Automatic formatting distorts the layout of my border

[TJ]

I am preparing a training document. I want to put a few select training instructions apart from other text by encasing it within a border. These instructions contain bullets and multiple paragraphs. I want to put one solid rectangular border around these instructions. When I add a border, I also get horizontal lines between paragraphs and the vertical lines indent with the bullets. How can I put a rectangular border or box around text with consistent margins? I guess what I want would be similar to a page border, but would only apply to select paragraphs, not the entire page. I have tried the following to no avail- 1. I deleted all formatting and reapplied the formatting after I added the border (when I reformat, the border gets all distorted again. 2. I tried copying the formatted text into an existing rectangular border (as soon as I pasted the border went all weird again). 3. I tried turning off automatic formatting (it is still formatting... is it not possible to turn that feature off???!!!! Any help would be appreciated. We just switched from wordperfect to word and everyone in the office is having formatting nightmares.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

For this type of situation you will probably need to use a frame or text box
(I'd recommend the former) and apply the border to it.

I am preparing a training document. I want to put a few select training

instructions apart from other text by encasing it within a border. These
instructions contain bullets and multiple paragraphs. I want to put one
solid rectangular border around these instructions. When I add a border, I
also get horizontal lines between paragraphs and the vertical lines indent
with the bullets. How can I put a rectangular border or box around text
with consistent margins? I guess what I want would be similar to a page
border, but would only apply to select paragraphs, not the entire page. I
have tried the following to no avail- 1. I deleted all formatting and
reapplied the formatting after I added the border (when I reformat, the
border gets all distorted again. 2. I tried copying the formatted text
into an existing rectangular border (as soon as I pasted the border went all
weird again). 3. I tried turning off automatic formatting (it is still
formatting... is it not possible to turn that feature off???!!!! Any help
would be appreciated. We just switched from wordperfect to word and
everyone in the office is having formatting nightmares.

 

[CAndersen (Kimba)]

We just switched from wordperfect to word and everyone in the office is having formatting nightmares.

Suzanne gave you the proper answer (use frames or text boxes).

Now, I would like to offer my sympathies. You're going to have to re-think
how you approach your documents. I've always considered WordPerfect to be
straightforward and Word to be insane, but the key is to accept that it's
insane. Accept that productivity will decline, also. You're not going to
change Microsoft; so acceptance will lower blood pressure and allow you to
start learning ways to deal with the insanity.

Have everyone in your office become very familiar with this site:
http://word.mvps.org/
It will help immensely.

And three important tips:

1. Make sure everyone has Fast Saves turned off NOW.

2. Tell everyone to learn the (very non-intuitive) way to set up numbered
headings--documents will corrupt otherwise:
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/OutlineNumbering.html

3. And you can't ever use Master Documents in the world of Word.