Microsoft® Word 2007 Bible

Chapter 15. AutoFormat

IN THIS CHAPTER

• The difference between AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type

• Finding the AutoFormat command

• Running AutoFormat

• Using AutoFormat As You Type

• Changing AutoFormat As You Type settings

A long, long time ago in a bold effort to invite Word users to explore the wonderful world of poly-style formatting (using more styles than just Normal), Microsoft introduced something they called AutoFormat. It was a simple idea: automatically convert some things that you type into their formatted counterparts, converting lone lines into headings, asterisks into bullets, numbers into formatted numbering, straight quotes into curly "smart quotes," and so on.

Over the years, AutoFormat has acquired additional capabilities. It has also attracted an assortment of supporters and detractors. Most users, however, fall squarely in the middle, liking some features, while hating others. Many users are also confused by similarly named but quite different features named AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type. This chapter's mission is to show you how to turn on what you do like, turn off what you don't, and avoid spending time changing the wrong sets of defaults.

AutoFormat versus AutoFormat As You Type

AutoFormat comes in two flavors: AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type. The first, the AutoFormat command, you can apply to an existing document or text to automatically format elements in it.

The other version, AutoFormat As You Type, works like AutoCorrect. It automatically converts ...