Weird Microsoft Word Trick?

Question

Type this into a new Microsoft Word document: = rand (200, 99) Then press enter. Why does this happen???

Answer 1

Like jokes, urban legends, and virus hoaxes, tips about Word’s little-used or undocumented features periodically makes their way around the Internet, occasioning a wave of postings in Word newsgroups. One of these is =rand(), which is sometimes represented as an Easter egg, sometimes feared as a possible virus. It is neither. It is a Word function (undocumented in the online Help but documented in the Microsoft Knowledge Base) that can be useful in certain circumstances.

The rand function
The Microsoft Knowledge Base article How to Insert Sample Text into a Document in Word [212251] explains the use and syntax of the function:

Microsoft Word allows you to quickly insert sample text into a document. To do this, type =rand() in the document where you want the text to appear, and then press ENTER.

The inserted text is that hardy perennial: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,” which contains every letter in the English alphabet.

By default, the sample text contains three paragraphs, each containing five sentences. You can control how many paragraphs and sentences appear by adding numbers inside the parentheses, for instance:

=rand(3,4)

The first number is the number of paragraphs, and the second the number of sentences per paragraph. If you omit the second number, you get five sentences in each paragraph. So, for example:

=rand(3,4)

inserts three, four-sentence paragraphs, while:

=rand(10)

inserts ten, five-sentence paragraphs.

The maximum number for either parameter is 200 and may be lower depending on the number of paragraphs and sentences specified. For instance, if you specify 200 paragraphs, then the maximum number of sentences per paragraph you can specify is 99:

=rand(200, 99)

If you specify 200 sentences per paragraph, then the maximum number of paragraphs you can specify is 99.

Admittedly, this function serves a useful purpose for filling a page when you’re designing a template and want to see how it will look with text in it. It’s also easy to see how users can be alarmed and fear this is a virus when someone suggests they try “=rand(200,99),” which quickly blows up into a giant document! (Incidentally, part of the instructions in some versions is to “Make sure there is a space between = and rand and a space between rand and (200,99).” This actually makes no difference: the function works equally well with and without spaces.)

A better method of creating dummy text
Although the rand function is quick and easy, the text it produces is not very natural. All the paragraphs are the same length, and, because every sentence is the same, the lines will tend to break in the same places. The result is that some possible formatting problems may be masked. Another, more useful, possibility, therefore, is to use “Greek“ or “lorem ipsum” text.

Because this kind of dummy text is very commonly used by designers (because it gives a natural look without distracting content), you’ve probably seen examples of it. Microsoft even used it in the Microsoft TrueType Font Assistant (version 1.1) in Windows 3.x. According to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article: What ?lorem ipsum dolor sit amet? Means (Q114222):

The phrase “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet” appears in Microsoft TrueType Font Assistant for each example of the fonts available. This phrase has the appearance of an intelligent Latin idiom. Actually, it’s nonsense .... It's used because the letters involved and the letter spacing in those combinations reveal at their best the weight, design, and other important features of the typeface.

Answer 2

Word Trick App

Answer 3

All the info I could find on it was that it's a sentence that has often been used to test typewriters and keyboards, since the sentence that comes up contains all the letters of the alphabet. However, I don't why it's included as a function in Microsoft Word.

Answer 4

Well bill gates was bored one day he though about it for fun :)
nah kidding, well i think it's for debugging or something, who knows, there are lots of tricks like that, there are plenty in mIRC
Or maybe it's a Code to the Russian spies :) hahah

Answer 5

Whoa, that is weird.

It's like the "Bush Hid the Facts" for Notepad (type in Bush Hid the Facts in notepad, don't hit enter, save and reopen)

Answer 6

That's bizarre!!! Where have you learn that??

For those who are curious: It appears 7000 times the phrase:
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog".

Wild!

Answer 7

hold shift and quickly press ; and 9 or 0

Answer 8

Wow thats neat! But I have nooo idea.

Answer 9

this is just computer trick...there like u know on myspace they make u type "♥ " if i want hearts on ur page..get me...Just a Code

Answer 10

http://word.mvps.org/FAQS/Formatting/DummyText.htm

It creates a sentence with every word in the alphabet and you can specify the amount it reproduces.