RE: Word Features
Subject: Word Features
From: Steve Lefevers <scl -at- pcisys -dot- net>
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 20:00:54 -0700
X-Message-Number: 5
For Those of you who use Microsoft Word at work for your Technical Writing can you give me a general idea which of the following Word Features you actually use and are practical for your Documentation and which Features to avoid?
Auto Format
No. Don't use it.
Auto Format as you Type
No. Don't use it.
Auto Correct
Yes. I find it does speed up my work. Do watch, however, for ocassions where Word "misspells" at word for you because you want one word and it thinks you want something else.
Auto Text
Sometimes.
Custom Dictionary
No. but I could use it more than I actually do.
Styles
Always. At first I was skeptical of the feature. These days, I wonder how I ever did without them.
Automatic Style Updates
No.
Tables
Lots.
Frames
Almost never. They have their use. I just haven't needed them in my more recent projects.
Borders
On tables, yes. Otherwise, no.
Numbered Lists
These things are a nightmare for any document of any length.
I can remember one project where I cobbled together a 120 odd page user manual. To make the numbered lists work correctly, I (an other writers working on other documents in the project) had to turn off auto numbering and renumber all our lists manually,
Multi-Numbered Lists
See above.
Track Changes
Sometimes.
Problem I find is that not everyone knows how to use the feature.
Master-Sub Documents
Not recently.
Some people have real problems with it. It seems stable enough in Word 2000, and I haven't tried it with Word XP yet. Consider the jury out on this feature.
Route Document
No. When I never have to send a document to more than one person, a route feature isn't all that practical.
Also, like "track changes", not everyone may be able to use it.
(Sidebar, I have my concerns about a staff member's ability to use the more advanced features of Word when they haven't yet figured out how to transfer a document from one PC to another as an e-mail attachment, and insist on coming around for the file with a floppy disk.)
Protect Document
Never used it yet.
Mail Merge
Not for tech writing projects. I have had reason to use it for other projects.
Comments
Not for tech writing projects. Like tracking changes, not everyone seems to know about the feature.
Macros
More in Excel than in Word.
Headers/Footers
Most of the time.
Cross Referencing
Never.
Automatic Cross Referencing
Never. I wasn't even aware the was an automatic version, and I am a highly skilled Word user.
Fields
Sometimes.
Captions
Sometimes.
Table of Contents
Yes, on larger documents.
Indexing
Sometimes--depending on document length and client needs.
Appendices
????
I wasn't aware such a feature existed.
Conversion Filters ? To Convert Word Document to .pdf File
Not in a tech writing context.
I do have some old Ami Pro files kicking around, and so I do ocassionally use conversion filters on opening files.
Outline View
Sometimes. Is very project dependent.
Page Layout View
Lots.
Templates
Lots. Like styles, I sometimes wonder how I ever did without them.
Forms
No.
--
John Fleming
Technical Writer and SAS Guru
Edmonton, Canada
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