applying modified styles to all old Win-Word docs, using Mac-Word?

[Diane B.]

(Hope I’ve found the right subgroup--if not, please let me know where
to go.
Also...although the DH is a computer person, he doesn’t know much
about Macs or some of the topics I'd need to understand for this
problem. He’ll be reading any answers I get however, so feel free to
get technical.)

HISTORY:
I began using Word for Mac (2004, 11.5.3) last year after switching
from my PC WinWord (1997) to my son’s Mac and its Word for Mac.
I had created hundreds of documents before switching over (nothing
fancy-- just text, bolding/etc, and some centered “headings”–not real
Headings since I didn’t know what those were at the time).

PROBLEM:
The documents are now accessible in Word for Mac, but I’d like to give
them all the same formatting (font, alignment, headings, normal –no
numbering, etc.) *without* having to change each document separately
with Format > Style (ugh). Currently they have all kinds of styles,
which seem to vary from doc to doc (I didn’t “select” any styles when
I created them so not sure how they got there).
I’ve now discovered the Document Map and find it a really handy
feature for my usually-long docs so definitely need to understand and
use templates and styles... have at least figured out how to do simple
style formatting.

THINGS TRIED:
I’ve tried doing a few things so far but none seem to work at all, or
well enough:
....attempted to change the Normal.dot template (unsuccessful, or
perhaps didn’t do it correctly so it would affect the old WinWord
docs)... think it may be working for new blank docs though with some
weird exceptions
....at various points, tried “attaching”? docs to templates, creating
New templates, fiddling with the Organizer, clicking/unclicking Add to
Template, and more, as well as just loads of online searching leading
to dead ends or things/terms I can’t understand well enough

QUESTION:
What would be the best/quickest way to go about changing all the old
WinWord docs to the same formatting of my choice (using Word for Mac),
or is that even possible?


Thanks!
Diane B.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Hello Diane,

Yes, you're in the right place!

First, thank you for your comprehensive run-down.

APPLYING STYLES TO CLEAN TEXT
I (and colleagues, some of whom frequent this newsgroup) have variously put
the stopwatch over various alternatives for re-formatting documents in
similar scenarios to yours. The following will seem counter-intuitive -- but
it's *far* quicker in practice than you might think. And a huge advantage is
that the document is not contaminated in any way by the formatting anarchy
of the "incoming" document.

For other than short documents that won't form the basis of subsequent docs,
the quickest -- and most hassle-free -- way is to select all the "incoming"
document and choose Edit menu => Paste Special => Unformatted Text. Make
sure that when you do that the insertion point is in a [most likely blank]
paragraph to which Body Text style has been applied. I do it so often that I
have a keyboard shortcut for it.

Then, with the "incoming" document on the screen for reference (or in hard
copy), Heading 1 (or 2) is applied to the chapter headings. I apply the
style via a simple keyboard shortcut (discussed later) -- once. Then I jump
to the next instance, click anywhere in the word(s) comprising the chapter
title (don't select) and key Command-y or Option-Return. That applies the
style again.

Once you have applied Heading 1 sequentially, apply Heading 2 similarly, and
so on.

So you see you won't have to go via the Format => Style route. ;-)

This produces a document that will compile a table of contents, and show
Outline view and Document Map, easily.

GETTING A CLEAN NORMAL TEMPLATE
Note that the Normal template has the filename "Normal" in Word 2004, not
"Normal.dot" -- it does not behave if you add the .dot.

Assuming you have no customizations in the Normal template that you want to
keep, quit Word and do a Spotlight search for "Normal" (it's in [hard disc
name]/Users/[your user name]/Documents/Microsoft User Data) and remove it to
the desktop or somewhere; rename it, say, Old Normal.

Open Word again. this will create a new, blank (pristine) Normal template.

Repeat the Spotlight search and double-click on Normal when Spotlight lists
it. The resulting Word "document" that appears will be the Normal template.
Make changes to it then save when you're finished. All new documents will
have the same characteristics when opened, but old documents will not of
course (that would be disastrous).

TEMPLATE(S) -- OTHER
I used to create separate templates and attach documents to them but
frankly, nowadays I just start with a ".doc" skeleton of whatever type of
report/paper/whatever I need. Naturally I keep the originals of these
pristine; I "Save As" or in the Finder select and key Command-d.

This gets over the not-very-good implementation of ".dot" templates in Word
2004.

Occasionally I move styles around with the Organizer. However, far more
often I simply change the style on which I base all others in the body of
the document, plus Heading 1, in the document I'm working on. To do this
requires about half an hour of work on the Normal template. Before that, it
would be a good idea, depending on how deep your knowledge of styles is, to
read the section on styles (page 89) in some notes on the way I use Word
for the Mac, titled "Bend Word to Your Will", which are available as a free
download from the Word MVPs' website
(http://word.mvps.org/Mac/Bend/BendWordToYourWill.html).

Particularly relevant pages are: page 96 -- characteristics of Heading 1
style as I've configured them and how to name styles so you can apply them
with a quick keyboard shortcut -- Command-Shift-s followed by 1 followed by
Return in the case of Heading 1.

[Note: "Bend Word to your will" is designed to be used electronically and
most subjects are self-contained dictionary-style entries. If you decide to
read more widely than the item I've referred to, it's important to read the
front end of the document -- especially pages 3 and 5 -- so you can select
some Word settings that will allow you to use the document effectively.]

For an investment of a couple of hours in really understanding and applying
styles, you will save a huge amount of time forever and a day. ;-)

(A previous poster, Bill Weylock, once said in this newsgroup: "Take 20
minutes or so and read up on styles in Word. Yeah, yeah, the knowledge
should be available in pill form and the jerks at MS should long ago have
introduced telekinetic formatting. For now, though, you¹re working in Word,
which is a cool program if you grasp styles and infuriating if you don¹t.")

And the formatting is totally transferable to PC Word...

You will also find some useful ideas in Appendix A: The main "minimum
maintenance" features of my documents -- page 164. And appendix B. (Don't be
put off by the length of "Bend Word to Your Will" -- it's a dictionary, not
a novel!)

Post back if you need more!

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from the Americas and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
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