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X-Bar in Word 2008

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Ed

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Mar 14, 2009, 8:25:10 AM3/14/09
to
Help.

Is there an easy way to create the Sample Mean Symbol (X-Bar) in Word
2008?

Will this symbol appear properly in Windows versions of Word?

And, of course, I'd love to know how to do same in PowerPoint and
Excel.

Thanks for your help,

Ed

Jim Gordon MVP

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Mar 14, 2009, 9:14:53 AM3/14/09
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Hi,

Susan Barnhill, a Word MVP, has an explanation how to do this using
Word's Equation word field.
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/Overbar.htm

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/

CyberTaz

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Mar 14, 2009, 2:44:24 PM3/14/09
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This is something I have never been able to fathom - that character seems to
be in constant demand & has an established significance, but it isn't
included in any font other than specialties. Ironically the mainstream fonts
do include such things as: ⨰, ⨱, ⨲, ẍ

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

On 3/14/09 9:14 AM, in article eBcCebKp...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl, "Jim

Ed

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Mar 14, 2009, 6:29:16 PM3/14/09
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On Mar 14, 2:44 pm, CyberTaz <onlygeneralt...@com.cast.net> wrote:
> This is something I have never been able to fathom - that character seems to
> be in constant demand & has an established significance, but it isn't
> included in any font other than specialties. Ironically the mainstream fonts
> do include such things as: ⨰, ⨱, ⨲, ẍ
>
> Regards |:>)
> Bob Jones
> [MVP] Office:Mac
>
> On 3/14/09 9:14 AM, in article eBcCebKpJHA.2...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl, "Jim

>
> Gordon MVP" <goldke...@warmerthanwarmmail.com> wrote:
> > Ed wrote:
> >> Help.
>
> >> Is there an easy way to create the Sample Mean Symbol (X-Bar) in Word
> >> 2008?
>
> >> Will this symbol appear properly in Windows versions of Word?
>
> >> And, of course, I'd love to know how to do same in PowerPoint and
> >> Excel.
>
> >> Thanks for your help,
>
> >> Ed
>
> > Hi,
>
> > Susan Barnhill, a Word MVP, has an explanation how to do this using
> > Word's Equation word field.
> >http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/Overbar.htm
>
> > -Jim

Jim,

Thanks for the article. I'll try it tomorrow.

Ed

Bob,

I've collected hundreds of fonts, of which I only use a handful. I'm
amazed that none of them—even the math fonts—include the symbol for a
sample mean. It would be nice if Microsoft, Apple, Adobe et. al. fix
this. After all they were able to add the euro symbol.

Ed

Jim Gordon MVP

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Mar 15, 2009, 11:05:50 AM3/15/09
to
Ed wrote:

> I've collected hundreds of fonts, of which I only use a handful. I'm
> amazed that none of them—even the math fonts—include the symbol for a
> sample mean. It would be nice if Microsoft, Apple, Adobe et. al. fix
> this. After all they were able to add the euro symbol.
>
> Ed

I looked through the font glyphs on my computer and discovered the same
thing that you did and couldn't find one with an x-bar.

Once you have created the word field it's a simple matter to turn it
into an AutoText entry so that it's available in Word, Excel, and
PowrPoint just by typing it's shortcut.

Ed

unread,
Mar 15, 2009, 11:39:35 AM3/15/09
to
On Mar 15, 11:05 am, Jim Gordon MVP <goldke...@warmerthanwarmmail.com>
wrote:

Jim,
Help me out here. I got this to work in Word: type X-bar and I now get
the right symbo. It is GREAT! But, please walk me through the process
of getting an X-bar in Excel or Powerpoint. I tried entering { EQ \O
(X,¯) } into Excel and Powerpoint and did not get the X-bar symbol.
Where am I going wrong?

Ed

CyberTaz

unread,
Mar 15, 2009, 7:25:03 PM3/15/09
to


On 3/15/09 11:39 AM, in article
76f78aca-cb79-4e0d...@q11g2000yqh.googlegroups.com, "Ed"
<edvo...@nyc.rr.com> wrote:

> (X,Ż) } into Excel and Powerpoint and did not get the X-bar symbol.


> Where am I going wrong?
>
> Ed

In a Word document select the X-bar character & go to Tools> AutoCorrect.
Type a "trigger" character (such as -x or some such) into the "Replace:"
field - the X-bar should already be in the "With:" field - then click the
"Add" button. You should then be able to type your trigger followed by a
space in either Office app & it will be replaced by the X-bar.

Additionally you can add the X-bar to the Scrapbook & be able to drag it
into any Office document from there.

HTH |:>)

Ed

unread,
Mar 16, 2009, 6:58:57 PM3/16/09
to
On Mar 15, 7:25 pm, CyberTaz <onlygeneralt...@com.cast.net> wrote:
> On 3/15/09 11:39 AM, in article
> 76f78aca-cb79-4e0d-9182-ba8be24d7...@q11g2000yqh.googlegroups.com, "Ed"

>
>
>
> <edvolc...@nyc.rr.com> wrote:
> > On Mar 15, 11:05 am, Jim Gordon MVP <goldke...@warmerthanwarmmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >> Ed wrote:
> >>> I've collected hundreds of fonts, of which I only use a handful. I'm
> >>> amazed that none of them‹even the math fonts‹include the symbol for a
> >>> sample mean. It would be nice if Microsoft, Apple, Adobe et. al. fix
> >>> this. After all they were able to add the euro symbol.
>
> >>> Ed
>
> >> I looked through the font glyphs on my computer and discovered the same
> >> thing that you did and couldn't find one with an x-bar.
>
> >> Once you have created the word field it's a simple matter to turn it
> >> into an AutoText entry so that it's available in Word, Excel, and
> >> PowrPoint just by typing it's shortcut.
> >> -Jim
>
> >> --
> >> Jim Gordon
> >> Mac MVPhttp://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
>
> > Jim,
> > Help me out here. I got this to work in Word: type X-bar and I now get
> > the right symbo. It is GREAT! But, please walk me through the process
> > of getting an X-bar in Excel or Powerpoint. I tried entering { EQ \O
> > (X,¯) } into Excel and Powerpoint and did not get the X-bar symbol.

> > Where am I going wrong?
>
> > Ed
>
> In a Word document select the X-bar character & go to Tools> AutoCorrect.
> Type a "trigger" character (such as -x or some such) into the "Replace:"
> field - the X-bar should already be in the "With:" field - then click the
> "Add" button. You should then be able to type your trigger followed by a
> space in either Office app & it will be replaced by the X-bar.
>
> Additionally you can add the X-bar to the Scrapbook & be able to drag it
> into any Office document from there.
>
> HTH |:>)
> Bob Jones
> [MVP] Office:Mac

Bob,
I know I'm missing something real simple here. I have set up the
AutoCorrect trigger in Word. It works! The trigger is "X-bar." But,
when I type "X-bar" in PowerPoint or Excel, I do not get the symbol
for the sample mean, I get "X-bar."

Also: I cannot copy this symbol from Word and paste it into PowerPoint
or Excel. And, the copy to scrapbook command is "grayed-out" so I am
unable to copy to the scrapbook. I also tried to drag the X-bar symbol
from Word into PowerPoint and Excel, but that does not work either.

What am I missing? Help, please.

Thanks,

Ed

CyberTaz

unread,
Mar 16, 2009, 9:27:16 PM3/16/09
to
The only thing you're missing is the hole in my head %-}... Sorry!

I wasn't even thinking about the fact that you're actually dealing with an
EQ field even after it's saved as an AutoCorrect item ‹ fields aren't
supported in Excel & PPt. That's why the entry isn't appearing. Nor will
copy/paste work for the same reason.

In every resource I've checked the only option that seems to be universally
adopted is to use Insert> Object> MS Equation in those two programs. It
constructs the x-bar as a graphic object, which means it can't be inserted
into a cell or into a PPt placeholder.

There's also a reference to some fonts which include it at:

<http://store.kanecal.net/GD_T_Geometric_Dimensioning_and_Tolerancing_SPC_s_
p/kcgdt.htm>

But I know nothing about them & have never used them.

Regards |:>)


Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

On 3/16/09 6:58 PM, in article
dc1ddde6-293b-4044...@c11g2000yqj.googlegroups.com, "Ed"

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