Why Word 2016 for Mac is a damp squib
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When I installed the preview version of Word 2016 for Mac last week, I did the same thing as I have done for every version since the release of Word 2004 for Mac. And on each occasion I’ve been sorely disappointed.
Whenever I upgrade Word for Mac I check to see if the developers have included a feature that has been available in the Windows version since Word 2001: the ability to lock a document to limit the formatting to a permitted set of styles.
For those not familiar with this particular feature, it enables users to specify the options that control the appearance of a Word document. For example, you can specify styles for body text, headings, numbered and bulleted lists, even what table options are available. Users can only format their content using this set of permitted styles, even if they copy and paste text from other sources (e.g. another Word document).
So when might you use this feature, and why would it be so important to me as a professional writer and editor? Here are three scenarios based on actual projects:
1. Importing to a desktop publishing application
Our client has given us a large report to edit before it goes to the graphic designer, who will lay it out using Adobe’s InDesign. Before we start making changes to the text, we review the available styles and create new ones as necessary to format the report. We then lock the document and apply an appropriate style to each and every element. When we hand over the file to the designer, she will be able to import the document to InDesign and automatically match the styles. This saves hours that she would otherwise spend manually applying headings, underline, bold and italics to hundreds of pages of text, which in turn will save our client money on his design budget.
2. Tender submission
Our client is submitting a tender, but the final response must be provided using an online form. We develop a Word document to allow us to draft a response to each requirement and then ‘workshop’ this text with the client, tracking changes and comments until everyone is happy that we have the best submission possible. Because the fields of the online form only allow for very basic formatting, we limit the formatting options in the Word document. This way we can be sure that when the responses are copied into the online form they will look exactly as they do in the Word document.
3. Maintaining a consistent brand
Our client has a suite of templates for producing documents for customers and suppliers including reports, proposals, letters and quotes. She wants to ensure that everyone in her organisation can produce professional-looking documents that are consistent with the company’s corporate brand. We develop a template for each document type, with styles for every formatting requirement. We then lock down the templates so that users can only apply these approved styles to ensure the brand is maintained at all times.
Unfortunately the preview version of Word 2016 for Mac I installed last week does not let the user limit formatting to a set of permitted styles. While this is a beta version only, with the commercial version due for release later this year, I don’t expect this omission to be remedied. It seems my best hope is the next iteration of Word for Mac. If the past roadmap is anything to go by, this is unlikely to be any time before 2020. Which seems a long time to wait for such a basic but useful feature.
In the meantime, as a dedicated Mac user, I’ll continue to run VMWare Fusion so that I can use the Windows version of Word.
