Extract Outline or Topic Sentences from a Document

[BobH]

Having reached an age where some days you're the windshield (screen) and some days you're the bug - there have been a lot more of the latter lately - I cannot always recall things as clearly as I'd like.

Sometime in the past, I think I recall reading about a tool for Word that would allow extracting a very rough outline from a document. I think I read about it in an article about how authors might use Word and its tools to improve their writing. The paradigm was that a writer would pound out his work - sometimes sequentially and other times randomly - then use the tool to extract thematic information into outline form where it could be re-organized and edited.

Was this another old man's dream, or do such tools exist? If so, where does one find them?

[HansV]

Word versions up to and including Word 2007 have an AutoSummarize tool. It has been discontinued in Word 2010.

Word 2003: select Tools | AutoSummarize...

Word 2007: click the arrow on the right hand side of the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT), then select More Commands...
Select 'All Commands' from the 'Choose commands from' dropdown.
Select AutoSummarize Tools in the list of commands, then click Add >>.
Click OK.
You now have a button for Auto Summarize on the QAT.