Entering Notes

Notebook Layout view enables you to enter notes in a number of ways:

• Type notes using your keyboard. You can enter paragraphs of notes or take advantage of the outline-like capabilities to enter notes and subnotes.

• Draw notes using the Scribble tool. You can use this feature to make simple drawings with your mouse or a graphics tablet.

• Record audio notes with your computer's built-in or external microphone.

This part of the chapter explains how to enter notes into a notebook file.

Tip

• If file size is a concern, use audio notes sparingly. Lengthy notes can greatly increase the size of a Word document file.

To type notes

1.	Position the insertion point in the first ruled line of the document (Figure 9). Figure 9. Position the insertion point on the first ruled line of the document.
2.	Type the note you want to appear (Figure 10). It can be as long or short as you like. Figure 10. Type your note.
3.	Press to start a new note at the same level.
4.	Type another note: To type a note at the same level, repeat steps 2 and 3. To type a note at a lower level, press , then repeat steps 2 and 3. To type a note at a higher level, press and then repeat steps 2 and 3.
5.	Repeat this process for all the notes you want to type. Figure 11 shows an example of some notes. Figure 11. Here's an example with a few notes entered at different levels. Notice that Word automatically places bullets beside notes in lower levels.

Tips

• You can change the level and order of notes in Notebook Layout view with toolbar buttons and the Level drop-down list in the Note Levels area of the Formatting Palette (Figure 12).

  Figure 12. In Notebook Layout view, the Formatting Palette includes tools for working with notes.

  

  
  

• Typing notes in Notebook Layout view is very much like creating an outline in Outline view. Consult Chapter 12 for more information about working with hierarchical outlines.

To draw notes

1.	Click the Scribble button on the Notebook Layout view Standard toolbar. The mouse pointer turns into a crosshairs pointer.
2.	Position the mouse pointer where you want to start drawing (Figure 13), press the mouse button down, and drag your mouse to draw. If you have better drawing skills than I do (which is likely), you'll be able to draw something a bit more attractive than what you see in Figure 14. Figure 13. Position the crosshairs pointer where you want to begin your drawing. Figure 14. Hold the mouse button down and drag to create your drawing. (I can't even draw a straight line!)
3.	Release the mouse button to complete the drawing. Selection handles appear around what you drew (Figure 15). Figure 15. When you release the mouse button, the object is completed and selection handles appear around it.
4.	Repeat steps 2 and 3 to draw some more.
5.	When you are finished drawing, click the Scribble button again or press to restore the mouse pointer to normal.

Tips

• You can use the Scribble button's menu and submenus to choose a pen thickness and color (Figure 16).

  Figure 16. You can use this menu to customize your line.

  

  
  

• Once you have drawn an object, you can work with it like any other drawing layer object. I tell you about working with drawn objects in Chapter 10.

To record audio notes

1.	Position the insertion point anywhere in the line where you want to link the audio note (Figure 17). Figure 17. Position the insertion point in the note you want to link the audio note to.
2.	If necessary, click the Audio Notes Toolbar button in the Notebook Layout view Standard toolbar to display the Audio Notes toolbar (Figure 18). Figure 18. The Audio Notes toolbar.
3.	Click the Start Recording button on the Audio Notes toolbar. The word Recording appears on the left end of the toolbar (Figure 19) and whatever sound is picked up by the computer's microphone is recorded. Figure 19. The Audio Notes toolbar while recording a note.
4.	When you are finished recording, click the Stop button on the Audio Notes toolbar. The audio note is saved in your document.

Tip

• You can see an audio note icon by pointing to the text to which the audio note is linked (Figure 20).

  Figure 20. Point to the note to which an audio note is linked to see the audio note's icon.

  

  
  

To play audio notes

Click the audio note icon for the note you want to hear (Figure 21). The note plays, followed by whatever notes were recorded after it in the document.

Figure 21. Click an audio note to play it.

Or

Click the Play button on the Audio Notes toolbar. All audio notes in the document play in the order in which they were recorded.

Tip

• The word Playing appears in the Audio Notes toolbar when notes are playing (Figure 22).

  Figure 22. The Audio Notes toolbar while playing back a note.