A solution for dummies

Q: I frequently prepare document templates (such as newsletters and brochures) in Word 2010, and I often need to insert dummy text to help form the document layout. I usually find some old text and copy it into the document template, but I’ve found out the hard way that using this method without taking time to read the old text can be dangerous. Is there a fast way to insert generic dummy text into Word?

A: A simple Word function called “RAND” can be used to insert dummy text into Word as a placeholder. To use this function, position your cursor in the left-most position of your Word document, type =RAND(p) (where p is the total number of dummy paragraphs you would like inserted) and press Enter. Word will insert the dummy text using English phrasing, and the resulting text will repeat every three paragraphs. (Note: Excel users might recall that, when used in Excel, the RAND function generates a random number between 0 and 1.)

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