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Word2007 Tips
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Collapsing and Expanding Subdocuments
Word allows you to easily add all sorts of flourishes to the text in your document. If you want to add vertical lines at the left and right of a word (perhaps for a page title), you can do so easily using any one of several different methods.
One way is to use the "pipe" character before and after your word. On most keyboards the pipe, or vertical bar, is a shifted version of the \ character. Type the pipe, a few spaces, the word, the same number of spaces, and then another pipe character. You can then center the paragraph.
If you are comfortable with the use of fields in a document, you could also try using the pipe character with the EQ field. Just insert a set of field braces (by pressing Ctrl+F9) and then making sure the field looks like this:
{eq \b \bc\| ( myword )}
When you collapse the field you end up with "myword" centered between the pipe characters.
Another method is to simply type your word and then format the paragraph so that it has borders at the left and right sides. Follow these steps if you are using Word 2007:
If you are using an older version of Word, follow these steps:
At this point you should see the borders on both sides of the paragraph. However, they are probably too far from the text, as the paragraph extends all the way from the left margin to the right. (This means that the borders appear at the left and right margins.) Adjust the left and right indents of the paragraph so that the vertical lines move in closer to the center. You can also adjust the other settings for the paragraph formatting (like Space Before and Space After) to get the paragraph exactly where you want it.
You can select the word itself and raise it or lower it in relation to the bordering lines in this manner:
Using the paragraph borders in this manner can require a lot of trial and error to get everything just right. If you use a table instead of a regular paragraph, the positioning is just a bit easier. Simply create a centered single-cell-table and make sure the cell is wide enough to contain the word you want. When you center the word in the table cell, you can then add borders to the left and right sides of the cell. Finally, you'll want to vertically adjust the word within the cell by following these steps if you are using Word 2007:
Follow these steps if you are using an older version of Word:
Finally, you could create the desired lines by simply drawing the vertical lines you want. This is particularly helpful if you want the lines to be "fancy" in some way—a way that can only be achieved through using the shapes available in Word. Draw two of the same lines, place your word in a text box, adjust the lines and text box so all elements are in the desired relative positions, and then select all three items and group them. This last step is particularly important since it will ensure that the relative positions of the elements don't move around later.
Tip #6764 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 2000 2002 2003 2007
Create Rock-Solid Lists! Bulleted and numbered lists can help make your writing clearer and easier to follow. If not done properly, however, they can be a nightmare to work with. Discover the ins and outs of Word's lists with this great reference available in two versions.