Bullet Points and Other Haut Cuisine

[deird1]

The big problem with Microsoft Word is that it's always trying to be extra helpful.

My latest struggle has been bullet points.

You know the sort of thing:
1) assemble an army
2) train them for battle
     a) teach them about guns
     b) teach them about grenades
3) take over the world
     a) invade Poland
and so forth...

Unfortunately, my bullet-point-

Comments

[shobogan]

If it's any consolation, you are henceforth the Queen of Analogies.

[deird1]

Woo! Do I get a crown?

[shobogan]

Of course! It's made of chocolate.

[_sabik_]

Switch to Linux :-)

Of course, it has its own weaknesses; there's a bit of a tendency for the instructions to have sections that say that if you don't have spaghetti on hand, here's how to make some out of flour... and for the variations to be listed in alphabetical order, rather than grouped into logical sections. Still, if you want to cook dinner and know what you want, it tends to do better.

It also avoids the frustration that comes with knowing that while MS sets things up in the "ideal" way, if you actually look it up and check, it's usually ever-so-subtly wrong. Not so you'd necessarily notice, but enough of a faux pas to make you look like a philistine.

As for the original problem, the only hint I know about MS Word bullets is that the properties of the bullet itself (colour and so on) are set on the invisible space at the *end* of the bullet point (after your text, possibly several paragraphs down if your bullet points are that long). I don't even know if it's still true, it's been a few years.

η

[carlos_v_b]

To keep with the kitchen analogy, the problem with Linux is that when you say "Let's get started cooking!", you find that the gas main hasn't been connected and the bench top is in the lounge because it was 50cm too long.

When you ring the builder to complain about it, you're told that there's a hacksaw in the cupboard for the bench, and that after a few nights reading up on gas valves you'll be able to connect your stove up in no time!

[_sabik_]

You need to get your Linux from somewhere else... whoever you're getting it from seems to be unloading left-over stock from the 90s on you.

η

[kirby1024]

A little trick - You can actually destroy all traces of Autocorrect if you like. It's under Tools -> Autocorrect Options. Just uncheck every damn check box, and Microsoft Cook will never try and turn your pasta into delicious marshmallows again.

It will, however, mope about how you never let it do anything anymore...

[carlos_v_b]

Most auto-corrections also include themselves in the undo/redo, so immediately hitting Ctrl-Z when Word does something you don't like should help you.

[_sabik_]

Because nothing says "concentration" like having to check after every word whether it went in OK or got auto-corrected to something totally other.

η

[carlos_v_b]

Oh, you mean rereading and checking over what one has written? The thing one should be doing anyway to avoid spelling and grammatical errors? :-p

[klme]

I identify and I love the analogy

[deird1]

Why thank you!

From Laney

[anonymous]

My word, this analogy is funny.

I HATE it when you've got everything exactly right and you hit 'save' and it changes everything for NO reason.

The thing that I'm struggling with is that my fingers prefer to use keyboard shortcuts and I know them to the point of 'playing-rags-on-the-piano-without-having-to-bother-about-the-notes-ness'.
And now we have Windows Vista, which means that everything is in different places and looks weird and I have to relearn everything.
Theoretically, the old shortcuts are still supposed to work somehow, but using them becomes like trying to play one rag while looking at the sheet music for another. You knew the first one fine without the music, but having a different one staring you in the face makes everything go haywire...

Re: From Laney

[deird1]

This is the problem with Windows: every time you get used to it, they change everything...