Help a computer idiot with WordXP problem?

Be aware that when you remove tabs, ordinarily you would want to add a blank line between paragraphs. If that's what you want to do, you would search for ^t and replace it with ^p. That replaces each tab with a paragraph marking.

We're here to explain further if you need it. I wouldn't know a thing about computers if I hadn't had teenagers at just the right time.

Maryn, helpful

I had to switch from WordPerfect to Word a couple of years ago, since that's what editors use and WP is a dinosaur.

I hate Word. It's totally counterintuitive, unnecessarily complex, and trying to figure out how to do something new is still a nightmare.

Hate it. Just hate it.

Don't feel dumb about not understanding how to make Word work. The knuckleheads at Microsnort don't think like normal humans, and to make things worse, when they "Upgrade" the product, they move all the commands around so you have to re-learn them all over again.

RJK said:

Microsnort.

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One space or two after periods is handled in the grammar check program. Open it under options, and it gives you the choice. You can change whatever you're done by selecting all, and then making the change under the correct grammar check box.

I'm not exactly sire what you mean by removing the tabs, but if you mean indents, you can set to zero or anything else. Again, selecting all, and then making the change removes or resets anything you've already done.

The only problem with Word is that users don't learn how to use it before they start using it.

Jamesaritchie said:

The only problem with Word is that users don't learn how to use it before they start using it.

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Because that would take a few years, then Microsoft would come out with the next edtion, change things around (ribbons! drop-downs! kill it!), forcing a writer to relearn everything.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamesaritchie
The only problem with Word is that users don't learn how to use it before they start using it.

riginally Posted by stormie
Because that would take a few years, then Microsoft would come out with the next edtion, change things around (ribbons! drop-downs! kill it!), forcing a writer to relearn everything. .

Click to expand...

Microsoft is damned if they do change things, and damned if they don't. *shrug* They add features users say they want, but then other users complain that those features have been added, and so on. Of course, no one forces a user to purchase a new version of Office.

As for the OP's problem-- if you're reformatting for submission, use the find and replace method. If you're setting things up to start fresh, you can change the settings for space after periods in Word Options (Tools--> Options) and either set the paragraphs to have a blank line after (Format--> Paragraph) or turn off Automatic indenting and just hit Enter after the last line of the paragraph. (I think the indenting is also Format--> Paragraph, but I don't currently have WordXP/2003 on my borrowed machine and can't verify.)

If you're formatting for submission, I would suggest saving the modified formatting version as a different file so that if you need the original formatting again (different submission, for example) that you don't have to undo what you have done.

Write on!

Microsoft provides a standard manuscript format template for Word.

I know a few people who use that template, but I can't speak to how well it works from personal experience since I generally won't use Word except under duress. (I use a Mac writing program that has an 'export as Word .doc in standard manuscript format' option.) The template should work on any version of Word published after 2003.