Building Blocks Text Issue

Question

Hello,

I'm running into a major issue when creating building blocks. I've created them before in Word 2013 and older but have only run into this issue on Word 2016 that I just switched to.

I'll type up a paragraph and format it the way I like (blue arrow bullet points, font set to Open Sans size 10, indent at .5) and save it as a building block. 

Insert tab -> Quick Parts -> Auto Text -> Save Selection to Auto Text Gallery.

Preferably I then Save as such:

Name: x

Gallery: Custom 1

Category: SOWs (one that I created)

Description: (I leave it blank)

Save in: Building Blocks

Options: Insert content in its own Paragraph

My problem is that when I go to put these building blocks into a new document, the font changes to Calibri size 11. My job is very strict and only allows 2 types of font in presentations to our clients. I've tried saving them to different categories and saving it as 'Normal' instead of as Building Blocks. The ONLY way I have been able to keep the font the same is to save it as an AutoText. Unfortunately I have over 200 of these things and the AutoText drop down starts to bug after saving more than 10. 

Is there a fix for this issue? It defeats the purpose of the Building Blocks if I still have to go in and reformat everything.

Answer 1

To add to what Charles has said, if entries are stored as AutoText, you don't need to use the gallery at all. Just name them so that the first four characters of each entry name are unique (and not common words). Then when you type those four characters, you'll get the AutoComplete tip and can just press Enter or Tab to insert the entry.

Answer 2

My guess is that your entries are formatted using built-in styles that are defined differently in the receiving document. Try using one or more custom styles for your formatting, if the built-in styles are not formatted the way you want.

If you want to be able to share what you create, do not save it in either Building Blocks,dotx or Normal.dotm. Save it in a custom template. See Where can Building Blocks be stored?

You can save in the Custom 1 Gallery, The Custom AutoText Gallery, or the Built-in AutoText Gallery.

If you want them to have priority in a gallery, you will want to use either the Built-In category or a category that will be before Built-In in alphabetical order. Some people use an underscore to start the names of their custom entries or to start the name of their categories so that they will be at the beginning of the galleries.

Build & Deploy Custom Building Block Galleries