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Probably the most common application that most of us share is a word processing application. We write letters , compile reports , and even keep diaries in word processing documents. In this first section, you'll learn the basics:
How to open and close a word processing application
How to open and work with multiple documents
How to create a new document
How to save, name , and rename a document
How to work with a number of text file types
How to maneuver between multiple open document windows
How to find help
Working with a Windows-based application, regardless of the type of application, has its advantages because so many of the basics are the same. What that means is that if you learn one Windows application, you can quickly assimilate another into your list of expertise.
Open (and close) a word processing application. |
There are a number of ways to launch your word processing application (in this case, Microsoft Word 2002). In the end, you'll choose the method that's the most convenient for you: there's no right or wrong to your decision. To open a word processing application, do one of the following:
Choose the program from the Windows Start menu or the All Programs menu.
Click a shortcut icon, either on the Quick Launch toolbar or your desktop.
Double-click a word processing file.
Figure 4.1 shows the Windows Start All Programs menu, with Microsoft Word 2002 selected. To display the menu, click the Windows Start button on the Windows taskbar and choose your application if it's on the Start menu. If it doesn't appear on the Start menu, choose All Programs and select it from the All Programs menu.
For a quicker start, locate the Word 2002 icon on the Windows XP Quick Launch toolbar, shown in Figure 4.2, and click it. Similarly, you can add a Word shortcut icon to your desktop.
Launching Word opens the application window shown in Figure 4.3 and a blank document. If you're unfamiliar with Word, take a few minutes to review the menu commands and toolbar buttons .
Another easy way to launch Word is to locate a Word document file in the Windows Explorer and double-click it (or launch a file from a shortcut icon). Doing so launches both Word and the clicked file (instead of opening a blank document).
Closing Word is extremely simple. Click the Windows Close button (refer to Figure 4.3) in the application's title bar. Or choose Exit from the File menu. If there's an unsaved document open when you close, Word prompts you to save it before closing both the document and the application.
Open one, several documents. |
One thing you'll find with most Windows applications is that there's more than one way to do most everything. Opening a document is no exception to this rule. To open an existing document, follow these steps:
Create a new document (based on default, other available template). |
You won't always work with existing documents; you'll often create new ones. To do so, use any of these techniques:
Click the New button on the Standard toolbar.
Choose New from the File menu.
Press Ctrl+N.
You can save the new document immediately or not.
There are usually three ways to execute most common tasks: via a menu command, a toolbar, or a hotkey (a keyboard shortcut). You should be familiar with all the possible ways to complete simple tasks . |
Any of these techniques will create a new document based on the default template (a template is a collection of settings, such as style names , for a particular document). You can also create a new document based on another available template. To do so, select New from the File menu to open the list of templates. Select the template for the new document and click OK to create the document.
Save a document to a location on a drive. |
We recommend that you save your documents on a frequent and regular basis. That way if the worst happens, such as a power outage or equipment failure, you lose only a small portion of your work. The first time you save the document, you are prompted to specify a name for the file:
After saving the document, you'll probably make revisions. When this happens, you need to save the file again. To do so, simply click the Save button on the Standard toolbar. Or choose Save from the File menu or press Ctrl+S. If you select Save the first time around, Word displays the Save As dialog box so you can name the file.
By default, Word automatically saves your documents once every 10 minutes so it can recover them in case of a crash. You can adjust this setting on the Save tab of the Options dialog box, accessible from Tools, Options. |
Save a document under another name. |
Don't be surprised if you find yourself renaming a file. For instance, you might report on monthly sales. In this case, you might pull up March's document, overwrite existing figures, change the title to April, and then save the file as AprilSales instead of MarchSales.
There are two ways to approach a renaming task. The important thing to remember is that you might end up with one file (losing the original), or you might end up with two (the original and the new one).
To rename a document and retain both copies, follow these steps:
To rename the file and overwrite the original file, follow these steps:
You can rename an existing file and in doing so, create two filesone with the original name and one with the new name. Or you can replace the original file with a renamed file. You should know how to do both. |
Save a document in another file type such as: text file, Rich Text Format, HTML, template, software specific file extension, version number. |
Microsoft Word's file type is indicated by its file extension, .doc , but Word can work with a number of text file types, which are listed in Table 4.1.
Extension | Stands For | Definition |
---|---|---|
.doc | Word document | Word's specific file type. |
.txt | Text file | A universally recognized text type that almost all applications support. |
.rtf | Rich Text Format | A universally recognized text type that supports most formatting. |
.html | Hypertext Markup Language | A static Web page. |
.dot | Word template file | A special file that contains common formatting and other elements, from which you can begin most other documents. |
Occasionally, you might need to change a document's file type. You can change a file's type during the save process. To change a file's type, follow these steps:
Switch between open documents. |
In Chapter 3, you learned about multitaskingworking with more than one window or application at any given time. Word is a multitasking application in that it lets you work with more than one document window open at any given time. Think of each document as a window. Working in multiple windows is convenient when you need to copy or refer to data in one document while working in another.
To open more than one document, simply repeat one of the processes mentioned in the previous sections for opening documents as many time as needed, but specify different files each time. There are a couple of ways to switch back and forth between the open documents.
First, you can choose a document from the Window menu shown in Figure 4.5. Or click the appropriate minimized document icon on the Windows taskbar.
You can press Alt+Tab and cycle through all the open windows, which will include any non-Word applications and files. (You can learn more about this technique in Chapter 3.)
Use available Help functions. |
Most applications provide an extensive Help feature that you can quickly access. Most of the time, you'll find Help on the main menu bar. Open the menu's drop-down list to learn what options your software offers. Figure 4.6 shows Word's robust Help offerings.
There are three options you'll probably use frequently:
Microsoft Word Help Provides Web-enabled access to a number of useful articles and other Help options. Alternately, you can press F1.
What's This? Displays a screen tip for the specified option. Select an item, such as a control or a menu command, and press Shift+F1 to change the cursor to an arrow with a question mark. Click on any part of Word with this cursor to view a short explanation of the element.
Office On The Web Connects to Microsoft's online Office site, which gives you access to an extensive library of articles and useful hints.
To turn off Clippit, the Office Assistant, right-click it, choose Options, and uncheck the Use the Office Assistant option. |
Close a document. |
When you're done with a document, you'll want to close it. Do so by choosing Close from the File menu.
If you try to close a document without saving it, Word prompts you to save your changes. |
Word is very flexible and allows you to determine a number of environmental settings.
Change between page view modes. |
Word offers four perspectives, or views, of your document: Normal, Web Layout, Print Layout , and Outline . Most of the time, you'll probably use Normal mode when entering text, formatting, or editing the document. For that reason, it's also the default mode. To select this option, choose Normal from the View menu.
To view the active document as it will appear in a Web browser, choose Web Layout from the File menu. If you'd like to see what the document will look like in printed form, choose Print Layout from the File menu. This mode requires more memory, and a large document might scroll a tad slower than in another mode. The last mode, Outline mode, is more specialized and therefore, you will probably use it less than the others. Choose Outline from the View menu when you need to structure your document in a classic outline format.
Use magnification/zoom tools. |
The Zoom tool on the Formatting toolbar lets you quickly zoom in on or out of the current document. Simply select a value from the control's drop-down list, shown in Figure 4.7, or enter a value.
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can also scroll the wheel while holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard to change the zoom for a document. |
When a document's in Normal view, you can click the Print Preview tool to get a better look at the document as a printed document. For instance, Figure 4.8 shows several pages of a rather long document in Print Preview.
Display, hide built-in toolbars. |
Word has one menu bar and several toolbars, which is typical of Windows applications. By default, Word displays the menu bar and the Standard toolbar (refer to Figure 4.8). A number of other toolbars make quick work of many tasks. Similarly, you can hide a toolbar if you don't need it.
To hide or display a toolbar, right-click the background of any visible toolbar or menu bar. By background, we mean that you shouldn't click a menu command or tool. Right-clicking the background displays the list of available toolbars. Check a toolbar to display it; uncheck it to hide it.
Display, hide nonprinting characters. |
As you type text, you also enter a number of characters that don't actually show onscreen, or the printed page, but that doesn't mean they're not there.
To view these characters onscreen, choose Options from the Tools menu and click the View tab. Then, check the appropriate options. Figure 4.9 shows the effects of checking the Spaces and Paragraph Marks options.
Modify basic options/preferences in the application: user name, default directory/folder to open, save documents. |
If you share your documents with others, you might want to identify yourself as the document's author. To do so, choose Properties from the File menu and then enter your name in the Author control, shown in Figure 4.10.
Another way to personalize your work session is to set the default folder for your saved and new documents. To do so, choose Options from the Tools menu and then click the File Locations tab. Select the Documents item and then click Modify. When Word displays the Modify Location dialog box, use the Look in control to specify the folder you want Word to use as the default folder. As a result, Word always looks for files in that folder when you execute an Open command and attempts to save files in that folder when you execute a Save command.
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