Automatic tab generation.

D

Dylan56

I don't remember what this is called, but in WP it's so
easy yet I can't seem to figure out how to do this in
Word: I need multiple tab stops to occur at 0.25"
intervals. I don't want to have to click these tabs in
one by one, but in the FORMAT > TAB dialogue box, I can't
seem to get it to generate tabs by putting 0.25 in
the "Default tab stops" area. I've been messing around
with this for the last 5 minutes but I'm obviously doing
something wrong.

Can someone tell me how to get it to dump tab stops at
0.25" markers on the ruler without having to click each
tab stop on the ruler itself (time-consumig and highly
inaccurate, to boot!).

Thank you so much!
 
J

Jezebel

The default tab does not insert tab stops. It just means that if you insert
a tab, in the absence of any explicitly inserted tab stops, your text will
move to the nearest multiple of the default tab value.

There is not mechanism for inserting a heap of tab stops automatically.
You'll need to do it once by hand. Make it part of a style, then call up the
style as needed. Use the tab dialog rather than just dragging on the ruler,
to get the placement accurate.

Why do WP users like having a squillion tab stops? What sort of text is
tabulated at quarter inch intervals?
I've noticed this on WP documents I've been sent in the past, and removing
them is always one of the first things I do.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

I agree. The more you avoid the built-in tab stops and use custom ones, the
less likely your document is to turn to garbage when reformatted for a
different printer (or font).
 
D

Dylan56

The reason WP is so powerful is that it's codes-driven (vs
styles-); that allows for an extremely degree of precision
not possible in Word. (Believe me, I've tried, and can
manage it in Word, but with a lot of fuss.) As such, one
of the things one can do is in one step, set up tab stops
at 1/4 inch intervals, say, which is handy for things like
legal documents with lots of sub-paragraphs styles without
messing with the styles as much or when there is small
text, etc. I particularly need this in a doct here at the
office that requires just such a thing, frequent small
intervals due to a lot of data and small pt size. Here in
Canada, you should see what happens to paragraphs with
lots of that type of sub-paragraphing, if I can call it
that, but when side-by-side in bilingual memos. Pain in
the neck! <ha ha>

So something else I have to do a workaround in Word for.
That's okay, getting used to it. I'll try the technique
you mention.

Thank you very much! Appreciate the tip.
 
D

Dylan56

In Word, yes, I agree with this, too. Sometimes it's
unavoidable, though.

Thanks!
 
J

Jezebel

You are confusing methods with objectives. Word and WP have different ways
of doing things. Your objective is to achieve multiple indent levels: in WP
you do this by setting large numbers of tab stops. As a WP user coming to
Word you, you should be asking how Word achieves this objective, not how to
get Word to mimic WP's method.

The reason Word is so much more powerful than WP is that it is not
code-driven. And if you're still having trouble with precision, just ask.
The answers are there to find. I'm no particular advocate of MS products,
but your prejudice is very obviously getting on your way here.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

You can set default tab stops at 1/4" intervals in Word (Format |
Paragraph), but as soon as you set a custom tab stop, all the default tab
stops before it are erased.
 
D

Dylan56

You are confusing methods with objectives. Word and WP have different ways
of doing things. Your objective is to achieve multiple indent levels: in WP
you do this by setting large numbers of tab stops. As a WP user coming to
Word you, you should be asking how Word achieves this objective, not how to
get Word to mimic WP's method.

The reason Word is so much more powerful than WP is that it is not
code-driven. And if you're still having trouble with precision, just ask.
The answers are there to find. I'm no particular advocate of MS products,
but your prejudice is very obviously getting on your way here.
Click to expand...

Sorry, we won't even go there. It's the other way around, just like
an automatic could never compete with a standard.

But here, in this msg, we're talking about preferences. That's a
different issue altogether so we won't go there. In my case, I prefer
speed, accuracy and power. We're working on manuals and Word is a
program that tells one what _it_ wants to do and you have to be an
advanced processor to wrest control away from Word. If its styles
were reliable, I'd lean more in favour of it, but there are at last
count, and ONLY WHAT I HAVE COME ACROSS, over half-a-dozen things Word
_cannot_ do that Word can.

Nope. Word YET doesn't have a leg to stand on. There are only TWO
things that it has any advantage over WP:

- due to much better marketing practices, whatever those might have
been, Word is universally available so everyone can share documents

- for the _absolute_ beginner, Word pablum-like approach is much
better. For a person just starting out, this is a great advantage.
but the instant you go beyond the basics is where Word is a serious
problem.

I'll lick it yet. I have, at home, over 600 programs that I use to
one degree or other. I know the components of all 3 major commercial
suites and I write my own databases in Filemaker Pro, etc., etc.

Word is just not a well-coded program, that's it, that's all.

But I absolutely COULD NOT live without Outlook, Excel and Powerpoint.
They are aweseome! It's just Word that's the weak link in the chain.
I know, I work in the field a lot. No-one has used Word to the degree
my current job has so I'm learning new aspects of it that I was happy
to not know up till now <lol>. Word 2000 has certainly come a long
way and I have it at home. I do use it for certain things over WP,
just not for complex docts as Word just doesn't do the job WP does.

Thanks. Have a great day everyone.
 
D

Dylan56

You can set default tab stops at 1/4" intervals in Word (Format |
Paragraph), but as soon as you set a custom tab stop, all the default tab
stops before it are erased.
Click to expand...

Thank you.
 
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