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Mac Forum / Applications / Word / May 2008New irritating "feature" in Word
When opening the AutoCorrect panel in order to add a new entry, the focus (i.e., the cursor) is not on the Replace field, as it was in previous versions of Word. You now have to click or tab into the Replace field before you can start writing. This effectively adds a keystroke for no apparent reason. In addition, if previous iterations of Word got you used to be able to start writing immediately, you will often find yourself typing into nothingness -until you remember you're in Word 2008. Most irritating of all, if you tab out of the With field you're not returned to the Replace field, as used to be the norm. Instead, you're taken to the Search Word Preferences field. That wouldn't be too bad, except it closes the AutoCorrect panel. If you do that before approving the new entry, you have to reopen the AutoCorrect panel to finish the operation. This behavior seems to contradict Apple user interface rules. In System Preferences, which the Word Preference panel emulates, tabbing between various fields does not close the active panel, nor should it. This new "feature" just succeeds in breaking my workflow. In article <2c07c8eb-d1c6-4a75-8230-07e427d336eb@x41g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>, > This new "feature" just succeeds in breaking my workflow. Please make sure you use Help/Send Feedback to report this. That way it will get logged and tracked (as opposed to this user-based newsgroup where it *may* be noticed by someone from MacBU). > Please make sure you use Help/Send Feedback to report this. That way it > will get logged and tracked (as opposed to this user-based newsgroup > where it *may* be noticed by someone from MacBU). First I send feedback, then I copy this group. Hello - I've pretty much confirmed your findings here (Office 12.1, OS X 10.5.0) with a few differences. Please see the interjections below: On 5/20/08 12:56 PM, in article 2c07c8eb-d1c6-4a75-8230-07e427d336eb@x41g2000hsb.googlegroups.com, > When opening the AutoCorrect panel in order to add a new entry, the > focus (i.e., the cursor) is not on the Replace field, as it was in [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > often find yourself typing into nothingness -until you remember you're > in Word 2008. I'm able to repeat this regardless of using the Word> Preferences - AutoCorrect or Tools> AutoCorrect menu. > Most irritating of all, if you tab out of the With field you're not > returned to the Replace field, as used to be the norm. Instead, you're > taken to the Search Word Preferences field. That wouldn't be too bad, > except it closes the AutoCorrect panel. If you do that before > approving the new entry, you have to reopen the AutoCorrect panel to > finish the operation. I'm seeing his as well, but the conventional Shift+Tab keystroke to reverse direction based on the tab order of the dialog works with no problem. > This behavior seems to contradict Apple user interface rules. In > System Preferences, which the Word Preference panel emulates, tabbing > between various fields does not close the active panel, nor should it. The closing of the AutoCorrect dialog definitely appears to be a bug contradictory to the API. It's appropriate for tabbing to eventually get you to the Search field, but it shouldn't take you to a different panel. I'm afraid I've also done you one better as a result of your insights:-) - I've found that just *clicking* in the Search field evokes the same behavior as tabbing into it!... And it isn't just AutoCorrect - *all* preference panels behave the same if the focus is shifted to the Search field. > This new "feature" just succeeds in breaking my workflow. It's hard for me to envision a workflow that is that reliant on AutoCorrect, but I'm certainly not challenging on that point:-) The behavior certainly is different than what's expected and an aggravating one regardless of how frequently - or infrequently - it's encountered. I'll submit it later after I've done some more testing. Regards |:>) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac > Hello - > > I've pretty much confirmed your findings here (Office 12.1, OS X 10.5.0) > with a few differences. Please see the interjections below: > I'm seeing his as well, but the conventional Shift+Tab keystroke to reverse > direction based on the tab order of the dialog works with no problem. Right... > I'm afraid I've also done you one better as a result of your insights:-) - Terrific! This is exciting. > > This new "feature" just succeeds in breaking my workflow. > > It's hard for me to envision a workflow that is that reliant on AutoCorrect, > but I'm certainly not challenging on that point:-) Well, I have news for you -the world is wide. I'm a writer and translator; delivering letter-perfect copy is my livelihood. As such, I rely heavily on AutoCorrect to not only fix common typing errors, but also to expand abbreviations into full phrases. In addition, as you may or may not know, Spanish is built around accents. Adding an accent to a vowel takes an extra keystroke. Capitalizing a word not at the start of a sentence also takes an extra keystroke. Capitalizing and accenting a word that takes both takes two extra keystrokes. Because of this, I have entered tens of thousands -perhaps more- abbreviations as well as accented and capitalized terms into AutoCorrect. I also use it to automatically translate into either Spanish or English some common terms I may encounter. So, for example, if I type achr+ I get American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR), España turns into Spain, or japan into Japón. This saves me so many extra keystrokes, at the turn of a year the savings and extra productivity can probably be measured in days. My AutoCorrect ACL file is about 2 MB in size. I'll bet mine is bigger than yours. :-D > The behavior certainly is > different than what's expected and an aggravating one regardless of how > frequently - or infrequently - it's encountered. Right you are. In article <e0008582-f7fb-454b-b2db-913e9d006996@k10g2000prm.googlegroups.com>, > Because of this, I have entered tens of thousands -perhaps more- > abbreviations as well as accented and capitalized terms into [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > extra keystrokes, at the turn of a year the savings and extra > productivity can probably be measured in days. You might want to look into TypeIt4Me -- this allows you to use your abbreviations in *all* apps, not just Word, and to save different sets of abbreviations so that the same abbreviation can expand to a different result depending on the context. For example, I worked on a number of TV shows and kept sets so that 'bb' would expand to 'Bob' in one set, and 'Bill' in another. You can easily override the shortcuts and disable the correction when you need to.  Signature"An Englishman takes time." --Eartha KItt > You might want to look into TypeIt4Me -- this allows you to use your > abbreviations in *all* apps, not just Word, and to save different sets > of abbreviations so that the same abbreviation can expand to a different > result depending on the context. Good suggestion. I gave TypeIt4Me a whirl years ago and didn't find it particularly appealing, although the application must certainly have evolved since. However, as I said, I'm a writer and translator, and as such I spend 90% of my workday in Word. I use Excel and PowerPoint only as they relate to my work, and AutoCorrect works there too. I have automated most of my business e-mailing (quotes, reports, billing, etc.) through FileMaker and thus I'm not in need of automatic correction and/or expansion there. The rest of my writing is mostly personal e-mailing, where I don't really have a need for automatic correction and/or expansion, either. Good suggestion, though, and certainly valid for a lot of people. In article <89d46cd4-4267-469c-bb05-058a24275cc9@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>, > > You might want to look into TypeIt4Me -- this allows you to use your > > abbreviations in *all* apps, not just Word, and to save different sets [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Good suggestion, though, and certainly valid for a lot of people. There's another app that does the same thing -- name escapes me. TypeIt4Me has indeed evolved. There was a major upgrade for Leopard and it seems pretty stable -- though I do occasionally get buggy results. However I think that probably has more to do with my computer than TypeIt4Me -- it's not an Intel machine and I'm at the lowest speed that you can run Leopard on. Signature"An Englishman takes time." --Eartha KItt > My AutoCorrect ACL file is about 2 MB in size. I'll bet mine is > bigger than yours. :-D > Holy moly. That is huge. Also seeing focus in the wrong place in Tools | AutoCorrect in OS 10.4.11 and Word 12.0.1, just FYI. And I discovered a fun fact--generally, if you have text selected when you go to Tools | AutoCorrect, Word will automatically put it in the With field. But if the text is flagged as misspelled, then Word will automatically put it in the Replace field. Having text selected doesn't affect the misplaced focus, though. Incidentally, I tried all the system-wide apps a while back--at least TextExpander, TypeIt4Me, SpellCatcher--and found I much preferred the way AutoCorrect worked. The blue lightning stroke is less distracting than seeing the entire word flash before my eyes with every correction. Daiya > And I discovered a fun fact--generally, if you have text selected when > you go to Tools | AutoCorrect, Word will automatically put it in the > With field. Correct. That goes back many years, though. As someone who's adding entries several times a day, it's part of my workflow. Oops, I shouldn't have said that. I'll bet it's gone in the next upgrade. :-D :-D > >> And I discovered a fun fact--generally, if you have text selected when [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > entries several times a day, it's part of my workflow. > That wasn't the new fun part. Word moving it to the Replace field if it's already flagged as misspelled was the bit that was new to me. Oddly smart--yet in a way that isn't really all that helpful in practical use. > That wasn't the new fun part. Word moving it to the Replace field if > it's already flagged as misspelled was the bit that was new to me. Oddly > smart--yet in a way that isn't really all that helpful in practical use. Sorry, you're totally correct; I misread what you wrote. I never would have guessed, though, as I keep "check spelling as you write" strictly off. In my book, as an idea the wavy lines are right up there with the (late) paper clip assistant, another gem of Microsoft idiosyncrasy. :-) In article <7c77f352-f002-495d-99b7-f885703296b4@l64g2000hse.googlegroups.com>, > In my book, as an idea the wavy lines are right up there with the > (late) paper clip assistant, another gem of Microsoft idiosyncrasy. :-) I can't stand them either. The whole point of spell checking is that it's something you don't have to worry about while you're typing. Signature"An Englishman takes time." --Eartha KItt > > My AutoCorrect ACL file is about 2 MB in size. I'll bet mine is > > bigger than yours. :-D [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > way AutoCorrect worked. The blue lightning stroke is less distracting > than seeing the entire word flash before my eyes with every correction. That doesn't bother me at all... maybe because I'm a hunt-and-peck typist and spend more time looking at the keyboard than you do! Spellcatcher -- that's the other one I was thinking of. A lot of people like it -- and prefer it to TypeIt4Me -- but I have all my corrections set up in TypeIt4Me and I've been using it for years... I find it indispensable. Can't imagine what I'd do without it. Signature"An Englishman takes time." --Eartha KItt >> Incidentally, I tried all the system-wide apps a while back--at least >> TextExpander, TypeIt4Me, SpellCatcher--and found I much preferred the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > typist and spend more time looking at the keyboard than you do! > Very well could be. I make a lot of mistakes, but I don't look at the keyboard much. > Spellcatcher -- that's the other one I was thinking of. A lot of people > like it -- and prefer it to TypeIt4Me -- but I have all my corrections > set up in TypeIt4Me and I've been using it for years... I find it > indispensable. Can't imagine what I'd do without it. > Yeah, a personal shorthand app has a very high return on little effort, but seriously locks you in. Having just bought FileXaminer, I also came across this one, sounds intriguing: http://www.gideonsoftworks.com/snippetmonkey.html |
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