Microsoft Word includes a number of layout features that you'll need if you're doing serious typesetting or desktop publishing. They're not always easy to get to, however, or to understand. For various reasons, Microsoft has strung them all over the place, under File, View, Insert, Format, and Tools. Good grief! I recommend that you use Word's Customize feature (Tools/Customize) to put them all in one place on a new menu or toolbar where you can easily find and use them together.
Basically, these features are related to document sections or to the document as a whole. I've listed some of the most important ones below, with the command name following the descriptive name (so you'll know what commands to use if you want to create your own menu or toolbar):
Templates and Add-ins (FileTemplates)
Style Gallery (FormatStyleGallery)
Style (FormatStyle)
Page Setup (FilePageSetup)
Hyphenation (ToolsHyphenation)
Insert Break (InsertBreak)
Section Layout (FormatSectionLayout)
Header (ViewHeader)
Page Numbers (InsertPageNumbers)
Columns (FormatColumns)
Note Options (NoteOptions)
Once you've brought these far-flung cousins together, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to set up a document so that it looks and works right.
Feeling lazy? Our new WordSetter program puts all of these features together under a new Layout menu and on a Document Formatting toolbar for easy access. It also provides other new features for section and document formatting, including:
* Crop marks
* Adjustable word spacing (tracking)
* Thin spaces
* Automatic styling for block quotations, lists, and poetry
* Ligatures (Macintosh only)
You can download the WordSetter program at http://www.editorium.com/14000.htm.
SURVEY RESULTS
In our last issue, I asked for help in knowing what to write about by offering a survey, which 56 subscribers took time to return. Many thanks to all who participated! Your responses gave me some valuable information. The survey asked:
What would you like to see MORE of in Editorium Update?
1. Explanations of useful features in Microsoft Word.
2. Macros to help you work more efficiently.
3. Discussion of general issues related to editing on the computer.
4. Reviews of add-in programs for Microsoft Word from various software publishers.
5. Links to useful publishing resources on the Internet.
6. Explanations of nifty things you can do with programs from the Editorium.
Interestingly enough, the clear winners were numbers 1 and 2 (1 had 25 votes for first position and 11 for second; 2 had 19 votes for first position and 17 for second). Next, in roughly equal proportions, were 5, 3, and 6. Number 4 came in dead last. That means our past newsletters have pretty much been on track, which is gratifying, and a number of subscribers asked me to "keep up the good work," which I'll try to do by following the survey results. I'll focus mostly on Word features and macros, with some of the other stuff thrown in from time to time just to keep things interesting. Thanks again for your help in improving Editorium Update.
THE WINNER
I promised to hold a drawing for those who responded to the survey. To do so, I created a Word macro that randomly selected a number from 1 to 56 (the total number of respondents). The macro came up with the number 12, which is the number of the response from Gail Welborn, making her the winner of a free registration for our Editor's ToolKit Plus program! I've contacted Gail privately to arrange for the registration. Congratulations!
