MS WORD 2000
LAST UPDATED:
Monday, 22 May 2006 02:58:10 +0200
Changes to this page are IN PROGRESS
CHANGING TEXT CASE
Have you ever forgotten to capitalize the words in a title? It can be
a pain, particularly with longer titles, to go back and correct each
word one by one. And suppose you pasted text from an e-mail into your
document and it was all written in all lowercase? Going back through
and changing each sentence individually can take some time. Is there a
quick and easy way to correct these errors in case? With Word 2000's
Change Case feature, the answer is yes.
Select the word, sentence, or paragraph you want to modify. Choose
Format, Change Case and select between sentence case (the first letter
of each sentence is capitalized), lowercase, uppercase, title case
(for names and titles, where the first letter of each word is
capitalized), and toggle case (initial lowercase followed by all
caps--I have no idea what this is for). When you select the case that
works for you, click OK.
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS FOR INSERTING BULLETS
To quickly begin a bulleted list, type an asterisk followed by a
space. When you finish typing the item and press Enter, Word 2000 will
assume that you are beginning a bulleted list and will indent and
bullet the text for you. When you have finished your list, press the
Backspace key twice or click the Bullets button on the Formatting
toolbar, and you will return to your previous text formatting. It
sounds simple because it is simple.
ALIGNING TEXT VERTICALLY ON THE PAGE
If you create a title page for a document that has only a few words of
text, you don't want to have to guess exactly where to place the text
so that it fits in the exact center of the page.
To align text vertically, first make sure that the page you wish to
align is its own section (do this by positioning the cursor after your
text and selecting Insert, Break and selecting the Next Page Section
Break option). Then, choose File, Page Setup and click the Layout tab.
The Vertical Alignment menu appears on the left. With it, you can
choose to align text vertically from the top (which is the default
mode for all pages), center (nice for title pages), bottom, or
justified (in which all paragraphs will be spaced equally on the
page).
INTERRUPTING AND RESUMING LISTS
Sometimes you're working on a numbered list and you find that you need
to insert parenthetical remarks. Unfortunately, each time you press
Enter, Word thinks you want to add another item to the list. You can
turn off the numbering, but when you wish to resume the list Word
starts again at number one. Fortunately, there is a simple way to
resume the numbered list from where you left off.
When you've reached the point where you wish to insert text without
numbers, click the Numbering button on the Formatting toolbar. Type
the new text as you would normally. When you wish to resume the list,
press Enter and then click the Numbering button on the Formatting
toolbar once again. The list will start at one. Right-click at the
start of the list and select Bullets And Numbering from the shortcut
menu. Click the Continue Previous List button, and your list will
begin numbering from where you left off.
DRAG AND DROP DOCUMENT SCRAPS
Have you ever been reading a document and suddenly come upon a line or
paragraph so compelling you want to save it for later? Sure, you could
save the whole document, but when all you're interested in is a line
or two, why bother? Instead, you can save the selected passage as a
document scrap, right on your desktop.
Document scraps are simple. Select the text you'd like to save and
drag it to your desktop. The document scrap becomes its own file,
complete with a very scrappy-looking icon. If you ever wish to insert
this scrap into another document, simply position the insertion point
in your document where you'd like the scrap to appear and drag the
scrap to the document. Word 2000 automatically inserts the text from
the scrap.
USE BLUE BACKGROUND, WHITE TEXT TO REDUCE EYESTRAIN
As computers become ubiquitous, computer-related injuries become more
common. Repetitive stress disorders get all the press, but many users
suffer eyestrain from keeping their vision fixed on a computer screen
all day. If you're constantly staring at Word 2000 documents, your
eyes are absorbing the harsh white background, which can be too much
light.
An interesting technique for avoiding eyestrain involves changing the
look of your Word 2000 documents so that your text appears as white on
a blue background. Go to Tools, Options and click the General tab.
Check the Blue Background, White Text box and see how it looks. Whoa,
that looks crazy. Anyway, if this view seems like something that might
be easier on your eyes, stick with it.
USING CTRL-CLICK TO SELECT A SENTENCE
Now and again you may find that you've written a sentence that looks
terrible. To delete it quickly, before some wise guy coworker looks
over your shoulder and sees your folly, hold down Ctrl while clicking
inside the sentence. This automatically selects the entire sentence,
after which you can quickly press the Delete key before anyone is the
wiser.
CREATING SUBSCRIPTED TEXT
If you flash back to high school chemistry (a painful memory for many
of us), you will recall that compounds are named with subscripted
numbers indicating the proportion of molecules. The example that leaps
immediately to mind is H2O, the chemical name for water. Because you
are viewing this text as an e-mail, we cannot properly display this
compound in its subscripted form, where the number 2 appears slightly
below the letters H and O. With Word 2000, however, creating
subscripted text is easy.
Using the water example above, you'd type the H normally and then
press Ctrl-Hyphen-Equal Sign. You then type the 2 and press
Ctrl-Hyphen-Equal Sign again to resume normal typing.
NONBREAKING HYPHENS
Hyphens can help you break words in a way that can make your lines
look better (especially when you're using justified text); however,
when Word breaks a hyphenated word that wasn't meant to be broken, it
looks awkward on the page. For example, take the word e-mail. When the
"e-" ends up at one end of a line and "mail" begins the next, your
document looks unprofessional.
To prevent this, you can specify hyphens that are not meant to be
broken. Press Ctrl-Shift-Hyphen to create a hyphen that will not break
at the end of a line.
ENSURING THAT TABLE ROWS DON'T BREAK ACROSS PAGES
When you're working in a table, it can be frustrating when some of the
information in a table cell appears on one page while the remaining
lines appear on the next. By default, Word 2000 breaks the information
in a table cell across pages so that the table fills a full page. With
a few exceptions, this is probably not the way you'll want to format
your tables.
To prevent table rows from breaking across pages, select Table, Table
Properties and click the Row tab. Then, simply deselect the Allow Row
To Break Across Pages box and click OK.
ADJUSTING CELL MARGINS IN TABLES
In Word 2000 tables, the cell margin is the space between the text you
enter and the edge of a cell. When you work with tables, there may
come a time when the default cell margin is either too large (because
you have to fit a table on a tight page) or too small (because having
the information packed so tightly makes your table confusing).
To adjust the cell margins in a table, make sure your insertion point
rests inside your table and select Table, Table Properties. Click the
Table tab and then the Options button. Increase or decrease the cell
margins and click OK. Repeat this process until your table looks the
way you like it. Good luck with those tables.
ADDING SHADING TO TABLE CELLS
Adding shading is a simple and effective way to make your table more
readable. You can highlight the header rows to make them stand out, or
you can alternate shaded and nonshaded rows to make viewing
information across columns clearer.
Your first step is to call up the proper toolbar by right-clicking the
Standard toolbar and selecting Tables And Borders. Then, select the
cells, rows, or columns in your table that require shading. On the
Tables And Borders toolbar, click the down arrow next to the icon that
looks like a paint can. From here, select the color (or shade of gray)
you like, and Word uses it to shade your table, keeping the text
within your table visible.
EXPANDING AND CONDENSING HEADINGS TO MAKE THEM FIT ACROSS THE PAGE
When you create a heading for a document, it may not look quite right
tucked against the left margin. Perhaps it would look better if the
heading stretched across the width of the page. Or you may find that
the heading runs just a bit too long, with the last word wrapping to
the next line. You can adjust font sizes, but this is ultimately a
clumsy way of tweaking text. Better to expand or condense the text
using the Format, Font feature.
First, select the text you'd like to work with and then select Format,
Font. Then, click the Character Spacing tab. Adjusting the scale
expands and contracts the individual letters in your text, while
adjusting the spacing puts slightly more or less space between each of
the individual letters. Experiment and find out which looks best for
your document.
KEEPING LISTS FROM BREAKING ACROSS PAGES
If you have a brief numbered list in your document, you probably don't
want items one and two on the first page and items three, four, and
five on the second. Your list would look much better if all the items
were kept together. The best way to do this is to tell Word 2000 to
keep the lines of your list together.
First, select the text in your list. Then select Format, Paragraph and
click the Line And Page Breaks tab. Check the Keep With Next box, and
your list will remain together on the same page.
SELECTING MIRROR MARGINS FOR DOCUMENTS THAT ARE TO BE BOUND
Look at any book or bound document and you will find that the margins
on even and odd pages differ. More margin space is required on the
inside edge, as some space is inevitably lost in the binding of the
page. If you are creating a document that will eventually appear in
bound form, you may want your document to have these kinds of margins,
called mirror margins.
To incorporate mirror margins into your document, select File, Page
Setup and click the Mirror Margins box. You will notice that the
designation of left and right margins changes to inside and outside.
Odd pages have the inside margin on the left; even pages have the
inside margin on the right. When you've adjusted the margins
accordingly, click OK.
REPLACING TEXT WITH THE CONTENTS OF THE CLIPBOARD
The Find And Replace feature is one of the most powerful Word 2000 has
to offer. With it, you can fix mistakes that repeat in a document in
one fell swoop, without having to go through page by page. Pretty
impressive, huh? An interesting variation on the Find And Replace
feature allows you to replace text with the contents of the Clipboard.
With this feature, you can insert pictures, sounds, video, or text
wherever a specific word appears in your document.
To replace text with a Clipboard item, first make sure you've
copied the replacement item to your Clipboard. Next, select Edit,
Replace and click the More button. Click the Replace tab and enter the
text you are looking for in the Find What field. Click in the Replace
With field, click Special, and select Clipboard Contents. Click
Replace All, and the text in the Find What box will be replaced with
what you have on your Clipboard throughout your entire document. Now
show off that fancy document and impress your friends, coworkers, and
admirers.
ALIGNING HEADER TEXT VERTICALLY
If you are creating a table that contains numbers or small bits of
text, the header cells may take up much more space than is warranted
for the table. A nice technique for decreasing the size of the table
is to align the text in your headers vertically.
First, right-click on the Standard toolbar and make sure that the
Tables And Borders toolbar is visible. Then, select the table cell or
cells you wish to adjust and click the Change Text Direction button on
the Tables And Borders toolbar. There are three possible directions
for text: standard horizontal, moving up, and moving down. Each time
you click the Change Text Direction button, the text moves to the next
position. Find which one works best for the text in your table. Did
you get all that?
ASSIGNING A TITLE FOR A WORD DOCUMENT SAVED AS A WEB PAGE
When you use Word 2000 to create a Web page, you'll want to make sure
that your page has a title that makes sense. Otherwise, when you
finally get around to finishing that amazing work in progress, you
won't be able to find it. The title of a Web page is the text that
appears along the top of a Web browser, and this text is important
because it helps search engines that may come across your site to
index your documents properly.
To designate a title when you create a Web page, first make sure you
save your document as a Web page by selecting File, Save As Web Page.
Then, before you save the document in the appropriate folder, click
the Change Title button, enter the appropriate text for your title,
and click OK. If you need to change the title of the page later, go to
File, Properties and click the Summary tab. You can then enter the new
title in the Title box.
USING AUTOFIT TO WINDOW TO LAY OUT TABLES FOR WEB PAGES
If you are using tables to lay out a document that will later be used
as a Web page (and if you have a decent amount of information to
organize, you should be), make sure your table automatically fits to
the browser window. Doing this ensures that the columns of your table
will adjust to the width of the viewer's Web browser window so that a
surfer who comes across your page doesn't have to resize the window
manually.
First, make sure your insertion point is within the boundary of your
table. Then select Table, AutoFit, AutoFit To Window. Now your Web
page will automatically adjust to the width of the viewer's browser.
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SELECTING A BACKGROUND FOR YOUR WEB PAGE
While there is something elegant about a plain white background for a
Web page, you may find that you want something a little more creative.
You can select from a wide array of background colors and textures
right from Word 2000.
When creating a document you will use as a Web page, first select
Format, Background. From here, you can select one of the readily
available background colors, or you can select More Colors or Fill
Effects. Fill Effects contains a variety of textures, patterns, and
pictures that you can select by clicking the tabs along the top of the
window. See which background pattern works best with your page.
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ADDING A FRAME TO A WEB PAGE
Web page design took a quantum leap several years ago with the
invention of frames. Frames allow a Web page to be divided into
discrete sections, small pages-within-pages, allowing for much more
control in navigation and presentation.
To add frames to your Web pages in Word 2000, select View, Toolbars,
Frames. On the Frame toolbar, you can select the edge on which you
would like your frame to appear. Once you've inserted the frame, you
can easily adjust its size by moving the cursor over the edge until
the familiar insertion point appears, much like adjusting columns in
tables. Keep in mind that adding a frame creates a new Web page, so
you must now save your new document in the same folder as your
previous page, and with an appropriate title.
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SCROLL BAR SETTINGS FOR WEB PAGES WITH FRAMES
If you create a Web page with frames, you must decide whether you want
the frame to have scroll bars. Scroll bars allow viewers to navigate
within a frame, accessing information that may not be visible
depending on the size of the browser window and the content of the
frame. Unnecessary scroll bars, however, can clutter a Web page and
look unattractive. Now, we would hate to have an ugly Web page,
wouldn't we?
To adjust your scroll bar settings, click in the frame and then select
Format, Frames, Frame Properties. Click the Borders tab and select the
appropriate scroll bar setting from the Show Scrollbars In Browser
menu.
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FRAME BORDER SETTINGS FOR WEB PAGES WITH FRAMES
Sophisticated Web designers use frames in the most transparent way
possible, breaking up the content of a Web page into small, discrete
sections that are easy to control. By default, Word 2000 inserts a
small border between frames in a Web page, but there are times when
you want your frames to blend seamlessly. Fortunately, this adjustment
is a simple one.
To adjust the border settings for your frame, click in the frame and
choose Format, Frames, Frame Properties. Click the Borders tab and
then click the No Borders button to eliminate borders between adjacent
frames. Voila! Seamless as can be.
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PREVIEWING A WEB PAGE IN INTERNET EXPLORER
If you are working on your Web page using Word 2000 and want to get a
quick look at what it will look like in a browser window, choose File,
Web Page Preview. Word 2000 will automatically launch Internet
Explorer and display your document, laid out in HTML format.
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ADDING A WEB DIVIDER TO A WEB PAGE
If you create a Web page in Word 2000 that has content divided into
sections, you might try adding a Web divider to separate the content
visually.
First, click on the portion of your Web page where you want the Web
divider to appear. Then, select Insert, Picture, Clip Art. Scroll to
the bottom and you will see a category of clip art labeled Web
Dividers. A page displaying samples of the various Web dividers will
appear. Find the one that looks right, click on it, and click the
Insert Clip icon. You may need to insert your Word 2000 CD to retrieve
the clip art.
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ADDING CLIP ART TO THE FAVORITES CATEGORY
You may find that there are specific pieces of clip art that you
insert into documents frequently. Rather than going through the
standard procedure for retrieving and inserting these pieces, you can
save time by adding them to your list of Clip Art Favorites. Here, you
can always locate them quickly and easily.
To add a piece of clip art to your favorites, first select Insert,
Picture, Clip Art. Browse the categories until you find the piece of
clip art you are looking for. Click on it and click the Add Clip To
Favorites Or Other Category icon. Select Favorites and click Add. The
Favorites category (which is always the first icon you see when you
insert clip art) now contains your frequently used clip art.
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SEARCHING FOR CLIP ART WITH A KEYWORD
Word 2000 automatically associates a few descriptive keywords with
each piece of clip art in the Clip Art Gallery. These keywords help
you to search for clip art without having to browse through all those
broad categories. For example, you can search for clip art that has
the word "ball" associated with it, without having to look for
ball-related clips in the various categories manually.
To search for clip art using keywords, select Insert, Picture, Clip
Art. Click in the Search For Clips box and enter the text relating to
the clip art you are looking for. Word 2000 will generate a list of
clips that match the keyword you entered. Neat, huh?
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ASSIGNING A KEYWORD TO CLIP ART
Although Word 2000 automatically assigns a handful of keywords to each
piece of clip art, you may want to add a few words of your own to help
you organize the vast library of images. Assigning your own keywords
to clip art is simple.
First, select Insert, Picture, Clip Art. When you find the image
you're looking for, right-click it and select Clip Properties. Click
the Keywords tab and then the New Keywords button. Enter the
appropriate keywords and click OK. You can now search for this piece
of clip art by using the new keyword. Now if you can just remember
those keywords...
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SEARCHING ONLINE FOR CLIP ART
Although Word 2000 comes with a sizable library of clip art, you will
eventually need a picture that isn't available on your CD.
Fortunately, there is another vast reservoir of images available
online, and it's simple to insert these images directly into your
document.
First, select Insert, Picture, Clip Art and click the Clips Online
button. Click OK, and Word 2000 will launch your Web browser,
connecting you to Microsoft Clip Gallery Live. Here, you will have
access to literally hundreds of thousands of clips, and when you
download a clip, it is automatically inserted directly into your own
Clip Gallery, into the Downloaded Clips category. Have fun with this
clip art gold mine.
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A QUICK METHOD FOR DRAWING LINES
If you ever want to draw a line across the entire width of a document,
there is a neat little trick that makes this operation almost
instantaneous. All it involves is pressing a key three times and
pressing Enter. Different keys will give you different kinds of lines.
For example, for a solid line across the page, simple press the Hyphen
key three times and press Enter. For a thicker line, use the Underline
key. For a broken line, use the Asterisk key. Pressing the Equal Sign
key three times and then pressing Enter will give you a double line
across the page, and performing the operation with the Tilde key gives
you a squiggly line across the page. Enjoy!
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INSERTING A DROP CAP INTO A WORD DOCUMENT
Drop caps are a fancy technique for sprucing up documents. By
inserting a large letter at the beginning of a document or paragraph,
you can approximate the age-old appearance of a printing press, with
all the digital functionality of Word 2000 intact.
To insert a drop cap into your document, click anywhere in the first
sentence of the paragraph and select Format, Drop Cap. Choose whether
you want the drop cap to appear in the margin or the body of the
paragraph, with the text wrapping around it. You can also select the
font for the drop cap and specify how many lines you would like the
drop cap to descend (which determines the size of the letter). When
you have finished, click OK.
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ADDING OR REMOVING TOOLBAR BUTTONS
There sure are a lot of buttons on your average Word 2000 toolbar, and
you may find that there are certain features you never use. Having
useless buttons cluttering your toolbar only serves to make an already
complex program more confusing. It could be time to narrow down to
only the buttons you need.
To customize a toolbar, click on the small More arrow at the far-right
edge of the toolbar. Select Add Or Remove Buttons. You will see a
window that has all the items that appear on the toolbar checked, and
a few possibilities for the toolbar unchecked. Simply uncheck the
extraneous commands, and the buttons will disappear, leaving you with
only the essentials.
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RESTORING A TOOLBAR TO ITS ORIGINAL SETTINGS
In our last tip, we showed you a quick way to customize toolbars in
Word 2000, so by now you may have your toolbars displayed with only
the essential buttons visible. Things can change, however, and you may
find that you want to restore your toolbar to the default settings. If
you have trouble remembering which buttons this included, do not
despair. Restoring these settings is a snap. Click on the More arrow
and select Add Or Remove Buttons. At the bottom of the window is the
Reset Toolbar command. Click this, and your toolbar returns to its
original, factory-fresh state.
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CHANGING THE IMAGE FOR A TOOLBAR BUTTON
In the past two tips, we've explored some ways to customize your
toolbars. This is, after all, your Word 2000, and there is no reason
why you should have to look at a display more complicated than
necessary. Today, we'll show you how to change the images associated
with toolbar buttons.
First, select Tools, Customize and click the Toolbars tab. With the
Customize window showing, right-click the button on the toolbar whose
image you would like to modify. Click Change Button Image and you will
see a host of new and exotic buttons for the choosing. Select one that
works and marvel at the colorful nature of your toolbars.
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INSERTING A BORDER ABOVE A FOOTER
A nice way to get your documents looking more professional is to
insert a border between the footer and the body of your document. To
do so, first select View, Header And Footer and click Switch Between
Header And Footer. On the Main menu, select Format, Borders And
Shading. Select a style of line and click on the top edge of the box
on the right. Click OK, and your footers will be separated from the
main portion of your document by a border.
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REPEATING A TABLE HEADER
If you have a table that stretches over several pages, you don't want
the person reading your document to have to look back to page one to
figure out what all the columns mean. Naturally, you'll want the
headers of each column to appear on every page.
First, select the rows you want to appear as headers. Then, choose
Table, Table Properties and click the Row tab. Make sure Repeat As
Header Row At Top Of Each Page is checked and click OK. Your selected
headers will appear at the top of each page of your table. Good luck!
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WRAPPING TEXT AROUND A TABLE
Depending on the kind of document you're working on, you may find it
useful to have the body text wrap around a small table, rather than
having the table appear on its own line.
To set up a table so that text wraps around it, first make sure you
are in either Print Layout View or Web Layout View. Then, select the
table; choose Table, Table Properties; and click the Table tab. Under
Text Wrapping, select Around and click OK. Now, position your table by
moving the cursor just above the upper-left corner of the table and
grabbing the move handle. Insert the table inside a paragraph, and the
text will wrap around it. Happy wrapping.
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ADDING A MISSPELLED WORD TO AUTOCORRECT
If you're like us, you find the same words appearing every time you
spell-check a document. If you know that you often misspell the same
words in the same way, you can either learn how to spell these words
correctly or, better yet, you can tell Word 2000's AutoCorrect feature
to change them for you automatically. Believe us, the latter involves
a lot less work.
First, choose Tools, Spelling And Grammar to check your spelling. If
you come across a word that you repeatedly misspell, click on the
correct word in Suggestion and click the AutoCorrect button. From that
point forward, this word will be automatically corrected every time
you misspell it. How convenient.
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USING THE NUDGE COMMAND TO MOVE AN OBJECT
The mouse is great for moving an object or picture from place to place
in your document, but sometimes you need a little more precision. In
this case, using the Nudge command can help you to get your object
right where you want it.
Select the object, and from the Drawing toolbar choose Draw, Nudge.
Select the direction you want to move your object. Repeat the process
until you get your object exactly where you want it. It's that simple.
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CREATING A CHAPBOOK WITH HALF-SIZE PAGES
To create a small, professional-looking publication without a lot of
effort, try making a chapbook. A chapbook is a small book that
consists of pages half the size of standard paper. You can easily
create chapbooks in Word 2000 without having to play around with
various page sizes and margins because the option is preset.
To lay out your document on half-size chapbook pages, go to File, Page
Setup and click the Margins tab. Select the 2 Pages Per Sheet option
and click OK. Word 2000 will automatically create two half-sized pages
per full-size sheet, with the normal margins for each page intact. Now
you just have to write the darn thing.
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INSERTING ROWS AND COLUMNS INTO A TABLE
Inserting rows and columns into an existing table is a snap in Word
2000. The first thing to remember is that Word 2000 inserts rows just
above the row you select, while columns are inserted on the right.
To insert a row into a table, select the row below the point where you
want your new row by clicking in the space just to the left of that
table row. Right-click on the selected row and choose Insert Rows.
Inserting a new column into a table is just as easy. Position your
cursor just above the row that lies to the left of the point where you
want your new row to appear. When you see the small down arrow, click
to select the column. Right-click on the selected column and choose
Insert Row.
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DISABLING BROWSER-SPECIFIC FEATURES WHEN CREATING A WEB PAGE
As you create Web pages using Word 2000, keep in mind that certain
kinds of formatting and features are only available in Internet
Explorer 5.0, and these won't work in other versions of IE or in
Netscape. Fortunately, there is a quick setting to make sure that your
Web page only includes features available in IE 4.0 and Netscape 4.0.
Go to Tools, Options and click the General tab. Click the Web Options
button and select the Disable Features Not Supported By option. Select
Internet Explorer 4.0 And Netscape 4.0 from the pull-down menu and
click OK. When you try to perform an operation not permitted by IE 4.0
or Netscape, Word 2000 will let you know.
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MERGING CELLS TO CREATE A SUBHEADING IN A TABLE
If you are building a table and find that several columns can have the
same general heading, why not merge the first-row cells of these
columns to make a single heading? Select the cells in the first row
and right-click; then select the Merge Cells option, and the two (or
more) cells you selected will become one.
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MERGING TWO TABLES
If you've constructed two separate tables but later realize they
should be one, it's easy to join the two tables in Word 2000. Simply
delete any empty space between the two tables by positioning the
pointer at the first open space after the first table and pressing the
Delete key. When you've deleted the last of the empty space, Word
automatically joins the two tables. It just doesn't get any easier
than that.
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CHOOSING TO PRINT IN REVERSE PAGE ORDER
Have you ever printed a long document and then had to manually reverse
the pages so they are in the correct order? In this digital age,
having to arrange pages like this is simply unacceptable. And you
don't have to. There's a little feature in Word 2000 that reverses the
print order automatically.
Go to Tools, Options and click the Print tab. Select Reverse Print
Order under Printing Options, and Word will begin with your last page
and work its way toward the front. When your print job is finished,
your first page will be on top, right where it should be.
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TURNING OFF AUTOMATIC HYPERLINK GENERATION
You may have noticed that when you type a Web address in Word 2000 the
application automatically creates in your document a hyperlink to that
page on the Internet. This works because Word 2000 thinks that
whenever you type
http://
you want to link to a page on the Web. You may find, though, that you
have reason to type Web addresses for informational purposes only, and
that identifying them as links in your document is annoying. To tell
Word to lay off the automatic hyperlinks, go to Tools, AutoCorrect and
click the AutoFormat As You Type tab. Deselect the Internet And
Network Paths With Hyperlinks option and click OK.
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A QUICK WAY TO EDIT HYPERLINKS
If you create a Word document with hyperlinks to Web pages and later
find that you want to edit one of the hyperlinks, simply right-click
on it. From the resulting shortcut menu, you can select Hyperlink,
Edit Hyperlink to open the Edit Hyperlink box.
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ADDING SOUND TO A WEB PAGE
If you are using Word 2000 to build your home page, you may find that
you want to liven things up with a little music. After all, they say
it tames the beast. Inserting some background sounds into your Web
page is pretty simple, but keep in mind that sound means bandwidth,
and a long stretch of music might have visitors to your site waiting
impatiently for the download to finish--and that could definitely
enrage the beast you're trying to tame.
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INSERTING A BACKGROUND SOUND INTO A WEB PAGE
To insert a background sound into your Web page, you will need access
to the Web Tools toolbar (right-click the Formatting toolbar and
select Web Tools). Click the Sound icon (it looks like a tiny speaker)
and browse for the sound you want to insert. The C:\\Windows\Media
folder has a selection of pre-installed sound and music files. Select
a file from here, or navigate to a sound file you created previously.
After selecting your sound file, you need to specify how many times
you want this file to play when someone visits your Web page by
entering a number under Loop. When you finish, click OK.
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QUICKLY INSERTING A FOOTNOTE
If you're composing a document and you don't want to pick up the mouse
to insert a footnote, a quick keyboard shortcut will do the trick. To
quickly insert a footnote, press Alt-Ctrl-F. This bypasses the Insert
Footnote dialog box and takes you directly to a new footnote.
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A QUICK WAY TO EDIT FOOTNOTES
If you want to edit one of your footnotes, you can choose View, Header
And Footer and scroll to the note you need. A quicker approach is to
simply double-click on the footnote citation itself. This causes you
to jump directly to the footnote, where it is ready to be edited.
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TURNING FOOTNOTES INTO ENDNOTES
Footnotes and endnotes are fantastic little inventions that help you
to insert parenthetical or explanatory information without cluttering
the body of your text. The notation method you choose depends on the
conventions associated with your specific document and personal
preference; some people want to see the notes at the bottom of every
page where they are easily accessible, and others want them in the
back, where they are out of the way. You may find, upon drafting a
document, that you chose the wrong citation method--say you want
endnotes when you've already inserted footnotes. Do not despair;
converting them is simple in Word 2000.
Go to Insert, Footnote and click the Options button. Click the Convert
button and choose either Convert All Footnotes To Endnotes or Convert
All Endnotes To Footnotes, depending on what kind notes you have in
your document. Click OK twice, and then click Close to close the Notes
dialog box.
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HIGHLIGHTING WORDS IN A DOCUMENT
Remember those yellow felt-tip pens that you used to highlight the
important stuff in a large body of text? Well, in Word 2000 there is a
digital equivalent. The highlighting feature is particularly useful
for indicating key lines in a document that will be edited or reviewed
by someone else prior to completion.
The quick way to highlight a chunk of text is to select the desired
text and click the Highlight icon on the Formatting toolbar (it's the
one that looks like a marker with the florescent yellow line
underneath). If you are going to be doing a lot of highlighting, you
can click the small arrow next to the Highlight icon to select a color
and turn your cursor into a Highlighting tool. With the tool, simply
click and hold to move the highlighter over text, just the way you
used to with those smelly markers. Oh, by the way, we don't recommend
using black to highlight important passages in your document.
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REMOVING HIGHLIGHTED TEXT PRIOR TO PRINTING A DOCUMENT
In our last tip, we showed you how to use the Highlighting tool to
point out important text in a document. If you try to print a document
with highlights, you'll notice that the highlights don't look so hot
on the page. So before you print, you can remove the highlights from
your document by selecting the document, clicking the small arrow next
to the Highlighting icon, and selecting None. If you want to keep the
highlights but don't want them to show up when you print, you can hide
them temporarily. Go to Tools, Options, View and deselect the
Highlights option.
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INSERTING WRITTEN COMMENTS INTO DOCUMENTS
If two or more people are working on a single document, there's a
great feature in Word 2000 that allows people to make written comments
without altering the text of the document itself. With these comments,
you can simply move your mouse over a highlighted section of text and
read another person's notes in a pop-up box.
To insert a comment into a document, select the text you want to
comment on and go to Insert, Comment. A window opens to type your
comments. When you finish typing, click Close. The text that is linked
to the comments is highlighted, and when the cursor moves over the
highlighted section a small box with the comment notes appears.
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INSERTING RECORDED COMMENTS INTO DOCUMENTS
Last time we showed you how to insert written comments into a
document. With this feature, reviewing a document can be like having
another editor looking over your shoulder and offering suggestions. If
you REALLY want to experience the sensation of having an editor in the
room offering verbal suggestions, you can insert verbal comments into
a Word 2000 document, provided your computer allows you to record
sound.
Inserting a sound comment into a document is similar to inserting a
written comment. First, highlight the text in the document you want to
comment on and go to Insert, Comment. In addition to typing the
written comments as before, you can click the icon that looks like a
cassette tape to open a recording window. Press the record button,
speak into your microphone, and press Stop when finished. Close the
recording window. In your Comments window, you will see a speaker
icon. When someone reviewing your document comes across your comment
and double-clicks this icon, he or she will hear your verbal
commentary. No yelling, please!
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ALLOWING OTHERS TO COMMENT ON BUT NOT REVISE YOUR DOCUMENTS
In the past few tips, we've reviewed methods for inserting and reading
comments in Word 2000 documents. Comments allow you and others to
insert your thoughts about specific passages of a document without
making any changes to the document itself. If you create a document
and you know that you want to pass it around and solicit commentary
but you're afraid somebody will make unwanted changes, it's simple to
ensure that your document will only allow comments to be inserted.
Go to Tools, Protect Document and click the Comments button. Word will
now allow only comments to be inserted; all other attempts at entering
text will be blocked.
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ADDING A WATERMARK TO A DOCUMENT
A watermark is the faint picture or text image that you see when you
hold a piece of printing paper to the light. Usually, watermarks are
used to identify where the paper came from--for example, a company
log. They are so named, we would guess, because years ago they were
created with water. But no need for messy liquids in this digital age;
adding a watermark to your document in Word 2000 is as easy as adding
a picture.
For watermarks to appear on every page of your document, they need to
be inserted in either the header or footer. Go to View, Header And
Footer. Click in the header and select Insert, Picture, Clip Art (if
you're going to use Microsoft Clip Art for your watermark) or Insert,
Picture, From File (if you have your own image on your hard drive).
Insert the image you want to use for your watermark into the header or
footer. Right-click on the image and select Format Picture. Click the
Layout Tab, choose Behind Text, and click OK.
Your image is now freed from the header and footer, and you can drag
it wherever you need to on the page. When you position your watermark
where you want it, click Close on the Header And Footer toolbar.
You'll notice that Word 2000 has taken the liberty of fading your
picture just a bit to make it watermark-ready; this is because
low-contrast pictures make text easier to read.
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INSERTING A TEXT BOX INTO A DOCUMENT
Text boxes are like small pages within your larger document. With a
text box, you can move a discrete chunk of text around your document
and position it wherever you like. They're great for charts and pull
quotes and for formatting small bits of text on a page.
To insert a text box into a document, first make sure the Drawing
toolbar is visible (right-click on the Formatting toolbar and select
Drawing). In the center of the Drawing toolbar is a small white
rectangle with a capital A in the corner. Click this, and you'll see
small crosshairs you can use to draw your text box. Move to your
document, then click and move the mouse to draw the box. Don't worry
if you don't get it just right--you can always adjust the size later.
When you've finished drawing, click inside the text box and begin
typing.
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CHANGING THE MARGINS OF A TEXT BOX
Last time we introduced text boxes, those neat little shapes that are
great for formatting text in all kinds of interesting ways. As you
play around with text boxes a bit, you may find that you want a
slightly different margin between the edges of the box and your text.
Picky, picky, picky. Well, fortunately adjusting the margins in a text
box is easy.
First, right-click on the edge of the text box and select Format Text
Box from the pop-up menu. Click the Text Box tab, and adjust the Top
and Side margins. When you finish, click OK.
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MOVING TEXT BOXES
We've been exploring the wonderful world of text boxes. With these
handy little concoctions, you can have a lot of fun laying out text.
Half the pleasure of text boxes is derived from the fact that you can
grab and move them around like pictures and all the formatting you've
already established in the box remains the same. You can move a text
box by clicking on it once to select it and moving the insertion point
over the edge until the direction cursor appears. At this point, grab
the text box and move it wherever you wish. Throw caution to the wind
and experiment with placement; note how the text in the body document
moves to accommodate the text box.
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LINKING TEXT BOXES
Lately we've been playing around with text boxes, seeing how they can
enrich the look of our documents with their unique text placement
attributes. Today we're going to examine how to link a series of text
boxes so that text flows from one into the next without cutting or
pasting. Think of this operation as similar to the idea of columns.
Once text reaches the bottom of a linked text box, it automatically
wraps to the next one in the series.
To link two text boxes together, first insert all the text boxes
you'll need into your document by using the Text Box icon on the
Drawing toolbar. Then, select a text box and right-click on the
Formatting toolbar to bring up the Text Box toolbar. Next, type or
paste all the text into the first text box. You will probably notice
that all the text isn't visible; to allow the text to flow into
another text box, click the Create Text Box Link icon, and you'll see
your cursor turn into what looks like a small pitcher. Click the next
text box in the series, and the words will flow into the box; repeat
the process for as many boxes as you need.
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REMOVING BORDERS FROM TEXT BOXES
To wind down our discussion of text boxes, we should touch on borders.
Adding borders to text boxes is similar to adding other kinds of
borders in Word 2000. If you're laying out a document and you use a
text box to highlight a quote from the larger text, you'll probably
find that the text box looks better on the page without the border,
surrounded only by the body text. To remove the border, select the
text box, right-click on it, and select Format Text Box. On the Colors
And Lines tab, click Color and select No Line.
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ADDING SHADE TO A PARAGRAPH
If you're quoting an extended passage in a document, you might want to
set the quoted material apart by adding some shading. Select the
paragraph you'd like to shade and choose Format, Borders And Shading.
Choose the type of shading you like and click OK. Be sure and choose a
color or shade that allows you to read the original text, or the
person reading your document might not appreciate your efforts.
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INDENTING PARAGRAPHS AUTOMATICALLY
Those who learned how to type on typewriters remember all too well the
unpleasant task of pressing the Tab key each time one started a new
paragraph. If you're still performing this action in Word 2000
manually, you're not taking advantage of the program's features.
Setting up your document so that paragraphs indent automatically is
simple.
Choose Format, Paragraph, and click Indents And Spacing. Choose First
Line from the Special menu and enter the measurement you'd like
paragraphs to indent (half-inch is pretty standard.) Click OK, and all
your paragraphs will indent automatically each time you press the
Enter key.
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WORD BUG
The Is operator doesn't always work as expected in Word--specifically,
it has trouble with the Range object. The Is operator compares two
object variables. You use this operator in the form:
object1 IS object2
If the objects are the same, the statement is True. If they aren't the
same, the statement is False. For instance, the following code
compares the same worksheet to itself:
Dim wks1 As Worksheet, wks2 As Worksheet
Set wks1 = ActiveSheet
Set wks2 = ActiveSheet
MsgBox wks1 Is wks2
The message box will display the value True, since the two sheets are
the same. However, when used with the Range object, the Is operator
runs into trouble. The following code will incorrectly return the
False value:
Dim rng1 As Range, rng2 As Range
Set rng1 = ActiveSheet.Rows(2)
Set rng2 = ActiveSheet.Rows(2)
MsgBox rng1 Is rng2
There is an easy workaround. When working with the Range object, use
the equal operator in the form:
MsgBox rng1 = rng2
----------------------------------------------
WRAPPING TEXT AROUND OBJECTS
Wrapping text around graphics, pictures, or other objects (by
right-clicking on the object, choosing Format, clicking the Layout
tab, and choosing a wrapping style) is a sure way to make your
document look professional. However, keep a couple of things in mind
when you use this kind of formatting. One, you'll need to make sure
that you have at least .6 inch of space between your object and the
margins (to give enough room for your text). And two, you should
probably hyphenate the paragraph with the wrapping text to make sure
that the text comes as close to the object as possible (just because
it looks a lot better).
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VIEWING SPECIFIC FORMATTING MARKS
Many people like to see some formatting marks on their page when
they're working. They feel that revision marks help them to see where
they are in the document and what kind of formatting is going on in
the background. But too many formatting marks can make your document
cluttered and hard on the eyes. It's important to remember that
formatting marks are not all-or-nothing propositions; you can, in
fact, select the kinds of formatting marks you wish to display. Choose
Tools, Options and click the View tab. On this tab, you can select the
kinds of formatting marks (paragraphs, spaces, tabs, etc.) you want to
see individually, as opposed to having them all appear when you click
the Show/Hide Formatting Marks button on the Standard toolbar. After
you select the marks you want to see, click OK.
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VIEWING SEVERAL PAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY
It's possible to look at and edit several pages simultaneously in Word
2000 by using the Zoom tool. Although you would need a good-sized
monitor to really take advantage of this feature, it's a nice way to
see how your documents are laying out without having to fiddle with
Print Preview mode. To view several pages at once, first make sure you
are in Print Layout mode (by choosing View, Print Layout) and then
select View, Zoom. Click the Many Pages button and then choose how
many pages you want to view by clicking on the icon just below it.
(Click and drag to increase the pages, much as you would when creating
a table.)
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VIEWING CONTACT DATA IN A WORD DOCUMENT
As long as the application you use for contacts allows you to export
data in what is called a Comma Separated Value format (CSV for short),
you can convert your contact data into a Word file. This procedure
might be useful for obtaining a printed version of, say, your contact
names and telephone numbers. Your first step would be to use your
contacts program to export your data. In Outlook 2000, for example,
select File, Import And Export, then choose Export To A File and click
Next. Select Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next again.
Then, select your Contacts from the list of files, click Next, and
choose a name for the exported file and the location for your exported
information. Then, click Finish.
Now, in Word 2000, open a document and select Insert, File. Navigate
to your exported CSV file and click the Insert button. Choose Plain
Text in the File Conversion dialog box. Your document will look like a
hopelessly jumbled mess of letters and a whole lot of commas, but the
next step will take care of that. Press Ctrl-A to select all text in
your document and then select Table, Convert, Text To Table. Select
Commas from the Separate Text At options (remember, we're dealing with
Comma Separated Values here) and then click OK. Your contact
information now appears in a table.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USING THE SAVE OPTIONS WHEN SAVING
Normally, if you need to adjust your Save options, you just choose
Tools, Options and click the Save tab. If you're already in the
process of saving your document, you can also access these options
directly from the Save window. Under Tools in the upper-right corner
of both the Save and Save As windows, just select General Options to
open the same Save Options dialog box.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USING THE RESUME WIZARD
Who doesn't dread looking for a new job? Getting your resume together,
filling out applications, driving around to interviews . . . it's
enough to make standing in the unemployment line look appealing.
Fortunately, Word 2000 can provide a little relief in the job-hunting
department with its fine Resume Wizard. This wizard guides you step by
step through the resume process and leads to a simple, attractive
document. Access the Resume Wizard by choosing File, New and clicking
the Other Documents tab. Double-click Resume Wizards and follow the
instructions. Along the way, you'll be able to choose from three
resume styles and determine what kinds of information you want to
include. Once you've formatted your resume, enter your information in
simple prompted text boxes, and Word 2000 fills in the resume
automatically. It's easy and it works.
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USING THE LETTER WIZARD FOR FORMATTING
If you work in an office and write professional letters all the time,
you no doubt have a favorite style for letters. For those who write
only an occasional professional letter, you may have forgotten which
address goes where. Word 2000 has a wizard that can automatically
generate a nice-looking letter in any number of different formats.
To use the Letter Wizard, first open a blank document and then select
Tools, Letter Wizard. Your first step will be to select from among the
different types of preformatted letters under Choose A Page Design.
(There's even a specific design for appealing an IRS audit! If you're
in that kind of jam, it's worth a try, I guess.) Then, you'll want to
choose a style from the Letter Style pull-down menu. Of the letter
styles, Full Block aligns all text with the left margin, Modified
Block centers both the date and Signature Block, and Semi Block
indents paragraphs. From there, move through the three remaining tabs
to insert your additional information. To enable any of the various
components, first select the box to the left of the drop-down menu,
then choose the text from the drop-down. When you have the letter the
way you want it, click OK, and Word generates the formatted letter for
you.
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USING THE KEYBOARD WHEN SIZING OBJECTS
Resizing drawing objects in Word 2000 is a pretty simple procedure.
You just grab one of the corners of the object and drag to make it
larger. Grab one of the side selection handles and you stretch the
object, skewing its proportional shape. Grab a corner and you can
increase and decrease the object's size while maintaining proportions.
You may not have known that using the keyboard gives you even more
resizing options. Hold down the Ctrl key when resizing, and you'll
find that you can adjust both the side and corner you're grabbing and
its opposite simultaneously, maintaining the object's position on the
page. This technique is very useful when you have a drawing object
that's centered on a page and you want to resize it without having to
re-center it.
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USING THE DELETE ALL COMMAND
If you're the type of person who routinely makes the mistake of
repeating words like "to" and "the" in your documents, remember that
you can eliminate all of these mistakes with a single button when
spell-checking. Just as you can click the Change All button when
spell-checking to change all instances of a misspelled word, you can
also click the Delete All button to delete the extra word in a
repeated word pair throughout a document. When running a spell-check,
just look for the Delete All key when instances of a repeated word
arise.
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USING THE ADDRESS BOOK IN THE LETTER WIZARD
Our previous tip gave an overview of Word 2000's Letter Wizard, a
nifty little tool for creating formatted letters. To use the Letter
Wizard, start by choosing Tools, Letter Wizard and then insert the
necessary information from the various menus.
You may have noticed that when you get to the Recipient Info and
Sender Info tabs you have the option of pulling names from your
Outlook Address Book. By using this feature, you can insert contact
addresses without having to look them up or type them. Just click the
Address Book button on either the Recipient Info or Sender Info tab,
and select a name from a list of contacts. If you've used the Address
Book feature in Word before, you might be able to access your contact
by simply clicking the down arrow next to the Address Book and
selecting the name.
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USING SECTION BREAKS TO CHANGE PAGE ORIENTATION
How to insert a table into a document that uses a different printing
orientation than the rest of the document. If you needed to construct
a table in the Portrait format in order to fit all of your
information. The key to changing the orientation of a specific page is
to insert section breaks before and after the page you want to change.
Then, you can simply go to Page Layout to change the orientation of
that page and apply it to the section only.
Good luck!
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USING PASTE SPECIAL TO PASTE UNFORMATTED TEXT
Word 2000 typically preserves all formatting when you cut information
from a Web page and paste it into a Word document. While this is
helpful a good portion of the time, sometimes it can get in the
way--such as when you cut text that happens to be a hyperlink and Word
2000 inserts the link into your document. There is a simple way to
avoid pasting text with all that formatting. When you're ready to
paste, simply choose Edit, Paste Special and select Unformatted Text.
You'll insert the words themselves, without all that extraneous
formatting.
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USING FIRST-LINE INDENTS
People are split about indenting the first lines of paragraphs. Some
see this formatting as an antiquated leftover from the typewriter era,
preferring to just add an extra paragraph return between paragraphs.
Others find first-line indents useful for readability. Each side of
this debate has some legitimate points, and we think we can all agree
that this difference of opinion is just not worth the bloodshed.
Oh yes, about those first-line indents. If you prefer to indent
paragraphs, adding first-line indents to your documents is a snap.
When you start a document, select Format, Paragraph. In the
Indentation area, choose First Line from the Special drop-down list.
Then, click OK.
To change the Normal template so that all your paragraphs are indented
without you having to set them manually, choose Format, Style. Select
Normal and click Modify. Click Format, Paragraph, and then perform the
above procedure. Click OK twice, then click Apply, and your paragraphs
will indent automatically.
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UNDOING SPELLING CHANGES
If you're cruising along, rapidly correcting your spelling mistakes in
your Word document, don't be alarmed if you accidentally click Change
when the original word was just fine. You can easily undo your most
recent spelling changes when running the spell checker by clicking the
Undo button. Click it as many times as you wish to get back to your
error. Whew!
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UNDOING SMART CUT AND PASTE
Have you ever noticed that when you cut and paste text in Word 2000,
it almost always winds up with the correct spacing? This is because
Word enables a feature called Smart Cut And Paste by default. With
Smart Cut And Paste turned on, Word guesses how you would like your
text spacing and inserts it automatically. So, for example, if the
text you're pasting has a space at the end of it and you're inserting
it in a place with an additional space, Word will eliminate one of the
spaces to avoid the double space. Some people, however, don't like it
when Word tries to outsmart them and would prefer to have the spacing
remain as they've selected it. These folks will want to disable Smart
Cut And Paste. To do so, choose Tools, Options and click the Edit tab.
Deselect the Use Smart Cut And Paste option, and click OK. You're all
set, tiger.
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UNDOING AUTOCORRECT ENTRIES
Last month, we described how to turn off AutoCorrect when you don't
want the first letter of a sentence capitalized automatically. (The
tip was written in response to a reader who wrote poetry and didn't
want capitalization after line breaks.) As we explained, you select
Tools, AutoCorrect, then deselect the Capitalize First Letter Of
Sentences option. A more elegant solution: Whenever AutoCorrect
performs an undesired action, you can simply press Ctrl-Z (or click
the Undo button) and the action is undone. More important, the next
time the action would be performed (such as after the next line break
in our poetry example), AutoCorrect will leave it alone. So, our
reader with the poetry problem would need to press Ctrl-Z only once to
disable AutoCorrect for his entire poem.
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TURNING OFF FIELD SHADING
When you insert information into a Word document using field codes
(such as when you choose Insert, Date & Time), the ensuing text
appears on the screen inside a gray box. This box lets you know that
the text is a field code instead of just plain text. If you find these
boxes unsightly and just want to see your document as is, you can turn
off the boxes. Choose Tools, Options and click the View tab. Change
the Field Shading drop-down menu from Always to Never and click OK.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TURNING OFF AUTOMATIC STYLE DEFINITION
To disable this automatic formatting, select Tools, AutoCorrect, then
click the AutoFormat As You Type tab. Deselect the Define Styles Based
On Your Formatting option and click OK.
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TURNING OFF AUTOMATIC NUMBERING
How to turn off Word 2000's automatic numbering feature. Like us, they
had Word begin a numbered list every time they typed a number,
followed it with some text, and pressed Enter. Unless you're in a line
of work where you're making numbered lists constantly, you too may
find this feature to be an annoyance. Fear not--it's simple to turn
off. Select Tools, AutoCorrect, and click the AutoFormat As You Type
tab. Deselect the Automatic Bulleted Lists option and then click OK.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOUCH OF GRAY
If you have a color clip-art image and you want to print it as a
grayscale image, you're much better off changing the image itself
instead of printing the color image as black in the Print dialog box.
By changing the image to grayscale, Word renders the proper gradients
of gray, and the image will print better. To change an image from
color to grayscale, right-click it and choose Format Picture. Click
the Picture tab, and under Image Control, select Grayscale from the
drop-down box. Click OK, and Word renders your picture in shades of
gray.
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TELLING THE SPELL-CHECKER TO IGNORE TEXT
If you have a long passage in a document that consists of
intentionally misspelled words (a phonetic transcription of speech,
for example, or a passage of computer code), it can get annoying
having all those red squiggly lines marring the page. And then when
you run the spell-checker, having to click Ignore repeatedly through
that section is a time-waster. To avoid these headaches, tell the Word
2000 spell-checker to ignore that passage of text. First, select the
text you don't want spell-checked. Next, choose Tools, Language, Set
Language. Then, select the Do Not Check Spelling Or Grammar option and
click OK.
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SNAPPING OBJECTS TO A GRID--PART 1 OF 2
If you're aligning objects of any type--be they Clip Art, drawings, or
text boxes--you can keep all your objects perfectly aligned by
designating them to "snap to grid." When you tell Word to snap objects
to a grid, the program creates invisible gridlines throughout your
document, and all objects are forced to line up on this grid. This is
a simple way to make sure objects line up, because you never need to
look hard to make sure an alignment is perfect (the grid removes doubt
by moving objects that almost line up into place).
To tell Word to snap your objects to a grid, have the Drawing toolbar
open (by right-clicking on the Standard toolbar and selecting it).
Choose Draw, Grid on the Drawing toolbar; select the Snap Objects To
Grid option; and click OK.
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SNAPPING OBJECTS TO A GRID--PART 1 OF 2
Our previous tip showed you how to snap objects in your documents to
grid in order to line them up properly. Of course, the downside to the
snap grid feature is that you don't get much play with where you
position your objects exactly. If the invisible gridlines are too far
apart, you may find yourself having to choose between two equally
undesirable positions for your object. Fortunately, you can decrease
the size of the gridlines for more precise alignment. On the Drawing
toolbar, choose Draw, Grid. You can adjust the horizontal and vertical
spacing of your grid; the smaller the spacing, the more precisely
you'll be able to position your documents using snap to grid. Click OK
when you've finished.
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SHOWING CURRENT AND TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES
On some kinds of formal documents, you may want to have both the
current page number and total number of pages listed on every page, as
in "Page 3 of 26." This kind of notation lets the reader know both
where she is and how far she has to go. Rather than inserting this
kind of notation manually, there's a simple method to have Word 2000
do it automatically, complete with updates. Select View, Header And
Footer and switch to the footer (if that's where you want to put this
notation). Type
Page
and then click the Insert Page Number button. Then, type
Of
and click the Insert Number Of Pages button. Finally, click Close.
Both these fields will update automatically, changing as your document
changes.
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SHORTCUTS FOR SELECTING ROWS AND COLUMNS
Selecting cells, rows, and columns in Word can be a little tricky
until you get the hang of it. Fortunately, some easy keyboard
shortcuts allow you to select what you need without having to be
precise with your mouse. To select a column, just hold down the Alt
key while clicking in a column. To select a row, position your cursor
in the first cell of the row and press Alt-Shift-End. To select a
single cell or several cells in a row, position your cursor in a cell
and hold down the Shift key while moving the arrows.
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SETTING FONT SUBSTITUTION
If someone gives you a document containing fonts not available on your
computer, Word 2000 will substitute a local font by default.
Unfortunately, sometimes the font Word tries to use isn't even close
to the original typeface. At this point, you need to step in and tell
Word how you want missing fonts substituted. Select Tools, Options,
then select the Compatibility tab. Click the Font Substitution button
(remember that this option is available only when you're dealing with
a document originally created with fonts you don't have). On the left
you'll see the missing font listed; select the font you want to
replace it with from the drop-down menu on the right. When you finish,
click OK.
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SENDING A DOCUMENT TO POWERPOINT
Microsoft's Office applications are tightly integrated these days, and
what's generally true of the suite is true of Word 2000 and
PowerPoint. In fact, you can move the text from any document into a
PowerPoint file (as long as you have PowerPoint 2000 installed) by
choosing File, Send To, PowerPoint. If you've configured your original
document correctly, each page of your Word document should correspond
to a PowerPoint slide, and some of your original formatting is even
preserved. You'll have to do plenty of tweaking, of course, but it's
nice to know you can get your text over to PowerPoint so quickly and
painlessly.
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SENDING A DOCUMENT AS AN EMAIL ATTACHMENT
How to send a document as an attachment. As you know, one of the new
features of Word 2000 is that it allows you to send email directly
from Word, without you having to open your email program. While you
can send the text in a Word document as part of the body of an email,
you can also send a document as an attachment. Choose File, Send To,
Mail Recipient (As Attachment). As long as you have some version of
Microsoft Outlook on your computer, a small email window opens, ready
to be addressed to a recipient, and the document you're working on
will be attached to the new email. Just fill out the To and Subject
information as you would normally and click Send.
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SELECTING A LINE OF TEXT WITHOUT THE MOUSE
Having to reach for the mouse when you're typing always slows down
your work. Here are a couple of useful keyboard shortcuts for
selecting a single line of text in Word 2000: To select everything on
a line to the right of the insertion point, press Shift-End; to select
everything on a line to the left of the insertion point, press
Shift-Home.
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SELECTING A LABEL MANUFACTURER
Avery labels are very popular in offices today--so much so that
Microsoft has made Avery labels the default manufacturer in Word 2000.
But if you purchase labels made by another company, finding your brand
in Word's database is easy enough. Choose Tools, Envelopes And Labels,
and click the Labels tab. Click the Options button, and under Label
Products you have a choice of nearly a dozen of the leading
manufacturers. Select your product manufacturer from this list, and
you'll then be able to choose your Product Number from the list in the
lower-left corner.
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SEARCHING FOR DOCUMENTS BY SUMMARY INFORMATION
Our previous tips showed you how to have Word 2000 automatically
prompt you for summary information in the Document Properties dialog
box. Now suppose you are looking for one of those documents from long
ago, but you can't find it anywhere. You can always use Windows' own
search features, but if you've been entering information in Document
Properties all along, you might find it easier to search your computer
using Word.
To search for documents using Word's search features, select File,
Open, then click the Tools button and select Find. The Find Files That
Match These Criteria box at the top of the window contains a list of
what Word will be looking for. You actually enter the search criteria
at the bottom, where it says Define More Criteria. Here, you can
initiate your search depending on what you remember entering in the
Document Properties box. For example, if you've been giving your Word
documents keywords in the Keywords box, you can search for these by
selecting Keywords in the Property drop-down menu and entering the
keyword itself in the Value box. When you've selected a set of search
criteria, click Add To List. To perform the search, click Find Now.
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SAVING WORD SEARCHES
Our previous few tips have discussed Word's built-in document
searching features. As long as you enter detailed information in the
Document Properties dialog box, you can search for your documents
within Word itself, which gives you more flexibility than Windows'
Find feature. With all the different criteria you can search for,
you've probably noticed by now that Word's Find feature is a useful
tool for helping you organize documents. This is even more apparent
when you realize that you can save your Word searches for later use.
By saving searches, you are using the Find feature as a document
organization tool similar to folders. For example, if you classify
your document according to keywords that you assign in the Document
Properties dialog box, you can save searches for each of these
keywords and automatically call up a list of the documents with those
keywords with just a couple clicks.
To save searches in Word, select File, Open; click the Tools button;
and select Find. Enter your search criteria as you would normally,
then click Save Search. You'll be prompted to give your search a name.
Once you do, Word saves the search criteria in a file. The next time
you want to run a search with the same criteria, simply click the Open
Search button and select the search from the resulting list.
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SAVING WORD DOCUMENTS IN OTHER FORMATS
If you're creating a file that you're going to be handing off to some
unfortunate soul without Word 2000, remember that you can always save
the document in another file format. Choose File, Save, and explore
all the options under the Type drop-down menu. In addition to using
standard text formats like RTF, you can save documents as WordPerfect
files, Word for Macintosh, Word 6.0, and more than a dozen others.
There is almost always some formatting lost in the translation, but
saving documents in another file format can be the best way to go if
you're sharing with someone without Word 2000.
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SAVING BACKUP COPIES
We've all had to deal with lost work because of missing, corrupted, or
deleted files. To guard against these kinds of mishaps, you can set
Word 2000 to automatically save backup copies of all your new
documents. First, choose Tools, Options and click the Save tab. Select
the Always Create Backup Copies check box and click OK. Then, whenever
you open and save a document, a backup copy is automatically created
in the same folder where you saved your original document. The
document is identified with a filename of "Backup of X," where "X" is
the name of your original document. These backup copies will have a
file extension of .wbk and will automatically update whenever you
modify your original document.
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RESTORING A COMMAND TO A MENU
Our previous tip discussed how to remove an unused command from a
menu. If you later discover that you need the command you removed,
you're up the creek without a paddle! No, no, not really. Actually,
it's quite easy to restore a command. Once again, select Tools,
Customize. With the Customize dialog box open, go up to the menu you
wish to restore and click on it. Then, right-click it and choose
Reset. The menu will now feature all the original commands.
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RESTARTING SPELL-CHECK AFTER EDITING A DICTIONARY
You can look at any of your Word 2000 dictionaries at any time by
choosing Tools, Options; clicking the Spelling And Grammar tab;
clicking the Options button; clicking the Dictionaries button;
selecting a dictionary; and clicking the Edit button. Keep in mind
that every time you look at or edit a dictionary, Word automatically
disables spell-checking for your document. To turn the spell-checker
back on, choose Tools, Options and click the Spelling And Grammar tab.
Select the Check Spelling As You Type option, and then click OK.
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RESIZING AN DRAWING OBJECT
In previous tips, we showed you how to insert a perfect shape by using
the AutoShape menu on the Drawing toolbar. You should know that you
don't have to get your shape absolutely perfect on your first try; you
can go back later and resize your shape any time you like. Just click
on the image to select it and drag one of the corner squares to resize
your image. You may also notice a series of yellow diamonds around
your AutoShape after you select it; these diamonds can be dragged back
and forth to change the proportions of your shape. Experiment and see
how you can manipulate shapes. You can always press Ctrl-Z to undo if
you make a mistake.
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REPLACING EXISTING DOUBLE HYPHENS WITH EM DASHES
Our previous tip showed you how to have em dashes inserted
automatically whenever you type a double hyphen. If you already
created an entire document using those clumsy double hyphens, you can
still convert them to em dashes after the fact. All that's required is
a simple Find And Replace operation, using a special character in the
Replace field. Select Edit, Replace. Type
--
in the Find box, and
^+
in the Replace box. Click Replace All, and your double hyphens will be
converted to em dashes.
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REPAIRING WORD 2000 INSTALLATION ERRORS
If your copy of Word 2000 seems to have a few unexplainable bugs, a
last-resort solution to your problems might be to check for
installation errors. Word 2000 comes with a module for checking its
own integrity. (Ah, what a feature--wouldn't it be nice if our
politicians came with such capabilities?) First, shut down any other
running programs, then choose Help, Detect And Repair. Click the Start
button, and Word will give your installation a look to see whether it
finds any problem. Be warned that this process takes at least 20
minutes to complete, so don't run the Detect And Repair option if
you're in the middle of something important.
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REMOVING A COMMAND FROM A MENU
Some commands on Word 2000's menus are more trouble than they're
worth. For example, we frequently use the Word Count feature under
Tools, Word Count, but we often find that we accidentally select
AutoSummarize instead. It takes a couple of clicks to undo our
mistake, and it's frustrating. In this case, we'd be better off
removing AutoSummarize from the Tools menu.
To remove a command from a menu, select Tools, Customize. With the
Customize dialog box open, go up to the menu you wish to modify, click
on it, and then select the command you wish to delete. Right-click on
this command and then select Delete. When you've finished, click Close
on the Customize menu. Don't worry--you can always go back and restore
this command later if you wish. We'll go over how to do that in our
next tip.
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REFINING SEARCH CRITERIA TO SPEED SEARCHES
Our previous tip showed you how to search for documents on your
computer using Word's Find feature. If you're searching a big hard
drive or across a network, performing a Find operation can take a
while unless you get more specific. The best way to speed your Word
searches is to narrow down where you want Word to look. In the Look In
box, try to limit the search to a specific folder, if you can remember
approximately where the document you're looking for might be.
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READING FOOTNOTES WITHOUT SCROLLING
One of the most beautiful and elegant features of Word 2000's
footnotes functionality is the ability to read the notation attached
to a footnote or endnote without scrolling through the document. Any
time you come across a footnote or endnote number, you can simply roll
your cursor over the number, and the text of the footnote pops up for
the viewing. Go on--give it a try.
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PRINTING KEY ASSIGNMENTS
Our previous tip showed you how to make a hard copy of all your
AutoText entries. In a similar vein, it's also possible to make a
printout of all your shortcut key assignments you've created. Again,
it might be useful for you to have a hard copy of these to refer to,
so you know how best to take advantage of this feature. Once again,
choose File, Print. Under Print What, select Key Assignments from the
drop-down menu and then click OK.
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PRINTING AUTOTEXT ENTRIES
Word 2000's AutoText feature allows you to enter frequent text strings
with just a mouse click, thereby saving yourself keystrokes. If you
like, you can print a hard copy of all your current AutoText entries
in Word 2000. For some people, being able to see a long list on paper
helps them to remember the information. Having all your AutoText
entries tacked up on a sheet of paper next to your computer could be
just the thing to help you take better advantage of the feature.
To print your AutoText information, choose File, Print. In the
lower-left corner you'll see the Print What drop-down menu. From this
list, choose AutoText entries and then click OK.
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PRINTING AN OUTLINE
If you're working in Outline view and assigning headings to the
different sections of your document (a good idea if you're creating a
document of any length), you should know that you can print from your
outline showing only as much depth as you wish. That is, whatever
portions of your document are visible during Outline view will be the
portions printed. This way, you can just print your headings (by
minimizing lower level information in Outline view) to see how your
outline lays out. You also save paper by leaving the body paragraphs
off the screen.
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PRINTING A SELECTION FROM A DOCUMENT
If you're working with a large document and you don't want to print
the entire thing, you can always instruct Word 2000 to print only
selected pages. Sometimes, though, you don't even need to waste that
much ink (that stuff is expensive!) and you just need to print a line
or two from a document. You can choose to print only selected text
from any document in Word 2000. Simply select the text you want to
print and choose File, Print. Then click the Selection button and
click OK.
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PRINTING A LIST OF KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
If you're the kind of user who constantly uses keyboard shortcuts,
you'll be thrilled to know that there is a method for printing a
complete list of all available keyboard shortcuts in Word 2000. There
are quite a few steps, but the procedure is simple. Begin by choosing
Tools, Macro, Macros to open the Macro dialog box. Choose Word
Commands from the Macros In menu and type
ListCommands
in the Macro Name box. Click the Run button and click OK for Current
Menu And Keyboard Settings in the resulting dialog box. You should see
a Word document that contains all keyboard shortcuts, which you can
then print normally by selecting File, Print.
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PRESERVING FORMATTING WHEN COPYING TEXT
If you are copying text from one document to the next, the trick to
preserving the original document's formatting is to select the
original document's ending paragraph symbol in addition to the text.
Text formatting is tied to that paragraph symbol, and without it, Word
2000 will automatically revert the text to the current document's
formatting. If you are unsure of how much text to select to include
the paragraph symbol, simply click the Show/Hide Paragraph Symbol
button on the Standard toolbar to see where the paragraph symbol lies.
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OPENING A NEW DOCUMENT USING THE WINDOWS TASKBAR
There are many ways to open a new document in Word 2000. You can
select File, New and double-click the blank document icon; you can
press Ctrl-N; or you can click the New icon on the Standard toolbar.
The method that we use most frequently, though, has to do with how we
set up our taskbar in Windows 98.
As you probably know, you can drag any shortcut icon from your
computer's desktop to the taskbar to create an icon that you can click
once to open the application. You can also click this icon to open a
new document in Word 2000, which makes sense, as the computer
responds, "Hmm, Word 2000 is already open--I think my owner wants me
to open a new document." Remember, if Word is already open, any
attempt to launch the application will give you a new document.
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OPENING A DOCUMENT AS READ-ONLY
Have you ever been afraid of opening a document because you didn't
want to mess with it? If you have something just perfect--with all the
right formatting--and you fear that a misplaced keystroke will foul it
up, you might want to open the document as a read-only file. This
means that you can't alter the document even if you try. To open a
document as read only, choose File, Open; navigate to the document
you're looking for; right-click on it; and select Open Read-Only.
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OPENING A DOCUMENT AS A COPY
Rather than opening a document and then choosing Save As, you can
create a copy of a document from the get-go by choosing to open the
document as a copy. With Word 2000 open, choose File, Open as you
would normally; select the document you want to copy; and click the
down arrow beside the Open button. Choose Open As Copy, and the
document you open will have the same filename as the original but with
the words "Copy Of" inserted just before the name.
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NUMBERING TABLE CELLS
Tables are a great way to organize information in Word 2000. Using a
table to make lists has many advantages, too. You can sort your
information, divide it into columns, and lay it out with plenty of
space to make it readable. Adding numbering to table cells is not more
difficult than making a list. Simply select the rows you want to
number, and then click the Numbers button on the Formatting toolbar.
Your table rows will maintain their numbers even as you move and sort
information.
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NUMBERING PARAGRAPHS AUTOMATICALLY
If you've ever seen an official contract, you probably noticed that
the paragraphs are all numbered. This is to make things easier for
lawsuit-happy attorneys. Instead of quoting large portions of text,
they can simply say, "Please refer to paragraph 12 of your contract."
To make things a little easier for the next attorney representing you,
always number the paragraphs in all your official-type documents.
Doing so automatically in Word 2000 is simple. Just select the
paragraphs you want to number and choose Format, Bullets And
Numbering. Click the Numbered tab, select an appropriate numbering
format, and click OK. Word numbers your paragraphs for you. Now,
should you ever need to sub-number the paragraphs in your document
with letters, select a paragraph and click the Increase Indent button
on the Formatting toolbar. Word assigns the paragraph a subheading
letter automatically.
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NUMBERING PAGES WITH ROMAN NUMERALS
When you prepare a lengthy document that consists of sections--such as
a table of contents, an index, or a glossary--it's customary to number
the different sections of the document differently. Tradition dictates
that your table of contents be numbered with Roman numerals, both to
set it off from the actual text and to avoid confusion when referring
to numbers in the early part of the main section. To number a section
with Roman numerals, select View, Header And Footer, and click Format
Page Number. Under Number Format, choose Roman numerals (the fourth
selection from the top). Also, be sure to select Start At instead of
Continue From Previous Section under Page Numbering so that the
numbering of your section begins with i. When you finish, click OK and
close the Header And Footer toolbar.
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NUMBERING PAGES IN THE RIGHT AND LEFT MARGINS
A reader named Ken wrote in asking how to number pages in the right
and left margins, instead of in the header or footer. To begin, you
insert pages numbers by choosing Insert, Page Numbers. Then, you
select View, Headers And Footers. Position the cursor over the small
box containing the page number, and then grab and drag it to one of
the margins. The numbering will repeat in this location throughout the
current section.
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NOTES ON STYLES--PART 1 OF 5: BASING ONE STYLE ON ANOTHER
Styles in Word 2000 are a collection of formatting specifications that
are collected and saved together under a single name--the name of the
style. Remember that any time you base one style on another (by
modifying a paragraph, clicking in the Style Menu box on the
Formatting toolbar, naming your style and pressing Enter), the new
style will always be subject to the changes made to the style on which
it was based. So, for example, if you modify a paragraph created using
the Normal style and then save the style as something like "Letter
Paragraph," your Letter Paragraph style will change whenever your
Normal style changes. To avoid this hassle, try creating styles from
scratch by using the Style dialog box, which you access by choosing
Format, Style.
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NOTES ON STYLES--PART 2 OF 5: DELETING STYLES
If your Style menu becomes cluttered with more styles than you think
you can use, you can get rid of the deadwood by deleting any
unnecessary styles. First, select Format, Style and choose
User-Defined Styles from the List pull-down menu (these are the only
ones you can delete; you can't get rid of the styles that came with
Word 2000). Select any style you don't need from the list and click
the Delete button. Click Yes when asked to confirm and then click
Close. Before you delete any style, however, be sure that you have no
other styles based on the style you wish to delete. If you do, these
styles will be rendered unusable.
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NOTES ON STYLES--PART 3 OF 5: UPDATING STYLES AUTOMATICALLY
Any time you modify a style by clicking in a paragraph and choosing
Format, Style, you can have the style update automatically whenever
you make any changes to it. This means that if you change a paragraph
created in this style from, say, single to double spaced, all other
paragraphs in your document created using this style will change
accordingly, and all your paragraphs will remain identical no matter
what changes you make to an individual one. Keep in mind that all
future paragraphs composed in this style will automatically be
formatted using the most recent changes you made to the automatically
updated style. If you're sure this is what you want to do, select the
Automatically Update option the next time you modify a style.
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NOTES ON STYLES--PART 4 OF 5: COPYING STYLES BETWEEN DOCUMENTS
When you copy paragraphs between documents, keep in mind that if the
paragraph you are copying from was created using a style with the same
name as in the document you are copying to, the paragraph will revert
to the style of the copied-to document. So, for example, if your
Normal style is different from the Normal style of a document you're
copying into, you can expect your text to be formatted using the
latter's formatting. Be sure to have your paragraphs formatted using a
unique style name if you wish to preserve all the formatting when
copying to other documents.
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NOTES ON STYLES--PART 5 OF 5: TURNING OFF AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNED
STYLES
When you're creating a document, sometimes Word 2000 will look at the
kind of work you're doing and assign style names to some of your
paragraphs. The program will automatically make some of your
paragraphs headings, for example, if it looks like you're giving
headings to different areas of your document. This is an example of
Word trying to be helpful but potentially doing more harm than good.
You can tell Word not to assign styles automatically by choosing
Tools, AutoCorrect. Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab and deselect
the Define Styles Based On Your Formatting option. Finally, under
Apply As You Type, deselect the Headings option, then click OK.
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MOVING OBJECTS BETWEEN LAYERS
Our previous tip introduced the four layers available in Word 2000.
Recall that the text layer is reserved for text only, and the
header/footer layer is reserved for watermarks. The foreground and
background layers are the two standard layers for positioning your
graphics, shapes, and text boxes. To move an object backward or
forward between these layers, first make sure the Drawing toolbar is
visible (by right-clicking the Standard toolbar and selecting
Drawing), then select the object you wish to move, and, finally,
select Draw, Order. The ensuing commands allow you to move your object
backward, forward, in front of, and behind text.
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MOVING ENDNOTES TO THE END OF A SECTION
Our last few tips have been covering some of the finer points of
footnotes and endnotes. Typically, you'll want your endnotes to appear
at the end of your document. That's why they call them endnotes,
right? But sometimes it makes sense to position them at the end of a
section, such as when you want them to appear at the end of a chapter.
To have endnotes appear at the end of a section, choose Insert,
Footnote, and then click the Options tab. Click All Endnotes and
choose End Of Document from the Place At pull-down menu. When you've
finished, click OK.
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MOVING BUTTONS BETWEEN TOOLBARS
In previous tips, we've shown you how to insert new commands on a
toolbar and how to add a hyperlink to a toolbar. There is another easy
customization feature available any time you have the Customize dialog
box open (select Tools, Customize). You can grab any button on any of
the visible toolbars and drag it to another location on any other
visible toolbars. Try this if you feel that you have a better idea for
the arrangement of the toolbar icons. When you finish, click OK in the
Customize dialog box.
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MAKING COLUMNS THE SAME LENGTH
Using columns in Word 2000 is an easy way to give your documents a
more professional look; having your text snake from one column to the
next instead of simply running across an entire page is the first step
to learning page layout. To insert a column, you need to select the
text, and then select the number of columns you need from the Columns
button on the Standard toolbar.
One downside of laying out text in columns is that sometimes your text
goes only partway down the last columns, which looks a bit
asymmetrical. To tell Word 2000 to make all your columns identical
length, simply add a section break to the end of the last column by
choosing Insert, Break and selecting the Continuous section break.
Your columns automatically resize in a symmetrical manner.
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MAKING AN OBJECT 3-D
Our previous tip discussed adding shadows to objects in your Word
documents. For an even greater illusion of depth, you can make your
drawing objects three-dimensional. Just select the object and click
the 3-D button on the Drawing toolbar--all the way on the right. (If
you don't see your Drawing toolbar, select View, Toolbars, Drawing.)
With this tool, you can add sides to your drawing objects, choosing
from 20 different perspectives. But once again, you're not limited to
these 20. Choose 3-D Settings and you get another toolbar that allows
you to control the lighting on the object, in addition to fine-tuning
its depth, direction, surface, and color. Try moving the light source
to directly above your object, and see how it changes things. Nice,
eh?
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LINKING DOCUMENTS--PART 1 OF 5: INTRODUCTION
It is possible to link documents in Word 2000 so that when changes are
made to a part of one document, they are automatically updated in
another. Let's say you have a Word 2000 document that contains a list
of names and telephone numbers. Any time a Word document references
one of those names, you can link the text to that master document so
that if a telephone number changes on the master document, all
documents linked to the master list updates automatically. Microsoft
has a kind of linking called Object Linking and Embedding, or OLE for
short. One thing to remember when linking documents, however, is that
you need to be extremely careful to keep your files in their original
places so Word knows where to find the information. Once you start
moving files around, Word will get confused and not know where to
look.
For the purposes of document linking, the original document is called
the server and the document you want to copy information to is called
the client. To link documents, go to the server document and copy the
text you'd like to link (by pressing Ctrl-C). Then, go to the client
document, position the insertion point where you want the text to
appear, and choose Edit, Paste Special. Click Paste Link, select
Microsoft Word Document Object, and click OK. Word positions the text
as an OLE link, to be updated whenever the text on your server
document changes.
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LINKING DOCUMENTS--PART 2 OF 5: ACCESSING THE SERVER DOCUMENT
In our previous tip, we introduced you to the concept of linking
documents using Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
technology. Now let's say you're working in a client document that
contains an automatically updated telephone number, linked from a
server document somewhere else on your system. All of a sudden, you
remember that this telephone number has changed, and you need to
access the server document to change it (remember, you don't want to
break the link by editing the number on the client document). You can
open the server document immediately by right-clicking on the linked
text and selecting Linked Document Object, Open Link. The server
document opens and positions the insertion point at the place where
the linked text occurs.
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LINKING DOCUMENTS--PART 3 OF 5: BREAKING A LINKED DOCUMENT
In this series of tips, we've covered various aspects of linking
documents via Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
technology. Today, we'll tell you what to do if you decide, "Hey, this
whole link thing just isn't working out; let's break those links." To
break a link and edit the text of a document normally, first choose
Edit, Links. In the resulting dialog box, select the correct link and
click Break Link. Your document treats the linked passage as standard
text from this point forward.
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LINKING DOCUMENTS--PART 4 OF 5: LOCKING A LINKED DOCUMENT
In this series of tips, we've covered various aspects of linking
documents via Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
technology. Today, we'll discuss how to lock a link so the text
doesn't change. Locking differs from simply breaking a link because
your client Word document still maintains a connection with the server
document--it just doesn't update the information when the server
document updates. At a later point, you can simply unlock the link to
update the text, without having to go through the link process all
over again. To lock a link, in your client document choose Edit,
Links; select the desired link; and select the Locked option. Later,
you can go back and deselect this option to renew link updating.
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LINKING DOCUMENTS--PART 5 OF 5: REESTABLISHING LINKS BETWEEN DOCUMENTS
In this series of tips, we've covered various aspects of linking
documents via Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
technology. Today, we'll discuss how to reestablish a link when you've
moved your server document. Moving the server document throws off all
your links, and Word 2000 gets horribly confused very quickly. To help
the program find its way, choose Edit, Links and click on the document
link that needs help. Click the Change Source button and find your
server document. When you finish, click OK, and the link will be
restored.
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LAYING OUT TEXT ON AN ENVELOPE
For the most part, Word 2000 does a good job of formatting the text on
an envelope if you simply use the Tools, Envelopes And Labels box. But
sometimes you may need to create an envelope that requires more
precise formatting. Remember that you can always format envelopes
precisely by adding your envelope to your document and creating text
on it as you would any other document. Begin by selecting Tools,
Envelopes And Labels and clicking the Add To Document button. Then,
choose View, Print Layout, and you'll see a white page that's a
WYSIWYG version of the envelope. Here, you can format text any way you
wish, with the same precision as in any other Word document. Neat,
huh?
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KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS FOR BULLETS
As long as you have Word 2000 set up to generate bulleted lists
automatically (you do this by choosing Tools, AutoCorrect, clicking
the AutoFormat As You Type tab, and selecting the Automatic Bulleted
Lists option), you can insert several different kinds of lists with
just a few common keystrokes. For example, to begin a standard
bulleted list, simply type
*
and the list item, then press Enter. The asterisk will change to a
bullet, effectively beginning your bulleted list. Other bullet symbols
are available:
Type - to get a dash
Type -- to get a square block
Type > to get an arrow
Type -> to get a longer arrow
Type => to get a thicker arrow
Enjoy!
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KEEPING TABLE ROWS TOGETHER
When you're working with tables in Word 2000, nothing can be more
confusing than having the data in a single row split across two pages.
You don't want the person reading your document to have to flip back
and forth between pages just to figure out what a single row means.
You're better off making sure that your table rows don't split across
pages. To do this, first select your table by choosing Table, Select,
Table. Then, choose Table, Table Properties and click the Row tab.
Deselect the Allow Row To Break Across Pages option, and then click OK
to exit.
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KEEPING TABLE ROWS FROM BREAKING ACROSS PAGES
When working in a table, you hate to see part of a table cell's text
on one page and part on the next. Forcing the reader to flip back and
forth between pages to absorb information that is meant to be taken
together might be considered poor page design. To prevent table rows
from breaking across pages, choose Table, Table Properties and click
the Row tab. Deselect the Allow Row To Break Across Pages option and
click OK.
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INSTALLING A PRINTER TWICE FOR SPECIAL PRINT SETTINGS
If you routinely print two different kinds of documents, each
requiring its own printer settings, you've probably found it
cumbersome to have to reenter all the printer properties every time
you change documents. You might find it easier to actually install the
same printer twice, but with different names and settings. This way,
you can simply select the "printer" (actually the group of print
settings) that you like the next time you execute your print job.
To install the printer with new print settings, select Start,
Settings, Printers, then click the Add Printer icon. Install the
printer as you would normally, inserting the driver disk if you have
it. When you come to the screen where you give your printer a name,
name it something that differentiates it from your default printer and
lets you know what the printer settings are. When you finish,
right-click on your new printer and select Properties. Enter the print
settings for your new printer icon and click OK. Now, when you want to
print using the new printer settings, you can just select the name
from your program's Print dialog box.
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INSERTING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES IN A DOCUMENT FOOTER
Our explanation in a tip a while back was rather lengthy, and while it
worked, it wasn't nearly as easy as this solution. To insert the total
number of pages and the page number in the footer, simply position the
cursor in the footer and select Insert, AutoText, Header/Footer, Page
X Of Y. Wow, how much easier was that?
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INSERTING SPECIAL CHARACTERS
When you're working on a document, remember that you always have a
multitude of special characters just a few mouse clicks away. All the
most common foreign language characters, as well as accented vowels,
Greek letters, and so on, are available in the Special Characters
dialog box. To access the characters, choose Insert, Special
Characters and select a character from the grid. Note that as you roll
your mouse over the individual characters, a large version of the
character appears in a box so you can get a closer look at it.
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INSERTING ONE DOCUMENT INTO ANOTHER
If you know that you need to insert an entire document into another,
you can do so without opening the document you want to insert. With
the document you want to insert into open, you can simply go to the
desktop, find the document you want to insert, select it, and press
Ctrl-C to copy its contents to the Clipboard (the entire document is
copied automatically). Then, go back to your original document and
press Ctrl-V to paste.
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INSERTING LINE BREAKS WITHOUT CREATING A NEW PARAGRAPH
By default, any time you press the Enter key you are in effect telling
Word that you wish to begin a new paragraph. Sometimes, though, you
want a series of short lines to retain the formatting of a single
paragraph, such as with an address or lines of poetry. To insert a
line break without inserting a new paragraph, simply press
Shift-Enter.
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INSERTING EM DASHES AUTOMATICALLY
As any Word processing expert can tell you, there is a big difference,
stylistically speaking, between a hyphen and an em dash. An em dash is
the long dash (the width of the capital letter M, hence the name) used
to illustrate a break in a thought or idea. A hyphen is the familiar
-, used to join related words or parts of words. Back in the days of
the typewriter, a double hyphen was used to stand in for the em dash.
Word 2000 can be set up to insert em dashes for you, whenever you type
a double hyphen. Select Tools, AutoCorrect and click the AutoFormat As
You Type tab. Select the Symbol Characters (--) With Symbols (--)
check box, then click OK, and all your future double hyphens will
become em dashes automatically.
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INSERTING AND MOVING GRAPHICS FILES
You probably already know how to insert clip art into a document in
Word 2000 (select Insert, Picture, Clip Art), but you may not have
experimented with inserting other kinds of image files. But you can,
you can. From GIFs to JPEGs to most image formats you can name, Word
2000 can accommodate them all. To insert an image, select Insert,
Picture, From File. Browse through your files until you find the image
you're looking for, and click OK. You will notice that your image is
inserted along the left edge of your document, anchored to the
previous paragraph. You'll probably want to move this image somewhere
else. To do so, you have to change the image from being an inline
graphic. Right-click on it and select Format Picture. Click the Layout
tab, select either In Front Of Text or Behind Text (depending on
whether you want to be able to read text through the image or not),
and click OK. You can now grab the image and drag it where you wish.
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INSERTING A DROP CAP
One of the ways word processors changed the world was to introduce all
kinds of fancy formatting features formerly reserved only for the
professionals. One example of this once out-of-reach formatting is the
drop cap, a large letter inserted at the beginning of a paragraph.
Inserting drop caps in Word 2000 is a cinch. Click inside the
paragraph you want to work with and select Format, Drop Cap. Choose
Dropped from the Position section and then specify Font and Lines To
Drop under Options. Lines To Drop tells Word how large to make your
letter--the number you choose will equal the number of lines the
letter reaches down. When you have the parameters the way you like,
click OK.
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INSERTING A COLUMN BREAK
Our previous tip explained how to ensure that your columns are all the
same size by inserting a section break at the end of your last column.
It's also possible to end a column before the text reaches the bottom
of the column. Simply go to the point where you'd like to break and
choose Insert, Break, Column Break. The text splits off and begins in
the next column. This trick can be handy if you need the space in an
earlier column for another purpose.
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INCLUDING FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES IN A WORD COUNT
Every professional writer knows the importance of a large word count.
If you're working on a document that has extensive footnotes or
endnotes, you'll certainly want to include those when it comes time to
take a word count. You wrote the words, did you not? Then you should
be paid for them. To include notes in your word count, choose Tools,
Word Count, and be sure to select the Include Footnotes And Endnotes
option.
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HOW TO AVOID CAPITALIZING AFTER PAGE BREAKS
One thing some people don't like, however, is Word 2000's overriding
desire to capitalize the first letter of each new line, and ask how to
change this. It's a function of AutoCorrect, and changing this setting
is pretty simple. Select Tools, AutoCorrect and deselect the
Capitalize First Letter Of Sentences option. Click OK, and you should
be able to start each line with a lowercase letter without a problem.
Art thou impressed?
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HIDING TABLE GRIDLINES
Gridlines help you organize information visually while constructing a
table. While grayed-out gridlines don't show up when you print your
document, sometimes you want to see how the document looks without
them. You can get a quick look at how your table looks without
gridlines at any time by selecting Table, Hide Gridlines.
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GETTING DOCUMENT PROPERTIES WITHOUT OPENING THE DOCUMENT
When you query the properties on most of your computer's files (by
right-clicking on a file and selecting Properties), you usually get
little more than a dialog window showing the document type and when it
was created. When you perform this action with a document created
