If I Had My Document Way… Numbering Would Include All Levels

If I Had My Document Way… …heading numbering would by default include all previous levels of numbering. What does that mean? Here’s an example of heading numbering (this is BAD, and is used by US government documents like the CFR): 1. This is heading 1 a. This is heading 2 b. Heading 2 again i.… Continue reading If I Had My Document Way… Numbering Would Include All Levels

If I Had My Document Way… Version Control

If I Had My Document Way… …all documents would be in a version controlled central location. This is not about formatting, it’s about keeping track of all the versions of a document, especially one that is being edited by multiple people. Too much of the time, we rely on email and MS Word’s powerful-but-limited Track… Continue reading If I Had My Document Way… Version Control

If I Had My Document Way… Formatting Marks

If I Had My Document Way… …formatting marks would show what formatting would be applied to the text. This is a little more technical, but I think it would solve a lot of problems. I don’t want to be one of these people who claims that WordPerfect 5 (or is it WordStar I’m thinking of?)… Continue reading If I Had My Document Way… Formatting Marks

If I Had My Document Way… Styles Would Be Taught First

If I Had My Document Way… …Styles would be taught first, instead of being reserved for the advanced class. I’ve found that basic MS Word training teaches users to apply formatting directly. But I think they would be better served by teaching them Styles in the first lesson (after the absolute basics like opening, saving,… Continue reading If I Had My Document Way… Styles Would Be Taught First

If I Had My Document Way… Heading Numbering by Default

If I Had My Document Way… …Word’s default Headings would have a proper numbering setup. By default, the headings in Word don’t have numbers. The standard template has a blue Heading 1, then some other font for Heading 2, etc. No numbering. This means the first thing you have to do in an empty document… Continue reading If I Had My Document Way… Heading Numbering by Default

If I Had My Document Way… Paste Formatting

If I Had My Document Way… …paste formatting would be removed. That trick where you can select some text, click the ‘Paste Formatting’ paintbrush button, then paint that formatting on some other text is the cause of many problems I’ve seen in documents. Applying some random formatting to a chunk of text, instead of using… Continue reading If I Had My Document Way… Paste Formatting