Microsoft Word guru Steve Hudson has been sending me some interesting things. Today I'd like to introduce you to his "Editioning" macro, which allows you to use true conditional text in Microsoft Word 97 and above. Conditional text is the thing to use if you need to change a document in different ways for different audiences. I've written before about using Word's Hidden formatting to create conditional text:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1703011632

Steve, however, has taken the idea to greater heights of power and usability. For your convenience, I've placed his template (with its accompanying toolbar and macro) on our Web site, and you can download it here:

http://www.editorium.com/ftp/editioning.zip

After you've downloaded it, you'll need to unzip it. If you don't already have software to do this, you can get the popular WinZip program here:

http://www.winzip.com/ddchomea.htm

Macintosh users can use StuffIt Expander, available here:

http://www.stuffit.com/expander/download.html

Once the template is unzipped, you'll need to load it as a global template or add-in, which you can learn more about here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707012536

And here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707100224

Finally, here's how to use the program:

1. Open or create a document that will be your source document for the various versions you want to create, and be sure to keep a backup of this document.

2. Use Microsoft Word's Highlighter feature (available on the Formatting toolbar) to highlight the text that will appear only in the various versions you'll be producing. For example, let's say you're writing the documentation for a computer program that will be produced in three versions: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Some of the documentation will apply to all three versions, but some of it won't. For example, the advanced version will have features not available in the basic version, and you don't want the documentation for those features to show up in the basic documentation. So let's say that you highlight the information that applies only to the basic version in yellow, the intermediate in blue, and the advanced in red. Save this document with a new name, such as "Single Source."

3. With the Editioning template loaded, you'll see a new Editioning toolbar on your screen. Click the Editioning button to start the program.

4. In the "Color" box, on the right, click one of the colors you want to use, such as yellow.

5. In the "Description" box, on the bottom, type in a description of what that color represents, such as "Basic."

6. Click the "New" button to add the color and its description to the "Current List of Editions" box. (You can also click the "Delete" button to delete them.)

7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each color you want to use.

8. In the "Current List of Editions" box, click the color/description for the type of document you want to produce. For example, if you wanted to create the basic documentation, you'd click "Yellow Basic."

9. Click the "Publish" button.

10. Click the "Exit" button to close the program. (It will remember your definitions for the next time you use it.)

Now, in the document on your screen, all of your *unhighlighted* text will be preserved (since you want to use it in all of your versions), and the text that was highlighted in the color you selected (yellow) will also be preserved (but now unhighlighted). Text that was highlighted in other colors (blue and red) will be removed. So, you now have the basic version of your software documentation! Be sure to save it with a new name (such as "Basic Documentation"), and be careful not to save it over the top of your previously marked-up file.

That's it! Rinse and repeat for your other versions. Many thanks to Steve for making this program available.

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

Several subscribers provided useful tips this week, some with contrasting points of view. Many thanks to them all!

ON AUTOMATIC CORRECTIONS (see our past few newsletters):

Steve Hudson suggested the following automatic (or semiautomatic) correction:

has the potential to -> can

Kathleen Much (kathleen@casbs.stanford.edu) wrote:

You recommended: fortuitous (replace with "lucky")

You're right to check the usage, but what if the writer is actually using "fortuitous" correctly, to mean "by chance"? 🙂

I responded:

Then the editor should leave it alone. 🙂

Kathleen makes a good point. Many such corrections should *not* be made automatically or without thought. Please be judicious and remember that the computer is a tool, a means to an end, and not an end in itself.

ON NONBREAKING SPACES:

In our last newsletter, I asked for ideas about how where to use nonbreaking spaces and got some interesting (and useful) responses.

Lou Burgoyne wrote:

Phone Numbers, Addresses. Also Use Non-breaking hyphens.

Another subscriber (Martin) wrote:

useful after Mr or Mrs

Anne K. Bailey wrote:

I use it [the nonbreaking space] so often that I've got it mapped to my keyboard (alt s) so I can insert it without having to think about it (at least when using Word). I *always* use it in the following situations (I'll use a tilde to represent the nonbreaking space):

Between a first name and a middle initial (Anne~K. Bailey)

Between the two parts of certain last names (Vincent Van~Gogh)

Between the month and the day (September~11, 2001)

Between the word "percent" and the number (75~percent)

Between the word "page" and the number (page~42)

Between the word "age" and the number (age~65)

Between a number and the word it modifies (15~days) (three~times) (18~years old) (six~miles) (12~inches)

Between two parts of most compound words (pay~grade) (New~York)

Between the time and "a.m." or "p.m." (7:00~a.m.)

In addition, I often use a nonbreaking space to force line endings. I've seen people insert a hard return in the middle of a paragraph to force the line endings to look "right." However, my preference is to use a nonbreaking space to force a particular word to the next line. That way, if the text is later edited and the line endings change, the nonbreaking space won't necessarily have to be removed, but a hard return would definitely have to be found and deleted.

(I would have used a nonbreaking space between the words "hard" and "return" in the previous paragraph.)

Steve Hudson wrote:

I never use the non-break space. My Designer and I both agree that the examples we have seen it suggested to use don't actually add much to the readability and do interfere with justification. The main two examples are 75 percent and Dr Bob. To fully demonstrate the futility of the percent, what if one wrote seventy five percent, all with hard spacing? You could have half a line in nothing flat.

Over the past few weeks we've discussed corrections that editors can make automatically with Microsoft Word's Find and Replace feature. For more information, see these three issues of Editorium Update:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708048908

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708127357

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708293844

In addition, editors can save time by making "semiautomatic" corrections--in other words, by using Word's Find feature to locate "indicators" of possible problems and then fixing those problems as needed. For example, the word "are" is such an indicator. If you use Word's Find feature to locate occurrences of the word "are," you'll run into sentences like this one:

"The editors are making corrections in the manuscript."

This can be edited to this:

"The editors are correcting the manuscript."

Or maybe even to this:

"The editors correct the manuscript."

In fact, any form of the verb "to be" ("be," "are," "was," "were") may indicate other problems (wordiness, passive voice, lack of a strong verb, unnecessary use of the present participle, and so on).

(Before I edited it, the previous sentence read, " In fact, any forms of the verb 'to be' are possible indicators of other problems . . . " See what I mean?)

Another indicator is the suffix "ly," which can be used to find sentences like this one:

"He ran quickly down the street."

Weak, weak, weak. How about "He bolted down the street" or "He charged down the street" or "He blasted down the street"? If you're a writer, you'll find this trick particularly useful.

Other indicators are the phrases "there is" and "there are," particularly at the start of sentences. "There are three writers working on the project" can be edited to "Three writers work on the project."

Next week I'll try to provide more semiautomatic corrections. (If you already have your own list, *please* send it to me so I can share it with other subscribers: mailto:editor [at symbol] editorium.com.) In the meantime, here's a list (slightly edited by me) provided by Microsoft Word expert Steve Hudson. Thanks, Steve! Some of the items are for technical editing ("check," "tick," "up," "down"). Most, though, can be used in any situation.

ATTEMPT TO KILL:

aforementioned

empowerment

take

make

were

was

has been

will

would

should

could

be

that

used/use/using

follow

get/got

put

way

did

*ly

CAREFULLY AND MANUALLY CHECK:

details (replace with "information")

check (replace with "set")

tick (replace with "set")

up (replace with "up arrow")

down (replace with "down arrow")

system (replace with something else if not being used generically)

say (replace with "show")

description (replace with "information")

explanation (replace with "information")

communicate (replace with "say," "tell," or "talk")

exponential (replace with "rapid")

feedback (does it mean anything?)

fortuitous (replace with "lucky")

input (does it mean anything?)

interface (replace with "connect)

paradigm (archetypal method? point of view? mindset?)

irony / ironic / ironically (implies the opposite of the literal sense)

linear (mathematical?)

synergy(increased energy through cooperative side-effects?)

and/or (rewrite to: ... and ... or ... or both)

that (restrictive & defining)

which (if nonrestrictive explanatory, set off in commas)

who (must be used with people)

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

Several subscribers provided useful tips this week. Many thanks to them all!

Anne K. Bailey wrote about automatically replacing "%" with "percent":

"I would suggest that it is preferable to have the replacement be '^spercent' (putting a nonbreaking space bfore the word 'percent'). This would ensure that nowhere in the text would '75' (or whatever number) be dangling at the end of one line with the word "percent" at the beginning of the next.

"In my opinion, the nonbreaking space is extremely underutilized."

Where do *you* use nonbreaking spaces? Please let me know here: mailto:editor [at symbol] editorium.com.

Neil Hymans provided more information about the Window and Popup Menu keys on Microsoft-compatible keyboards:

"The two extra keys discussed recently can do much more than open the Start menu or simulate a right mouse click. When used in conjunction with a 'key combination manager' (such as the amazing--and *free*--Winkey from http://www.copernic.com/winkey/), they open up a world of possibilities for new hotkey combinations.

"Some examples: I use WIN+W to start Word, WIN+X to start Excel, and many others that suit my needs, secure in the knowledge that they aren't conflicting with default key combinations of any other application.

Mike Brown wrote:

"You can use the Windows key for shortcut key combinations, but I find it most useful as OS shortcuts to useful functions.

"My favorite functions are Windows + M to minimize all open windows to the Taskbar, Windows + R to display the Run dialog box (I like to run batch files from the Run dialog box), Windows + F to open the Find dialog, and Windows + E to open an Explorer window.

"I use Macro Express (a program to create macros throughout the system or for any program), and I find the Windows key to be a great mnemonic aid for system-level macros.

"If you have the Microsoft Natural keyboard or Intellitype software installed, there are tons of other combos:

"http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q126/4/49.asp"

A couple of weeks ago, we were discussing lists of corrections that editors can make automatically using Microsoft Word's Find and Replace feature. For more information, you may want to read these two issues of Editorium Update:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708048908

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708127357

I'd like to thank Martha H. Bowes, Ned Humphrey, and Joel Rosenberg for sending more items for our "master list." (If I've missed anyone, I apologize.) I'm especially grateful to Microsoft Word genius Steve Hudson, who contributed most of the corrections in the list below. Steve has sent me some other nifty things, which I'll be discussing soon.

If you have other items you'd like to add to this list, please let me know. It will be a work in progress, and I hope to have the combined lists from this and the past newsletters--with additional entries--available on our Web site soon. I've set up this week's list with the pipe symbol (|) between entries so the list can be used with our MegaReplacer program, which you can learn more about here:

http://www.editorium.com/14843.htm

And now, here's the latest installment, with the items to find on the left, and the items to replace them with on the right. Remember, don't use these blindly. Choose the items that will be most useful to you.

, and| and

a lot of|many

ain;t|are not

ain't|are not

aint|are not

app|application

apps|applications

aren;t|are not

aren't|are not

arn't|are not

at this moment in time|now

by using|with

can;t|cannot

cannot of been|cannot have been

can't|cannot

char|character

click|select

comm|communication

comms|communications

coudln't|could not

coudn't|could not

could of been|could have been

could of had|could have had

couldn;t|could not

couldnt|could not

couple of|several

coz|because

degrade|slow

dept|department

detailed|described

dev|development

devs|developers

didint|did not

didn;t|did not

didn't|did not

didnt|did not

diff|difference

diffs|differences

do not no|do not know

doc|document

docs|documents

doens't|does not

doesn;t|does not

doesn't|does not

doesnt|does not

don;t|do not

do'nt|do not

don't|do not

dont|do not

dosn't|does not

double click|double-click

dox|documents

eg|for example

epicenter|center

epicentre|centre

esp|especially

et cetera|and so on

etc|and so on

explained|described

func|functional

hadn;t|had not

hadn't|had not

hasn;t|has not

hasn't|has not

hasnt|has not

haven;t|have not

he;ll|he will

here;s|here is

I;d|I would

I;ll|I will

I'd|I would

I'd|I would

I'll|I will

I'm|I am

ie|that is

in order to|to

info|information

isn;t|is not

isn't|is not

it' snot|it is not

it snot|it is not

it;ll|it will

it'll|it will

it's|it is

let;s|let us

let;s|let us

made up|consists

may|can

mgr|manager

millenium/millennium

necc|necessary

needs to|must

op|operation

ops|operations

ot|to

para|paragraph

perm|permanent

peruse|study

perused|studied

perusing|studying

pref|preference

prefs|preferences

presently|at present

prod|production

QA|Quality Assurance

rep|representative

reps|representatives

res|resolution

right click|right-click

she;ll|she will

shoudln't|should not

shouldent|should not

shouldn;t|should not

shouldnt|should not

single click|single-click

spec|specification

specs|specifications

std|standard

succ|successful

sufficient number of|enough

teh|the

that has|with

thats|that is

they;l|they will

they;ll|they will

they;r|they are

they;re|they are

they;v|they have

they;ve|they have

they'l|they will

they'll|they will

they'r|they are

they're|they are

they'v|they have

they've|they have

theyll|they will

theyve|they have

trad|traditional

triple click|triple-click

twixt|between

uncheck|clear

untick|clear

utilise|use

utilize/use

via|by way of

visa versa|vice versa

wasnt|was not

we;d|we would

we;ll|we will

we;re|we are

we;ve|we have

we'd|we would

we'll|we will

we're|we are

we've|we have

wern;t|were not

wern't|were not

wernt|were not

what;s|what is

what's|what is

with regards to|about

won;t|will not

won't|will not

wo'nt|will not

woudln't|would not

wouldn;t|would not

wouldn't|would not

wouldnt|would not

you;d|you would

you;re|you are

you'd|you would

you're|you are

you've|you have

youare|you are

youve|you have

yr|year

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

Ellen Ellender wrote:

"If you are using Find and Replace to replace '%' with 'percent', you must specify that the replacement is '[space]percent', or you'll end up with text reading '75percent' instead of '75 percent'."

Thanks to Ellen for this useful reminder. If you're making your own Find and Replace list, there may be other entries that need similar treatment.

Ed Nelson (ednelson1@earthlink.net) wrote with some questions that many computer users may be puzzling over:

"My newish keyboard has some added keys. One pair, between Alt and Ctl on each side, carries the MS logo. Maybe its only function is to add a new order of potential key combinations, but that might be a worthy addition if true."

I responded:

"Pressing this key is the equivalent of clicking the Start button on the Windows taskbar. I use it a lot, since I hate reaching for the mouse all the time."

Ed continued:

"In addition, next to the right Ctl key is one with what looks rather like an icon(?). Looks like the representation of a sheet of copy with an arrow-cursor pointing toward the top."

I replied:

"This key opens a 'popup' or 'context' menu. It's the equivalent of clicking the right mouse button. I like it, too."

Thanks to Ed for his questions.

As I explained in last week's newsletter, editors who work in Microsoft Word can make many changes automatically (using Find and Replace) rather than making them manually. For more information on how to do that, please read last week's newsletter:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708048908

This week, I've provided a long list of corrections that you *might* be able to make automatically. Don't just use these blindly, however. Please look through the list to see which items would be most useful to you. Then you can record a macro that finds and replaces all of the items you've chosen. You can learn more about recording a find-and-replace macro here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1706748016

You might also be interested in our MegaReplacer program, which makes it possible to find and replace many items in many documents at the same time. You can learn more about MegaReplacer here:

http://www.editorium.com/14843.htm

If you have a list of things you routinely change as you edit, and if you'd like to share it with other subscribers, please send it to me here: mailto:editor [at symbol] editorium.com. I'll compile all of the lists for next week's newsletter. And now, here's this week's list:

FIND REPLACE WITH

% percent

& and

a large number of many

a small number of some

absolutely [nothing]

adjacent to next to

admit of admit

adventuresome adventurous

albeit though

all of the all the

alongside of along

already has been has been

alright all right

ameliorate improve

amidst amid

amongst among

an historic a historic

an historical a historical

and also and

anticipate that expect that

append add

arising from the fact that because

assuredly [nothing]

at present now

at that point in time then

at the time when when

at this point in time now

backwards backward

be helpful help

but rather but

by itself alone

cannot help but can only

certainly [nothing]

cognizant aware

commence start

component part

consensus of opinion consensus

currently now

data is data are

decidedly [nothing]

depend upon depend on

depending upon depending on

despite the fact that although

devoid of without

different than different from

disassociate dissociate

divide up divide

due to the fact that because

due to because of

e.g., for example,

eminently [nothing]

end result result

endeavor try

ensue follow

ergo therefore

erstwhile former

espouse hold

et al. and others

etc. and so on

fifthly fifth

filled up the filled the

finalize finish

first began began

first of all first

firstly first

foreseeable future future

forthwith now

fourthly fourth

fundamental basic

general consensus consensus

give an indication of indicate

have a tendency to tend to

have an effect on affect

have an impact on affect

have got to must

henceforth from now on

hereby [nothing]

highly unlikely unlikely

i.e., that is,

in addition to besides

in excess of more than

in order to to

in spite of the fact that although

in the event that if

in the near future soon

in view of the fact that because

inasmuch because

initiate start

inquire ask

irregardless regardless

is a function of depends on

is desirous of wants

join together join

lengthy long

loth loath

make a decision decide

match up match

may possibly may

media is media are

might possibly might

miss out on miss

more importantly more important

must inevitably must

must necessarily must

neither of them are neither of them is

never the less nevertheless

none of them are none of them is

none the less nonetheless

numerous many

on a daily basis daily

on a monthly basis monthly

on a regular basis regularly

on a weekly basis weekly

on a yearly basis yearly

on an annual basis yearly

owing to the fact that because

presented in this in this

preventative preventive

previous to before

prior experience experience

prior to before

quite [nothing]

reason is because reason is that

refer back refer

rely upon rely on

secondly second

sixthly sixth

take into consideration consider

thankfully [nothing]

the majority of most

the reason is because the reason is that

there are now there are

thirdly third

thusly thus

together with with

towards toward

try and try to

TV television

underway under way

until such time as until

very [nothing]

virtually all most

which that

while although

whilst while

will in the future will

will take steps to will

with the exception of except

When working electronically, editors often have to decide whether to make certain corrections manually or automatically, using such features as Find and Replace. Some corrections *have* to be made manually, but, in my opinion, editors often make more manual corrections than they should. For example, many editors change restrictive "which" to "that" by hand, making each change separately as it shows up in the manuscript. But how bad would it be, really, to change *every* "which" to "that" throughout the manuscript? You're going to read the manuscript all the way through anyway, right? So if you later come to a few "thats" that actually should be "whiches," you can fix them manually--which is much easier and faster than changing *hundreds* of "whiches" to "thats" by hand.

You have to use some judgment when doing this kind of thing. If a certain automatic correction will just make reading the manuscript too weird for you, don't use it. Or, you might try making the automatic correction with revision tracking turned on and showing--

Tools > Track Changes > Highlight Changes > Track changes while editing + Highlight changes on screen

--so that when you're reading through the document later, you'll know that the odd reading of that problem sentence is something you (rather than the author) introduced. Of course, if an automatic correction will result in *more* manual manipulation later on, you shouldn't use it.

Another possibility is to use wildcards in your Find and Replace corrections. In our "which" to "that" example, you could search for the word "which" whenever it *doesn't* follow a comma and replace it with "that," which would leave nearly all of the nonrestrictive occurrences ("blah blah, which blah blah") intact. Here's how:

1. Click the "Edit" menu.

2. Click "Replace."

3. In the "Find What" box, enter this:

([!,]) which

4. In the "Replace With" box, enter this:

1 that

5. In the "Use Wildcards" or "Use pattern matching" box, put a checkmark (you may need to click the "More" button before you can do this).

6. Click the "Replace All" button.

You can learn more about searching and replacing in past issues of Editorium Update--October 24, 2000, to November 21, 2000, and March 21 to April 25, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

Of course, if the idea of making such sweeping changes scares you, you can use the Find and Replace dialog to "Find Next" and "Replace" items individually, which still beats doing them all by hand.

Don't forget that there are certain corrections you'll almost *always* want to make, such as fixing commonly misspelled words. You'll probably want to make your own list, but here are some of my favorites:

FIND WHAT REPLACE WITH

accomodate accommodate

supercede supersede

independant independent

embarass embarrass

annoint anoint

occurrance occurrence

accidently accidentally

concensus consensus

wierd weird

mischevious mischievous

definate definite

transcendant transcendent

To automate things even further, don't just do these replacements one at a time on job after job; instead, record them in a macro that you can use over and over again. You can learn more about macros in past issues of Editorium Update--May 9 to May 23, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

In a follow-up to her question in last week's Readers Write column about combining chapters into one document before editing, Ann Redmon (ann@gant.org) wrote:

"I'd already flogged myself earlier this year for not having purchased and used your Editor's ToolKit much sooner, but just shoot me for not having used the Add Documents feature much sooner too! I've only received half of this month's issue of the journal I regularly copyedit, so I didn't combine the whole issue into one document, but even doing it in two halves is saving me enormous amounts of time and vastly improving my consistency. Thanks again for a fabulous utility."

After reading last week's article on making separate passes through a document, Pamela Angulo (pamarama@empire.net) wrote:

"Hint for making passes: I have a 'Task' chart (a table, really) that I customize for each job. First, I fill in the details (number of pages, tables, figures, equations, and boxes) for each chapter, so I can track my progress. Below are check boxes for essential tasks: running the spellchecker, cleaning up spaces, checking and marking figure callouts, editing in-chapter headings, cross-checking references, editing references, editing figures and tables, editing boxes and appendices -- all those niggling details that can't be remembered in one pass. I find this chart especially helpful if I have to put a job aside for any time longer than an hour (!); when I come back, I don't try to do things that I have already done.

"And yes, I have a check-box grocery list on the fridge that I find very helpful in streamlining my shopping trips. YMMV! :-)"

Thanks to Ann and Pam for their comments.

No, no, not that kind of passes. I'm talking about making separate passes through a document to catch different kinds of errors. If you can catch them all in one pass, your mind is much more efficient than mine. I work much better and catch more errors by going through a manuscript several times, fixing different kinds of problems each time. This approach to editing works well on paper, but it works even better if you're editing on the computer. This is related to last week's article on editing from the top down, which you can read here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707878802

Here are some of the passes I make when I'm editing a document:

1. I do a spell check. Laugh if you will, but a spell check catches the most elusive of typographical errors--which means I don't have to. It saves time now and embarrassment later. You can read more on this topic here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700310413

2. I scan for repeated errors, inconsistencies, and idiosyncrasies in punctuation (especially in citations), capitalization, and spelling. When I find something I don't like, I fix it globally with Microsoft Word's Find and Replace feature. This is much faster than doing all of this work by hand, and when I'm done, I'm not left wondering if I've missed an occurrence of one of the problems somewhere. You can learn more about searching in past issues of Editorium Update--October 24, 2000, to November 21, 2000, and March 21 to April 25, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

3. I edit different kinds of items in separate passes. For example, I edit all of the chapter headings at one time, which ensures consistency and parallelism and all of that other good stuff. (If you use Word's built-in heading styles for chapter headings, you can see and edit them all at once in Outline View.) Then I edit the body text. Then I edit the sidebars. Then I edit the footnotes. Then I edit the bibliography entries. You get the idea. As I work, I make liberal use of Word's Find and Replace and macro features. You can learn more about macros in past issues of Editorium Update--May 9 to May 23, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

And you can learn more about editing notes here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1701016860

By the way, it's important to consider the order in which to make your passes. Can you really understand the sidebars if you haven't read the body text? If not, you'd better edit the body text first. Also, there's usually some going back and forth between items. For example, changes in the footnotes may require additional editing in the bibliography. So even if you're making passes, don't feel like you can't be a bit flexible. Editing on the computer, just as on paper, is as much an art as it is a science. And while the computer is a wonderful tool, don't forget that you're the one in charge.

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READERS WRITE

In last week's newsletter I wrote:

"If each chapter of a book is a separate document, I pull all of the chapters together using the Add Documents feature of our Editor's ToolKit program. I like having all of the chapters in one document so I can see and work on the whole book at once."

Subscriber Ann Redmon (ann@gant.org) responded:

"I've been using and enjoying many of your Editor's ToolKit features, but haven't tried the Add Documents feature for fear that the resulting document would just be huge and unwieldy. Is this not the case?"

I replied:

"It's true that the document is sometimes huge, but I think that having all of the book in one document is less unwieldy than messing around with, say, twenty different documents ("Let's see, where was that paragraph about . . . ?"). My computer has plenty of memory, so the hugeness doesn't bother me or crash my machine. I like being able to see the whole structure of a book in Outline View, and I like being able to do a quick Find and Replace that I know will standardize something throughout the book without having to go from chapter to chapter. All of this may just be a matter of personal preference, and you should probably do whatever works best for you."

Thanks to Ann for her question.

When I'm editing on the computer (which is most of the time), I'm most effective when I edit from the "top down." What that means is that I don't start changing commas and semicolons until I've done some other, more comprehensive tasks:

1. If each chapter of a book is a separate document, I pull all of the chapters together using the Add Documents feature of our Editor's ToolKit program. I like having all of the chapters in one document so I can see and work on the whole book at once. Later, if I need to split the document apart again, I use the program's Split Documents feature. You can learn more about Editor's ToolKit here:

http://www.editorium.com/14842.htm

2. I apply my own document template. This template uses a font that's easy on the eyes and includes all of the styles I'm likely to need. You can read more about this here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700934923

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1704544112

3. I replace directly applied formatting with paragraph styles. (Why more authors don't use styles to format their documents is beyond me, but that's the way it is.) If the author has been consistent, I can do this with Word's Replace feature, replacing 16-point Arial bold (for example) with Word's Heading 1 paragraph style (for example). If the author hasn't been consistent (which is usually the case), then I have to go through the document and apply at least some of the paragraph styles manually. The effort is worth it, however, because it means that the styles can be passed on to QuarkXPress when it's typesetting time or reformatted quickly and easily in Microsoft Word as needed. You can read more about this here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1705536230

4. After applying the heading styles (Heading 1 through Heading 9) in particular, I use Word's Outline View or Document Map to look at the structure of the document. Does it make sense? Are the different sections in some kind of logical order? If they're not, I can easily move them around in Outline View. You can read more about this here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700396609

5. I run the document through our FileCleaner program to clean up double spaces, eliminate multiple carriage returns, remove any remaining directly applied formatting (but leave italic intact), and fix a host of other annoying (but common) errors. You can learn more about FileCleaner here:

http://www.editorium.com/14845.htm

6. Finally, I start editing the actual text of the document. As I do this, I watch for recurring errors. If an error shows up more than twice, I stop fixing it manually and take care of all of its occurrences in one fell swoop, using a macro or Word's Replace feature. I save my macros and find-and-replace strings for use on future projects, and I now have a large collection of these useful tools. You can learn more about macros and Find and Replace in past issues of Editorium Update--October 24, 2000, to November 21, 2000, and March 21, 2001, to June 6, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

You may not want to follow my procedures exactly, but you might think about the steps you take in editing and see if there are some "top-down" procedures you could follow that would improve your speed, efficiency, and comfort.