AutoCorrect in Office 2007

As most of you have probably guessed by now, I use an earlier version of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Word, the 2000 version to be precise.

Right now I’m watching eBay for a sealed version of Office 2003, which I’m hoping to pick up for a really, really good price, so wish me luck.

I had originally planned to buy the new Office 2007 when it was released. For the last few months, however, I have been experimenting with the online trial version and I have decided to delay purchasing beyond the 2003 version for a while.

I don’t want to be a big sook about Office 2007. On the contrary, I have honestly tried to love it - but no such luck. I can accept that there may be lots of people out there who already think it’s the ant’s pants, but for me it is a disappointment in many respects.

The AutoCorrect Function
Microsoft no longer appears to have much interest in the AutoCorrect function, but fortunately you can still get into the AutoCorrect window by typing Alt then t then a. I wouldn’t like to guarantee that in the next update version you will still be able to do that.

Having easy access to the AutoCorrect window is essential if you want to create your own entries, and not simply rely on Microsoft to create all the entries for you.

Migrating the Plain Text Entries
It is still possible, as I understand it from Microsoft technical reports, to migrate your old AutoCorrect list from an earlier version of Office across to 2007. However, since I don’t have 2007, I can’t confirm their details personally - but it does sound plausible.

Basically, you will need to locate the new .acl (AutoCorrect List) file for the language you are using among the hidden files for 2007, and replace it with your old .acl file. That will transfer across all the old entries you made in plain text. You can save the original file from 2007 to your usual backup folder or CD/DVD.

The new .acl files are still stored in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Office, and the file may be hidden so you will need to do a search for it.

I save all my AutoCorrect entries in the MSO file attached to the English (Australia) dictionary, which is MSO3081.acl. For English (US) it is MSO1033.acl, while for International English it's MSO2057.acl. The quickest way to check which .acl you are using is to add some plain-text entries to AutoCorrect. Then do a search for any .acl file that has been modified in the last day and that will be your file.

Backing Up
If you want to back up any new plain text entries you make in 2007, you can do it in the way you have always done it. Locate the file you are using and copy it across to you usual backup folder or disk. You won't be able to use the old AutoCorrect.dot backup tool with 2007, since it creates a Word document with the old .doc extension.

However, Jay Freeman has created a new AutoCorrect.dotm backup template for use with Office 2007, and it can be downloaded from the following extension: http://jay-freedman.info/

Many thanks to Jay for what is clearly a much-needed tool. I haven't yet had the need to use it personally, but Jay is a reliable expert when it comes to all things Microsoft.

I am currently in the process of downloading the 60-day trial version of the smaller home and student version of 2007, and I went to the American host site to get it. The download is impressively fast, about five times faster than Australian broadband speed. Once I've got it (all up about three hours download time), I will be able to play around with AutoCorrect in 2007, but I'm anticipating that it's going to be a more positive and useful experience than the online trial.


Migrating the Formatted Text Entries
AutoCorrect entries that have been saved as formatted text are saved in the Normal template, and the process for migrating them across from you old Office software to the new 2007 version is marginally more complex, so I will cover it fully in the next blog once I've had a chance to test it personally.