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WordAdvanced~60 min practiceLesson 13 of 14

Build a report and record a small macro

Bring the course skills together and record one heading-formatting action.

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In this lesson

Build an eight-to-twelve-page report, make a DOTX template and test a Heading 1 macro in a separate DOCM copy.

Practice material

Start with the practice file. Open the worked answer after trying the exercise. CSV and text briefs are also available. All resources and import notes →

Example

The facilities decision pack

The facilities report compares whether a small team should move to a new office floor. The brief supplies budget figures, timing and risks. Make an editable report, a template and a PDF, then record one Heading 1 action in a separate practice document.

How it works

Report features depend on one another. Headings feed the contents; captions feed cross-references; sections control numbering. After adding or moving content, check those links as well as the pages themselves.

A recorded macro replays commands on the current selection. It does not choose the right paragraph for you. DOCM keeps the macro; DOCX does not. Record your own short action in a practice copy and keep the delivery report macro-free.

Steps

  1. Use word-brief.md for Executive summary, Options, Budget, Timeline, Risks, Recommendation and Appendix. Develop an eight-to-twelve-page report using the brief’s figures and clearly labelled assumptions. Identify supplier details that still need a source.

  2. Apply Heading 1 and Heading 2, with a heading-linked numbering pattern. Add an automatic contents page and separate cover, front-matter and body sections. Start body numbering at 1 and check header and footer links.

  3. Build and caption the vendor comparison table. Add an original diagram with alt text, a caption and a cross-reference from Recommendation. Cite any sources you used.

  4. Save Facilities-Report.docx and a separate Facilities-Macro-Practice.docm. In the DOCM, select a plain-text heading, choose View › Macros › Record Macro and name it ApplyReportHeading.

  5. Store the macro in this practice document, not Normal. Apply Heading 1 with the keyboard or Ribbon, then stop recording. Keep the recording to that single formatting action.

  6. Select another plain paragraph and run the macro from the Macros dialog. Check which paragraph changes and undo it. Select the intended heading and run it again.

  7. In the report, check heading numbers, references, totals and source details. Add a section, update the entire contents and other fields, then compare the numbers with their targets.

  8. Review a copy with tracked changes and a comment, or ask a colleague to review it. Accept or reject the edits and handle the comment. Make a delivery copy, inspect hidden information and run Check Accessibility.

  9. Export Facilities-Report.pdf. Check every page, bookmarks, references and the wide appendix. Make a neutral DOTX from the macro-free report. Keep the DOCM separate with a note describing its one action.

Try it yourself

  1. Produce an eight-to-twelve-page DOCX, a checked PDF and a neutral DOTX. In a separate DOCM, show that your recorded macro applies Heading 1 to the selected paragraph and that Undo reverses it.
Show expected result
  • The report has headings in navigation, an updated contents page, numbered captions, correct references and separate section numbering.
  • The PDF matches the report and the template has neutral placeholders. Only the separate practice DOCM contains the recorded macro.

If something goes wrong

The macro formats the wrong paragraph.
Undo and select the intended paragraph before running it again. A recording replays the formatting command against the current selection.
The PDF has old contents entries or reference numbers.
Update the entire contents and the other fields in the DOCX, then export again. Check the newly exported PDF after the final edit.

Quick check

Try these questions after the exercise. Check the result in your app before marking the lesson complete.

1. Where should the practice recording be stored?
2. Which format retains a Word macro?
3. When should the final PDF be inspected?

Choose an answer for all 3 questions to check your understanding.

Optional: try it with Copilot

If you have Copilot, try this after the exercise. Keep the original file and compare its suggestions with your own result.

Review this facilities report against the brief. List missing evidence, unsupported assumptions and figures that do not agree. Keep the budget values and do not invent supplier quotations or approval decisions.

More from Microsoft

These Microsoft guides cover the tools used in this lesson.

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