Clean up tools

"When you save Web pages format with Microsoft Word, additional tags are added so that you can continue to use the full functionality of Word to edit your content.

To reduce the size of Web pages, you can save them in filtered HTML. Filtered format removes Microsoft Office-specific tags. If you save in filtered HTML and then reopen the file in Office programs, text and general appearance will be preserved, but some features may work differently.

If you reopen a Web page in Word that you saved in filtered HTML, your text and general appearance are preserved, but you may not be able to use certain Word features in the usual way to edit your files. For example, the appearance of bulleted or numbered lists is preserved; however, some of the Word functionality associated with lists will not be preserved.

If you will need to edit the file later, you can maintain two files: one in Word format and one in filtered HTML format. You can edit the content in the Word document, save it in Word format for future editing, and then save a copy in filtered HTML format."

Labels: Formatting, General

Choose your own location

Word

you can change the default location by going to Tools>Options. On the "File Locations" tab you can modify the storage location.

Excel

Tools>Options. On the "General" tab change the default location.

PowerPoint

uses Tools>Options and the "Save" tab.

Access

Tools>Options and the "General" tab for Databases and Projects

Publisher

Tools>Options "General".

Outlook

will make you take an underground tour into the Registry to change the location to save e-mail attachments.

FrontPage/Expression Web

appears to require the same sort of spelunking.

Labels: Customize, General

Twaddle free

"The Federal Government's writing must be in plain language. By using plain language, we send a clear message about what the Government is doing, what it requires, and what services it offers. Plain language saves the Government and the private sector time, effort, and money."

Plain language can be understood by YOUR reader at first reading. It doesn't mean writing for a certain grade level - it means organizing and writing for your reader. Writing in plain language saves time and money for writers and readers.

The Plain Language Center
Building Plain Language from the Ground Up

Introducing Plain Language

Plain language matches the needs of the reader with your needs as a writer, resulting in effective and efficient communication. It is effective because the reader can understand the message. It is efficient because the reader can read and understand the message the first time.

Also:
LegalWriting.net
Plain language produces clear, concise, and readable documents

And then for no reason ,other than most writing is twaddle, here's a review of:

How Mumbo-jumbo Conquered the World:
A Short History of Modern Delusions
by Francis Wheen.

It's entitled: "Twaddle unswaddled".
Appropriate or not, it is fun to say.

[Edited entry from 12/27/2004]




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word

Labels: General, Tips

Problem solvers

1. Go to Edit>Replace
   
2. Make sure to include all of your local drives in the search and that "include subfolders" is checked.
   
3. Search for:
   *.tmp
   
4. Then delete all these temp files.
   

1. Use Edit>Find to locate Normal.DOT.
   
2. Rename it (Normal.OLD) or delete it. Word will create a new copy when it restarts.
   

The only caveat here is be careful that you don't have important macros stored in Normal.DOT. If you rename, you can recover them.

THIRD

If that does not correct the problem, try this next step:

1. Go to Start>Run and type:
   winword.exe /a
   (Note that there is a space before the /a)
   
2. Then press ENTER. This starts Word without any add-ins, global templates, or Normal.DOT.
   Look in Tools>Templates and Add-ins to see if there are any files that can be un-checked.
   

Labels: General, Tips

Move the parts.

• Migrating files to the new file format
  
  
• Migrating AutoText entries
  
  
• Migrating customizations
  
  
• Migrating Add-ins
  
  
• Migrating AutoCorrect entries
  
  
• Migrating the data key

Labels: 2007, General, Templates

Copy/Paste formatting in Word, PowerPoint or Excel

Labels: Formatting, General, Graphics

Not the best features

Katherine Murray from TechRepublic, lists ten word features that can be replaced with the new tools.

#1: The Font dialog box
(She says use Themes, I prefer to control individual components)

#2: Mark As Final
(I agree, it's not that Final)

#3: Save As Word XML
(I agree. "Today’s Word is completely built on Office OpenXML, so now all the files you create and save in Word 2007 are actually saved in XML". )

#4: Mail Merge Wizard
( I agree. Mail merge is not that hard. It is only made more difficult with the Wizard)

#5 Drawing Canvas
(Down with the Canvas!)

#6: Signature Line

#7: Web Tools

#8: Document Map

#9: Microsoft Clip Organizer

#10 Document Properties

10 features you can skip


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word

Labels: General

Send outline to PowerPoint

For Microsoft Office 2007

Word 2007 doesn't allow you to publish to PowerPoint 2007 by default.
Here's the solution:

After you are done in Word 2007, save it as a Word document.

Now open PowerPoint 2007.

Click on the Office Button at the top left hand corner.

Click Open.

Under Files of type, select All Outlines.

Now select the Word document and click Open.

Alternately,

In Word 2007, right click on the ribbon.

Select Customize Quick Access Toolbar.

Under "Choose commands from:", select Commands not in the ribbon.

Look for "Send to Microsoft Office PowerPoint".

Click OK.

The command will then be added onto the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT).

Labels: General

You can lead a tab to ...........

Fred Smith.........................$44.59

This makes your list easier to read

1. Select the line on which you want to create a tab
   
   
2. Click on the Format menu and click on the Tabs menu item
   (you will see the Tabs dialog box)
   
   
3. In the Tab Stop Position field enter the distance to the last column: 5", 6" or what ever is appropriate
   
   
4. Then select the tab alignment; Decimal, Right, Center or Left
   
   
5. Select the type of leader to use
   
   
6. Click Set and then OK
   

Enter the name, or first entry, and then touch the Tab key.

Word will automatically enter as many leading characters as required.

When you can type the amount, it will be aligned on the decimal or any other alignment you might have chosen.

Here's what it looks like in Word 2007

Also:

University of Florida handout:
Word Tabs Doc

WordTips Online Answers:
Tips on Word tabs

OfficeLetter.com:
Favorite Word tips #2

About.com:
Creating Tab Leader Lines

Fab Tabs
Uncover the magic of using tabs



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word

Labels: Documents, General

It can make life easier

Labels: General, Tips, Tutorials

F what?

In Word 2007, you can see the shortcut keys by pressing the ALT key.

Word (2002-2003) has a rarely seen "toolbar" that lets you use your mouse to perform function key actions. In addition, when you press Shift you'll see what the Shift + function key combinations do, press Ctrl and you'll see those shortcuts, and so on.

The toolbar is automatically placed at the bottom of the screen (underneath the document area; right above the status bar); like any toolbar, you can drag it and dock to it any side of the screen, or let it float. To display the Function Key Display toolbar:

1. Go to Tools>Customize.
   
2. Select the Toolbars tab, then check Function Key Display
   
3. Click the Close button.

Labels: General, Shortcuts

Geek fame

"You probably have a document you use over and over again, something you created to solve a particular problem. You may even find yourself occasionally sending the document to others in e-mail because it's so useful. Now you can share your clever solution with everyone who uses the 2007 Microsoft Office system!

People like you all over the world are allowing others to download and use their document templates on Office Online. Some of these templates have tens of thousands of downloads. They were submitted by people who either wanted to help others or show their great solutions. You can, too.

Labels: General, Templates

=rand(p,s)

In Word 2007 =rand() produces a selection from the Help file.

=lorem() displays:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Maecenas porttitor congue massa. Fusce posuere, magna sed pulvinar ultricies, purus lectus malesuada libero, sit amet commodo magna eros quis urna.
Nunc viverra imperdiet enim. Fusce est. Vivamus a tellus.
Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Proin pharetra nonummy pede. Mauris et orci.

In French it's:
"Servez à ce monsieur une bière et des kiwis."

"Serve this gentleman a beer and some kiwis."

Other Panagrams



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word

Labels: General, Random Text, Tips

Get a Job

If your job is to collect job applications, look at:

MSDN:
Creating and Applying an XML Resume Template in Microsoft Office Word 2003

Word 2003: Sample XML Resume Template

Smart Documents Resume Sample Application

Want to work for Microsoft?

Microsoft's Zoe Goldring and Gretchen Ledgard:
What is it like to interview at Microsoft?

Chris Sells:
Interviewing at Microsoft Blog:Technical Careers@Microsoft

The real first impression
The journey of a resume



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word

Labels: Documents, General, Templates

2007 choices

Office 2007 uses OfficeArt to format text boxes, graphics and pictures.

It's available in Word, Excel , and PowerPoint, but it is most active in PowerPoint and Excel.

Here's a description:

Office PPT Art

Also:
Reflections



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word

Labels: General

Measure by Measure

About the only thing I don't see is that you can bring up the Page Setup dialog box by double clicking in the dark area of the ruler that indicates the margin.

Once again this tip comes from the Microsoft Word MVP site:

Ruler of all you survey:
How to make the best use of Word's rulers

Here's the spot to click to show rulers in Word 2007:





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word

Labels: General, Tips

Remember the past

"Before the development of personal computers and word processing software,
documents were produced on typewriters."

Chris Pratley, a Microsoft Program Manager, started with the Excel team in 1994 and then worked with the Word team. He has written about the early days:

Let's talk about Word

And more Word words:

Key Events in Microsoft History

Also see:
WordStar WordStar screenshot
WordStar Resource Site
(Includes a WordStar emulator for Word)

Also see:
In Search of Stupidity



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word

Labels: General

Eavesdrop on the experts

Labels: General, Tips

No add-ins needed

• Raw text, HTML, XHTML, Microsoft Word, RTF, PDF, PS, Open Office, Star Writer, Pocket Word, Word Perfect
  
  
• CSV, dBase, Microsoft Excel, Pocket Excel, Lotus 123, Quattro Pro, Star Calc, Open Office spreadsheet
  
  
• MathML, Star Math, Open Office math
  
  
• Microsoft Powerpoint, Star Impress, Open Office presentation

Convert files into universal formats like Adobe PDF, PS (PostScript) or CSV to print, fax or simply read them on any computer, without special software.

Learn morse code with the text to morse converter ;-)

Labels: General, Tips

1. In the Search for list, select Translation.
   
2. To change the languages used for translation, in the Research task pane, under Translation, select the languages you want to translate from and to.

• To translate a specific word, press ALT and click a word. The results appear under Translation in the Research task pane.
  
• To translate a short sentence, select the words, and then press ALT and click the selection. The results appear in the Research task pane under Translation.
  
• To translate a whole document, in the Research task pane, under Translation, click Translate whole document A translation of your document appears in your Web browser
  
• To translate a word or phrase, type the word or phrase in the Search for box, and then click Start Searching .

Labels: General

Pick a word

• If you double click on a word, it will be selected.
  Triple click and you will select the paragraph.
  
  
• If you hold down the CTRL key and click, you will select a sentence.
  (Word is looking for a period, so it will also stop after the period in "Mr. Smith")
  
  
  
• Move the mouse pointer to the left side of the document. It will change to a NE (upper left) pointing arrow.
  
  
  
  
  • Click once and a line is selected; a line, not just a sentence.
    
    
  • Click twice to select the paragraph.
    
    
  • Click three times and the entire document will be selected.
    
  
  
• Place the insertion point where you want the selection to begin, press F8, and use the arrow keys on the keyboard to highlight the selection. Press Esc to end the extended selection.
  
  
• Click to the left of the first word you want selected. Hold down the Shift key and click to the right of the end of the selection.
  
  
• Hold down the ALT key and drag down to select a "column"; perhaps the first two characters that precede a list of items.
  
  

Labels: General, Random Text, Shortcuts, Tips

More than you wanted to know

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then
   
   
2. Cick Access Options, Excel Options, PowerPoint Options, or Word Options.
   
   
3. Click Resources
   
   
4. About Program Name, click About.
   Note Program Name is the name of the program you are in, for example, About Microsoft Office Word 2007.
   
   
5. To see information about your computer, in the About Program Name dialog box, click System Info.

Labels: General