In its essence and functioning, Google Docs is an application based on MS Word. The main difference being that the former is cloud-based. Designed with collaboration in mind, this feature-rich application has become indispensable in the lives of many professionals. In itself, the outline function, for example, is certainly unique.
Adding and using the overview is simple, but many people don't know how to use it. Here's how to add elements to the document outline and how to make it work best.
Document Outline Display
The outline is located on the left side of a Google document and it represents the index of the document in a way. It displays a list of your titles and subtitles, which can be handy for long documents.
If you don't see the outline in your Google Doc, you need to enable this view. To do this, go to View in the document toolbar and select Show Document Outline in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, use the Ctrl+Alt+A ou Ctrl+Alt+H shortcuts. You will see the outline appear on the left side of your document.
Add titles to plan
If you're worried about having to add things like titles to your document outline, you can rest easy because it's done automatically. As you write and add headings, headings, and subheadings, they will appear in the outline.
To add a title or subtitle to the plan, go to the regular text in the toolbar of a Google Doc. Next, select the header from the drop-down menu. Once you have entered the title, press Enter and it will duly appear in the outline.
Keep in mind that subtitles will not appear in the document outline.
Remove outline headers
Just because headings appear in the outline as you add them to your document doesn't mean they have to be there. Of course, when you remove a title from the text, it will disappear into the outline, but remain in the text itself. However, you can choose to remove it from the outline only.
To do this, go to the plan and place the pointer over the title in question. You will see a X button appears to the right of the header. Click this button. Note that the title has been removed from the plan, although it is still in the document.
Add titles to the plan
If you removed a title from a clip and want to add it again, you don't need to select it and reformat it. Reformatting is done by selecting the header, switching to normal text, then switching back to the desired header.
To properly add the title back to the clip, select it, right-click it, and select Add to document outline at the bottom of the drop-down menu. This will cause the title to reappear in the shot.
Move in the text
The text outline in Google Docs isn't just for show. Although you can use it to get the general concept of the text, it has a more practical use. If you click on an element (heading) in a document's outline, Google Docs will immediately take you to that point inside the text.
Outlines are great for moving efficiently and quickly through a document.
Google Docs and Outlines
As you can see, outlines are a Google Docs index-like feature that gives your documents more organization and order. Plan sections are automatically organized according to your headings. However, you can remove headers from a document outline without removing it from the document itself. Use the document outline to move easily and efficiently through your text.
Did you find this useful? Do you use Google Docs outlines? How do you like this feature? Feel free to join the discussion in the comments section below and be sure to add your thoughts, questions, tips or tricks.
