Much like you can create your own AutoText Quick Part using the Quick Parts command on the Ribbon, you can create a Quick Part to store in any of the Building Block galleries. To create a custom Quick Part, follow these steps:
- Select the content you want to save
- Click the Quick Parts command located in the Text group on the Insert tab on the Ribbon. This opens the Quick Parts menu.
- Choose Save Selection to Quick Parts Gallery. This opens the Create New Building Block dialog box.
- Enter a name for the new Quick Part
- Click the Gallery drop-down arrow and choose the appropriate category from the Gallery List. This defines the new Quick Part as an AutoText entry
- Click OK
In step one, make sure you select the text, images, and any special formatting you have applied to the content you want to save. When you do, whatever you choose to save as a Building Block will be inserted into your documents exactly as it appeared when you initially created the Quick Part.
Now that your Quick Parts are saved, you can use them at any time as quick additions to your documents. You see, Quick Parts are stored in the Building Blocks.dotx template. This means they are available to all new documents.
To add a Quick Part to your document, follow these steps:
- Position the cursor in your document at the location you want to add the Quick Part
- Click the Quick Parts command located in the Text group on the Insert tab on the Ribbon. This opens the Quick Parts menu with a list of newly added Quick Parts.
- Click the part you want to insert
Remember, the goal of using a feature like Building Blocks and Quick Parts is to save you time in your future work with a program like Mcirosoft Word. Occassionally, these features feel like more work in the beginning with the formatting that needs to happen. But, once you save them (like you save a template), utilizing them again without the excess formatting steps is where your real productivity begins to take hold.
