WordPad is a simple word processing program with basic features for typing, editing, and formatting text. If you create simple documents, WordPad might suit you just fine. If you create a lot of documents, consider purchasing a word processing program with a more robust set of features. Popular word processing programs include Word for Windows and WordPerfect. This section covers some basic features of WordPad. For more information, consult online help or experiment! Taking a Look at the Program WindowYou start WordPad as you do all other programs: Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, and then click WordPad to start the program and display the WordPad window (see Figure 21.2). Figure 21.2. WordPad includes many features in its program window.Many onscreen features are included in WordPad. You'll find these same features in other programs. Table 21.1 describes common program elements found in WordPad and other programs.
Typing and Editing TextWordPad, as mentioned, is used to create text documents. If you want to create a simple document, WordPad has enough features and options to create it. If you are new to computing, WordPad is a great place to learn skills such as entering text, copying and moving text, deleting text, changing the appearance of text, and more. The skills you use in WordPad to perform these tasks will translate to other programs. That is, you follow the same basic steps to copy text in WordPad as in a full-featured word processing program such as Word for Windows. This section covers some common tasks. tip
Typing TextWhen you start WordPad, you see a blank document onscreen. You also see a flashing vertical pointer that indicates the current cursor location. Text you type is entered at this cursor location. (Later, when you edit a document, you can move this insertion point to any place in the document to add or select text. When you first open WordPad, because you have not typed any text, you cannot move the insertion point.) caution
To enter text, just start typing. You see the text onscreen and can make editing changes as you type. Notice also that the insertion point moves to the right as you type and that WordPad automatically wraps text to the next line. You do not have to press Enter at the end of the line. Editing TextAfter you have entered text, you may need to go back and make some revisions. The following list covers the basic text-editing skills. Keep in mind that these skills also work in most other text programs. Here are the basic editing tasks:
tip
Formatting TextWhen you want to make a change to how the text appears, you can use the Format commands or the Format bar. The fastest way to make a change is to use the Format bar, but if you have many changes or if you are unsure of what each button does, use the commands in the Format menu. From the Format bar or menu, you can select another typeface; change the font size; apply emphasis (bold, italic, or underline); change the text color; change the alignment of paragraph(s) to left, right, or center; and make many other changes. Select the text to change and then click the button or select the menu command. For instance, to make text bold, select the text and then click the Bold button. Figure 21.4 shows just a few of the changes you can make. Figure 21.4. Use the Format bar to make formatting changes to the text.Saving Your WorkAs you create documents (any documents, not just those in WordPad), you should save and save often. To save a document, use the File, Save As command. Select a folder for the document, type a name, and click the Save button. (You learn more about saving and naming documents in Chapter 2, "Saving and Printing Your Work.") Once you've saved a document, you can open it again if you want to revise it. To open a document, use the File, Open command. If you don't see the document listed, change to the folder (or drive) you used to save the document. Then double-click the file name to open the document. Again, Chapter 2 provides step-by-step instructions on saving, opening, and printing documents. |