2.1. Editing TextWhen you change the text on a PowerPoint slidewhen you cut it, copy it, replace it, or move it aroundwhat you're doing is editing your text. To see most of the editing tools PowerPoint offers, all you have to do is take a look at the ribbon's Home tab (Figure 2-1). The following sections describe each editing tool in detail. Note: In contrast, when you change the way your text looks when you make it bold, italicize it, choose a different font or background color for it, and so onwhat you're doing is formatting . Chapter 3 tells you all you need to know about formatting text.
2.1.1. Selecting TextBefore you can do anything to the text on your slides, you first have to select it. Text can appear in any of three places on a slide: in one of the title or subtitle placeholder text boxes that PowerPoint automatically adds to your slide (page 34); in a text box that you've added to a slide (page 37), or in a shape that you've added to a slide (page 296). To select text:
Note: For a brief second after you select text, a see-through Mini Toolbar appears next to your cursor. Because the Mini Toolbar doesn't let you edit textinstead, it lets you format your textit's covered in Chapter 3. 2.1.2. Cutting TextAs you edit and reorganize the content of your slideshow, you may run into a situation where you want to remove text from one slide and either ditch it permanently or reserve it so that you can paste it back into your slideshow later (on a different slide, perhaps). Cutting text was designed for just such situations. When you cut text, you remove it from your slide and stow it away for safekeeping on the Office Clipboard. You can then choose to paste the cut text back onto the original slide or another slide; if you don't, eventually the Office Clipboard simply discards it. The box below tells you more about the Clipboard. To cut text:
Tip: Another way to cut text is to right-click your selection and then, from the menu that appears, choose Cut.
2.1.3. Copying TextWhen you copy text, you tell PowerPoint to place a copy of the text on the Office Clipboard so that you can replicate it latereither by pasting it onto the same slide, onto another slide, or into another document (such as a Word document) altogether. Copying text is useful for those times when you need to repeat lengthy or tricky-to-spell words or phrases throughout your presentation. To copy text:
Tip: Another way to copy text is to right-click your selection and then, from the menu that appears, choose Copy. 2.1.4. Pasting TextWhen you paste text, what you're actually doing is telling PowerPoint to take a hunk of information you've already placed on the Clipboardeither by cutting (page 53) or copying (above)and slap that information onto your slide. So in order to paste something, you must first cut or copy it. Note: The text you paste into your slides doesn't have to be only text you've copied or cut from within PowerPoint. You can paste stuff you've cut or copied in Word, Excel, or any other Office program (and most non-Office programs, too). The Clipboard can hold up to 24 separate pieces of information, so you have two options when it comes to pasting: You can quickly paste the last thing you cut or copied, or you can hunt through the entire contents of the Clipboard and choose what you want to paste. Note: After you cut or copy a chunk of text once, you can paste it into your presentation as many times as you like. 2.1.4.1. Automatically pasting the last chunk of text you cut (or copied)Like a lot of Microsoft programs, PowerPoint gives you a super-quick way to paste the last thing you cut or copied to the Clipboard. This procedure is one of the All Time Most Popular Office Tricks. Here's how you do it:
Note: You can also right-click in the slide where you want to paste your item and then, from the menu that appears, choose Paste. PowerPoint pastes the last thing you cut or copied onto your slide, and a tiny Paste Options icon appears briefly near your cursor. Chapter 3 covers Paste Options, which let you format pasted text. 2.1.4.2. Choosing what to pasteUse this option when you want to paste multiple bits of information, or when you can't remember how long ago you cut (or copied) the text you want to paste. To choose the text you want to paste into a slide:
2.1.4.3. Choosing how to pasteIn most situations, simply pasting text onto your slides the standard way (page 54) is what you want. But PowerPoint gives you a few additional options for pasting certain types of information onto your slides. For example, when you want to be able to use PowerPoint's picture-formatting options to edit the pasted text, you'll want to paste it directly onto your slide as a picture. To choose how to paste text onto your slides:
After you've made your choice, click OK. PowerPoint pastes the most recently cut or copied text based on your selection.
2.1.5. Moving TextWhen all you want to do is move a bit of text from one spot on your slide to another spot on the same slide, you can certainly choose to cut the text and then paste it, as described on pages 53 and 54. But PowerPoint offers an easier way to accomplish the same thing: moving the text. To move text:
2.1.6. Deleting TextUnlike cutting text (page 53), which tells PowerPoint to save the text on the Clipboard in case you want to reuse it later, deleting text erases it completely. The only way to get deleted text back is to click Undo (see the next section). To delete text:
Tip: To delete individual characters , position your cursor after the character you want to delete and press Backspace, or before the character you want to delete and press Delete. |