Re: Large Documents in Word

[Lin Sims <ljsims -dot- ml -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I should add, I made extensive use of Shauna's site during development of
what was supposed to be a one-off, we're not supporting this, it's for
engineers to use who aren't putting documents through the department,
template.

Our perl scripter says the linked list styles make it very nearly
impossible to properly apply the styles from that template when converting
XML to Word, but they DO make it a little less likely to corrupt.

On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 10:48 PM, Lin Sims <ljsims -dot- ml -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:

> Would that I could. And by this I mean, I could if I knew how to do those
> intercepts, but I don't. I did learn that was possible about a year ago,
> but it required VB scripting and I don't speak VB. I found a couple of free
> tools for redesigning the ribbon, too, but did not have the time to figure
> out how they worked.
>
> <sigh>
>
> Can I quote you on the "weeks of effort to develop, maintain and support
> a set of really bullet-proof templates"?
>
> Also, I had not heard that Shauna died. That makes me said; I never met
> her, but her website has been tremendously helpful.
>
> On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 9:52 PM, Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au>
> wrote:
>
>> For TWs to learn how to maintain stable long documents in Word is
>> challenging but doable, and worthwhile. To maintain stable long
>> documents using contributions from authors who a) don't know how to
>> use Word, and b) are stubbornly convinced they know how to use Word...
>> that's an order of magnitude harder. It's the difference between
>> keeping your own home tidy and keeping a rental home tidy by providing
>> the tenants with storage space and cleaning products and polite
>> written instructions on how to use them. Some will, some won't, and
>> some will use the instructions to set fire one of the cupboards.
>>
>> From: Lin Sims
>> > Good point. I probably should have used "telling them that all the
>> Font
>> > and Paragraph formatting buttons in the ribbon are disabled and they
>> > can't use them" as an example, instead. :-)
>>
>> Most SMEs and non-TW authors are used to using brute force to format
>> their documents. They just keep hammering a few familiar keys and
>> icons (Tab, Indent, Bullets, Numbering, Bold, Italic, Enter) till the
>> text looks roughly how they want it to look.
>>
>> A good solution is not to disable problem keyboard shortcuts and
>> toolbar buttons that apply manual formatting, but to intercept them.
>> Many TWs have developed their own custom templates in which Ctrl-B and
>> the [B] button apply an Emphasis character style, two slightly
>> different Bullet buttons apply List Bullet 1 and List Bullet 2 styles,
>> and  so on.
>>
>> For people wanting to develop their own stable, custom templates, I
>> used to recommend the Word MVPs [1]site and the website of the late,
>> much-missed Shauna Kelly [2]. These are no longer very up-to-date with
>> respect to recent versions of Word and it would be weeks of effort to
>> develop, maintain and support a set of really bullet-proof templates.
>> Now I'd recommend looking for a commercial 'ribbon replacement'
>> product. http://www.appsforoffice.com/ is one I know of; there are
>> many others out there.
>>
>> --- Stuart
>>
>>
>>
>> Links:
>> ------
>> [1] http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/General.htm
>> [2] http://shaunakelly.com/topic/word/numbering
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Lin Sims
>



-- 
Lin Sims

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