Standard Word doc to Book format

T

Tom

Word 2003 SP2 all updates
Windows XP Pro SP2 all updates

I have a proposal that I'm working on and the content of the proposal is
getting pretty large. What I'd like to do is to have a 1-2 page cover letter
and then have the proposal be in a 'book format'. That is, since the
proposal is about 30+ pages long, I'd like to have a Table of Contents, Index
etc.

Is there a quick and easy way to convert a standard Word *.doc document to a
'book format'? What options do I have to do this and can I 'go back' if I
don't like the result(s)?

I'm open to separating the Cover Letter of 2-3 pages from the Proposal
Document ('book').

TIA,
 
T

Tom Conrad

Sorry for the double post, I had a glitch and my initial response was lost.

My initial question to you, is what do you mean by book format?
Do you mean,
- Cover letter,
- TOC listing chapters/sections
- list of figures
- list of tables
- list of acronyms/terms
- glossary (definitions)
- list of effective pages (sometimes used when a document under goes
periodic revision.
- list of citations, references and footnotes (if applicable)
- Chapters
- Appendices (lists of acronyms, glossary, etc.

If this is what you mean by book format, then a Quick and easy conversion
wholly depends upon the structure of the current document.

- Is the document based upon a user defined template file?
- Does the document have an identifiable outline structure?
(Chapters or major sections with sub sections)
- Did you use styles (heading 1, heading 2, etc.)
- Did you create the styles yourself, or allow word to create them for you?
- Does the document have a lot of direct formatting vice styled formatting?
- Did you use tabs and indents vice the space bar to align paragraphs?
- Did you use field codes?
- Did you use headers and footers, and did you select to use different
headers/footers for the initial page, and for odd/even pages?
- Did you create/use a custom dictionary for the project?
- Does document contain embedded or hyperlinked tables, graphics?
- Are the margins consistent throughout the document?
- Does the document use section breaks?

All of these questions can affect whether the conversion is quick and easy.
Ideally, the final format for a document is determined before the document is
created.
To find out if your document can be converted with out too much effort, you
will need to work on a copy of the document.

At a minimum, to convert the document you will need to use outlining and/or
styles, and/or field codes to:
- mark the major and minor sections of the document.
- mark the titles for the figures, graphics and tables that you want to
list within the TOC.
- mark the words, phrases, concepts that you want to index.
- mark, identify or create a list of the acronyms used within the document.
- create a glossary if applicable.
- mark the titles, captions of figures and tables

===
- Creating a Table of contents
(Word 2003: insert menu, reference, index and tables, Table of contents tab)

You will find numerous help pages on the MVP sites, and several entries
within this and other user groups on how to create a TOC. It is pretty easy.
Word is really good at creating TOCs for documents that use outlining, or
that use heading styles to identify the documents structure.

The TOC function defaults to look for either or both heading styles or
outline levels (up to 9 levels). The user can set how many levels are listed
in the final TOC by changing the settings found under the options button on
the TOC tab.

Generally, Word can also create a usable TOC for documents that do not have
defined outline levels and styles, provided that the user has used some form
of formatting. For example, if a single line sentence fragment precedes a
full paragraph, then the TOC function may identify that the fragment is a
header.

== Creating an INDEX
(Word 2003: insert menu, reference, index and tables, Index tab)

To create an index, the document must contain markings to identify which
words will be included in the index. (The index function works with the
search function to mark the desired words. So it is not necessary to go
through the document line by line, word by word and manually mark all
occurrences of indexed words.

The bottom line,
So... if you have a structured document, then it may be possible to easily
create a TOC. If you already know the words that you want to index, and if
the list is relatively short, then it is also fairly easy to create your
index.

Tom C

===
 
T

Tom

Hi Tom,
Thanks for the detailed response.

My proposal document is simply a continuation of the cover letter - but the
signature page is on page 2 or 3 depending on how wordy I get in my writing.

So, the content of the proposal consists of:
1) Headers and footers
2) Several Sections
3) Excel cells copied/pasted into the document
4) Some standard generic text.

I don't have graphics or imbedded hyperlinks. Although I once did have the
Excel linkage it was too much of an pain for me to work with copies since the
Excel document changes quite often, typically each quote/proposal as I refine
things for the specific prospect.

So, I'm just needing to do the "Book-thing" (or whatever) based upon the
above.

What would you suggest that I do for the future from here? Start over
convert gradually/whole hog to another format or what? Word 2007 is in my
future in about 90-180+ days, I'd say, but no rush.
TIA,
 
T

Tom Conrad

Tom

I work as a technical writer, and our output formats are predefined by the
customer. My longest document totaled more than 400 pages, and included front
matter (toc, lists of xxx, yyy,etc.) 6 chapters, 3 appendices, and back
matter.

Our chapter structure is
1.1 MAJOR SECTION HEADING (HEADING 1, OUTLINE LEVEL 1)
paragraphs of Body text style,
figures (graphics or tables) with two tier captions
1.1.1 Subsection heading (HEADING 2, OUTLINE LEVEL 2)
paragraphs of Body text style,
figures (graphics or tables) with two tier captions
1.1.1.1 Sub sub section heading (HEADING 3, OUTLINE LEVEL 3)
etc.

Although our structure defines up to five levels, we only generate TOCS for
outline levels 1,2,3. We type seperate lists of acronyms, and a seperate
glossary. We don't index (although I think we should).

Although, I'm not an MVP, I believe they would concur that if you want book
like structure then you should start future documents using some of the more
advanced features of word that support book like features, i.e., styles,
outlining, etc.

As for your current document, if you have major sections and minor sections
then you could at least generate a TOC. Insert a few major section title
pages, or insert tabbed divider papers and a basic 30pg proposal becomes a
little sexier and a little less wieldly.

To create your TOC, you will have to mark, or verify that the major minor
headings were associated with a heading style.

To check this, we will change a setting in the tools options settings, and
then switch to normal view. Click on tools menu, options, View tab. At the
bottom is a setting named Style area width. Set this to 1.5". Return to the
doc.
Switch to normal view. (view menu, normal).

At the left side of the document pane you should see a 1.5" wide pane that
lists the styles associated with each paragraph. If your headings are
associated with a heading style, i.e. heading 1, heading 2, etc. then you can
easily create a toc. If your headings do not show a heading style, then you
choose to apply the heading style (format menu, styles and formating. Task
pane, all available styles or styles in use).

To apply a style to a paragraph
Use the mouse to select the paragraph that is your top heading, apply
Heading 1; select heading 2, apply; etc.) If the format of heading 1, or 2
doesn't meet your needs then from the task pane modify the styles settings.
The MVP sites contain lots of detailed help for styles.

A note about Styles:
Styles are a very powerful feature for control of a document's structure and
formatting. A style definition can contain more than 150 format and other
settings that can be applied to a character, paragraph, table, or figure with
a single click.

Word contains more than 200 predefined styles and can automatically create
and apply styles to your document, via the use an intelligent (a matter of
opinion) format analyzer.

The power of styles is two fold. First the user only has to make the
formating choices once, when he/she creates the style, and secondly, if the
user changes their mind, about the styles format thye can quckly change
settings throughout the document.

For example, if a 200 pg document was created wherein the style for heading
1 used Arial 12pt bold, all caps, and the customer/boss, decides at the last
minute that they want heading 1 to use Times New roman, 14pt, italics, mixed
case; it is not a problem. The author/editor merely has to go to the style
defintion, and make the changes to the definition, and then apply the
defintion to the document. Voila, all of the heading 1 paragraphs will be
changed.
 
T

Tom

Tom,
Great advice on the Styles. I think I'll need to review your advice and
then make some gradual change to the proposal. Your insight is tremendously
appreciated!!!
TIA!
 
T

Tom

Thanks, Suzanne, for jumping in! You're link appears super and I've noticed
you have some input there too! I'll continue to look at the link and your
site, too!
I REALLY appreciate your help!
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

There's a lot there to take in, so take a breath and inhale it slowly!
 
D

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

I suggest that you email the author at daiya at-symbol mvps period-symbol
org

In place of at-symbol, use @
and in place of period-symbol use .

--
Hope this helps,

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

Please reply only to the newsgroups unless you wish to obtain my services on
a paid professional basis.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

Could you tell us which links are broken so that they may be repaired? I
know that "Bend Word to Your Will" is no good, an Shauna's "Introduction to
styles" is no longer hosted at MS, but you can read it at her Web site
(http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/stylesms/index.html). And "Improving the
Bottom Line" has been moved to
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/BottomLine.htm. Are there others?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org
 

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