#27185
Microsoft Word 2004 Document Corruption
If your problem manifests with just one document (or a specific subset of documents), but not with all documents, it is probable that you’re suffering from document corruption. Symptoms may include weird page numbering (drag the thumb down the right vertical margin and watch the page number counter – it will go crazy when you pass a corruption) infinite repagination, incorrect document layout and formatting, unreadable characters on the screen, hangs or crashes when you load or view a particular file. Such corruption is generally carried in the very last paragraph mark in a document, which is the marker for a hidden container in which Word stores all document properties including formatting information.
McGhie, John and Beth Rosengard. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#22993
Microsoft Word Accessibility Techniques
Most people use word processors incorrectly. Rather than use true headings, they simply enlarge the font size and make it bold. If you do this, the document has no real structure that can be discerned by a screen reader. The correct way to provide structure within Word documents is to use Word styles.
WebAIM (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Accessibility>Microsoft Word
#30365
Below are some tips for formatting tables or reports. Your formatting should be consistent throughout your document.
Leigh, Heather. Crazy for Words (2007). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#29303
Moving to OpenOffice: Batch Converting Legacy Documents
What if you want to load XML versions of a large collection of Word files, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint files into an XML-aware database where you can query the collection?
DuCharme, Bob. OpenOffice.org (2006). Articles>Software>Word Processing>OpenOffice
#19669
Numbering Headings in Microsoft Word: It Doesn't Have to Drive You Crazy 
If you’re a longtime user of Microsoft Word, you’ve noticed that Word’s functionality has changed in countless little ways over the years. You’ll probably agree that most of the changes have been beneficial and have made our jobs easier. Unfortunately, some changes have been for the worse.
Block, Barbara M. Intercom (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#28632
The home of the Office Users Group, built to provide some very unique help for users of the Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. We've built the site to be independent and a constant source of up-to-date information and assistance.
OfficeUsers.org (2007). Resources>Software>Word Processing>Microsoft Word
#26116
OOo Off the Wall: My Objects All Sublime
All of the contents in an OpenOffice.org Writer document is one of three things: text characters, fields or objects. Objects is a large category that includes formulas, drawing objects and so-called OLE Objects, but it is represented most often by graphics. All objects are added to Writer using a frame, and most of the time, it is the frame that you are editing. The object itself sits sublimely above your changes, its appearance in the document altering but not the object itself.
Byfield, Bruce. Linux Journal (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#19528
Opening Up to OpenOffice: Finding an Alternative to Microsoft Word 
When OpenOffice reached version 1.0 in May 2002, I did my journalistic duty and had a look. It wasn't what I expected. Aside from a few minor disappointments, I liked what I saw. I quickly became convinced that OpenOffice.org's Writer (OOo Writer) is a practical alternative to MS Word. Thirteen months of use has only cemented that impression. Four minor releases have been made since I started using OpenOffice.org, and, with each one, the program has become quicker and more stable.
Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#26101
Opening Up to OpenOffice.org: Finding an Alternative to Microsoft Word
When OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice.org) reached version 1.0 in May 2002, I did my journalistic duty and had a look. It wasn't what I expected. At times, the duplication of MS Word in OpenOffice.org seemed to extend to the faults, but the first impression is misleading. While MS Word users can be comfortable in OpenOffice.org within minutes, OpenOffice.org's interface is by far the tidier. More importantly, OpenOffice.org not only matches MS Word almost feature for feature, but often exceeds it, and provides working versions of features that have been broken or overdue for overhaul in MS Word for several releases.
Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#26102
OpenOffice.org and Me: An Introduction
When I first tried OOo, it was at around version 1.0.0 or 1.0.1. The help files were pathetic in those days; I described them at the time as 'badly written, badly organized, badly indexed, and frequently wrong.' To be fair, the help has improved a great deal since then, though the indexing still needs a lot of improvement.
Weber, Jean Hollis. O'Reilly and Associates (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#24077
OpenOffice.org Off the Wall: It's Numbering, But Not as We Know It
Like any word processor, OpenOffice.org's Writer automatically adds numbers and bullets to paragraphs for you. Unlike typical word processors, however, Writer does not make lists a part of paragraph styles. Instead, lists have styles of their own. These styles are called numbering styles. Separating list styles from paragraph styles gives list options more room for custom settings without burying them deep in the menus.
Byfield, Bruce. Linux Journal (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#25985
OpenOffice.org Writer vs. Microsoft Word
OOo Writer scores most of its victories in features that make the creation and maintenance of highly formatted or long documents easier. This pattern is not accidental. According to Elizabeth Mathias of Sun Microsystems, the documentation of OpenOffice.org has a long history of being written in Writer itself. As a result, the program's developers had the incentive to include the tools they needed. This legacy continues to give Writer advantages over competitors like Word.
Byfield, Bruce. NewsForge (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#26103
OpenOffice.org XML File Format
All OpenOffice.org applications use XML-based file formats. All applications (except Math) use the same format as defined in the specification. The Math component uses the package structure and format, but uses MathML inside the package.
Cover Pages (2005). Articles>Word Processing>XML>OpenOffice
#27239
"Page X of Y" Gives Wrong Numbers
If you have applied the latest service release for your version of Word, and you still have the Page X of Y problem, any of the solutions mentioned below will work for you.
Rado, Dave and Suzanne Barnhill. Word MVP Site, The (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#27233
Word 2000 can be a nightmare when it comes to positioning shapes – Word 97 was much more predictable.
Rado, Dave. Word MVP Site, The (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#26750
Word can be very unforgiving! Once a document becomes too unwieldy, it starts to stagger and then collapses, wiping out all the formatting in the process. In some cases, you can recover the raw text but, as a rule, the layout and presentation is destroyed. However, there are several ways that reduce the likelihood of this occurring.
Klariti (2006). Articles>Software>Word Processing>Microsoft Word
#25698
Replacing FrameMaker with OpenOffice.org Writer
Replace Adobe FrameMaker with OpenOffice.org Writer? Most people's first reaction is amused disbelief. 'FrameMaker is a hugely capable publishing product,' my editor admonished me. 'OOo is a marginally competent word processor.' However, a functional comparison of several important desktop publishing features in both products shows that the products are more comparable than you might think.
Byfield, Bruce. NewsForge (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#28548
Review of Word 2007, Tool vs. Industry Experience, the Slow Movement, E-mail Tips, and More
In this week's Tech Writer Voices podcast, Heidi and I talk about some innovative research from Microsoft, Word 2007, convincing upper management you're not a cost, focusing on information users actually want, tool versus industry experience, the curse of knowledge, the slow movement, and a tip for handling your e-mail inbox.
Hansen, Heidi and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Podcasts
#27191
Ruler of All You Survey: How to Make the Best Use of Word's Rulers
If you work for a company of any size at all, then simply getting your staff to use the ruler properly will save them many hours every week, and significantly increase your company's profitability.
Barnhill, Suzanne and Dave Rado. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#27231
Running a Macro Automatically When a Document is Created, Opened or Closed
If you want a macro to be fired whenever any document is opened, regardless of which template the document is attached to, the simplest way is to write an AutoOpen macro and store it in Normal.dot.
Rado, Dave. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Programming>Microsoft Word
#20779
In considering the leakage of information through hidden text mechanisms in commonly used information interchange formats we demonstrate how to automate and scale the search for hidden data in Word documents. The combination of this scaling with typical behaviour patterns of Word users and the default settings of the Word program leads to an uncomfortable state of affairs for Word users concerned about information security. We discuss some countermeasures employable by users and note more general consequences of these effects.
Byers, Simon. User-Agent (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Security>Microsoft Word
#15187
Compares and contrasts two popular scriptwriting programs: MovieMagic Screenwriter 2000 and Final Draft Audio Video.
Chu, Steve W. Intercom (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Screenwriting
#15188
Seek and Ye Shall Find--And Replace
Offers tips on using search and replace commands in word processors.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Search
#26072
Sharing Files Between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office
Even if you're the most dedicated OpenOffice.org (OOo) user in the world, sooner or later you'll be asked to share files with someone using Microsoft Office. Some free software advocates refuse outright, or suggest outputting to HTML, PDF, or RTF formats, but these aren't always options -- especially if your boss is the one doing the asking. However, with a few preparations and a sense of what works and what doesn't, you can usually share files with Microsoft Office users with a minimum of headaches on both sides. Here's how.
Byfield, Bruce. NewsForge (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#21679
So You Think You Know What a Template Is?
So you think you know what a Template is? Well, what is it?
