How Styles, Templates and Building Blocks Relate to One Another in Microsoft Word

[@CurlyWoof]

Best overview anywhere of the interplay between styles, templates, and building blocks 😊

[@CharlzNine]

Great video Deborah! As trainers we're always learning, especially when we get feedback like you did. For the instructional video on this topic, I imagine you showing how each of these are saved (including how to save a collection of styles in a Style Set). Perhaps if people see where and what extension these are saved under they'd understand a little better. (Since individual styles have no file extension that I know of, you could show how to import/export styles from one document to another.) You never cease to impress me - thank you and keep it up!

[@DeborahSavadra]

@CharlzNine - Great idea re: importing/exporting Styles - I will add that to the list! 🙂

[@KrimPeninsula]

Deborah. Thank you very much. Today I discovered you… and the SEQ field benefits. I have a big smile. What a fantastic way to explain the intricacies of Word. (from a new subscriber and thankful Bolivian attorney).

[@tanguerochas]

Note, AutoText is a type of Building Block, the only BB gallery that can be used on Macs

[@mikeylorene]

You are so right about beginners mindset! As a teacher I learned to never assume someone (or everyone) already knows something (in the procedure one is teaching). Students who are lost from the beginning will never let you know (out of embarrassment) and therefore will never understand what to do. So, I learned to teach in outline, naming and explaining every step needed to get to the goal. Instructions that drove me crazy when I was a newbie on the computer was always: "Go to so and so and click on...." What? I had no idea how to GO to so and so or whatever... how do I get to where I'm supposed to GO to start the process? So, I never learned how to do the process because I was flummoxed at GO TO. I had to wait until I met someone who could explain it to me one on one and show me where GO TO was! It took me a long time to self teach. There wasn't a KZbin back then, and even now there are many tutorials that leave me more confused than knowledgeable. I am so happy you explain everything methodically... and clarify when needed... it helps a great deal for a dyslexic.

[@kathrynmachol4676]

Hi. I'm trying to set up a template for Q&A depositions, including line numbering, indents for colloguy and readback, etc. Shortcuts for certain commonly used text content.

[@claudialynettewhite]

Good day Deborah Thanks for the clarification. I have to check for your courses and probably sign up to do them. I am trying to set text extenders for the parties in matters but have to constantly format. The style requirement of the client is that the name tags must be bold and uppercase.

[@DeborahSavadra]

😄

[@tutsecret499]

About tables. If I am merging data from Excel the data places in tables and push the text from the bottom of the first page, place on the top of the page, then the text continues down to next page and continue the process. I could use column and know how to use, but it's a pain sometimes the columns

[@gloria5289]

I have a letter template shared with dept employees in my office. On the top right side, I have a text box so that employees who issue these letters can type their contact info. (e.g. name, address, phone number, email), which can be tedious. Is there an automated way I can set up this letter template so it automatically fills in this information based on the user's Word options profile or perhaps Outlook contact profile?

[@StephanieLeigh]

How can one create a template with specific macro stops (places to be filled in) of a document that may be used over and over again

[@donna4630]

I would like help with automatic numbering with multi-level list. I struggle with this all the time.

[@rvallenduuk]

Hi Deborah, I hope you get to read this - your last video seems to be a while ago. I like your clear and relaxed style. Too many youtubers talk like radio DJs... I get the styles and templates. I also know about themes - a set of colours and fonts. But where do style sets fit in? If I have 10 templates with the same styles but different content, and in all of them I want to make the same change to one or more styles, what's the best strategy?

[@gailphillips3717]

I watch your videos and "get it." But, in a rush when I am trying to put together a pleading or agreement, I default to doing things by hand. I simply don't have time to go back and try to check notes or remember how to set up the various quick parts, autotext, etc. What I think you are being asked for, and I sure would appreciate, is a Template that is already set up for a Pleading, Agreement, Memo, etc. In other words, I have copied numerous documents done in the past to get the set up and replace with my own words. I would certainly buy such a package. For example, I have watched your videos re Styles and re automatic numbering, but how do you put those two things together to do a pleading or Argreement?

[@cherylcreek9978]

Thankfully, Deborah, I'm familiar enough with Word to be able to distinguish between Templates, Styles & Building Blocks, but it was good to have that refresher course! I was interested in your comments about trying to navigate the Office 365 world. I'd love to find out if you have tips and tricks on that!

[@gabrielamercado8523]

Hi Deborah, I am having problems with styles when it comes for formatting a Brief. If you have a sample template on how to start a template for a brief, that has step by step for preparing the brief before the attorney ruins the document, lol. I really need a kind of cheat sheet for styles and applying it to a brief. Hope to hear from you soon. Gabriela Mercado

[@dawnwagner7883]

Thanks for the explanation! I've had the same thought, to be honest... But this helped.

[@gailphillips3717]

I have never been able to fully grasp Styles when it comes to numbered paragraphs in pleadings with subnumbering.

[@MrPoetnscribe]

I need your help for just a couple of problems in ms office, and don't know how to get in touch with you. I've just completed a manuscript I've been working on for 20 years and now I'm trying to format it in the manner that will be accepted by an agent or publisher. Do you have an e-mail address that you would put here on youtube? Problem one is my first page. The text is fine until I try to footnote. Then, it cuts half the text off and puts the footnote just a few spaces down on the blank bottom of the page. Picture a full page of text, then picture that same page without any text on the bottom half, but that footnote, which is NOT on the bottom where I want it. I've tried everything to delete this invisible page break with no luck.The other problem is I don't know how to make a page break for my chapter numbers. They want you to go down the page, but not use enter to take it down the page for the Chapter number. I am 82 and very inept, so if you decide to help me pretend you're instructing your youngest grandchild.

[@beverlyray6555]

My boss has started his own firm and we are starting from ground zero. I'm trying to create templates for expert reports as well as other things. Could use help with all these, especially building blocks and styles. I think I get styles, but don't have a lot of experience totally customizing them and using them all the time, which I'm trying to do now. Same with building blocks.

[@DeborahSavadra]

I'm hoping to cover these kinds of issues (including templates, Themes, Styles and Building Blocks) in the coming weeks.

[@belindaholtzclaw7262]

Thank you, Deborah, for continuing to untangle the web! I am working on a very old and complex document which is edited with new text and reformatted every year. I found that although I thought I had cleaned up the styles through the styles gallery, the styles pane has over 35 styles which are from previous years which continue to find their way into the document. I would like to know the safest way to get something like this under control. Thanks for everything you post. Very helpful.

[@daledavidson7305]

Hi, Belinda. You can control which Styles you see and/or which ones exist in your document. Click the down arrow next to the Styles to bring up the Styles Pane. Then click on Options at the bottom right. In the "Select styles to show" try "In use" (the first dropdown menu). Did that help? If you want to spend time deleting the old styles, first check to be sure none are being used (using Find and Replace, Format dropdown and Style, getting rid of any text in the "Find what" box). Then you can click on the Manage Styles box (at left of the Options in the Styles Pane). Note that there are only some styles that can be deleted.

[@tutsecret499]

I have to tell you. I don't why in legal area use so complicated numbering, I get so confused. I never understand. Maybe it's because I am not familiar with that in a daily basis.

[@jenniferthomas1150]

It's complicated - we provide Style Sets for that, but still complicated if those are added to an existing document, especially if the original didn't use MS styles properly. I feel your pain, though!

[@DeborahSavadra]

Document cleanup is always a cumbersome task.