Need tips for creating a specific word format

[DomDom]

Hi people,

I want to give my girlfriend a special gift for her birthday. This gift should be a A5 book with all out chat histories in it (across all platforms: facebook, whatsapp, email etc.. pp) from the beginning of our relationship until now, sorted by time.

This format should always include the typical 'chat format' (my parts on the left side, hers on the right side), e.g. .

The different sources should then be differentiated by color (e.g. Facebook and Whatsapp - different tones of blue, green etc.) and at the end I just want to be able to send this word file to a print shop to let them create a book...

However, I am not sure how to create the A5 format and also how to include the typical chat format... I have tried using two columns but that doesnt make any sense etc.

Would be great if you could help me!!!



Thanks!!

D

[fumei]

For making an A5 booklet, google that. There quite a few tutorials.

As for the format...yikes, you have a problem. First off, do you have all the text AS PLAIN TEXT from the various sources? If you do not you have a huge problem, as Word has no way to get it, at least in any automatic way. Word can not talk to those apps. Which means YOU have to get all that text, and YOU have to organize it in the order you want, and YOU have to tell Word that this text (from Facebook say) is this color. That is if you wish to separate Facebook text from other app text.

If you wish to separate chunks by time (as you seem to), then YOU have to determine that, and insert it appropriately.

There could be ways to make thing easier. One would certainly be to use Styles to define things. Like your side could be one Style, her side another.

[DomDom]

Hey, thx for the fast reply. I thought that there was not automatic way so I guess I have to organize and insert all the text by hand, which is o.k. since it should be a gift and I am willing to put in some work..

But how may I organize the document so that there is the typical 'chat format' with the two sides, without using tab so often...?

Best

[thetraininglady]

To setup the page as A5 just go into the Page Layout tab in Word and select the Size button. Choose More Paper Sizes from the drop down menu and then from the Paper size drop down select A5 148x210mm and click OK

I'd use a 2 column table to get the layout you want. Have the left hand column of the table aligned to the left and the right side aligned to the right. Turn off the borders so you get a seemless look.

Set up a style to use for your text and a different type for hers and apply a Text Highlight color to both to give the blue and green tones behind the text like in the chat format.

[DomDom]

Hi! I have tried the column tables but then I am not able to insert my text and hers after each other but I rather have to finish one column to get to the other... which makes the whole thing even more problematic...

[thetraininglady]

Ok so just use either no table and make your page margins smaller so the pieces of text are closer together or use a single column table to achieve the same then put both your info and her info in after each other and then use styles to format them left or right align and for the colour tones for each part of the conversation and you will just have to go through and apply the correct style to the correct piece of text.