Microsoft Word

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Producing documents with two tables of contents

A large text may need to incorporate two parts, each of which requires its own table of contents. Yet by default, the word processor only offers a single table for all pages. However, a trick can be used to enable the creation of separate automatic tables of contents. It uses different styles from those assigned as the headings, but ones which are identically formatted.  To finish, move the second table to the desired position and format it.

 Adapting styles

  1. For each table of contents, you need to assign a different but consistent style for the headings. For example, format the headings in the first part using the style Heading 1 and the headings in the second part with the style Heading 2. (It works similarly when there are multiple levels of headings, where you allocate headings 1 and 2 in the first part, 3 and 4 in the second part, and so on).

  2. Ensure once the respective headings are formatted so that the text is displayed consistently afterwards. For example, you need to format Heading 1 identically to Heading 2.

Inserting tables of contents

  1. Insert the first table of contents at the beginning of the document. Click on the Options... button in the Tables of Contents” dialogue box. The list of available styles shows the organization of headings and levels. For example, you can remove the value under Heading 2 so that it will not be included in the table of contents.

  2. Insert the second table of contents in the desired place in the Document. Here too, click on the Options... button in the Tables of Contents dialogue window and deactivate the headings that should not appear in the table. Remove for example the value in the field next to Heading 1, and enter a 1 in the field next to Heading 2, so that the latter appears at Level 1 in the table of contents. Click on OK to close the window.

  3. Follow the same procedure for multi-layered headings.

  4. Click on OK to close the dialogue. Answer No to the question whether you want to replace the existing table.

Both tables are then created and can be updated automatically, independently of one another.

 

Deleting double spaces using the grammar checker

Double spaces between words crop up over and over. On screen, they are barely visible on the preview, even when display of no-printing characters is activated. You can quickly track down any double spaces using the grammar checker.

Grammar settings:

  1. On the File menu, click on the Options button.

  2. Choose the Proofing option.

  3. Click on the Settings button in the middle of the window to open the grammar settings dialogue.

  4. Under Grammar, tick the Punctuation option.

  5. Click OK to close the dialogue window.

  6. Activate the Word option Mark grammar errors as you type. The grammar checker will now mark problem points with a wavy green line under the text as you type. If this bothers you as you write, you can switch this setting off.

  7. Click OK to close the Options window.

Grammar check:

  • If you have selected the grammar check during typing, you will see where corrections are needed as you enter the text. Right-click on the wavy green line. If double spaces have been found, Word will propose the two words in the menu, separated by a single space. To correct, click on this menu option.

  • If you dislike the checking of grammar during typing, you can start the grammar checker once you have finished entering text by pressing the [F7] key. Double spaces between words are marked here too, and you can correct them by clicking on the Change button.

 

Black bars in place of bullets and numbers

When opening Word documents, bullet points and automatic numbering are often suddenly replaced by black bars, even though the styles are correct.

This is caused by a bug in the software. In most cases, the following approach helps:

  1. Place the cursor behind the first black bar and press the left arrow key.

  2. Press [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[S] simultaneously.

  3. The Apply Styles dialogue will open.

  4. Click on the Reapply button.

The automatic bullet points and numbers will reappear.

Tip: Avoid formatting automatic numbers and bullet points. The font and text size should come from the associated style.

 

The line over footnotes is missing

The line between main text and footnotes can be lost during formatting or when you merge documents.

The following steps will allow you to restore the line:

  1. Open the "View" tab of the ribbon, and click on the "Draft" button in the "Document Views" group.

  2. Open the "References" tab of the ribbon, and click on the "Show Notes" button in the "Footnotes" group.

  3. In the "Footnotes" dropdown menu that appears at the bottom of the screen, select the option "Footnote Separator".

 

Access frequently used folders with documents more quickly

  1. Open the a Word document that is already located in the desired folder.

  2. In Word, open the File menu.

  3. In the left hand menu list, click on the Recent button.
    => On the right-hand side, a list of recently used folders will appear.

  4. Place the mouse pointer over your chosen folder.
    => A pin symbol appears.

  5. Click on the pin symbol next to your chosen folder.
    => The colour and look of the pin symbol will change.

 

Editing password-protected Word Documents

Documents are often protected from editing using a password. If the password is unavailable, this workaround can often be useful:

  1. Save the document using the Save As function.
    In the Save as type list, select the option OpenDocument Text (*.odt).

  2. Open the new document with the *.odt extension in Word.

  3. Save the opened document again using the Save As function.

  4. In the Save as type list, select the option Word Document (*.docx).

The document can now be edited.