Microsoft Word 7.0 - A Quick Guide to Inserting symbols

In addition to the letters, numbers, and punctuation marks shown on the keyboard, many fonts also include bullets, symbols, em and en dashes, and other special marks.

Symbols and special characters in non-ANSI fonts, such as the Symbol font, are "protected" when you insert them by using the Symbol dialog box. A protected character is the same as a regular character except that you cannot change the font.

To insert symbols with the Symbol command

1. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the symbol.

2. From the Insert menu, choose Symbol.

3. In the Font box, type or select the font that contains the symbol you want to insert.

4. Double-click the symbol character you want. Word inserts the character in the point size of the text that precedes the insertion point. If you cannot find the symbol you're looking for, try selecting another font in the Font box.

To see an enlarged version of the symbol in the dialog box, click the symbol character, or use the arrow keys to move to the symbol.

5. To insert another symbol, position the insertion point in the document, and then repeat step 3.

6. When you finish inserting symbols, choose the Close button.

When you select a symbol in the Symbol dialog box, Word displays the character code in the status bar. If a shortcut key is assigned to a symbol, Word also displays the shortcut key next to Shortcut Key in the Symbol dialog box.

To insert symbols by typing the character code

1. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the symbol.

2. From the Formatting toolbar, choose the font that contains the symbol you want to insert.

3. Make sure the NUM LOCK key is on.

4. Hold down ALT, and then, using the numeric keypad, type 0 (zero) followed by the appropriate code.

You can make symbols easier to insert in a document by assigning key combinations to them. For example, you could assign a heart symbol to CTRL+SHIFT+Q. Then, any time you wanted to insert a heart symbol, you can use the CTRL+SHIFT+Q key combination.

To assign a symbol to a shortcut key

1. From the Insert menu, choose Symbol.

2. Select the tab with the symbol or character you want.

3. Select the symbol or character you want.

4. Choose the Shortcut Key button.

5. In the Press New Shortcut Key box, type the key combination you want to assign to the symbol or character.

6. Choose the Assign button.

7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for each symbol or character you want to assign to a shortcut key.

8. When you finish assigning symbols to keys, choose the Close button, and then choose the Close button in the Symbol dialog box.

You can use the AutoCorrect feature to automatically correct words you often misspell, but it is also useful for entering symbols you use frequently. AutoCorrect comes with ® already defined - you just type ( R ) and it automatically creates the ® symbol.

To create an AutoCorrect entry

1. Select the symbol you want to add to AutoCorrect

2. From the Tools menu, choose AutoCorrect.

Make sure the Replace Text As You Type check box is selected.

3. In the Replace box, enter the characters you want to be automatically replaced.

3. In the With box, type the text that will automatically replace the text in the Replace box. This will show your previously selected symbol.

4. Choose the Add button, and then choose the OK button.

Example

Use "Insert Symbol" to enter the ã symbol.

Select the ã symbol.

Select Tools, AutoCorrect.

Enter ( C ) in the "With" box, the ã will already be in the "Replace" box.

Press Add button, followed by Close button.

Now when you type ( C ) you will see this converted to ã .