Quickly insert multiple phrases from list

Question

Hello,

I am wondering if there is a way to insert several options from a list that will be inserted in as a paragraph/list form.

For example, let's say I often do Task A, Task B, Task C, Task D... But sometimes I only do Task B and Task D, while other times I do Task C and Task D, etc. 

Is there a way to store each of these "Tasks" which is actually a long phrase of words, that I can then open a dialogue box of some sort to select the Tasks done at this time and pasted into the Word document? 

I tried using the developer tools for creating forms, but the drop-down menus only lets you select one option and I would need to have drop-down menus for each of the potential number of tasks.

Thank you!

Answer 1

While you could do this with a UserForm, a much simpler approach is just to save each of the text snippets as an AutoText entry; you can then insert the needed ones from the Quick Parts gallery or by typing the first few letters of the AutoText entry name and pressing Enter when you get the AutoComplete tip. See https://wordmvp.com/FAQs/Customization/AutoText.htm for more.

Answer 2

Hi Tisky and Suzanne,

I managed to give the AutoText a try and it works out ok. I wish there were a hotkey that could be pressed to pull up a list of AutoText (e.g., in Epic the "." acts as a hotkey to allow one to enter Smart Phrases). 

Thank you!

You seldom want to use the name for an AutoText entry suggested by Word. The start of each name should be both unique and memorable to best use with the AutoComplete feature of AutoText.

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Also, you may want to use a custom category in the AutoText gallery that starts with an underscore _ so that your entries will be at the top of the list. You may even want to use a custom gallery and put an icon for it on the QAT.

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An example of such a gallery is in 2003 WordArt Add-In for 2010-2016.

Answer 3

You could also add the AutoText gallery to the Quick Access Toolbar, if that helps.

Answer 4

Alt, N, Q, A will do it, but you'll still need the mouse to select an item. Better to set up a system of using the entry names with AutoComplete.

Answer 5

Hi Andrew,

There is no such hotkey to meet your requirement. While we welcome community members to share their insights.

Thanks for your understanding.

Tisky