REVIEW for JUNE 2008
CKCS Word Processing Review #68
Jerry Heaton, MS Word SIG Leader
In the following table of contents just click on the topic to go direct to that topic.
Contents
CAUSE TEXT TO FLOW AROUND YOUR TEXT BOX
SPECIAL THANKS FOR YOUR HELP
My laptop computer acted up just as we were ready to start this session. Never before had it created a problem but it would start and immediately shut down. Thanks to Larry Trivette for starting the projector in the classroom so we could move this session there. We were able to shift to the classroom and use that projector. To further complicate my problems, when we moved to the classroom, I failed to restart my tape recorder, so again, thanks to Larry Trivette, his notes provided information on some of the questions and topics we discussed.
ALPHABETIZING LISTS IN WORD
If you have a table or a word document with the fields separated by tabs, Word can easily sort / alphabetize those fields for you. A sample list of names with four fields follows:
LAST FIRST MI CITY
Swim Ann B. Frankfort
Peter Ann C. Bardstown
Riester Alice D. Jackson
Robertson Barbara E. Frankfort
Jarvis Anna F. Barbourville
Jaeger Ann G. Frankfort
Ochoa George I. Elizabethtown
Hughes Betty J. Frankfort
Jaegers Betty K. Louisville
Haynes Bev Nicholasville
To alphabetize the above sample
list, you would HIGHLIGHT the text to be sorted, go to TABLE > click on
SORT. Notice that at the bottom of the (above) dialog box, in the MY LIST HAS
area the NO HEADER ROW has been checked. This is appropriate only if there is
no header row. Since my list above does have a header row, (last first mi and
city) once you select HEADER ROW, instead of field 1, field 2, etc. which shows
in the SORT BY section, the name of each field would be listed in the sort
by, then by, then by sections of the dialog box.
You may sort this list in any order you desire, using the three sections of the dialog box. To sort the list by city and the individual’s name, you would start with CITY, then by LAST, then by FIRST.
Remember; it is important to select HEADER ROW when you do have a header row otherwise the header row will be included in the sort and likely be placed in the middle of your list along with the other names.
CREATING A PRACTICE DOCUMENT
Microsoft has provided a way to create a simple multi paragraph document. Should you wish to practice on a document, other than your own, simply use the following formula:
=rand (4,5) and then press enter.
In the formula above the instructions are to randomly create a five paragraph document with four sentence in each paragraph. The result will be what you see below. (You may use any numbers in the formula should you want more or less sentences and paragraphs.)
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
If you are teaching or demonstrating how something in Word does work or just practicing, this is a handy document with which to do that.
WORKING WITH TEXT BOXES
The purpose of text boxes is to allow you to easily
place blocks of text in and around other unrelated blocks of text, yet keeping
them separate. For example, a story written by someone, you may wish to
include a biographical sketch of the author to one side and have the story flow
around the biographical sketch. You may create a text box and type inside it or
copy text and paste that text inside your text box. However, the best way is to
type your text in your document somewhere, highlight that text and from the
INSERT menu select TEXT BOX and a text box surrounds the highlighted text.
Then using sizing handles you may format and change the text box size as
needed.
Regarding pictures, or clip art, if you wish to type underlines to describe the picture, place that picture in a text box and place the underlines with it. This way the underlines stay with the picture wherever you place or move it around in your document. Placing pictures and underline inside a text box allow you complete control over the placement of your photo even while you edit or change your base document.
One way to place and empty text
blocks into a word document, on the menu bar select INSERT > TEXT BLOCK. Your
mouse pointer becomes an X (or cross hair). Using the left mouse button you
can click and drag to create a text box of any size or shape needed. Once
created, you may adjust the size of any box using one of the eight sizing handles that appear around the outside edge of
the box.
When the insertion point is inside of any text box, you may type within that box or may insert any text, photo or art that is in that text box.
Text boxes may be moved easily around a page by clicking on the outer edge of the box, then click and drag the box to another location on the page. After clicking on the outer edge of the box, rather than the click/drag system, I prefer to use my four arrow keys to move the box. Each click of an arrow key moves the box maybe ¼ inch. Holding down the CONTROL key while clicking the arrow keys moves the box 1/16th of a inch for greater control.
After you get your page and text boxes arranged as you desire, the text box(s) are outlined with a black line. You may change / remove / color that line by
· First Click on the text box to show the borders
· Selecting FORMAT on the menu bar
· Select TEXT BOX (bottom listing) and
· Under the LINE section select NO LINE.
This action will remove the line of the text box or you may choose a color should you want that line to show and stand out.
CAUSE TEXT TO FLOW AROUND YOUR TEXT BOX
When you initially insert a text box, the text will stop above and start below your installed text box, regardless of its size. If you want the text to flow around your text box, as was done in the illustration above, be sure your insertion point is in your text box, click on FORMAT > TEXT BOX and on the LAYOUT tab, select SQUARE and the text will flow around the text box regardless where you move it.
MOVING THE TEXT BOX
To move the text box, you first must double click on the text box border, then you can move it. You can click and drag the box using the border or you may use your arrow keys on your keyboard to move the text box. The latter give you considerable control.
END OF JUNE 2008 SIG (WORKSHOP)
REVIEW for MAY 2008
CKCS Word Processing Review #67
Jerry Heaton, MS Word SIG Leader
A table of contents follows: Click on the topic to go direct to that topic.
Contents May 2008
A GOOGLE SEARCH FEATURE USING A TELEPHONE NUMBER
SELECTIVE BLOCKING (HIGHLIGHTING) A COLUMN OF TEXT
CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF TEXT
SKYPE
SKYPE is a free Internet program which you may download and enabled you to talk free to a friend or relative using a headset microphone and the Internet. You download the program by going to www.skype.com . It puts an icon in your tray (on the bottom right of your task bar). You can buy a headset mike for as little as $10.00 and it is plugged into your sound card on the back of your computer.
Once you create a profile using your given name, you are ready to begin. Your friend or relative, with whom you want to talk, must do the same and create their profile. Once you share screen names with one another, you then search for your friends screen name and in a few seconds, it finds that.
On the dialog box that appears you can tell when your friend or relative is online, whether or not the icon by their name is green or gray. At the bottom of the dialog box is two telephone icons, one red one green. Initiate a call to the individual that you have highlighted by clicking on the green icon. Their voice comes to your computer’s speakers and you can carry on a conversation just like on a telephone free for an unlimited amount of time.
Try it, you will like it.
A GOOGLE SEARCH FEATURE USING A TELEPHONE NUMBER
Using GOOGLE, in the search box try typing in a person’s telephone number starting with the area code. Google will immediately provide you a name and address of the owner of that phone number. If you want to know where that person lives, click on the word MAP and Google will place a map pin on the street of that person’s residence. If you add to the information your present location, Google will provide you directions to that person’s house.
BURNING A DISC
If your computer includes a CD or DVD recorder, you can copy files to a writeable disc (such as a CD-R or CD+R or CD-RW or CD+RW or DVD-R or DVD-RW. This process is called, burning a disc. There are many programs available to burn a disc, but without an additional purchase, you may use Windows to burn a data disc. If you want to make a disc that will play music or video player, you should use a music or video program such as Windows Media Player.
To accomplish this task using Windows or Windows Media Player:
1. Place a recordable disc in your CD or DVD recording drive.
a. Note: Before you buy blank discs, read the tiny print on your disc drive to determine if it uses plus (+) or minus (-) discs. Then buy only CD or DVD discs that match those specs. Most newer DVD drives can record both CDs and DVD, so check your drive to determine if it will do both. Sorry – you may need to read your book that comes with the drive. You do read those instructions don’t’ you?
2. Find the file / program / music / video you wish to copy to disc.
3. Right click on that file, select SEND TO > and select the drive letter appropriate for your disc drive usually D or E or F. In a few seconds, that file will be burned to the disc.
4. Repeat step 2 and 3 for each additional item you want on the disk.
5. Once step 4 is complete for all selected files, click the button on the computer to open the door to the disc.
6. The tray won’t open immediately as the computer FINALIZES the disc so he may be played on any computer disc drive.
7. Label the disc with a special disc-marking pen as to its contents.
8. That is all there is to it.
BLOCKING TEXT (Highlighting)
Blocking or highlighting text is another way to say you are ‘selecting’ a portion of your document. You highlight text is your first step to revise or modify your document. Changes you make, only affects the portion of the document that highlighted.
.
There are many ways to highlight (block) text. You should learn them all and practice using them.
1. CLICK AND DRAG IN TEXT Use the click and drag system by placing the pointer “I” bar at the edge of the text you wish to highlight, press and down and hold the left mouse button and drag across the word, phrase sentence or paragraph.
2. CLICK AND DRAG OUTSIDE TEXT Use the click and drag system placing the arrow which appears when the pointer is to the left (outside) of the left margin. Click and hold down the left mouse button and drag up or down to the left side of your text. The same works when clicking outside the right margin.
3. CLICK TWICE WITHIN TEXT Using the left mouse button, click twice on a word to highlight that word.
4. CLICK THREE TIMES WITHIN TEXT Using the left mouse button, click three times anywhere within a paragraph, to highlight the entire paragraph.
5. USE ARROW KEYS Hold down the CONTROL plus SHIFT keys then tap or hold down any of the four arrow keys, and learn how that highlights text for you.
6. ARROW KEYS PLUS END OR HOME With your insertion point somewhere in your document, hold down the CONTROL plus SHIFT keys plus tap the HOME key, or the END key, and learn how that highlights text for you.
7. HIGHLIGHT A SINGLE SENTENCE Hold down the control key and click anywhere in a sentence to highlight that one sentence.
8. CONTROL PLUS A Hold down CONTROL and touch the letter A to highlight All the text and other items in a document. This also may be accomplished by using the mouse, clicking 3 times in the left margin of the page.
Once text has been highlighted, you can change the format, the font, and the size, as you need. You may also delete the highlighted text, or click and drag it to a new location, if that is what you need to do.
Remember, be careful as highlighted text is replaced with your next letter, number, space or enter key you might type. (If this accidentally happens, See UNDO AND REDO topic in this document)
To deselect highlighted text, simply click in a margin or any place where there is no highlighting.
SELECTIVE BLOCKING (HIGHLIGHTING) A COLUMN OF TEXT
Should you have a column of figures in the middle of a page which you would like to bold face, or perhaps use a different type font, there are two ways to accomplish this.
I call this system, selective blocking of text.
To accomplish this task, place your insertion point at the top left of the column you wish to highlight. Touch CONTROL + SHIFT + F8 and in the status bar, at the bottom of the display you will notice that the letters COL has appeared (COLUMN) and is active (not grayed out). You may then use your keyboard arrow keys to highlight the text you desire.
CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF TEXT
WORD offers the opportunity to change the direction of text for the occasion where you need to change the look of a document or when you need to maximize the space with which you have to work.
Changing direction of text is only available for text in Callouts, Text Boxes, Autoshapes or in Cells in a table.
EXAMPLE IN USING A TABLE
In the example below, we gained some space in the individual weekday cells of the following table by changing the direction of our text.
This is accomplished by highlight the text you want to change and go to FORMAT > TEXT DIRECTION and clicking on the text direction of your choice.
EXAMPLE USING A TEXT BOX
Once you establish your text box, you may select your text direction for any of four directions. Go to FORMAT > TEXT DIRECTION dialog box to make your selection.
END OF MAY 2008 SIG (WORKSHOP)