A template is a document which contains lots of formatting and layout options which you use often such as a letter heading. Rather than type your address every time you write a letter save it in a document template and fill in only the bits which change like the address of the recipient, the date and the text. If your letter heading includes complex formatting and a graphic you’ll be glad you did it this way. Word provides a large number of ready-made templates for a range of tasks, one of the most useful of which is the Newsletter Wizard - a Wizard because it provides a range of options during set up.
To open a document from a template select File/New (NOT the new file icon) and choose a template from the dialogue box. To create a template set up a document how you want it, choose File/Save As and choose Document Template from the list of file types at the bottom of the dialogue box. Some templates are so complex they are called ‘wizards’ and provide choices to the user such as those in the Newsletter Wizard.
You can add an index to a publication listing key terms that a reader might want to use as a reference so they can easily find the items in the text. To mark a word to appear in the index select it and choose Insert/Reference/Index and Tables. Click on the Mark Entry button to add the item to the index. This may turn on invisible characters (paragraph, line feed, etc.) so click on the toolbar button to turn them off.
To complete the index create a new page (Ctrl-Enter) and then choose Insert/Reference/Index and Tables again and this time click OK to confirm the generation of the index. You can adjust the format of the index with the controls on the page.
You can generate special key strokes for foreign characters. Bring up the Visual Basic toolbar and click on the blue circle icon to start recording a macro. Give the macro a name (e.g. 'e_acute'), click the Assign Macro to Keyboard button, assign a key combination such as Control/Shift/E and click the Close button. Now enter the key code for your character on the keyboard (e.g. Alt/130 for é) and click the Stop recording macro button. Now you can use the key combination instead of having to remember the ASCII code. To view the code you have created click on the VB code button and select Normal/Modules/New Macros from the Project box on the left. With Visual Basic you can extend Word's capabilities and develop automated and interactive documents.
You can use macros to make typing in a foreign language easier, creating a key combination for the various accented characters. To do this choose Tools/Macro/Record New Macro. Give the new macro a name and click the Keyboard icon to assign a key combination (such as Ctrl-Shift-e, etc.). Click 'Apply' and Close. The Recording Macro toolbar appears, so whatever you do now will be recorded in the macro you just created. For a foreign character or other symbol you use often choose Insert/Symbol locate the character and insert it into the document. Click the square button in the Recording Macro toolbar to stop recording. When you press the key combination you specified you will get the character you inserted. Once again the setting will stay in your Normal template so you will be able to use it again and again.
Make a personal letter heading with three parts: your name and position (imaginary?) on the left, a crest in the middle and the school name (or other organisation) on the right. Save it as a template.
Create a document which contains a table which contains information such as :
Add a header with your name on the right and a footer with the page number on the bottom.