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Digital Tip: Creating Styles and Templates

Most word-processing software allows you to create styles, which are sets of formatting characteristics for elements in your document, such as headings, paragraphs, and lists. Using styles allows you to automate much of the work of formatting these elements in your documents, and styles are particularly useful when you want to be able to create an automated table of contents or create a template for future documents. Instead of creating your own styles and templates, you can also use preformatted templates for certain types of documents.

     Here you will find instructions for completing the following tasks in Microsoft Word® (2002):  

Setting Heading Styles

Creating heading styles throughout your report, proposal, brochure, or other document allows you to automate the typeface size, style, and font for each level of heading.  For example, suppose you want all the first-level headings in your document to be 14 pt. Times New Roman boldface and all the second-level headings to be 12 pt. Times New Roman italic. To create heading styles, follow these steps:

  1. Format a level 1 heading and highlight it.
  2. Click on the Styles and Formatting drop-down box on the Formatting toolbar (Figure 1) in the upper-left-hand corner of the Word window.
  3. Type in a new name for your heading style (e.g., header 1) and press Enter. 
  4. Highlight each additional level 1 heading in the document individually (as shown on the left half of the screen in Figure 1) and, while it is still selected, click the Style drop-down box and select your new heading style. The format of the highlighted heading will automatically change to match your level 1 heading style.
  5. Repeat steps 1-4 to create and apply a different style to your level 2 and other headings.

After you apply styles to all your headings, if you decide to change their typeface size or font, you can change one heading, reset the style, and the rest of the headings assigned that style will change automatically. 

Figure 1. Styles and Formatting Dialog Box for Header Styles

Setting List Styles

Lists are an effective way to present sequential information such as instructions and summaries of information that can be itemized or ranked in numerical order.  To customize the bullet or numbering style for your lists, follow these guidelines.

1. Double-click a number or bullet in your list to display the Bullets and Numbering dialog box (Figure 2 shows a selection of bullet options).

2. Either click on one of the styles displayed or click on the Customize button for more options (Figure 3 shows options for numbered lists).

3. After selecting the bullet or numbering format of your choice, click OK to apply it to that and all subsequent lists in your document. 

Figure 2. Bullets and Numbering Dialog Box

Figure 3.  Customize Numbered List Dialog Box

Creating a Table of Contents
Once you've used styles to mark all of the headings in your document, you can use Word’s table-of-contents function to automatically generate a table of contents for your document:

  1. Position your cursor in your document wherever you want your table of contents to appear.
  2. Select Insert à Reference àIndex and Tables (Figure 4).
  3. Click the Table of Contents tab. Select the appropriate style options for the formatting you want (Figure 5).
  4. Click Modify. In the dialog box that appears (see Figure 6, the Modify Style dialog box), set your style preferences (font size and style, line spacing, text alignment, etc.).
  5. Click OK, then click OK again to create the table of contents.

Figure 4.  Index and Tables Dialog Box

 

You can alter the formatting or update your table of contents at any time by right-clicking in it and selecting Update.

Figure 5.  Style Options Dialog Box for Headings in a Table of Contents

Figure 6.  Modify Style Dialog Box 

Creating a Template

Now that you have marked all of the styles in your document and used those styles to create a table of contents, create a template so that future reports will be easier to format:

  1. Save your document with a different file name (e.g., template1.doc).
  2. Remove most of the content in the document, but be sure to leave one example of each style in your document (headings, lists, margins, etc.) so that others will be able to easily follow your styles.
  3. Select Save.

Now, whenever you need to create a new report, simply open your template document (template1.doc), save it with a new file name, and plug your new content into the template.

Using a Preformatted Template

To create letters, reports, brochures, fax transmittal sheets, and other types of routine workplace communications, consider using one of the numerous templates already available in Word.  You can access them as follows.

  1. Select File à  New to open the New Document dialog box.
  2. Select General Templates from the template listing (Figure 7).
  3. Choose from among the tabs shown. 
  4. To select a preformatted letter, click on the Letters & Faxes tab (Figure 8).  It will appear as shown in Figure 9.

At this point, fill in the company name and follow the prompts for the remaining content.  After completing and printing the letter, save the file with its format specifications for future use. 

Figure 7.  General Templates Dialog Box

Figure 8.  Templates Dialog Box for Letters & Faxes

Figure 9.  Template for a Professional Letter

Accessing Additional Templates

You can access additional templates online for calendars and planners; finance, accounting, and legal documents; and many others at http://office.microsoft.com/templates.