I just learned a new trick.

Have you ever been creating a document or template and want to see what it would look like filled with some text.  So you end up typing something useful like “asdf adsf dsf kdsj klje rup sadflj dslf;” on the keyboard and it just looks sloppy.

Turns out there is a feature in most versions of Microsoft Word where you can just type in =rand(x,y)  and you will get “x” paragraphs of “y” sentences typed for you.  So =rand(2,3) gives …

On the Insert tab, the galleries include items that are designed to coordinate with the overall look of your document. You can use these galleries to insert tables, headers, footers, lists, cover pages, and other document building blocks. When you create pictures, charts, or diagrams, they also coordinate with your current document look.

You can easily change the formatting of selected text in the document text by choosing a look for the selected text from the Quick Styles gallery on the Home tab. You can also format text directly by using the other controls on the Home tab. Most controls offer a choice of using the look from the current theme or using a format that you specify directly.

More info on this feature here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/212251

Try =rand(300,100) for a great CPU and printer test document (kidding).

Another similar helpful utility is at http://www.lipsum.com/

It will generate Latin-looking text (“Loren Ipsum”) that just fills space nicely – two paragraphs looks like …

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Donec mi mauris, tempor ac, lacinia in, aliquam at, magna. Aliquam metus elit, lobortis quis, laoreet sed, auctor vitae, augue. Nunc commodo fermentum mauris. Integer faucibus diam. Proin interdum, dolor eget rutrum facilisis, mi est bibendum augue, ut elementum ante erat ac nisl. Duis vulputate, arcu ac luctus elementum, risus sem tincidunt lectus, ac pretium ante tortor quis erat. Aliquam erat volutpat.

Nulla eu mi. Aenean venenatis egestas sapien. Mauris quis eros sit amet mi porttitor dapibus. Aliquam feugiat metus in tortor. Maecenas adipiscing, ligula nec tincidunt pellentesque, lorem nulla suscipit diam, at luctus ipsum lectus eu nisl. Donec vitae urna non ligula pretium consequat. Aenean arcu tellus, semper in, dictum sit amet, bibendum mollis, enim. Nulla nec dui. Pellentesque in diam. Suspendisse facilisis, nisl aliquam vulputate porta, mi magna facilisis metus, eu tempus nulla quam non risus.

This may be more useful if you are trying to fill space with text, but don’t want to confuse someone reading or reviewing it that it should be actual content.  Plus it is language independent if you are working on a project that may be used in other countries.

Cheap way to get a longer blog post – but helpful when you need it.