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7 Frequently Asked Questions About Codes
It promises to be one of the great mysteries of the 20th century. Why does WordPerfect use codes to control the formatting of a document? Because they give you unparalleled flexibility and maximum control over your documents. No other application gives you this kind of ability to look "behind the scenes" and to manipulate the elements of a document.
No matter what you do, whether you're changing the font, inserting a table, or customizing a graphic image—every change you make can be traced back to a code. You can see it, you can move it or remove it entirely.
Q: How do I delete a code?
A: The same way you delete text—find the code, position the insertion point, then press Delete or Backspace. If the insertion point is to the left of the code, press Delete. If the insertion point is to the right of the code, press Backspace. I prefer to use the mouse—just click and drag the code out of the Reveal Codes window to delete it.
By default, WordPerfect prompts you to confirm the deletion of a code (figure 1). For those really tough cleanup jobs, you probably don't want to be prompted on every code. Turn off the prompt in Settings (Preferences in 7/6.1). Choose Tools (Edit in 7/6.1), Settings (Preferences in 7/6.1). Choose Environment. In WP8 and 9, select the Prompts tab. Deselect the Confirm deletion of codes and stop insertion point at hidden codes. Choose OK, then Close.
Figure 1 When you delete a code, WordPerfect displays a message box where you can confirm that you do want to delete the code, or you can change your mind and leave the code alone.
Q: I just changed my margins, but I can't find the code in Reveal Codes. How can I quickly locate codes in my document?
A: Reading through Reveal Codes can make anyone feel like they need bifocals! Look at the top of the document first since a lot of codes get thrown up there. Margin codes on the other hand usually appear at the top of the current page (for top/bottom margins) and at the beginning of the current paragraph (for left/right margins).
Don't burn out your retinas reading through the codes—WordPerfect can track them down for you using the Find feature. Move to the top of the document then choose Edit, Find and Replace, Match, Codes . A pop-up list of codes appears (figure 2). Scroll through the list, then select the code you want to search for. Choose Insert and Close to insert the code in the Find text box and close the Codes list. Choose Find Next to start searching.
Figure 2 The Find and Replace feature can help you find codes in your document. Choose the code(s) from the Codes dialog box to search for a single code or a combination of codes.
Keep in mind that when you use some features, the existing codes are changed or maybe even replaced completely. Also, codes can be embedded within other codes (i.e. Delay codes). Styles can have a whole slew of codes hidden inside. To expand a code so that you can see what's inside, turn on Reveal Codes, then move the insertion point from the right side to the left side of the code.
Q: Can I change the size of the Reveal Codes window?
A: Sure! You can change the size of the current Reveal Codes window by clicking and dragging the gray border between the Reveal Codes window and the document. Point to the border and wait until the double-headed arrow appears. When it does, click and drag the border up or down in the document window.
When you choose View, Reveal Codes (or press Alt+F3), you get the default Reveal Codes size, which is 25% of the screen. In all versions except WP9, you can adjust this percentage in Settings (Preferences in 7/6.1). ChooseTools (Edit in 7/6.1), Settings (Preferences in 7/6.1). Choose Display , then select the Reveal Codes tab. Type a new percentage in the Window Size text box (or use the spinners to change the percentage). Choose OK, then Close.
Q: How can I set Reveal Codes to be open in all my documents?
A: In all versions except WP9, yes you can! There is an option in Settings (Preferences in 7 and 6.1) to automatically turn on Reveal Codes in your documents. Choose Tools (Edit in 7/6.1), Settings (Preferences in 7/6.1). Choose Display , then select the Reveal Codes tab. Place a check in the Show Reveal Codes on Current and New Documents check box. Choose OK, then Close.
Q: Can I print the text and codes in the Reveal Codes window?
A: WordPerfect doesn't have a feature that allows you to do this, but there is an easy work around. First, arrange your screen by opening and sizing the Reveal Codes window so it displays the codes that you want to print. Press Alt+Print Screen to copy a picture of your screen to the Windows clipboard. Open a new document then press Ctrl+V to paste the screen capture into this new document. Print this document.
This is a pretty cool little feature that you can use in a bunch of other situations. For example, I printed out copies of my dial-up networking settings in case I have to recreate them. When I write training materials, I include screen captures to help the reader follow along. I've also been known to print copies of the dialog boxes that contain important system settings and keep them in a "system documentation" file.
Note: You can only have one item in the clipboard at a time, so make sure you paste the screen into a new document before you go back and capture another one.
Q: What are UNKNOWN codes? Should I delete them?
A: UNKNOWN codes are usually the product of a document conversion from a document created in a previous version of WordPerfect, or in another word processor. They act as markers for the options that aren't supported in your version of WordPerfect. This is how WordPerfect maintains the formatting between versions (and other word processors). For example, if you've just opened a WordPerfect 8 document in WordPerfect 7, you'll see UNKNOWN codes for those options that aren't supported in WordPerfect 7. You don't want to delete UNKNOWN codes because when you do take the document back to WordPerfect 8, they'll be converted back to the original code.
When I first got started supporting WordPerfect users (on version 4.2 for DOS if you can imagine), I dreaded seeing an UNKNOWN code in a document because it usually meant the document was corrupted. If your document is acting "funny", especially when you try to move past an UNKNOWN code, the document may be damaged. If that's the case, go ahead and delete the code and see if that clears up the problem. Otherwise, you should just leave the UNKNOWN codes alone.
Q: What is the Open Style:InitialStyle code that I see at the top of my document?
A: This is something that WordPerfect puts at the top of every document you create. You can't delete it, so don't even try. It's purpose is to hold the codes that define the initial format for the document. Put your margin settings, paper size, font—any formatting that you want in effect at the very beginning. There are a couple of advantages to setting up your formatting in the InitialStyle style. One, you can't accidentally delete the codes. Two, instead of having a jumble of codes at the top of your document, you have one teeny weeny style code that stays out of the way.
You can expand the InitialStyle code by passing the insertion point from the right to the left side of the code. To quickly edit the InitialStyle style, double-click the code. The Styles Editor appears (figure 3) with its own menu bar. This is the menu bar you use to insert codes in a style. The menus are abbreviated because only the options that can be applied in a style are available. If you don't see any codes in the Contents window, choose Reveal Codes.
Note: The InitialStyle style is an open style. Open styles affect all of the text after the code.
Figure 3 Double-click the InitialStyle code to open the Style Editor dialog box where you can insert the codes that you want in effect at the top of the document. The Styles Editor has its own set of menus that contain only those commands that can be placed in a style.
Expanding and Condensing Codes
To make it easier to read through Reveal Codes, WordPerfect abbreviates most codes so you can still tell what they are, but the specific settings are not displayed. You can "expand" a code by moving the insertion point from the right to the left side. If you point at a code, a QuickTip appears identifying the type of code.
For example, a page number position code displays as [Pg Num Pos]. When you move the insertion point over it, it changes to [Pg Num Pos: Bottom Center]. The QuickTip (figure 4) describes the code as Page Number Position - Page number position setting. With all this help, you don't have to be a master in code deciphering to get your job done.
Figure 4 You can expand a code so you can see what's inside by moving the insertion point from the right to the left side. Pointing at a code displays a QuickTip that describes the function of the code.
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