WD: Error Message: "Specified Text Is Not a Valid AutoText Name"

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

Word may beep and display the following message on the Status Bar after you type the name of an AutoText entry and press F3 or click the Insert AutoText button on the toolbar:

   The Specified text is not a valid AutoText name.
   Use Edit AutoText to create AutoText entries.

CAUSE

This error occurs if you don't separate the AutoText entry name and its succeeding text with a space. Word 6.x and later include characters on both sides of the insertion point when identifying words. This is one of the Intellisense features that enables Word to apply character formatting to the word containing the insertion point. As a result, Word uses the characters on both sides of the insertion point as part of the AutoText name.

Word 2.x for Windows includes only characters to the left of the insertion point when identifying words.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, type a space after the AutoText name before pressing F3. For example, consider the AutoText entry named "mine":

   mine|all mine   Pressing F3 with the insertion point in this
                   position will result in an error.

   mine| all mine  Pressing F3 with the insertion point in this
                   position will insert the AutoText.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word User's Guide," version 6.0, Chapter 4, "AutoCorrect and AutoText: Reusing Text and Graphics," "Inserting Text and Graphics by Using AutoText" section