Help with type a question box.

S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

I've just looked at the Word Help topic "Show or hide the Type a question
for help box." It says:

1. On the Tools menu, click Customize.
2. On the menu bar, right-click the Type a question for help box.
3. Select or deselect Show Ask A Question Box to show or hide it.

Note If you are hiding the Type a question for help box, it will still
display until after you close the Customize dialog box.

What this means is that you must have the Customize dialog open, but you're
not actually clicking anything *in* the Customize dialog. You're
right-clicking the "Type a question for help" box itself. You get a menu
with a single item: "Show Ask a Question Box." It has a check mark beside
it. Presumably if you click on it, you will remove the box, but, having
already read the replies posted here by other MVPs, I'm loath to experiment
with it, since there doesn't seem to be any easy way to get it back. I take
it that you can't just right-click on the menu bar to get this option?

--
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.
 
B

Bob Buckland ?:-\)

Hi Shauna,

For the 'how to get it back' through the UI see my reply to Suzanne.
For the registry setting that stores the choice it's the one for each app that mentions "AWDropdownHidden" in

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\Toolbars\Settings

It's part of the Answer Wizard (AW) customization area.

===========
Hi Graham

OK, so I turned off the box.

How do I get it back? It seems that the setting is not in normal.dot or in
the Data or Toolbars registry entries.

Shauna

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.>>

--
I hope this helped you,

Bob Buckland ?:)
MS Office system products MVP

LINKS to the 2007 Office System

1. Free MS Office 2007 book from MS Press, 213 pages:
http://microsoft.com/learning/office2007/default.mspx#booksfrommspress

2.. Office 2007 Beta 2 Online Test Drive, Downloadable beta,
e-learning courses, doucmentation and movies:
http://microsoft.com/office/preview

3. Send 2007 Office System Beta 2 feedback directly to the MS Office 2007 product team with this feedback tool:
http://sas.office.microsoft.com/

4. Try the 2007 OfficeOnline preview website , without Office2007

a. Install the ActiveX access control
http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=XT101650581033

b. then visit
http://officebeta.iponet.net
 
H

Helmut Weber

Thanks Graham,

seems to be a good day for learning.

--
Greetings from Bavaria, Germany

Helmut Weber, MVP WordVBA

Win XP, Office 2003
"red.sys" & Chr$(64) & "t-online.de"
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

Bob, I'm not seeing any reply from you to my post and I would like to know
how to get it back through the UI (if there is such a 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.

Bob Buckland ?:-) said:
Hi Shauna,

For the 'how to get it back' through the UI see my reply to Suzanne.
For the registry setting that stores the choice it's the one for each app
Click to expand...
that mentions "AWDropdownHidden" in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\Toolbars\Settings

It's part of the Answer Wizard (AW) customization area.

===========
<<"Shauna Kelly" <[email protected]> wrote in
Click to expand...
message news:[email protected]...
Hi Graham

OK, so I turned off the box.

How do I get it back? It seems that the setting is not in normal.dot or in
the Data or Toolbars registry entries.

Shauna

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.>>

--
I hope this helped you,

Bob Buckland ?:)
MS Office system products MVP


LINKS to the 2007 Office System

1. Free MS Office 2007 book from MS Press, 213 pages:
http://microsoft.com/learning/office2007/default.mspx#booksfrommspress

2.. Office 2007 Beta 2 Online Test Drive, Downloadable beta,
e-learning courses, doucmentation and movies:
http://microsoft.com/office/preview

3. Send 2007 Office System Beta 2 feedback directly to the MS Office 2007
Click to expand...
product team with this feedback tool:
 
H

Helmut Weber

Hi Suzanne,

once you know it, it seems so simple.
Starting from a menubar not showing
a "type a question for help"-box.
Right click in the menubar
customize
"type a question for help"-box appears
right click in "type a question for help"-box
left click in the grey box preceding
the "type a question for help"-box
nothing happens
close

There seem to be quite a lot of possible variations.

By the way, I hate constructions like
"type a question for help"-box.
The more so as it is called
"Ask A question"-box in the help.

Once again, "help" all to often is no help at all.

Calling Jezebel an a**hole?

Well, I think I blame MS more for the irritations than the OP.

I was confused, too,
though more moderate,
and suggested silly workarounds.

--
Greetings from Bavaria, Germany

Helmut Weber, MVP WordVBA

Win XP, Office 2003
"red.sys" & Chr$(64) & "t-online.de"
 
B

Bob Buckland ?:-\)

Hi Suzanne,

Not to worry :) While the 'ask a question' box is an Office wide feature, you can use the same technique in Word, Excel and
Powerpoint to turn it off individually in each app. If you have right clicked on the 'Ask a Question' box and then left clicked the
'Show...' choice that appears, while Word's Tools=>Customize dialog is open when you close the Tools=>Customize dialog then the
'question' box will not be visible.

If you the reopen the Tools=>Customize dialog the 'question box' will be visible when the dialog is opened and you can right click
it and again select 'Show...' the dialog box should stay visible when closing the Tools=>Customize dialog.

It is possible that this is another area where add-ins could cause interference, but the settings are saved in the registry.
===============
I've just looked at the Word Help topic "Show or hide the Type a question
for help box." It says:

1. On the Tools menu, click Customize.
2. On the menu bar, right-click the Type a question for help box.
3. Select or deselect Show Ask A Question Box to show or hide it.

Note If you are hiding the Type a question for help box, it will still
display until after you close the Customize dialog box.

What this means is that you must have the Customize dialog open, but you're
not actually clicking anything *in* the Customize dialog. You're
right-clicking the "Type a question for help" box itself. You get a menu
with a single item: "Show Ask a Question Box." It has a check mark beside
it. Presumably if you click on it, you will remove the box, but, having
already read the replies posted here by other MVPs, I'm loath to experiment
with it, since there doesn't seem to be any easy way to get it back. I take
it that you can't just right-click on the menu bar to get this option?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word) >>
--
Bob Buckland ?:)
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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

Guest

Hey Bob,

The problem I'm facing is that I have no option when rightclicking the box
to show or hide the only options I get when right clicking anywhere is to
turn off all the other stuff like formatting, standard, autotext, etc.

I am starting from a fresh and updated from Microsoft install without any
other addins, addons, etc.

Btw, I don't have any of those entries in my registries.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\Toolbars\Settings
Settings is the last folder and it only has one entry.

Thx for reply though
 
G

Guest

Thx again for replying Helmut but once again, I have no option to show or
hide that box. The only box I have checked right now is the Menu Bar box.
That is what I was told to uncheck earlier which that would be a bad idea
anyways. I can't even uncheck that box if I tried though. It's like it's not
even allowed.

Appreciate the reply though
And it's not so much of me calling him an a**hole as it is him starting out
by being childish and calling me stupid. He started it<------JK!
 
H

Helmut Weber

Hi spysmily1,
And it's not so much of me calling him an a**hole as it is him starting out
by being childish and calling me stupid. He started it<------JK!
Click to expand...

ok, Jezebel did.
That's just the way he is.
With all the help he has provided here before,
it is generously granted.

As to that da*ned f*ing box:
I have no problem to show it and hide it, manually.
With the box there:
Tools, customize,
right click in the box,
uncheck, close.
Box has gone, here and now.

With no box there:
sub dam*d
Tools, customize,
f*ing box appears,
right click the box,
uncheck the preceding grey square
nothing happens
close
end dam*d
box is still there

repeat dam*d
box has gone and hopefully will have vanished forever.

Otherwise, I don't know.

Have a nice day, nevertheless.

If nothing works, let it rest for a while.
After 20 or maybe more years of
struggling with Word and later Office,
my advice is, take a time out.

--
Greetings from Bavaria, Germany

Helmut Weber, MVP WordVBA

Win XP, Office 2003
"red.sys" & Chr$(64) & "t-online.de"
 
H

Helmut Weber

da*ned f*ing box,
driving everybody up the walls:

There is a "not" missing occasionally.

I need a time out, too.

Helmut
 
B

Bob Buckland ?:-\)

Assuming that there aren't any group policies or custom install restrictions applied and that's not an outdated mouse driver, which
can look like you're clicking one place, but be a bit 'off' when you click the 'Ask a question box' with the Tools=>Customize dialog
open
there should be at least one Reg_Binary key in that toolbars entry for each Office app installed.

You may want to try exporting then deleting that registry key, then doing a repair/reinstall from Add/Remove Programs in the Windows
control panel and check the settings there to see that the help wizard items are installed.

==========
Hey Bob,

The problem I'm facing is that I have no option when rightclicking the box
to show or hide the only options I get when right clicking anywhere is to turn off all the other stuff like formatting, standard,
autotext, etc.

I am starting from a fresh and updated from Microsoft install without any other addins, addons, etc.

Btw, I don't have any of those entries in my registries.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\Toolbars\Settings
Settings is the last folder and it only has one entry.

Thx for reply though >>
 
G

Guest

Thx for reply as you were right about clicking the right place, probably
mouse problem as it was very picky on where to click. I still don't have
those registry entries but doesn't seem to be a problem yet. You were very
helpful Bob.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

Well, this is the behavior I would have expected and hoped to see, but I
didn't dare take a chance after Shauna seemed to have tried in vain.

--
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.
 
G

Guest

Thx for replies and sry for any trouble caused. Bob Buckland helped alot when
he suggested that the mouse driver might be off when selecting the type a
question box and sure enough he was right. I wasn't even clicking near the
box when the option finally appeared.

Thx for your time and by all means your time out is well deserved, so go
ahead.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

I still think you're clicking in the wrong place or under the wrong
conditions. It sounds like you're getting the toolbar menu you get when
right-clicking on the Menu Bar or a toolbar in Word when the Customize
dialog is not open (this menu does not appear when you right-click on a
toolbar or the Menu Bar with the dialog open). If you click in/on the "Ask a
Question" box *while the Customize dialog is open*, you will get the single
menu item "Show Ask a Question Box," with a check beside it.

Please confirm that this is what you are doing:

1. Opening the Tools | Customize dialog (in any of the myriad ways that can
be done--I usually just double-click on a toolbar).

2. With the Customize dialog displayed, right-clicking in the "Ask a
Question" box *on the Menu Bar.*

When you do this, you should get the single menu item described, which you
click to deselect it. When you close the Customize dialog, the Ask a
Question box should be gone.

--
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.
 

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