10 Minute Guide to Word for Windows 95

Previous chapterNext chapterContents


- 26 -
Using Automatic Formatting

In this lesson you'll learn how to have Word automatically format your document.

What is Automatic Formatting?

Automatic Formatting refers to Word's ability to analyze the structure of a document and recognize certain common elements, such as body text, headings, bulleted lists, and quotations. Word will then apply appropriate styles to the various text elements to create an attractively formatted document (for more information on styles, please refer to Lessons 24 and 25). You can accept or reject all or part of the automatically applied format, and can later make any desired modifications to the document. In addition to applying styles, Automatic Formatting can remove extra "returns" between paragraphs, create bulleted lists, and more.

Is automatic formatting right for you? You'll have to try it out to find out. Take a document that characterizes one you usually work on, save it under a new name (so the original is not changed) and experiment. You'll soon find out whether you like automatic formatting, or whether you prefer manual application.

Applying Automatic Formatting

You can apply automatic formatting to all or part of a document:

1. To format part of a document, select the text. To format the entire document, the insertion point can be anywhere in the document.

2. Select Format AutoFormat, then select OK. Word analyzes and reformats the document, and displays the AutoFormat dialog box, shown in Figure 26.1.

Figure 26.1
Use the AutoFormat dialog box to accept or reject the formatting applied by the AutoFormat command.

3. Use the vertical scroll bar to scroll through the document and examine the new formatting. The dialog box will remain displayed; grab its title bar and drag it to another location if it is blocking your view of the document.

4. Select Reject All to undo all formatting changes and return the document to its original state. Select Accept to accept all the changes. Select Review Changes if you want to review the changes and accept or reject them individually (see below).

Reviewing the Formatting Changes

If you select Review Changes in step 4 above, you can scroll through the document and examine each individual formatting change, then either accept it or reject it. The Review AutoFormat Changes dialog box will be displayed during this procedure, as shown in Figure 26.2. Scroll through the document using the vertical scroll bar; Word indicates the changes that were made using the following marks, as listed in Table 26.1. These marks also appear in the document in Figure 26.2.

Table 26.1 Word Indicates Formatting Changes Made

Change made Mark displayed
New style applied to the paragraph Blue paragraph mark
Paragraph mark deleted Red paragraph mark
Text or spaces deleted Strikethrough
Characters added Underline
Text or formatting changed Vertical bar in left margin


Figure 26.2
Accept or reject individual format changes in the Review AutoFormat Changes dialog box.


As you examine the document, make selections in the Review AutoFormat Changes dialog box as follows:

Setting the AutoFormat Options

The AutoFormat feature has a number of settings that control which document elements it will modify. You can change these options to suit your preferences:

1. Select Tools Options to display the Options dialog box.

2. Click the AutoFormat tab to display the AutoFormat options (Figure 26.3).

Figure 26.3
Use the Options dialog box to set Word's AutoFormat options.

3. Under Show Options For, select AutoFormat.

4. Turn options on or off to control which document elements the AutoFormat command will affect.

5. Select OK.

AutoFormatting as You Type

The first part of this chapter showed you how Word automatically formats an existing document. Word can also format certain elements of your text as you type them. For example, if you start a line with a dash and a space, Word interprets it as being the start of a bulleted list and formats it accordingly. To control which aspects of "format as you type" are active, follow these steps:

1. Select Tools Options to display the Options dialog box. If necessary, click the AutoFormat tab in the dialog box.

2. Under Show Options For, select Autoformat as You Type.

3. Turn options on or off to control the formatting that will be applied as you type.

4. Select OK.

This lesson showed you how to use Word's automatic formatting capability. In the next lesson you'll learn how to use tables.


Previous chapterNext chapterContents


Macmillan Computer Publishing USA

© Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved.