I'm currently reformatting old documents into a new style. I'm doing
this by copying the old docs into a new blank doc template and applying
the paragraph styles. However in some cases where the font was
different in normal style, reapplying normal style in the new template
will not update the style. I have to go into format styles and modify
the normal style. Can anyone explain why this happens? I'm also
putting together a guide for users so need to be able to explain this
to them. thanks a lot.
Take a look at the IncludeText Field tutorial which shows what happens when
you have style interactions between documents, some of which use the same
styles defined differently.
http://addbalance.com/word/download.htm#Tutorials
If you already have text in the new document using the updated style, then
the style definition in your new document will apply to the copied text. If
you do not, you will import the definition from the old document.
Do not copy into a new document template but rather into a new document
based on your new template, unless you are trying to create new templates.

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Charles Kenyon
Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word
Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide
See also the MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/ which is awesome!
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> I'm currently reformatting old documents into a new style. I'm doing
> this by copying the old docs into a new blank doc template and applying
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> putting together a guide for users so need to be able to explain this
> to them. thanks a lot.
Hi Jackie:
When you paste in modern versions of Word, the default is to "Keep source
formatting". Most of us need "Adopt destination formatting". I guess they
had to choose one or the other, and they chose the default that is least
likely to confuse newbies.
Unfortunately, it confuses and frustrates the hell out of the rest of us,
because it's wrong nearly always.
Look up "Paste options" in the help, and turn on "Show paste options" if you
have turned it off.
Then, when pasting, choose "Keep text only". This will ensure that your
incoming text adopts the style of the destination document.
You will get less problem with this if you "treat" your source document
before importing from it:
1) Use Tools>Templates and Add-ins to "Attach" the same template to the
source document as you used to generate the destination document. When you
do that, check the box that says "Automatically update styles...". When you
do THAT, Word will update all the styles in the source document to match
those of the destination document.
2) Next, select all of the text in the Source document and hit Control Q,
then Control + SpaceBar. That removes all manual formatting from the text,
leaving only the style formatting.
OK, this is not a perfect solution: you will lose your bold and italic if it
were not applied by a style. But you will have to do a lot "less" work.
Sorry: It's a bad design.
If you are going to have to do a lot of this, you can use the following
macro:
Sub oEditPaste()
On Error GoTo notAvailable
Selection.PasteSpecial Link:=False, datatype:=wdPasteText
End
notAvailable:
Selection.Paste
End Sub
If you remove the "o" from " Sub oEditPaste()" the macro will replace your
Paste command and paste as "Keep text only" always. Or, leave the macro the
way it is and assign a shortcut key to it using Tools>Customise. I use the
Insert key for the purpose.
Actually, I name the above macro "EditPaste" and use that as my normal Paste
command, and assign this to the Insert key:
Sub PasteFormatted()
Selection.Paste
End Sub
Hope this helps
On 19/11/05 2:07 AM, in article
1132326462.579625.130440@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "Jackie"
<jacqueline.fulton@semplefraser.co.uk> wrote:
> I'm currently reformatting old documents into a new style. I'm doing
> this by copying the old docs into a new blank doc template and applying
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> putting together a guide for users so need to be able to explain this
> to them. thanks a lot.

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Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie <john@mcghie.name>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410
Jackie - 21 Nov 2005 14:24 GMT
Thanks both of you. This was very useful.