Re: Side-heads in Word?
I have a question for writers who are familiar with both Adobe FrameMaker
and Microsoft Word.
My current documentation template is in Frame. I use Frame's side-head
feature to place captions in the left margin (information mapping style).
I need to create a similar template in MS Word. Previously, I have had to
use invisible tables in order to imitate the look I am able to do in Frame.
I don't want to use tables this time around. It created a lot of headaches
that I want to avoid. So I'm hoping that Word 2000 has a side-head
feature.
Does anyone know the answer to that? Or perhaps you have some ideas?
There is a way to do it in Word 97, which is the version I'm using, and I assume the same is true of Word 2000.
In fact, there are several ways:
1. The most elegant, but probably the most work upfront, is to use Frames. This is actually a legacy feature of Word 6.0/95, and has been primarily replaced by Text Boxes in later version. But the feature is still around if you hunt in the menus. The nice thing about Frames is that you can build styles around them, which doesn't work with text boxes. I had a standard document that the main margin was the right 2/3 of the page, and there was a Sidebar style that put let the text flow with the right-hand text, but in the left 1/3 of the page. I can send you a copy of the template if you want (I think -- it was over five years ago).
2. Text boxes will work, but are rather fragile. You can get it all looking right, then add more text, and it all goes wonky.
3. Tables. This is a bit of a cheat, but if you use a two-celled table with invisible borders, you get the same effect.
And for all I know, Word 2K may have new (and better ways).
--
Beth Friedman / bjf -at- wavefront -dot- com
"I make mistakes, but I am on the side of Good, ... by accident and happenstance."
--James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks
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