Last week I explained how to use Word's Rand feature to create sample text ("The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog") that you can use for various purposes. You can read last week's newsletter here:
http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1705763701
I neglected to mention that for the Rand feature to work, "Replace text as you type" must be turned on under Tools > AutoCorrect. If you tried using Rand but nothing happened, you don't have it turned on. Of course, you may not *want* it turned on because then Word automatically makes certain "corrections" that you may not want. If you're editing in Word, that can be a disaster. For more information on how to prevent such problems, see "When Word Gets in the Way" in the very first issue of Editorium Update:
http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700237543
If you turn off "Replace text as you type," you can still use the traditional "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet" sample text included in last week's newsletter. Subscriber Karen L. Bojda of Bojda Editorial & Writing Services (http://www.bojda.f2s.com) sent this helpful suggestion for doing so:
"Depending on your layout, repeating the 'quick brown fox' creates columns of words and rivers instead of a nice sample layout. So I just made an AutoText entry for the 'Lorem' text, which works whether AutoCorrect is on or not."
Thinking that this was a great idea, I immediately followed suit. Now, whenever I need some sample text to work with, I just type the word "lorem" into my document and press the F3 key. Presto! If you'd like to do this, here's how to set it up:
1. Copy and paste the "Lorem" text into a Word document (I've included a nice, long version at the end of this article).
2. Select the "Lorem" text.
3. In Word 97 or later, click the "Insert" menu at the top of your Word screen. In Word 95 or earlier, click the "Edit" menu.
4. Click "AutoText."
5. In Word 97 or later, click "New."
6. In the box labeled "Please name your AutoText entry" (just "Name" in Word 95 or earlier), type "lorem."
7. In Word 95 or earlier, make sure the box labeled "Make AutoText Entry Available To" shows "All Documents (Normal.dot)."
8. In Word 97 or later, click the "OK" button. In Word 95 or earlier, click the "Add" button.
Now, when you need some sample text, do this:
1. Type "lorem" into your document.
2. Press the F3 key.
The "Lorem" text will be inserted into your document.
Karen also sent this caution: "If you're going to address AutoText entries in an upcoming newsletter, I found the way Word files them by style to be at first baffling and then annoying, and I think a heads-up about that would be worthwhile. I avoid adding AutoText entries casually. Instead, I first create a style that has a meaningful name, such as 'sample text' or 'math symbols.' Then I format the text I want to add using that style, so that the AutoText entry gets filed under a heading that is more meaningful than 'Normal' or 'Body Text.' The style itself can then be deleted."
Many thanks to Karen for this useful information.
Here's a three-paragraph version of the "Lorem" text that you can use to create an AutoText entry (after deleting the extraneous email carriage returns at the ends of the lines):
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi.
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat.
Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
