Word Hacks [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Hack 35 Disable Overtype Permanently

Inspiration strikes, and you begin a flurry of
typing with nary a glance at the screen. A few minutes later, you
look up and discover with horror that you've
accidentally entered Overtype mode, that zero-sum game of editing by
attrition. This hack shows you how to disable Overtype mode once and
for all.

Do you know anyone who
uses Overtype mode?
Didn't think so. In fact, many people simply
reassign the Insert key to some other functiontypically Paste,
though any command will do. Word even includes an option to use the
Insert key for pasting: simply select ToolsOptions, click
the Edit tab, and check the "Use the INS key for
paste" box.

But if you've been burned before, even this may not
be enough to assuage your fears. With this hack, Overtype can never
hurt you again. It also offers a great example of intercepting
built-in commands [Hack #61],
one of the most powerful customization features available in Word.

Select ToolsMacroMacros, choose Word Commands
from the "Macros in" drop-down
list, and select Overtype from the "Macro
name" list, as shown in Figure 4-16.

Figure 4-16. Select Overtype from the list of Word macros

Next, choose Normal.dot (or the template of your
choice [Hack #50] )
from the "Macros in" drop-down list
and click the Create button, as shown in Figure 4-17.

Figure 4-17. Preparing to create a new Overtype macro in Normal.dot

The Visual Basic Editor will open, and you'll see a
brand new macro named Overtype, already filled in with the VBA code
equivalent to toggling the Insert button, as shown in Figure 4-18.

Figure 4-18. When you create a macro based on one of Word's commands, the VBA code to perform the command is inserted automatically

Select the line of code that says:

Overtype = Not Overtype

and replace it with the following:

Selection.Paste

Now select FileSave, and then go to FileClose and
Return to Microsoft Word.

If you prefer to completely disable Overtype, just delete the following line of code: Overtype = Not Overtype