Ladies and gentlemen, please let me thank you for your efforts in trying to 
help me. 

Please understand that I'm a slow learner with this thing, I confuse very 
easily, and my concentration span is very limited. I'm not as I used to 
was, and it's a bloody pain in the fundament!

I have tried the various routes suggested withour success. I have even 
converted a document into rtf, then transferred same in to a preset Word 
document (configured as per) but to no effect.

I've been through all the various settings as suggested, to no avail. I 
still cannot get the thing to reset globally the first line indent.

What I need, and this is in no way intended as a slight to your efforts, is 
someone to take me by the hand and throat and show me, s-l-o-w-l-y, bit by 
bit, so that my befuddled brain can assimilate it.

Since I still have quite a bit of 'dressing' to do, I shall poddle onwards, 
using the method I have learned, that is - backspace and enter - to align 
them as I go along.

Then, before I begin the next one, I shall strive to learn more about 
driving the flaming program. I'm beginning to understand why so many people 
dislike it!

Again, thanks - your efforts are much appreciated by this dumb thicko.

"Goromoff"  wrote in message 
news:u9WdnfuO5-2GlzDVRVnytAA@bt.com...
> Ladies and gentlemen, please let me thank you for your efforts in trying 
> to
> help me.
<snip>
> Again, thanks - your efforts are much appreciated by this dumb thicko.

Good Heavens, you're normal!

I thought you were one of those weirdo's who could actually follow the 
w*rkings of Word.
Anita can and she's not a weirdo, she's just been using it since she was 
knee-high to a grasshopper so she's used to it!
And, of course, she's very clever ;-))
Mind, I suppose there are a few more in Upsland like her ;-))

But you? Nope. You're normal ;-)
-- 
Pam the goose

On 21/08/2008 in message  Goromoff wrote:

>I've been through all the various settings as suggested, to no avail. I
>still cannot get the thing to reset globally the first line indent.

I have just had a play with a Word 2007 template - what version of Word 
are you using?

Indenting the first line of a paragraph is a bit old style, haven't seen 
it for years, but if it's what you want we can try and get you there :-)

-- 
Jeff Gaines Damerham Hampshire UK
All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand.

Pam the goose wrote:
> "Goromoff"  wrote in message
> news:u9WdnfuO5-2GlzDVRVnytAA@bt.com...
>> Ladies and gentlemen, please let me thank you for your efforts in
>> trying to
>> help me.
> <snip>
>> Again, thanks - your efforts are much appreciated by this dumb
>> thicko.
>
> Good Heavens, you're normal!
>
> I thought you were one of those weirdo's who could actually follow the
> w*rkings of Word.
> Anita can and she's not a weirdo, she's just been using it since she
> was knee-high to a grasshopper so she's used to it!
> And, of course, she's very clever ;-))
> Mind, I suppose there are a few more in Upsland like her ;-))
>
> But you? Nope. You're normal ;-)

Thanks for those kind words, Pam (not used it as long as you think) - I 
did give him the best way of indenting a paragraph - but if he finds it 
hard to do (I don't know why) best he goes back to the way he always has 
done it :)
By the way I am far from being clever - but as I teach others I have to 
know what to do ................... or so I believe :)
-- 
Anita
Smile for me :)

Skype: ronita440

"Anita"  wrote in message 
news:6h53d3Fia29gU1@mid.individual.net...
>
> Thanks for those kind words, Pam (not used it as long as you think) - I 
> did give him the best way of indenting a paragraph - but if he finds it 
> hard to do (I don't know why) best he goes back to the way he always has 
> done it :)
> By the way I am far from being clever - but as I teach others I have to 
> know what to do ................... or so I believe :)

Well, I understood it, even opened my Word and did it following your 
instructions!
But, as you say, he's better going back to the way he gets on with.
Word *is* a little frightening to some people.

Ah, well, here comes the wise (?) words of a qualified teacher - before you 
teach something new read up about the subject!
That is something I know you do :-)
-- 
Pam the goose

Pam the goose wrote:
> "Anita"  wrote in message
> news:6h53d3Fia29gU1@mid.individual.net...
>>
>> Thanks for those kind words, Pam (not used it as long as you think)
>> - I did give him the best way of indenting a paragraph - but if he
>> finds it hard to do (I don't know why) best he goes back to the way
>> he always has done it :)
>> By the way I am far from being clever - but as I teach others I have
>> to know what to do ................... or so I believe :)
>
> Well, I understood it, even opened my Word and did it following your
> instructions!
> But, as you say, he's better going back to the way he gets on with.
> Word *is* a little frightening to some people.
>
> Ah, well, here comes the wise (?) words of a qualified teacher -
> before you teach something new read up about the subject!
> That is something I know you do :-)

Yes, cos if you don't - someone, someday will ask you something that you 
do not know - I am sure you know that can and does happen :)
-- 
Anita
Smile for me :)

Skype: ronita440

"Anita"  wrote in message 
news:6h54nuFja3o1U1@mid.individual.net...
>
> Yes, cos if you don't - someone, someday will ask you something that you 
> do not know - I am sure you know that can and does happen :)

Hehe, here comes Pestalozzi again - experience is the best teacher.
It happened to me once when I was at Training College out on Teaching 
Practice - it never happened to me again, not ever!
-- 
Pam the goose

Goromoff wrote:
> Ladies and gentlemen, please let me thank you for your efforts in
> trying to help me.
>
> Please understand that I'm a slow learner with this thing, I confuse
> very easily, and my concentration span is very limited. I'm not as I
> used to was, and it's a bloody pain in the fundament!
>
> I have tried the various routes suggested withour success. I have even
> converted a document into rtf, then transferred same in to a preset
> Word document (configured as per) but to no effect.
>
> I've been through all the various settings as suggested, to no avail.
> I still cannot get the thing to reset globally the first line indent.
>
> What I need, and this is in no way intended as a slight to your
> efforts, is someone to take me by the hand and throat and show me,
> s-l-o-w-l-y, bit by bit, so that my befuddled brain can assimilate it.
>
> Since I still have quite a bit of 'dressing' to do, I shall poddle
> onwards, using the method I have learned, that is - backspace and
> enter - to align them as I go along.
>
> Then, before I begin the next one, I shall strive to learn more about
> driving the flaming program. I'm beginning to understand why so many
> people dislike it!
>
> Again, thanks - your efforts are much appreciated by this dumb thicko.

As I am fond of telling people, there is no such thing as thick or stupid, 
there are just things you don't know yet.
J
x

-- 
http://www.reverbnation.com/robgreen
http://www.robgreenmusic.110mb.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/astrochickster/ScarboroughYorkWhitby

Pam the goose wrote:
 
> Ah, well, here comes the wise (?) words of a qualified teacher - before you
> teach something new read up about the subject!
> That is something I know you do :-)

It has been said, and I'm sure it's true, that the best way to learn
something is to teach it.

-- 
He is not here; but far away
  The noise of life begins again
  And ghastly thro' the drizzling rain
On the bald street breaks the blank day.

"jackie green"  wrote in news:Akdrk.46024
$E41.16677@text.news.virginmedia.com:

> As I am fond of telling people, there is no such thing as thick or stupid, 
> there are just things you don't know yet.
> J
> 

Bless you Jackie - may the sun always shine on your tomato vines!

"Anita"  wrote in news:6h53d3Fia29gU1
@mid.individual.net:

> did give him the best way of indenting a paragraph - but if he finds it 
> hard to do (I don't know why) best he goes back to the way he always has 
> done it :)
> 

It's because I am who I am, Anita. I've only played with the thing for this 
last year, simply because it was a requirement. I can happily stuff a 
document with words, but when it comes to making them nice and tidy, that's 
where the trouble starts, my trouble, that is. 

All those wrinkles are totally alien, and really 'are' a pain to me and I 
really am trying to learn, honestly. Preferably, it were better had I 
learned to use it before I needed to, but it was sprung upon me and the 
consequences have been less than satisfactory.

However, I 'shall' go back to your advice and try again and again and 
again.

I have Word 2002. I also have one of those tutorial disc sets that I picked 
up from the oddments at Netto - Focus Multimedia "Getting Started on your 
PC - IT Skills, Touch Typing, Windows XP/2000/98 and Office XP/2000 
Beginners Edition"

All well and good - in respect of what I'm trying to do, I tells me what I 
must do in much the same way as you good folks have; I did what it said, 
which matched all that had been told me, then it (the tutorial) said "now 
click on 'apply now'" and even showed a window with those words scribed 
thereon. Could I find that instruction on my open document? Could I hell as 
like.

So, because it's been irritating me that I feel as if I've let you people 
down sinceI must be missing something so simple and obvious, I shall go 
back and try again.

"Jeff Gaines"  wrote in news:xn0fu6vi043wpr0000
@news.individual.net:

> I have just had a play with a Word 2007 template - what version of Word 
> are you using?
> 
> Indenting the first line of a paragraph is a bit old style, haven't seen 
> it for years, but if it's what you want we can try and get you there :-)
> 
> 

Thanks Jeff. Yes, it's what I want if only because I'm 'old style' myself 
lol.

I 'can' indent as I go along, it's just this business of global adjustment 
that digs me.

Goromoff wrote:
> "jackie green"  wrote in
> news:Akdrk.46024 $E41.16677@text.news.virginmedia.com:
>
>> As I am fond of telling people, there is no such thing as thick or
>> stupid, there are just things you don't know yet.
>> J
>>
>
> Bless you Jackie - may the sun always shine on your tomato vines!

well it's true, the only *truly* thick people are those that ask and don't 
listen to replies, or those too proud to ask :)
can the sun shine in Inverness next week for me instead? lol

-- 
http://www.reverbnation.com/robgreen
http://www.robgreenmusic.110mb.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/astrochickster/ScarboroughYorkWhitby

Goromoff  wrote in 
news:RPudncnPROn16jDVnZ2dnUVZ8tLinZ2d@bt.com:

> So, because it's been irritating me that I feel as if I've let you people 
> down sinceI must be missing something so simple and obvious, I shall go 
> back and try again.
> 
> 

Anita, I have revisited your advice and find that whilst it is quite valid, 
and I followed it successfully, it does not cover my specific problem.

Certainly, it shows me how to create the indent which forms in each 
subsequent paragraph as I type ( I have succeeded in doing this), but it 
does not effect those paragraphs already there in  my document.

Perhaps I didn't explain my situation fully.

My Word document comprises a compilation of articles taken from my files. 
These are tales which I've written over the years and am now assembling 
into a book.

These individual tales were composed using various word processors - Works, 
Lotus, Corel and even Publisher as installed in the lesser pooters through 
which I graduated to this one. I had to find the means of converting those 
files in retro to rtf and so pasted into this Word Document.

This meant that formatting was haywire and I have been dressing it the 
tedious way, bit by bit. It struck me that there might be a way for me to 
create these indents globally in a uniform fashion.

That's why I asked.

On 21/08/2008 in message  
Goromoff wrote:

>I 'can' indent as I go along, it's just this business of global adjustment
>that digs me.

The normal way in any Windows program is to (a) select the text then (b) 
apply the adjustment.
So you would normally select all the text then go to the format menu and 
make your changes which will be applied to the selected text.

In Word 2007 it's quite easy, I've not used Word 2002 so although the 
principle will be the same the details will be different!

-- 
Jeff Gaines Damerham Hampshire UK
Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you how to get along without it.

"Jeff Gaines"  wrote in news:xn0fu74094fd1nz001
@news.individual.net:

> On 21/08/2008 in message  
> Goromoff wrote:
> 
>>I 'can' indent as I go along, it's just this business of global adjustment
>>that digs me.
> 
> The normal way in any Windows program is to (a) select the text then (b) 
> apply the adjustment.
> So you would normally select all the text then go to the format menu and 
> make your changes which will be applied to the selected text.

Just so, Jeff. That's what I'd read and what I've been told, but for some 
obscure reason, it will not do that!

I suspect that there is some tiny thing that needs tweaking!


> 
> In Word 2007 it's quite easy, I've not used Word 2002 so although the 
> principle will be the same the details will be different!
>

Goromoff wrote:
> "Anita"  wrote in news:6h53d3Fia29gU1
> @mid.individual.net:
>
>> did give him the best way of indenting a paragraph - but if he finds
>> it hard to do (I don't know why) best he goes back to the way he
>> always has done it :)
>>
>
> It's because I am who I am, Anita. I've only played with the thing
> for this last year, simply because it was a requirement. I can
> happily stuff a document with words, but when it comes to making them
> nice and tidy, that's where the trouble starts, my trouble, that is.
>
> All those wrinkles are totally alien, and really 'are' a pain to me
> and I really am trying to learn, honestly. Preferably, it were better
> had I learned to use it before I needed to, but it was sprung upon me
> and the consequences have been less than satisfactory.
>
> However, I 'shall' go back to your advice and try again and again and
> again.
>
> I have Word 2002. I also have one of those tutorial disc sets that I
> picked up from the oddments at Netto - Focus Multimedia "Getting
> Started on your PC - IT Skills, Touch Typing, Windows XP/2000/98 and
> Office XP/2000 Beginners Edition"
>
> All well and good - in respect of what I'm trying to do, I tells me
> what I must do in much the same way as you good folks have; I did
> what it said, which matched all that had been told me, then it (the
> tutorial) said "now click on 'apply now'" and even showed a window
> with those words scribed thereon. Could I find that instruction on my
> open document? Could I hell as like.
>
> So, because it's been irritating me that I feel as if I've let you
> people down sinceI must be missing something so simple and obvious, I
> shall go back and try again.

ok for Word 2002 :

Instructions:
  1.. Select the paragraph(s) that you want to indent.
  2.. Click on Format : Paragraph….
  3.. Click on the "Indents and Spacing" tab.
  4.. In the "Indentation" section, set the desired indentation in the 
"Left:" and/or "Right:" field.
  Using the "Up" and "Down" arrows, you can set the indent in increments 
of .1 inch. But if you type a number in the field, you can set the 
indent in increments of .01 inch.

  5.. Click on the OK button.
If this does not work for you - sorry have no other solution.

Go on give it a whirl :))
-- 
Anita
Smile for me :)

Skype: ronita440

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:24:27 GMT, Goromoff commented


> Ladies and gentlemen, please let me thank you for your efforts in
> trying to help me. 
> 
> Please understand that I'm a slow learner with this thing, I confuse
> very easily, and my concentration span is very limited. I'm not as I
> used to was, and it's a bloody pain in the fundament!
> 
> I have tried the various routes suggested withour success. I have
> even converted a document into rtf, then transferred same in to a
> preset Word document (configured as per) but to no effect.

The rtf file contains within it all the instuctions for formating the 
paragraphs as they were when it was saved, therefore when you re-load it, 
you get back what you saved.

You could try Saving As plain Text (it's in the dropdown along with rtf 
and the various varieties of Word formats), then load it into your pre-
set Word document. Dunno if it will work but it should get rid of all 
existing formatting except the existence of paragraphs, which will let 
you apply your desired style with no interference.  You may not want to 
take this route if you have much in the way of italic or bold 
highlighting.

 
> I've been through all the various settings as suggested, to no avail.
> I still cannot get the thing to reset globally the first line indent.

Have you tried Selecting All before fiddling with the indent setting?

(Remember I don't use Word, this is guesswork based on other word-
processors and DTP apps)


> Again, thanks - your efforts are much appreciated by this dumb
> thicko. 

That's what we're here for :^)

-- 
Ali
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/my.web.pages/ Don't go there.
UPS/FUNTO July stats: http://my-web-pages.110mb.com/stats/
Five years' statistics now available.

"Anita"  wrote in news:6h5pehFje8eqU1
@mid.individual.net:

> Go on give it a whirl :))
> 

I did Anita, and the result was better than a week in Blackpool - zilch.

I took my test piece, that is, a new Word doc, into which I pasted a copy of 
one of the old components.

I followed your destructions to the letter, except that when I inserted a 
number in the 'indentation' field, the whole paragraph moved en bloc.

There is, however, a 'special' field for 'first line indentation' into which 
I inserted a number and the first line relocated - BUT ONLY on the first two 
paragraphs. The rest of the para indents moved - the wrong way!!!!! 

I'm going to try something else to see what happens.

I'm coming to the conclusion that I must have made a duff setting in the past 
or that something is conflicting. 'Things' happen with learner drivers!

Goromoff  wrote in
news:tKKdncum165nxzPVnZ2dnUVZ8jidnZ2d@bt.com: 

> I did Anita, and the result was better than a week in Blackpool - zilch.
> 
> I took my test piece, that is, a new Word doc, into which I pasted a
> copy of one of the old components.
> 
> I followed your destructions to the letter, except that when I inserted
> a number in the 'indentation' field, the whole paragraph moved en bloc.
> 
> There is, however, a 'special' field for 'first line indentation' into
> which I inserted a number and the first line relocated - BUT ONLY on the
> first two paragraphs. The rest of the para indents moved - the wrong
> way!!!!! 
> 
> I'm going to try something else to see what happens.
> 
> I'm coming to the conclusion that I must have made a duff setting in the
> past or that something is conflicting. 'Things' happen with learner
> drivers! 
> 
> 

nope, that didn't work either

Ali  wrote in news:Xns9B01D8B551C0C314159265358
@195.188.240.200:

> The rtf file contains within it all the instuctions for formating the 
> paragraphs as they were when it was saved, therefore when you re-load it, 
> you get back what you saved.
> 
> You could try Saving As plain Text (it's in the dropdown along with rtf 
> and the various varieties of Word formats), then load it into your pre-
> set Word document. Dunno if it will work but it should get rid of all 
> existing formatting except the existence of paragraphs, which will let 
> you apply your desired style with no interference.  You may not want to 
> take this route if you have much in the way of italic or bold 
> highlighting.
> 
>  
>> I've been through all the various settings as suggested, to no avail.
>> I still cannot get the thing to reset globally the first line indent.
> 
> Have you tried Selecting All before fiddling with the indent setting?
> 
> (Remember I don't use Word, this is guesswork based on other word-
> processors and DTP apps)
> 
> 

copy'npaste into a word doc don't do the trick either, Ali. Thanks anyway.

Goromoff wrote:
> 
> ... this dumb thicko.

Don't do yourself down G.  Maybe you don't think you are, maybe you
think, as I do, that being dumb and thick where computers are concerned
is the only reasonable state of mind.

I used to work in computing and I met some clever people, of all of them
I used to think: why is a clever person like you doing a job like this?

-- 
He is not here; but far away
  The noise of life begins again
  And ghastly thro' the drizzling rain
On the bald street breaks the blank day.

Frederick Williams  wrote in 
news:48AEB992.6020CFE2@tesco.net:

> Goromoff wrote:
>> 
>> ... this dumb thicko.
> 
> Don't do yourself down G.  Maybe you don't think you are, maybe you
> think, as I do, that being dumb and thick where computers are concerned
> is the only reasonable state of mind.
> 
> I used to work in computing and I met some clever people, of all of them
> I used to think: why is a clever person like you doing a job like this?
> 

A self defense mechanism, I think, Frederick. That way, each time I learn 
something with the things gives me to think I'm that bit cleverer!

Or lucky!

In message , Jeff Gaines 
 writes

>Indenting the first line of a paragraph is a bit old style,

Indenting an em space is normal in Imperial paragraphing. Not used in 
American paragraphing, of course.

If you really haven't seen much Imperial paragraphing then you haven't 
read many novels!

-- 
James Follett. Novelist. (G1LXP) http://www.jamesfollett.dswilliams.co.uk

On 23/08/2008 in message <o+FupXEuNIsIFwcz@marage.demon.co.uk> james wrote:

>In message , Jeff Gaines 
> writes
>
>>Indenting the first line of a paragraph is a bit old style,
>
>Indenting an em space is normal in Imperial paragraphing. Not used in 
>American paragraphing, of course.
>
>If you really haven't seen much Imperial paragraphing then you haven't 
>read many novels!

Probably rather too many :-) Very few have indented first paragraphs though.

Indented paragraphs disappeared from business letters/documents about the 
same time that commas disappeared from addresses - i.e. when word 
processors came on the scene.

-- 
Jeff Gaines Damerham Hampshire UK
By the time you can make ends meet they move the ends

In message , Jeff Gaines 
 writes

>Probably rather too many :-) Very few have indented first paragraphs though.

I don't know the reason for the outdented first paras in novels. I'm 
astonished by the numbers of would-be writers who use American 
paragraphing for their novels.
>
>Indented paragraphs disappeared from business letters/documents about 
>the same time that commas disappeared from addresses - i.e. when word 
>processors came on the scene.

Around 1965 in England, long before word-crunching became established, a 
committee consisting of Pitmans, senior civil servants and reps from 
business decided on American paragraphing. The outstanding feature of 
Amp being that all letters, including addresses and salutations should 
be flush left, saving millions of tab strokes. Word crunching did lead 
to the abolition of additional trailing blanks after commas and full 
stops because it confounded word-wrap. I know of only a couple of word 
processors that can cope with trailing blanks.

The decision to abolish punctuation from address line terminations was 
sensible. Punctuation is to provide clarity within paragraphs. It serves 
no purpose at the end of a paragraph. I think it was early in the 19th 
Century that newspaper headlines, by lines and slugs etc lost their full 
stops. A change of font or weight does the job of a full stop.

NB: When paper/parchment was expensive, fullstops were used as word 
separators so that tracking without spaces was possible.

-- 
James Follett. Novelist. (G1LXP) http://www.jamesfollett.dswilliams.co.uk