I'm taking an IT course (CLAIT+) which stipulates that 'house style'
rules be applied after text, tables and images have been created &
edited in a Word document. The rules include margins and page
orientation. I have been having problems with the change from Portrait
to Landscape forcing unacceptable splitting of data across pages. Is
there any way around this within the rules of the course?

Hi jmarsh

I assume that the purpose of setting margins and page orientation *after*
creating content is to make the point that one can separate content from
format, and that the same content can be used regardless of, say, whether
you're using US letter-size paper or international standard A4 paper.

The key here is to manage all your text formatting using styles, and to
modify those styles so that they will keep text together on one page where
you need it. And, don't leave any empty paragraphs in your document (that
is, do not press Enter twice at the end of each paragraph).

For example, by default the Heading 1 style is set to "Keep with next" so
that it will always be on the same page as the following paragraph. That
makes sense, because you don't ever want a heading to be at the bottom of
one page, and the following body text to start at the top of the next page.
So by applying the built-in Heading 1 style to your major headings, you get
an instant 'keep with next' bonus. But, if you are in the practice of
pressing Enter twice at the end of every paragraph, then you will have
created an 'empty' paragraph immediately after the Heading 1 paragraph. So,
Word will do as it's told. It will keep the Heading 1 on the same page as
the empty paragraph. And your body text will start at the top of the next
page. The solution is (a) modify the styles to give you the space before and
after the paragraph that you need and (b) don't leave empty paragraphs in
your document. You can see empty paragraphs most easily by clicking the ¶
button on the toolbar. If you see two ¶ signs in a row, you have an empty
paragraph.

With Word 2000 and later, all Tables have two characteristics which should
help you out here. First, you can specify the table width, and column widths
in percentages, so the table width will grow and shrink to fit the margins
(Table Properties. Set the table width on the Table tab, and column widths
on the Column tab.) Second, you can allow the column widths to change to
reflect changes in content. I'm not a huge fan of this setting, but if you
need it, you can find it at Table Properties Table Tab Options
"Automatically resize to fit contents".

Resources that may be useful:

Tips for understanding styles in Word
http://www.microsoft.com/office/using/column14.asp

Creating a Template - The Basics (Part I)
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Custom...platePart1.htm

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word


wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm taking an IT course (CLAIT+) which stipulates that 'house style'
rules be applied after text, tables and images have been created &
edited in a Word document. The rules include margins and page
orientation. I have been having problems with the change from Portrait
to Landscape forcing unacceptable splitting of data across pages. Is
there any way around this within the rules of the course?

Hi Shauna,
Thanks for your reply. I'll try out the percentages option
re. tables today. Styles are not included in the course, which is a
shame, as they seem quite useful.
I've been assured that the course documents are designed to turn out
perfectly when House Style is applied after editing and file
insertions. It's just a matter of me practicing the exact sizing of
table cells and columns, and looking for every last superfluous line
space. I find the actual techniques are not that difficult; it's just
attention to detail. And surviving crashes of WIN.WORD! (College OS is
Win.2000 Pro).

Thanks again,
John Marsh.

It's hard to see how House Style can be applied if you're not allowed to use
styles when creating the document, but presumably they know best. g

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Shauna,
Thanks for your reply. I'll try out the percentages option
re. tables today. Styles are not included in the course, which is a
shame, as they seem quite useful.
I've been assured that the course documents are designed to turn out
perfectly when House Style is applied after editing and file
insertions. It's just a matter of me practicing the exact sizing of
table cells and columns, and looking for every last superfluous line
space. I find the actual techniques are not that difficult; it's just
attention to detail. And surviving crashes of WIN.WORD! (College OS is
Win.2000 Pro).

Thanks again,
John Marsh.

On this course, students are given a House Style sheet which details
criteria to be applied, such as font types, margins, page orientation,
table & chart characteristics. We have to visually comb through the
document, highlighting and making changes as necessary. It does seem
rather cumbersome...I hope that use of Styles is allowed in real-world
offices.