Chapter 2: Working with Programs and Files

Overview

10-Second Summary

• Work with multiple applications in the Microsoft Office System

• Display, hide, and use the taskbar

• Open application files

• Print and fax files

• Save files in a variety of formats

If you ve spent any time at all working with the different applications in the Office System, you already know that there s a lot of similarity in their look and style. The menu bar is positioned in the upper left area of the screen (unless you ve gotten fancy and changed it), and the Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons are always in the upper right.

The similarities extend beyond the look of the screen and the placement of the tools, however. The fact that the File menu is in the same place in every program means you always know where to find commands related to files ”Open, Save, Print, Send To, and so on. Because the Help menu offers the same type of help from program to program, you re never far from stepping over your project s trouble spots.

The consistency among the Office System programs for the common tasks we ll discuss in this chapter will save you time you might otherwise spend learning how to print a report in Word, a spreadsheet section in Excel, and an invoice in Access. You can apply the time you save in more creative and productive activities. See? You re already saving time and getting more done.

This timesaving benefit only gets better as you become more comfortable working with multiple applications. You can have Word, Excel, and PowerPoint open at the same time while you copy text from an annual report and charts from Excel into the presentation you re creating. Knowing how to layer, arrange, select, and move among open programs takes a little practice and coordination, but soon it will be old hat. And as your experience grows, you ll find yourself getting more done in less time.