Objective 3. Set Tab Stops

Tab stops mark specific locations on a line of text and are used to indent and align text. By pressing the key, you move to tab stops.

Activity 3.9. Setting Tab Stops

1.

Start Word. Then, take a moment to study the tab alignment options shown in Figure 3.26 and described in the table in Figure 3.27.
 

Figure 3.26.

 

Figure 3.27. Tab Alignment Options

Type	Tab Alignment Button Displays This Marker	Description
Left		Text is left aligned at the tab stop and extends to the right.
Center		Text is centered around the tab stop.
Right		Text is right aligned at the tab stop and extends to the left.
Decimal		The decimal point aligns at the tab stop.
Bar		A vertical bar is inserted in the document at the tab stop.
First Line Indent		Indents the first line of a paragraph.
Hanging Indent		Indents all lines but the first in a paragraph.

 

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2.

From the student files that accompany this text, locate and open w03B_Park_Changes. Display the Save As dialog box. Navigate to the folder where you are storing your projects for this chapter, and then save the file as 3B_Park_Changes_Firstname_Lastname

If necessary, display the formatting marks and set the Zoom to Page Width.
 

3.

In the paragraph beginning The hours of operation, position the insertion point after the colon at the end of the paragraph. Press two times. At the left end of the horizontal ruler, point to the Tab Alignment button , and then compare your screen with Figure 3.28.
 

Figure 3.28.

 

4.

Click the Tab Alignment button one time, move the mouse pointer away, and then point to the button again to display the next ScreenTipCenter Tab. Repeat this process to cycle through and view the ScreenTip for each of the types of tab stops, and then stop at the Left Tab button .
 

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5.

Move the pointer over the horizontal ruler, click at the 1-inch mark, and then compare your screen with Figure 3.29.
 

Figure 3.29.

A left tab stop is inserted in the ruler. Left tab stops are used when you want the information to align on the left. By default, tab stops are set every half inch, but they do not display on the ruler. When you customize a tab as you did here, the custom tab stop overrides default tab stops that are to the left of the custom tab.
 

6.

Click the Tab Alignment button two times to display the Right Tab button . Point to the 4-inch mark on the horizontal ruler and click one time.

A right tab stop is inserted in the ruler. Right tab stops are used to align information on the right. As you type, the information will extend to the left of the tab stop.
 

7.

Click the Tab Alignment button six times to display the Center Tab button . Click at the 5-inch mark on the horizontal ruler, and then click again at the 6-inch mark. Compare your screen with Figure 3.30.
 

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Figure 3.30.

Two center tab stops are inserted in the ruler. Center tab stops are used when you want to center information over a particular point.
 

8.

Save your document.
 

Activity 3.10. Formatting and Removing Tab Stops

As you work with tab stops, keep in mind that they are a form of paragraph formatting, and thus, the information about them is stored in the paragraph mark to which they were applied.

1.	From the Format menu, click Tabs, and then compare your screen with Figure 3.31.   Figure 3.31. (This item is displayed on page 433 in the print version) The Tabs dialog box displays. The tabs you just added to the ruler for the paragraph at the insertion point location display under Tab stop position. From the Tabs dialog box, you have more flexibility in adding, removing, and formatting tab stops.
2.	Under Tab stop position, click 4", and then at the bottom of the Tabs dialog box, click the Clear button. Compare your screen with Figure 3.32.   Figure 3.32.
3.	Under Tab stop position, click 5". Under Leader, click the 2 option button. Near the bottom of the Tabs dialog box, click Set. The Set button saves the change. The tab stop at the 5-inch mark now has a leader character. Leader characters create a solid, dotted, or dashed line that fills the space used by a tab character. A leader character draws the reader's eye across the page from one item to the next. Later, when you tab to this spot, a row of dots will display. When the character used for the leader is a dot, this is commonly referred to as a dot leader.
4.	Under Tab stop position, click 6". Under Alignment, click the Right option button. Near the bottom of the Tabs dialog box, click Set. Repeat this process to change the tab stop at 5" to a Right aligned tab stop as shown in Figure 3.33.   Figure 3.33. The tab stop at the 6-inch mark will be right aligned when the dialog box is closed, and the tab stop at the 5-inch mark will be right aligned with a dot leader.
5.	At the bottom of the Tabs dialog box, click OK, and notice that the changes are reflected in the ruler. Compare your screen with Figure 3.34.     Figure 3.34.
6.	Scroll to the top of the document, and then Save the document.

Activity 3.11. Using Tab Stops to Enter Text

1.

With the insertion point positioned at the beginning of the line with the new tab stops, press , and then compare your screen with Figure 3.35.
 

Figure 3.35.

 

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The insertion point moves to the first tab stop, which is at the 1-inch mark, and the nonprinting character for a taba small arrowdisplays.
 

2.

Type Monday-Thursday and notice that the left edge of the text remains aligned with the tab stop. Press , and then type 1 p.m.

The insertion point moves to the tab stop at the 5-inch mark, and a dot leader is added, helping to draw your eye across the page to the next item. With a right tab, the right edge of the text remains aligned with the tab mark, and the text moves to the left, as shown in Figure 3.36.
 

Figure 3.36.

 

NoteUsing Dot Leaders

A String of Periods Is Not the Same Thing

It is sometimes tempting to hold down the Period key on the keyboard to create a string of dots. This is not a good idea for several reasons. The periods, because of proportional spacing, may be spaced differently between rows. The periods will not line up, and, most importantly, the column on the right side of the string of periods may look lined up, but will be crooked when printed. If you need a string of dots, always insert a tab stop with a dot leader.

3.

Press , and then type 10 p.m. Press .

Recall that when you press Enter, the formatting of the previous paragraph, including tab stops, is copied to the new paragraph. Recall also that tab stops are a form of paragraph formatting, and thus, the information about them is stored in the paragraph mark to which they were applied.
 

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4.

Type the followingpressing one time to indent each lineto complete the park schedule, click Save , and then compare your screen with Figure 3.37:
 

Friday	1 p.m.	11 p.m.
Saturday and Holidays	11 a.m.	11 p.m.
Sunday	NOON	11 p.m.

 

Figure 3.37.

 

Another Way: To Create an Indent

Use an Indent to Start a Tabbed List

If the items in the first column of a list are indented the same amount using a left-aligned tab, you can save keystrokes by indenting the paragraph instead. You can do this by using the Increase Indent button on the Formatting toolbar, or by using the Paragraph dialog box. You can also drag the Left Indent marker from the left side of the ruler and position it at the desired location. When you are finished typing the list, you can drag the marker back to the left margin position. When you use an indent at the beginning of the paragraph for a tabbed list, you do not have to press the Tab key before you type the first item in the list.

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Activity 3.12. Moving Tab Stops

If you are not satisfied with the arrangement of your text after setting tab stops, it is easy to reposition the text by moving tab stops.

1.	In the four lines of tabbed text, disregard any wavy green lines or right-click them and click Ignore Once to remove them. Move the pointer into the left margin area, to the left of the first line of tabbed text. When the pointer displays, drag down to select the four lines of text as shown in Figure 3.38.   Figure 3.38. By selecting all of the paragraphs, changes you make to the tabs will be made to the tabs in all four rows simultaneously.
2.	With the four lines of tabbed text selected, point to the horizontal ruler and position the pointer so the tip of the pointer arrow is touching the 1-inch tab stop mark. When you see the ScreenTip Left Tab, drag the tab stop mark to the left to the 0.5-inch mark on the ruler, and then release the mouse button. Compare your screen with Figure 3.39.   Figure 3.39.   NoteSelecting Tab Stop Marks Selecting and moving tab stop marks on the horizontal ruler requires fairly exact mouse movement. The tip of the pointer must touch the tab mark. If you miss the mark by even a little, you will probably insert another tab stop. One way to tell if you are in the right position to move a tab stop on the ruler is to look for a ScreenTip showing the tab type. To remove an accidental tab stop when you are trying to select an existing one, click the Undo button and try again. Alternatively, you can drag the unwanted tab stop marker below the ruler and release the mouse button.
3.	In the horizontal ruler, point to the 5-inch tab stop until you see the ScreenTip Right Tab. Drag the tab stop mark to the left to the 4.5-inch mark on the horizontal ruler. Compare your screen with Figure 3.40.   Figure 3.40.
4.	Click anywhere to deselect the text, and then Save your document.

Activity 3.13. Entering Text Using Click and Type

You can insert text or graphics anywhere on a page using the click and type pointer. This is accomplished by moving the pointer to the desired location and double-clicking.

1.	From the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Edit tab. Under Click and type, confirm that the Enable click and type check box is selectedif necessary, select it. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.
2.	Open the Footer area. On the Header and Footer toolbar, click the Insert AutoText button , and then click Filename.
3.	Move the pointer to the right of the file name in the footer, and then compare your screen with Figure 3.41.     Figure 3.41. The pointer displays centered horizontal lines, unless your file name extends beyond the center of the footer, in which case left aligned horizontal lines display. The shape attached to the pointersmall centered linesindicates what type of formatting will be applied if you double-click at that location on the pagein this case a Center tab would be inserted.
4.	Move the pointer just inside the right edge of the footer area. When you see the Text Select pointer with several lines that are aligned right, double-click, and then compare your screen with Figure 3.42.   Figure 3.42. (This item is displayed on page 442 in the print version) A right tab marker is placed in the ruler line at the Right Indent markera small mark at the right edge of the white area on the horizontal ruler. The Right Indent marker indicates the right margin of the paragraph containing the insertion point.
5.	Type Park Changes: DRAFT and then Close the Footer area. Save the document.

[Page 442 (continued)]

Objective 4 Create a Table