Word 2003 docs - 'wings' - getting rid of permanently

[Xylophone]

I use Word 2003 on a XP machine. Every time I open a new Word doc, I get
'wings' attached to the cursor which drives me mad. I can get rid of them
by going into Options/Edit and unclicking Click and Type. But they come
back when I open the next new doc, when Click and Type is ticked again. How
can I get unclicking Click and Type to stick, so that this problem is solved
permanently? I imagine a registry adjustment would do the trick. Thanks.

 

[Guest]

You could try deleting the Data key in the registry. See
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/apperrors/missingmenusetc.htm.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Word 2003 particularly has an irriatting habit of randomly losing some
settings from Tools > Options. The easiest workaround is to force the
settings you want in auto macros.
In this case, add the line
Options.AllowClickAndTypeMouse = False
to both an autoopen and an autonew macro in the normal template.
See http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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[Xylophone]

Stefan, your link makes no specific reference to Word 2003, and Graham,
macros are a no-go area for me: incomprehensible, I'm afraid.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The link that Stefan gave applies to all versions (with appropriate
modification of the version number in the Registry key name), and Graham
provides complete instructions on how to use his macro in the article he
referred to.

--
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.

 

[Xylophone]

Suzanne,

Many thanks. It will be frustrating for you guys. I respect and admire
what you do. I am not some geek, biting my nails in the corner. I would
have not have known from reading it that the registry article applies to
Word 2003. I shall now follow it to the letter. As for the idiot's guide
to macros, this tells you how to create a macro. Great. What it doesn't
tell you is what to put in the macro (kindly been provided in my case).
Hence my aversion to macros: in the absence of such assistance (and where
else might I might find that?), they are totally useless to me. The same
applies to DOS. Many's the time I have been pilloried for not understanding
DOS, yet I have never ever found any document that explains it in ordinary
language, so how am I expected to understand it? There was a little bit
about it in a Windows Manual I got many years ago. Perhaps the truth is
that you either 'get' these things or you don't. I have 4 degrees and am a
successful person. But I tend to be literal minded, so that things of a
technical nature usually have to spelled out to me. There we go.

 

[CyberTaz]

You're in good hands with the group you've been dealing with, but I just
wanted to let you know you aren't alone:0) I believe the "missing link" in
your thoughts is that macros (VBA), DOS, etc. are *programming languages*
that need to be learned just like any spoken language. Perhaps an idiot
savant could just sit down & compose working code without having studied it,
but I would imagine most of us aren't in that category

Further, like most any other body of knowledge, you have to routinely
practice the craft. If you don't have the time, need, or interest to write
code regularly you can't be expected to know "what to put in" at the drop of
a hat. That's why we have to rely on the kind-hearted souls - Like Stefan,
Graham, Suzanne, et al. - who *do* have those skills to help us out

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Xylophone]

Bob

Delightfully and most sensitively put!

You're in good hands with the group you've been dealing with, but I just
wanted to let you know you aren't alone:0) I believe the "missing link" in
your thoughts is that macros (VBA), DOS, etc. are *programming languages*
that need to be learned just like any spoken language. Perhaps an idiot
savant could just sit down & compose working code without having studied it,
but I would imagine most of us aren't in that category

Further, like most any other body of knowledge, you have to routinely
practice the craft. If you don't have the time, need, or interest to write
code regularly you can't be expected to know "what to put in" at the drop of
a hat. That's why we have to rely on the kind-hearted souls - Like Stefan,
Graham, Suzanne, et al. - who *do* have those skills to help us out

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Xylophone]

Re Stefan's registry adjustment, I find in Regedit (I run Word 2003 as part
of Office 2003), I have variously Word 8, 10, 11 and 12. All except 12 have
'Word/Data' as an entry, as described in Stefan's article. So which one or
ones do I delete?

Why should this resolve my 'wings' problem - because this is a problem in my
'Word/Data/Settings?

If I delete that entry, I assume I will have to reset Word from afresh to my
preferred settings. Is that correct?

Are there any dangers in deleting the registry entry?

Thanks

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Okay, let's back up. I agree that it would not have been possible to know
that the http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/MissingMenusEtc.htm article
applies to Word 2003. It was written for (IIRC) Word 2000 and has not been
updated recently, but the principles in it apply to all versions of Word
(even, I suppose, Word 2007, even though it doesn't have "menus" per se).

As for the "Idiot's Guide," it is not about *creating* macros but about how
to *install* a macro you have been given, which is your situation. Read it
carefully; it's just telling you where to paste the VBA you've been handed.
There is another article on the same subject at
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/CreateAMacro.htm, but I think Graham's
article is clearer (though certainly not as concise). If you gave up too
early on Graham's article, you may not have reached the "Auto... macros"
section toward the end, which explains how to create the AutoNew and
AutoOpen macros he suggests creating.

--
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.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Word 2003 is Word 11. Word 12 is presumably the trial version of Office 2007
that you have installed and removed at some time.
Word 8 is Word 97, Word 10 is Word XP/2002. I am surprised that these keys
still have content.
When you delete the settings Subkey Word will rebuild a new default one. If
unsure, rename it to Oldsettings with Word closed.
The macro approach is simpler and more reliable.
Surprising the things that irritate users. I had never even concerned myself
about the 'wings' until you mentioned it - and you appear to know what they
indicate.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Xylophone]

Thanks, Graham

Word 2003 is Word 11. Word 12 is presumably the trial version of Office 2007
that you have installed and removed at some time.
Word 8 is Word 97, Word 10 is Word XP/2002. I am surprised that these keys
still have content.
When you delete the settings Subkey Word will rebuild a new default one. If
unsure, rename it to Oldsettings with Word closed.
The macro approach is simpler and more reliable.
Surprising the things that irritate users. I had never even concerned myself
about the 'wings' until you mentioned it - and you appear to know what they
indicate.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Xylophone]

Thanks, Suzanne

I am grateful for everyone's valuable time here.

 

[Stefan Blom]

First, I want to make it perfectly clear that I'm not taking credit for the
article I referred you to... The authors were Dave Rado and J.E.
McGimpsey (they are credited in the article, below the title).

Second, the (possible) problem with the Data key is that it doesn't seem to
retain the settings correctly, which is what should be corrected after you
delete (or rename) it and have Word create a new one. The actual deletion of
the key restores the default settings of Word, and you should then
(hopefully) be able to make the changes that you want via the user
interface. As Graham wrote, if this doesn't work, use a macro instead.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message

 

[Stefan Blom]

Surprising the things that irritate users. I had never even concerned

myself about the 'wings' [...]

FWIW, the "wings" annoy me too. Actually, what annoys me is what they
represent: inserting blank paragraphs and tab characters to position text,
which is completely inappropriate in a word processing program. :-(

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I agree with Stefan on both points. "Click and type" is one of the first
options I disable, and I would be visually annoyed by the "fussiness" of the
pointer in any case.

--
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.

Surprising the things that irritate users. I had never even concerned
myself about the 'wings' [...]

FWIW, the "wings" annoy me too. Actually, what annoys me is what they
represent: inserting blank paragraphs and tab characters to position text,
which is completely inappropriate in a word processing program. :-(

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message

Word 2003 is Word 11. Word 12 is presumably the trial version of Office
2007 that you have installed and removed at some time.
Word 8 is Word 97, Word 10 is Word XP/2002. I am surprised that these keys
still have content.
When you delete the settings Subkey Word will rebuild a new default one.
If unsure, rename it to Oldsettings with Word closed.
The macro approach is simpler and more reliable.
Surprising the things that irritate users. I had never even concerned
myself about the 'wings' until you mentioned it - and you appear to know
what they indicate.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Xylophone]

I can't make head nor tail of the alleged 'idiot's guide. Much of it does
not appear in my use of Word, so I have to guess. That takes me so far. I
create a 'Wings' macro. This takes me into MS Virtual Basic with some lines
already there. Then I paste the line supplied in the email over those
lines. This leaves me with the the line, and only that. Then what? I
can't save the line, as I don't know where it would be saved to, if
anywhere. As for auto entries, I can't see any or any links to or anything
to do with auto entries. So how do I get the line into an auto entry, etc.
as advised.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

AFAIK, the Visual Basic Editor has not changed for Word 2007. It seems to me
that Graham's instructions are very clear. You have already managed to
create your macro and get to the VBE, where I'm assuming you're seeing this:

Sub Wings()
'
' Wings Macro
' Macro created date by user
'

End Sub

You paste the VBA code you were given above End Sub, then click the Save
button on the VBE toolbar. You don't have to choose where to save it, as
Word already knows this (the module already exists, is already saved).

But this really won't help you much because Wings is not the correct name of
the macro; you need to create (or edit) a macro named AutoNew and one called
AutoRun. If you didn't find this information in Graham's article, then you
did not read all of it because there is a section toward the end titled
"Auto... macros" that gives illustrations of several macros similar to the
one you're trying to create.


--
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.

 

[Xylophone]

Thanks, Suzanne. The article mentioned autoopen and autonew but did not say
these are the names you give to the macros you create in the editor. I have
now done so thanks to you.

I have just come away from a research committee where we were much exercised
by the lack of use of plain English in documentation. A moment's thought
would tell the author of the article to which Graham refers that it does not
explain what it sets out to explain to an idiot. What didn't the author
simply run his draft past an idiot, or a few idiots. I recall the
instructions I struggled with in the case of Norton Ghost, where to me they
were literally incomprehensible. The guy who wrote them would no doubt be
offended by that, and express surprise that anyone should think that. He
understands and he has expressed his understanding. What he did not do is
express it in the language of the ordinary person who does not understand.
That after all is the purpose of instructions.

 

[Graham Mayor]

You are not creating a 'Wings' macro, you are creating an autonew macro and
an autoopen macro. Assuming that you have not previously created any macros
with these names, copy the following into your vba editor (the illustrations
on the web site should match your version of Word)

Sub AutoNew()
Options.AllowClickAndTypeMouse = False
End Sub

Sub AutoOpen
Options.AllowClickAndTypeMouse = False
End Sub

Click the save button on the vba editor toolbar and close the vba editor.
You will find on the web site an expanded use of these auto macros to take
care of those issues where Word will not retain the settings. if you use any
of those then you add in the line

Options.AllowClickAndTypeMouse = False

to those macros rather than create new macros with the same names. Macros
are fairly straightforward. They are simply instructions to operate Word
functions. I don't see how I could have made their implementation any
simpler than on the web site http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm but
if you can think of anything that would make it easier for beginners, then
by all means let me know and I will see what can be done.
--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>