Autotextlist/autotext: how to export

[lindie]

I have created a document containing autotext:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/AutoTextList.htm

The problem is that the autotext is not exporting. I have saved my
form as a Template, used tools/adins etc to put the autotext into the
document.
when I email it to other users the whole autotext list comes up, not
just the autotextlist I set up.

What am I doing wrong?
Thanks
Lindie

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You did create the AutoText entries in a specific style not used for
anything else?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

AutoTextList is a type of field. As Suzanne pointed out, it is intended to
be used with styles which are used to categorize AutoText entries. AutoText
entries cannot be stored in a document but must be in a template. If you are
sending your template to others, they will have your AutoText entries show
up in the AutoText list field. If you are sending a document based on the
template to others, the field will pick up AutoText from their system and
not include your custom entries.

If your problem is that the field is showing choices when you just want it
to show the AutoText item you picked, then you need to unlink the field.
Select it and press Ctrl-6.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[Lindie]

Thanks to both of you. I have already learnt a lot from various previous
postings by you both but: this one eludes me.

I followed the instruction in the link I included. I used the Normal style
as required in the article. Would that have been the problem?
Lindie

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you use Normal style, then your entries will be added to all the rest in
Normal style. I believe you missed the part where Bill has you create a
custom style for the AutoText list entries. Bill suggests: "Before you
begin, you may want to print out this procedure to guide you along the way."

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Lindie]

I have checked the document and I did what Bill instructed. It really does
no work. When another user opens the Dot file I sent them all of the
autotext comes up. I have tried various configurations- the
specificStyle/Normal, mixtures, used the Adinmanager to get the autotext
into the dot- nothing.
what is the secret?
Lindie

 

[Charles Kenyon]

The other user should _not_ be opening the .dot file. They should be
creating a new document based on it using File > New.

I've sent you an email. Send me a copy of your .dot file and I'll take a
look at it.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[Charles Kenyon]

Hi,

I've looked at your template and...

Your template has _no_ AutoText entries.

Your AutoTextList fields are in paragraphs formatted using the Normal style.

Your template does not contain the styles referenced in your AutoTextList
fields. This is not necessarily a problem but it is very hard to create
AutoText in a style when the template doesn't contain the style. However,
all your formatting is done using direct formatting on top of the normal
style rather than through styles. This shouldn't change your outcome with
the AutoText list but is very poor practice in creating a template.
http://addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm

I added two styles called in your AutoTextList and an AutoText entry in each
of those styles to your template. The AutoTextList fields keyed to those
styles work as expected -- that is, they show only the AT entry in the named
style. The others where there are no AT entries saved in the style revert to
listing all AutoText available.

I am returning the revised template so you can see this for yourself. Hope
this helps.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
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[Lindie]

Many thanks Charles but it still does not work for me. I saved the autotext
through the adinmanager, in a template. when I open the template the saved
AT are not there. You refer to that in your response. so why cannot I save
the AT into my template?

Lindie

 

[Charles Kenyon]

adinmanager? organizer?
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[Lindie]

adinmanager/organiser/autotext

Lindie

adinmanager? organizer?
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Unless you have an unusual version of Word or an add-in offering some other
functionality, the path is Tools | Templates and Add-ins | Organizer |
AutoText.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Lindie]

Just shows you that I'm a novice. Yes that's right and it does not store the
AT in the template.
L

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Are you sure you are copying it from the place where it is stored into the
template? Note that you must have the template open for editing in order to
store AutoText there.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

You can "open" it in the Organizer, as well, but the Organizer must show
both the to and from templates as open.

Also, I've heard from others here that transferring AT entries using the
Organizer does not include the style attribute for the AT entries. I just
tried it and confirmed that this is a problem in Word 2003. I also tried
first copying the styles and then the AT entries. The style attribute still
did not copy. I don't think a vba workaround was discovered. The AT entries
are there, just _not_ in the proper category. Since, in my computer's global
templates I have over 150 AT entries, it takes a while for them to show up
and to find the right one in a non-categorized AT list field.

The original poster might try making a custom toolbar with the AutoText
entries. This will _not_ depend on the style attribute transferring. For an
example of this, take a look at the gender toolbar at
http://addbalance.com/word/download.htm. If the toolbar is copied after the
AT entries, it will work.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
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from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Lindie]

The problem is solved. Referring back to Bill's original article he suggests
not using alt F3 but to take the longer route: "instead of pressing Alt+F3,
choose Insert |AutoText | AutoText.... and then set the LookIn list to your
specific template and click Add."

This does indeed copy the AT's to the template. sosimple really.

Many thanks to you for what has been an interesting dialectic- and didactic-
journey.
Lindie

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Alt+F3 always adds the AutoText entry to whatever template you have selected
in the AutoText dialog. If you select your specific template, then you can
use Alt+F3, but you need to remember to change the setting back when you're
done so that you have access to all the AT in Normal.dot as well.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.