Learning to program in vba is like learning anything. You start. You learn. You make mistakes. You learn from the mistakes. See Word Macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) FAQ. The more programming experience you have using other languages the easier it is, I would guess. It is not overnight, but you can start using and writing macros that help you very quickly. UserForms are a layer above vba. You do not need to know everything about vba to use them, but some basic knowledge is almost required.

• Create a Simple Userform by Graham Mayor, MVP
• Create & Employ a Userform by Greg Maxey

AutoText does not delete, no, but you can use a Building Blocks Content Control or an AutoTextList Field to simply select what you want. The AutoText/Building Block is stored in template. That template can be your document template or it can be a global template.

• Where can Building Blocks be stored?
• AutoText Menus in your document - Incorporating AutoText or other Building Blocks in Templates

I believe that using AutoText/Building Blocks is likely easier than jumping into using a UserForm but it does require a basic understanding of templates and building blocks so that it stays available to you.