why is auto format feature gone in office 2007

[Guest]

I use the auto format feature for transcription and need to know if there is
another way to save frequently used phrases for automatic insertion

 

[Jay Freedman]

I use the auto format feature for transcription and need to know if there is
another way to save frequently used phrases for automatic insertion

It isn't gone, just moved. And you got the name wrong, it's AutoText
(or its close cousin, AutoCorrect) -- AutoFormat is something else
altogether.

AutoText is now part of the Quick Parts feature, which is a button on
the Insert ribbon. You can still use Alt+F3 to save AutoText entries,
and F3 after typing the unique part of an entry's name to insert the
entry.

The one part that is gone, we hope not forever, is the prompt (a.k.a.
AutoComplete) that would tell you to press Enter to insert an entry --
Enter or Tab no longer works, and you have to use F3.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

What you are referring to is not AutoFormat but either AutoText or
AutoCorrect, both of which are still in Word 2007, but AutoText is buried in
the QuickParts Building Blocks.

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

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all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Is there a way to change that setting? F3 is so out of the way on the
keyboard. It is much easier to press enter.
Also, is there a way to add to the list of things that do work the way they
used to? (ie date...)

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

F3 executes the InsertAutoText command. You can assign the InsertAutoText
command to a different keystroke. A good candidate might be Alt+Enter, since
its default assignment (EditRedoOrRepeat) is already well-covered by other
shortcuts/methods.

Unfortunately, there is not [at present] a way to add to the list of things
that still autocomplete (like date items). I'm crossing my fingers and
hoping that Microsoft will add back full autocomplete in a future update,
but I'm not holding my breath (just my fingers in a crossed position).

For now, if you absolutely need autocomplete type behavior, you can use
AutoCorrect. Unlike AutoComplete, you have to explicitly designate which
characters you want to use as the Replace text. But, AutoComplete is fully
automatic. You don't need to press F3, Enter, or anything else other than
some kind of word separator to cause the Replace text to expand into the
With text.