Three Pieces Make An Outline

There are three concepts that underlie the outlining process: Heading Styles, Outline Levels, and Body Text.

Heading Styles (numbered 1 through 9, with 1 being the largest) contain formatting information such as font and type size and can be used whether or not you use an outline. Heading Styles also contain information about where the heading fits in the hierarchy of the document. Heading 1 is understood as a first-level heading, Heading 2 is at the second level, and so on.

Outline Levels, set in Outline View, also provide a hierarchical structure. They are set automatically if you use a Heading Style, but they can also be used alone.

Body Text doesn’t have a Heading Style or Outline Level assigned to it. Body Text makes up the content of a document between levels.

Click View and Normal. Type a heading of a few words and place the cursor within the text. Click the Style drop-down box on the Formatting Toolbar and choose Heading 1. The text will take on the font and type size for that particular heading.

Click View and Outline. The heading we created displays indented to the left with a plus sign to the left of it. The Outlining Toolbar appears. Click the heading and you will see Heading 1 in the Style drop-down menu and Level 1 in the Outline Level drop-down menu on the Outlining Toolbar.

Headings & Levels Are Connected

Changing a heading will change the level, so changing to a Heading 3 will always result in a Level 3. You can, however, set the Heading Style to Normal and use the Outline Level independently.

Click View and Normal. The indents created in Outline View aren’t altering the layout of your document. They are strictly for organization.

Click View and Outline. The heading you created has a plus sign to the left of it. This means the heading has subordinate text. A minus sign would mean that the heading has a level but no subordinate text. A small square indicates the paragraph is composed of body text.

Click the plus sign, and all of the heading’s subordinate text is selected. The selection stops if a heading or paragraph with the same or higher level is encountered.

Double-click the plus sign. The text subordinate to the heading disappears and the heading is left with a gray line underneath it. The line signals that there is text below that isn’t shown.

Buttons Provide Another Way

The Outlining Toolbar has the Outline Level drop-down box we used above, as well as other functions. The two pairs of buttons on either side of the drop-down box let you promote or demote headings, paragraphs, or body text.

The Move Up and Move Down arrows let you move a heading, paragraph, or body text. Body text moved to a different level will take on the new level. A paragraph assigned an Outline Level, however, will maintain that level when moved.

The Expand and Collapse buttons perform the same functions as clicking and double-clicking a paragraph’s plus sign as described above.

The Show Level drop-down box lets you determine which levels will be visible. If you choose Level 3, only paragraphs assigned a level of 3, 2, and 1 will be displayed. No lower levels or body text will be visible. Use this function to gain an overview of the structure of your document at different levels.

You can print an outline only in Outline View. Using the techniques above, print an entire document or just the paragraphs assigned to a level. Click File and Print as usual.