replacing blocked text

[Guest]

I used to be able to block text and type a letter which would replace the
entire text. Now, when I block the text and type a letter, the letter is
just added at the end of the blocked text.

Also, I used to be able to block text and press "backspace" and the block
text would be erased. Now when I block text and press "backspace," the
cursor just goes to the beginning of the blocked text.

WHY IS IT DOING THIS!?!!!

Blocked text + delete works just fine though.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Check tools > options > edit > typing replaces selection.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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[Stefan Blom]

On the Tools menu, click Options. Click the Edit tab. Make sure
"Typing replaces selection" is checked, and click OK.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message
news:[email protected]...

 

[Guest]

Mr. Mayor:

Oh!!!
Thank you so much, such a simple solution to a massive headache!!

--grateful

 

[Guest]

Thank you Graham - the same thing happened to me and your answer has solved
the problem. But does anyone know why does the programme suddenly change like
this of its own accord?

 

[Graham Mayor]

Word 2003 has a minor bug that causes random changes to the registry key
that holds the settings. If it becomes a problem you will need a macro
solution to fix it.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

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[Beth Melton]

I know we've been down this road before, Graham, but I still do not
concur with a minor bug that randomly changes the Registry. If it were
then the Registry key would be rebuilt which would reset it to the
defaults and "Typing replaces selection" is not a default setting.

I've investigated similar situations, "unexplained changes to user
preferences", and each and every time we've found the cause. The
gremlin has always been a third-party add-in or a document/template
that contains a macro that is responsible for this type of behavior.
Someone recorded a macro to make a change to Tools/Options and not
edit their macro to remove the options that do not apply and the macro
is in an add-in or template. Even some of the Microsoft templates
change user preferences so it's not uncommon. I'll bet if we polled
everyone who has encounter this situation and had them list every
add-in they have installed or template they used we'd find the
culprit.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Well, I'd love to know which add-in is monkeying with my ruler display. I
want it ON, always, in every document, all the time, but I can have it on in
one session and it's off in the next, on in the current document and off in
the next one I open (in a given session), no matter how many times I save
and close documents (and Word) with the ruler displayed. My add-ins are:

DataPrompter.dot
TaskPaneController.dot
PDFMaker.dot

Also, another slight mystery: ever since I added a Ruler button to my
Standard toolbar (to facilitate turning the blamed thing on), the Acrobat
toolbar, which I had to the right of it, is not displayed at startup even
though there's still room for it (barely). Even when I turn it on in a given
session and have it displayed when I quit Word, it isn't there the next
time. Not a real issue, since I can easily display it when I need it (which
is fairly infrequently)--just one more mystery (and really surprising given
the usual persistence of that particular toolbar).

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

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[Tony Jollans]

I'm with Beth on this one and tend not to accept corruption as an
explanation just because the real cause is unknown. Random changes to the
registry key seems so unlikely an explanation of anything. A specific
problem with the ruler, which I know you've mentioned before and which is
not experienced by everyone, no matter what the cause, isn't random -
although it may be a bug, perhaps triggered by some combination of
circumstance peculiar to you.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

It's not just the ruler, though, but unexplained changes in Zoom ratio, for
example. In theory, a document is supposed to open in the same view and at
the same Zoom in which it is saved. Usually they do. But why do they
occasionally not? Or why does Word sometimes open in Print Layout view at
105% even though I have Document1 in Normal view at 100% and keep it open
all day, so that it is the last document I close when I shut down?

I have long maintained that these issues were SDI-related, that Word seems
to retain the settings of the previous window that was opened. What seems to
(sort of) confirm this hunch is the behavior of white space. Given that the
"White space between pages" box is on the View menu along with many other
settings that are application-wide (not document-specific), you would expect
a checked or unchecked box there to be reflected in every open document. But
this actually varies by window, as explained in “WD2002: Rules for ‘Hide
white space between pages’” at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=297564. My
observation is that the display of field codes follows similar rules.

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

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[Beth Melton]

IIRC, I think we had a private discussion on this and didn't we find
that the SnagIt add-in had something to do with it? Depending on the
version it may not display in the COM Add-ins dialog box since. I
forget which version was a "per machine" instead of a "per user"
installation.

Either that or another discussion I recall is didn't you turn your
ruler off for Print Preview? There was a specific sequence that would
result in the ruler also ending up being turned off the next time you
created a new document. Let's see...here you go, these steps should
reproduce it:

- Switch to Print Preview
- Turn off the display of the ruler
- Close Print Preview
Result: Ruler still displays
- Create a new document
Result: Ruler is turned off.

So this one is indeed a bug , however it does have a set of
reproducible steps and it isn't random.

I'm not sure about the Acrobat toolbar. I do know their add-ins are
poorly designed and without being able to see their code that one may
remain a mystery...

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assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[Tony Jollans]

In theory, a document is supposed to open in the same view and at

the same Zoom in which it is saved. Usually they do. But why do they
occasionally not?

I'd like an answer to that one myself.

I do find the View settings, some being document specific and others not, to
be confusing on occasion and I wouldn't be completely surprised if Word got
itself tied in knots trying to maintain a set of over-complicated rules and
losing track of the setting it was trying to use. I do notice some odd
behaviour similar to that you describe but tend to shrug my shoulders and
carry on regardless. and have never taken the time to try and fathom it -
perhaps I should.

 

[Beth Melton]

It's been awhile since I looked into the zoom and view issue but IIRC
it's similar to how the Show white space option is handled, a per
window, per document, per user setting. I do know it only started
happening with either Word 2002 or 2003 when Microsoft changed the
behavior as an effort to appease those who wanted to maintain their
zoom and view setting.

I think there are too many variables so we end up with fickle behavior
and nothing that ends up being reliable. In this situation, I do agree
that if you want to control it then you need to use a macro. But like
with the missing ruler, there is a reasonable explanation for the
behavior. ;-)

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assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I don't recall the previous discussion indicting either of those causes
specifically, but indeed, I do have SnagIt, and I do have the ruler turned
off in Print Preview (didn't know it was supposed to be on).

Of course, I would love to lay all these things at Adobe's door; they do so
many dumb things that it's very tempting to blame them (or Symantec) for
everything. <g>

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

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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I do notice some odd

behaviour similar to that you describe but tend to shrug my shoulders and
carry on regardless. and have never taken the time to try and fathom it -
perhaps I should.

That's exactly the situation I find myself in. I'm busy performing a task
and experience these phenomena as a brief annoyance and interruption (for
the second or two it takes to change the setting to the desired one) but not
enough of a problem to troubleshoot extensively.

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

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[Beth Melton]

I'd have to go searching but I do remember discussions about your
ruler, status bar (I think that's the one that we found to be caused
by SnagIt), and I think there was one or two settings in Tools/Options
that weren't sticking that was attributed to Adobe. Ah, here's the
thread on the ruler:
http://groups.google.com/group/micr..._frm/thread/a3dd51b7c5b75f71/489906234ab462cc

(Interestingly it stemmed from a similar discussion as we are having
now. lol)

Essentially Print Preview is Page Layout view so I'd say the ruler
view is connected. That being the case, I suspect the bug you are
encountering is due to a refresh/redraw on the document window and why
the ruler doesn't go MIA until new document window is opened. (I think
there was scroll bar bug that was similar in nature.)

Also, in Word 2007 if you turn the ruler off in Print Preview it
remains off when you close it so it looks like the bug was corrected.
<g>

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assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Well, I've reinstated the ruler in Print Preview, so we'll see how much that
helps. Then maybe if it works, I can delete the Ruler button from the
toolbar and see if the Adobe toolbar comes back. <g>

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

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all may benefit.

 

[Beth Melton]

Let us know what you find - especially on the Adobe toolbar.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[Graham Mayor]

Having followed this and other threads on the subject - isn't what you are
describing a minor bug that changes the registry where the settings are
stored, and if it does that without your connivance than that is a
corruption - which is more or less what I said in the first place?

If it is attributable to an add-in (and I too have SnagIt - which I would
not be without - Acrobat 7, and others which are essential to me) then the
only practical answer is a fix to work around it - the auto macro fixes I
have advocated in various similar posts do at least fix the issues.

If it is proved to be SnagIt then I have always found that company most
amenable to suggestions to improve their product. But I am not yet ready to
lay the blame at their door.

Collation of the add-ins installed by those who report errors of this nature
may be a plan - I must try and remember to ask next time


--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

FWIW, I restored the ruler in Print Preview and so far all is copacetic on
that front (not much stress on the system yet, though), and Word came up
this morning with the Adobe toolbar loaded, too, though I think that's a
complete red herring.

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

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