12.1 Cover Pages

A cover page is the first page of a formal document — it identifies the document before the reader opens it. Word provides both built-in cover page designs and complete flexibility to create your own from scratch.

Inserting a Built-In Cover Page

1. Click the Insert tab → Pages group → Cover Page
2. A gallery of pre-designed cover page layouts appears — hover to preview each one
3. Click a design to insert it — Word places it as the very first page of the document, automatically pushing all existing content forward
4. The cover page contains content control placeholders — click each one to type your own text:
   • [Document Title] — the main title (also pulls from the document's Title property)
   • [Document Subtitle] — a supporting line or topic description
   • [Author Name] — auto-populated from Word Options → General → User name
   • [Date] — click the calendar picker to select the document date
   • [Company Name] — auto-populated from Word Options → General → Company
   • [Abstract] — a brief description or executive summary (if included in the design)
5. Click anywhere outside a placeholder to deselect it

Removing a Built-In Cover Page

• Insert → Cover Page → Remove Current Cover Page at the bottom of the gallery dropdown
• Do not simply select page 1 and press Delete — this can leave formatting artifacts and a broken first-page section setting

Creating a Custom Cover Page from Scratch

For branded or corporate documents, a custom cover page is far more impactful than any built-in design. The recommended approach:

1. Set up the cover page section: Insert a Section Break — Next Page after the cover page content so the rest of the document is independent (different margins, headers, page numbers)
2. Set vertical alignment: Layout → Page Setup Dialog → Layout tab → Vertical alignment → Center → Apply to: This section. This centres your title content perfectly in the middle of the page without manual Enter presses.
3. Insert a full-page background image or colour:
   • For a solid colour: Design → Page Color → choose your brand colour (applies only to this page if the section has no page colour on other sections)
   • For an image: Insert → Pictures → select your background image → right-click → Wrap Text → Behind Text → resize to cover the full page → Position → More Layout Options → set to 0 cm from top and left edges
4. Insert a text box for the title (Insert → Text Box → Draw Text Box) — position it over the background precisely, set font to white or contrasting colour
5. Add the company logo — insert as an image, set Wrap Text → In Front of Text, position in the header area of the cover
6. Add document metadata lines — title, subtitle, date, author, version number, classification — each in its own text box or as separate paragraphs with precise spacing
7. Save as a Building Block (optional): Select all cover page content → Insert → Quick Parts → Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery → set Gallery to Cover Pages → name it → OK. Your custom cover now appears in the Cover Page gallery for future use.

Saving a Custom Cover Page to the Gallery

1. Design the cover page as desired on the first page
2. Select everything on the first page (Ctrl+A while on that page, or manually select all elements)
3. Insert → Quick Parts → Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery…
4. In the dialog: Name = your cover name; Gallery = Cover Pages; Category = your organisation name; Save in = Building Blocks.dotx
5. Click OK — your custom cover now appears in the Cover Page gallery on every Word installation that uses the same Building Blocks.dotx file (share that file across your organisation for team-wide access)

12.2 Bullets & Basic Numbered Lists

Before tackling multi-level numbering, it is essential to master the fundamentals of basic bulleted and numbered lists — the building blocks of every structured document.

Inserting a Bulleted List

1. Place the cursor where the list begins — or select existing paragraphs
2. Home → Paragraph group → click the Bullets button (the three lines with dots icon)
3. Type the first item → press Enter → type the next item
4. To end the list: press Enter twice — or — press Enter then Backspace to remove the last bullet and return to Normal style

Changing the Bullet Style

1. Select the bulleted paragraphs
2. Click the dropdown arrow ▾ next to the Bullets button → Define New Bullet…
3. Choose:
   • Symbol — any character from any installed font (e.g., Wingdings ✓, ➤, ★; or Segoe UI Emoji for modern icons)
   • Picture — a small image as a bullet marker (useful for branded lists)
   • Font — change the font, size, and colour of the bullet character itself
4. Click OK

Inserting a Numbered List

1. Place cursor or select paragraphs
2. Home → Paragraph group → click the Numbering button (the three lines with numbers icon)
3. Type items and press Enter — each item is automatically numbered

Numbered List Format Options

Click the dropdown ▾ next to the Numbering button → Numbering Library shows preset formats:

• 1, 2, 3 (Arabic numerals — most common)
• a, b, c / A, B, C (alphabetical)
• i, ii, iii / I, II, III (Roman numerals)
• 1), 2), 3) / (1), (2), (3) / 1. 2. 3. (with punctuation variations)
• Click Define New Number Format… for full customisation — change the number style, add prefix/suffix text (e.g., "Article 1.", "Section A."), or change the font

Controlling List Continuation and Restart

• To continue numbering from a previous list after a paragraph break: right-click the first item of the new list → Continue Numbering
• To restart numbering at 1 when Word automatically continues: right-click the first item → Restart at 1
• To set a specific start number: right-click → Set Numbering Value → Start new list → Value set to: [enter number] → OK

Adjusting List Indentation

• Increase indent: Tab at the start of a line (promotes to a sub-list) or Home → Paragraph → Increase Indent
• Decrease indent: Shift+Tab or Home → Paragraph → Decrease Indent
• To adjust the hanging indent, bullet position, or text position precisely: right-click a list item → Adjust List Indents… → set Bullet/Number position (left edge of the marker) and Text indent (left edge of the text)

12.3 Multi-Level List Numbering

Multi-level numbering creates a hierarchical numbered structure — the professional way to format legal documents, technical specifications, policies, procedures, contracts, and academic papers. Each level has its own numbering format and indentation.

The Numbering Hierarchy — Visual Reference

Method 1 — Quick Multi-Level List (Simple)

1. Home → Paragraph group → click the Multilevel List button (the icon with three levels of indented lines)
2. Click the dropdown ▾ to open the List Library — a gallery of pre-built multi-level formats
3. Choose a format from the gallery:
   • 1 / 1.1 / 1.1.1 — classic legal/technical numbering
   • Article I / Section 1.01 / (a) — formal legal style
   • I / A / 1 / a — outline style
   • Chapter 1 / Heading 1 / Heading 2 — linked to Heading styles (see Method 2)
4. Type text → press Enter to add another item at the same level
5. Press Tab to demote to the next level down (1.1 → 1.1.1)
6. Press Shift+Tab to promote to the level above (1.1.1 → 1.1)

Method 2 — Linked to Heading Styles (Professional Standard)

The most powerful approach links each numbering level directly to a Heading style. This means applying "Heading 1" automatically gives the paragraph a "1." number; applying "Heading 2" gives it "1.1"; and so on — and the Navigation Pane, Table of Contents, and Outline View all work perfectly.

1. Click the Multilevel List dropdown ▾
2. Click "Define New Multilevel List…" at the bottom of the gallery
3. In the dialog, for each level (1 through 9):
   • Click the level number in the left panel (e.g., click "1")
   • In "Link level to style" dropdown → select Heading 1
   • Set the Number format in the text box — type prefix/suffix text around the grey number code (e.g., type nothing before → the grey "1" code → type ". " after for "1. " format)
   • Set Number style: 1, 2, 3 / i, ii, iii / A, B, C etc.
   • Set Start at: 1 (or another number)
   • Set Include level number from: for level 2, include the number from level 1 → this creates the "1.1" compound format
4. Repeat for level 2 → Link to: Heading 2; for level 3 → Link to: Heading 3
5. Click More >> for additional options:
   • ListNum field list name — for very complex legal numbering
   • Legal style numbering — suppresses Roman numeral and alpha styles in sub-levels, forcing all to Arabic
   • Aligned at / Text indent at — precise control of where the number sits and where the text begins
   • Follow number with: Tab / Space / Nothing — what appears between the number and the text
6. Click OK
7. Now apply Heading styles as normal — the numbering follows automatically

Customising Number Formats at Each Level

Troubleshooting Multi-Level Numbering

12.4 What Is a Word Template?

A Word template is a pre-configured document file that serves as the starting point for new documents. When you open a template, Word creates a new, untitled document based on it — the template itself is never modified.

What a Template Stores

Template File Formats

12.5 Creating a Template from an Existing Document

The fastest way to create a template is to start with a document that already has the right styles, page setup, headers, and boilerplate content configured.

Step-by-Step: Save a Document as a Template

1. Open the document you want to use as the basis for a template (or create a new blank document and configure everything from scratch)
2. Replace any unique content (e.g., a specific client's address or project name) with placeholder text or content control fields that users will fill in
3. Verify the following are configured correctly:
   • ✅ All required styles defined (Heading 1/2/3, Normal, Caption, etc.)
   • ✅ Correct page margins, orientation, paper size
   • ✅ Header and footer with logo, company name, page number
   • ✅ Multi-level numbering definition linked to heading styles (if required)
   • ✅ Theme and colour palette applied
   • ✅ Default font set correctly
4. Click File → Save As (or press F12)
5. In the Save As dialog, change Save as type to:
   • Word Template (*.dotx) — for templates without macros
   • Word Macro-Enabled Template (*.dotm) — for templates with VBA
6. Word automatically redirects the save location to your personal Templates folder — this is the correct location:
   • Windows: C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates
   • Templates saved here appear under File → New → Personal for future use
7. Give the template a clear, descriptive name (e.g., Acme Corp Letter Template)
8. Click Save

Using Your Template to Create a New Document

1. Click File → New
2. Click the Personal tab (next to "Featured") — your saved templates appear here
3. Click the template name — a new document opens based on the template
4. The new document is untitled ("Document 1") — the template file is completely untouched
5. Fill in the document content and save as a regular .docx file

12.6 Content Controls — Making Templates Fillable

Content Controls are interactive form elements embedded in a template that guide users to enter the right information in the right places — with instructional placeholder text, dropdown menus, date pickers, and more. They transform a static template into a smart, interactive form.

Enabling the Developer Tab

1. File → Options → Customize Ribbon
2. In the right-hand panel, tick Developer
3. Click OK — the Developer tab appears in the Ribbon

Inserting Content Controls

1. Position the cursor where the content control should appear in the template
2. Developer tab → Controls group → choose the control type:

Configuring a Content Control

1. Click the content control to select it
2. Developer tab → Controls group → click Properties
3. In the Properties dialog:
   • Title — the label shown above the control (visible to the user)
   • Tag — an internal identifier used by macros/VBA to reference the control programmatically
   • Show as — Bounding Box (the default rectangular border), Start/End Tag (for developers), or None (invisible border — content only)
   • Use a style to format contents — apply a specific style to the text entered in this control
   • Remove content control when contents are edited — if ticked, the control disappears once the user types, leaving only the text. Use for one-time placeholder fields.
   • Content cannot be edited — makes this control read-only
   • For Drop-Down List / Combo Box: click "Add" to add each dropdown item with a Display Name and Value
   • For Date Picker: choose the display format (e.g., DD MMMM YYYY → 15 January 2025)
4. Click OK

Setting Placeholder Text

1. Click the content control
2. Developer tab → Controls group → click Design Mode
3. The placeholder text in the control becomes editable — type instructional text (e.g., "Click here and type the client's full name")
4. Click Design Mode again to exit — the placeholder text is now shown to users when the field is empty

Protecting the Template so Users Can Only Fill Controls

1. Developer tab → Protect group → Restrict Editing
2. In the Restrict Editing pane:
   • Under "2. Editing restrictions" → tick "Allow only this type of editing" → select Filling in forms
3. Click "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection" → set a password (optional)
4. Users can now only interact with content controls — all other document content is locked
5. To edit the template structure later: Developer → Restrict Editing → Stop Protection (enter password if set)

12.7 Sharing Templates Across Your Organisation

A template stored only on one computer is only useful to one person. To deploy templates across a team or organisation, you need to share them via a network location or SharePoint.

Method 1 — Shared Network Folder (Workgroup Environments)

1. Save the template to a shared network folder accessible to all users (e.g., \\Server\Templates\Word\)
2. Configure each user's Word to look in this folder:
   • File → Options → Advanced → scroll to General → File Locations…
   • Select "Workgroup templates" → click Modify
   • Browse to the shared network folder → click OK → OK
3. Now when users go to File → New → the templates in the shared folder appear alongside their personal templates
4. When the template is updated on the network share, all users automatically get the new version next time they open it

Method 2 — SharePoint / Microsoft 365 (Cloud Environments)

1. Upload the .dotx file to a SharePoint document library designated for templates
2. Configure the library as an "Asset Library" — enables browsing templates from Word's "New from template" experience
3. In Microsoft 365 organisations, templates can also be pushed through the Office 365 Connected Template system or via the SharePoint admin centre
4. Alternatively, share the template's SharePoint URL with users — they open it via the browser, which creates a new Word document based on the template

Method 3 — Email Distribution (Simple, Small Teams)

1. Email the .dotx file to each user
2. Instruct users to save it to their personal Templates folder:
   • C:\Users\[Name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\
   • Tip: copy this path and paste it into the File Explorer address bar to navigate there quickly
3. The template then appears under File → New → Personal for that user
4. Limitation: when you update the template, you must resend and users must manually replace the old file

12.8 Modifying & Maintaining Templates

How to Edit an Existing Template

1. File → Open → Browse — navigate to the .dotx file
2. Select the template file → click Open (do not double-click — that creates a new document based on the template)
3. The template opens in editing mode — the title bar shows the .dotx filename
4. Make your changes (update logo, modify styles, add/remove content controls, etc.)
5. Press Ctrl+S to save — the .dotx file is updated directly

Attaching a Different Template to an Existing Document

1. Developer tab → Templates group → Document Template
2. In the Templates and Add-ins dialog, click Attach…
3. Browse to the new .dotx template file → click Open
4. Tick "Automatically update document styles" to immediately apply the new template's styles to the document
5. Click OK

Template Versioning Best Practices

• Include a version number in the template filename: Acme Letter Template v3.2.dotx
• Keep old versions archived — do not delete them in case a document needs to be reproduced in the original format
• Maintain a change log inside the template itself (in a hidden text field or a comment) documenting what changed and when
• Test the template thoroughly before deploying — create 3-4 test documents to verify all content controls, styles, headers, and numbering behave as intended

12.9 Practical Template Examples

Example 1 — Corporate Letter Template

• Header: Company logo (left), company name and address (right)
• Content Controls: Date picker (document date), plain text (recipient name, address, subject line)
• Boilerplate: "Dear [Name]," and "Yours sincerely," already typed with space for the body
• Footer: Physical address, telephone, email, registration number, VAT number
• Styles: No Spacing for the address block; Normal for body text
• Protection: Restrict Editing → Filling in forms (only content controls editable)

Example 2 — Technical Report Template

• Cover Page: Company logo, report title (Rich Text control), project number (Plain Text), client name (Plain Text), date (Date Picker), version (Plain Text), classification dropdown (INTERNAL / CONFIDENTIAL / PUBLIC)
• Styles: Heading 1/2/3 linked to multi-level numbering (1. / 1.1 / 1.1.1), Normal for body, Caption for figure labels
• Header (from page 2): Left = report title (StyleRef field), Right = page number
• Footer: Left = classification label, Centre = company name, Right = version number
• Pre-built sections: Executive Summary, Table of Contents placeholder, Background, Methodology, Findings, Recommendations, Appendices

Example 3 — HR Leave Application Form

• Title: "LEAVE APPLICATION FORM" — formatted prominently
• Fields: Employee Name (Plain Text), Employee Number (Plain Text), Department (Drop-Down List with all dept names), Leave Type (Drop-Down: Annual / Sick / Family Responsibility / Unpaid / Study), From Date (Date Picker), To Date (Date Picker), Number of Days (Plain Text), Reason (Rich Text, 3-line box)
• Checkboxes: ☐ I confirm all outstanding work has been handed over
• Signature section: Employee Signature (underline leader tab), Date signed (Date Picker), Manager Approval (underline leader tab)
• Protection: Filling in forms only

12.10 Quick Self-Check

Q1: You insert a built-in cover page from the Insert → Cover Page gallery. Does this affect the header on the cover page? Why or why not?

✓ No — built-in cover pages from the gallery automatically activate the "Different First Page" setting, so the cover page has its own separate (and usually blank) header/footer zone. The standard header and footer begin from page 2 onwards. You do not need to configure this manually.

Q2: You are formatting a legal contract and need headings structured as: "1. / 1.1 / 1.1.1" linked to Heading 1/2/3 styles so the Navigation Pane and Table of Contents work automatically. What is the most professional method to achieve this?

✓ Use Define New Multilevel List (Home → Multilevel List dropdown → Define New Multilevel List). For each level, use "Link level to style" to connect Level 1 → Heading 1, Level 2 → Heading 2, Level 3 → Heading 3. For level 2, include level number from Level 1 in the number format to produce "1.1" (not just "1"). This links the numbering to the styles, enabling automatic TOC generation, Navigation Pane display, and correct Outline View behaviour.

Q3: What is the difference between a .docx file and a .dotx file — and what happens when you double-click each one in File Explorer?

✓ A .docx is a regular Word document — double-clicking opens that specific document for editing. A .dotx is a template — double-clicking creates a brand new untitled document based on the template; the template file itself is never opened or modified. To edit a .dotx template, you must right-click → Open (not double-click), or use File → Open in Word and browse to the file.

Q4: You have created a corporate letter template with content controls for the date, recipient, and subject. You want to ensure that when users fill in the template, they can only interact with the content controls and cannot accidentally modify the letterhead design, styles, or fixed text. How do you set this up?

✓ Developer tab → Protect group → Restrict Editing. Under "2. Editing restrictions", tick "Allow only this type of editing" and select "Filling in forms" from the dropdown. Click "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection" (and optionally set a password). The document is now locked — users can only click and fill in the content controls; all other content is read-only.

Q5: Your organisation has updated the corporate letter template with a new logo and revised footer. Colleagues who created letters using the old template need their documents to reflect the new styles and header. How can you push the updated styles from the new template into their existing documents?

✓ In each existing document: Developer tab → Templates group → Document Template → Attach → browse to the new .dotx template → Open → tick "Automatically update document styles" → OK. The document's styles immediately update to match the template. Alternatively, use the Organizer (Developer → Document Template → Organizer) to selectively copy specific updated styles from the new template to existing documents.

Q6: What is Normal.dotm and why should you avoid modifying it to deploy organisation-wide styles?

✓ Normal.dotm is Word's global master template — loaded every time Word starts. Every new blank document is based on it. It should not be used for organisational style deployment because: (1) it is personal to each user's Windows profile — changes on one computer do not reach others automatically; (2) corruption of Normal.dotm prevents Word from opening correctly; (3) any user or IT update can reset it. Instead, deploy a custom .dotx template via a shared network folder or SharePoint, and configure each user's "Workgroup templates" file location to point to it.

✓ Module 12 Complete — You Have Learned:

• Inserting built-in cover pages from the gallery — content control placeholders, automatic Different First Page behaviour
• Removing a cover page correctly via the gallery (not by selecting and deleting)
• Creating a custom cover page from scratch — vertical centering trick, background image, text boxes, logo placement
• Saving a custom cover page as a Building Block to the Cover Page gallery
• Bulleted lists — inserting, changing bullet style (symbol, picture, font), adjusting indentation
• Numbered lists — inserting, all format options, continuing vs restarting numbering, setting a specific start value
• Multi-level list numbering — Tab/Shift+Tab to promote/demote levels; the List Library quick formats
• Defining a new multi-level list linked to Heading styles — the professional standard for all structured documents
• Configuring compound number formats (1.1, 1.1.1) using "Include level number from"
• Multi-level numbering format reference table and troubleshooting table
• What a Word template stores — 9 elements including styles, page setup, headers, numbering, content controls, macros
• Template file formats — .dotx (standard), .dotm (macro-enabled), Normal.dotm (global master)
• Creating a template from a document — Save As → .dotx → Personal Templates folder
• Using a template to create new documents — File → New → Personal
• All eight content control types — Rich Text, Plain Text, Drop-Down, Combo Box, Date Picker, Checkbox, Picture, Building Block
• Configuring content control properties — Title, Tag, Show as, styles, placeholder text, remove on edit
• Protecting a template so users can only fill in content controls
• Sharing templates — network share (Workgroup templates), SharePoint/365, email distribution
• The Normal.dotm caution — why not to use it for org-wide deployment
• Editing an existing .dotx template — File → Open (not double-click)
• Attaching a different template to an existing document and auto-updating styles
• Template versioning and maintenance best practices
• Three practical template examples — Corporate Letter, Technical Report, HR Leave Form