Microsoft Word:  Spike It!

Ever want to copy nonadjacent text to paste in another location? Think it can’t be done? Think again! Welcome to Word’s Spike feature. Spike is a special AutoText entry that stores multiple deletions. Microsoft Word appends one item to another until you paste the contents as a group in a new location in your document.

To use the Spike, you remove two or more items from nonadjacent locations, append each item to the Spike’s contents, and then insert the items as a group in a new location or document. The items remain in the Spike, so you can insert them repeatedly. But if you want to add a different set of items to the Spike, you must first empty the Spike’s contents.

1. To move an item to the Spike, select the text or graphic you want, and then press [Ctrl] [F3]. Repeat this step for each additional item you want to move to the Spike.
2. Click in the document where you want to insert the Spike’s contents.
3. Do one of the following:
   • To insert the Spike’s contents and empty the Spike, press [Ctrl] [Shift] [F3].
   • To insert the Spike’s contents without emptying the Spike, go to the Insert menu, move to AutoText, and then click AutoText. In the Enter AutoText entries here field, click Spike, and then click Insert.

TIP: To view the Spike’s contents, go to the Insert menu, move to AutoText, and then click Spike in the list of AutoText names. Microsoft Word displays all or a portion of the Spike’s contents in the Preview box.

If you have any questions regarding this tip or need help implementing it in your own projects, contact Ranelle Maltas, Application Support Associate, at 472-0585 or e-mail at rmaltas2@unl.edu.