AutoText entry under an AutoText submenu, the submenu is removed from the AutoText list.

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To Use the AutoTextList Field

The AutoTextList field is a field that displays a list of AutoText entries formatted with the same style as the field code. The field uses the following syntax:

   {AUTOTEXTLIST "<LiteralText>" \s ["<StyleName>"] \t ["<TipText>"]}



Instruction          Explanation
-------------------------------------------------------------

"<LiteralText>"      Text that appears in the document before
                        the user displays the list. If
                        the text contains spaces, enclose it in
                        quotation marks.

"<StyleName>"        The name of the style of the AutoText
                        entries that you want to appear in the
                        list. If the style name contains spaces,
                        enclose it in quotation marks.

"<TipText>"          Text that appears in the screen tip when
                        the mouse pointer pauses on the field
                        result. Enclose the text in quotation
                        marks.

Switches             Explanation
---------------------------------------------------------

\s                   Specifies that the list will contain entries
                        based on a specific style. Without this
                        switch, AutoText entries of the current
                        paragraph style appear. If there are no
                        entries for the current style, all AutoText
                        entries appear.

\t                   Specifies unique text to show in the screen
                        tip instead of the default tip.

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To Create the AutoTextList Field

To create the AutoTextList field, follow these steps:

On the Insert menu, click Field.
Under Categories, click Links And References.
Under Field Names, click AutoTextList.
Click after the field name in the Field Codes box, and then type the text you want to appear on the screen within quotation marks; for example, type:
"Sign Here"
Click the Options button.
Click the Field Specific Switches tab.
Under Switches, select the \s switch, and click Add To Field.
Click OK.
In the Field Code box, type the name of the style in quotation marks; for example, type:
"Signature"
Click Options.
Click the Field Specific Switches tab.
Under Switches, select the \t switch and click Add To Field.
In the Field Code box, type the tip text within quotation marks; for example, "Right-click to display list of Signature AutoText." The tip text will appear when the mouse pointer rests on the AutoTextList field.
Click OK twice.

When you right-click the AutoTextList field, Word displays a list of AutoText entries formatted in the style you specified for the field. If you do not specify a style when you create the AutoTextList field, Word displays all AutoText entries.

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Notes

To display the AutoText toolbar, point to AutoText on the Insert menu, click AutoText, and then click Show Toolbar.
If you delete all of the AutoText entries using a specific style, the submenu for these AutoText entries will be removed from the AutoText menu.

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ScreenTips

To turn on ScreenTips, follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect, and then click the AutoText tab.
Click to select the Show AutoComplete tip for AutoText and dates check box, and then click OK.

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