BarCharts, Inc.®
WORLD’S #1 QUICK REFERENCE SOFTWARE GUIDE
Contents pg. 1 Main Window pg. 2 New Features, New User Interface (UI)—(The Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, Getting Help, Contextual Tools, Galleries, Key Tips & Keyboard Navigation, Status Bar, Super Tooltips, Dialog Boxes & Dialog Box Launchers) pg. 3 Database File Formats, Access 2007 Terminology, Record Navigation Icons, Database Objects, Office Button
pg. 4 Office Button continued, Undo, Redo & Save— Quick Access Toolbar, Home Tab pg. 5 Home Tab continued, Creating Tables, Table Tools, Creating Queries, Common Keyboard Shortcuts pg. 6 Data Types, Common Field Properties, Primary Keys
Access® 2007 Main Window 1
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1. Office Button: Replaces the File menu in previous versions of Access;
provides options to work with the database (EX: Save, Close, Print) 2. Quick Access Toolbar: Puts commonly used commands on a permanently visible toolbar; fully customizable 3. Ribbon: The new User Interface (UI) for most Office 2007 products, replacing traditional menus; used to work in the database (EX: formatting text) 4. Title Bar: The Title Bar includes the name of the database (in this case, Northwind 2007) and the database format used (in this case, Access 2007) 5. Close: To close the currently displayed database, click this icon; if anything in the database needs to be saved, a window will be displayed asking whether or not to save the object(s) before closing 6. Help: Provides quick and easy access to the Help system 7. Document Tabs: Displays open windows as tabs in this area; click on the tab to display that window; icon before object name denotes the type 1
8. Shutter Bar Open/Close Button: Expands or collapses the Navigation
Pane 9. Navigation Pane: When a database is open, the Navigation Pane is
displayed in this area of the window; it provides quick access to the tables, queries, forms, reports, macros and modules that are defined within a database 10. Expand/Collapse Object Type: Expands (as shown here) or collapses (to a single bar) selected object type 11. Status Bar: The current status of Access 2007 is displayed here; the status will often be “Ready,” whereas instructions and other information may appear in this area in other views 12. Views: These icons in the Status Bar provide the ability to quickly change the display view; buttons represent the following view types (left to right): Form, Layout and Design; buttons vary with selected object
New Features in Access® 2007
Contextual Tools
Access 2007 offers many new features over Access 2003; some of the new and improved features (those in red are described in greater detail in this guide) are: • New authoring tool allows preview of report layout while report is being designed • Library of ready-made applications comes with Access, and more can be downloaded from Office Online seamlessly; designed to be used immediately, though they can be customized if needed • Data can be pasted from Excel and contacts can be imported from Outlook • Forms can be used to collect information via email—Access can create a form, email it to contacts in Outlook, have them fill it in and email it back, and then Access can add the information into the database without the user needing to retype the data • Data modifications can be audited and deleted data can be undeleted when Access is used with SharePoint 3.0 (part of the Office family of products that runs on a server) • Each object that is opened opens as a new Tabbed Document across the top of the window • AutoFilter makes it simple to filter any field for the data desired by checking boxes of desired data (for text), specifying desired date data in English (EX: “last month”), etc., as well as specifying sort direction, etc. • Layout View makes it very simple for anyone to create a form, report, etc. by simply dragging and dropping; Design View is available for advanced functionality, if needed • Calendar Icon automatically appears next to any field containing date values; pressing it brings up a calendar so a date can be selected graphically • Rich Text (formatted, not plain text) can be entered in text and memo fields • Create Tab (on Ribbon) makes it simple to create new objects (EX: tables, forms, macros), and great results are automatically generated when an existing object is opened and a new object is created based on it (EX: creating a form or report based on an open table) • Fields can be multivalued (more than 1 value stored in the field), instead of needing to create a linked table • The Navigation Pane makes it simple to view all objects in any way desired; it replaces the “Main” Window in previous versions of Access and can be minimized, if desired
One of the new features of the Ribbon is the ability to show new tabs based on the object currently being used; in the example shown here, the cursor is in a datasheet (displays table data), so a new tab is shown—Datasheet; notice that Table Tools is shown above this tab, denoting that the toolbar is used with tables; also notice that the tab and the Table Tools text are in yellow, whereas the standard tab color is white, making it easy visually to see that they are contextual tools (other tabs may appear in different colors)
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Galleries Galleries are different from standard options, in that they show the results of what is selected instead of how to make those results appear (EX: colors, borders, shading, etc.), making it simple to apply a coordinated look to an object; however, the individual elements can be formatted to override the style, if desired There are 2 types of styles—In-Ribbon and Dropdown; Access primarily uses dropdown; the example here is the AutoFormat on the Microsoft Arrange tab in Report Design View; dropdown galleries are displayed by clicking
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the arrow (either
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Key Tips & Keyboard Navigation Keyboard Shortcuts that were available in Access 2003 work in the same way in Access 2007 [see Help for a list of them by looking under Accessibility Options]; to make selections from the Ribbon, press ALT and the shortcuts will appear, first to select the appropriate tab, then the option on the tab (ALT does not need to be held down), as shown here Microsoft
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New User Interface (UI) Status Bar
The new User Interface (UI) is the most striking feature of Access 2007; it came about as the program has gotten more and more complex with more and more options; this section reviews the changes in each section and is designed to help you intuitively know where to look for the options you want (and along the way, discover some things you never knew existed!)
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The Status Bar can be configured to display as many or as few details as desired about the current database; to change what is displayed, simply right-click on the status bar and check or uncheck the options desired 1. Status/Prompt: Status of the program or prompt for what the user can/should do (in this case, double-click the selected item to get the details on that item) 2. Num Lock Indicator: Num Lock appears if it is on, but is not display
The Ribbon
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The Ribbon replaces all the menus that were part of every Windows program; it is designed to put the tasks and options you need at your fingertips and to show you those that are only applicable when a particular kind of object is being worked with; the parts of the Ribbon are as follows: 1 2 Microsoft®
1. Tab: Groups tasks into areas of functionality; Home has the most common
Super Tooltips
options in one place 2. Group: Breaks the ribbon tab down into related areas of functionality, such
Super Tooltips are an enhanced version of tooltips that have been available for years in previous versions of Access; in the past, they simply provided the name of the tool that was pointed at (and, in some cases, this is still true with Access 2007); however, in Access 2007, Microsoft they often also provide descriptions (as shown here); while the tip is displayed, pressing F1 will open Help on the subject for those tips that state that as well (usually for more advanced functionality)
as formatting characters and filtering/sorting records It is not optimized for any screen resolution and will adapt its contents automatically; supports the traditional button, as well as Galleries [see Galleries] and can launch dialog boxes if they are required
Quick Access Toolbar
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The Quick Access Toolbar places common commands on the screen at all times, no matter which tab in the Ribbon is displayed; these are common icons that can always be used, such as Save and Undo, but any button can be added to it by simply right-clicking on the button to add to the toolbar and selecting Add to Quick Access Toolbar
Dialog Boxes & Dialog Box Launchers Dialog Boxes still exist in Access 2007, but they are primarily to provide access to advanced functionality; for example, Gridlines is on the Home ribbon, but the line style for them is not; to select the line style, the Datasheet Formatting dialog box must be used by opening the Font dialog box launcher; to open any dialog box,
Getting Help Access offers an extensive Help system that can be displayed by clicking the on the right side of the Ribbon; alternatively, you can get Help by pressing F1
simple click on the Dialog Box Launcher 2
icon at the end of a Group name
Database File Formats
Record Navigation Icons
Access 2007 has several brand-new file formats; Access can still read and write databases created in previous versions, and can create new databases in the old format as well; if the old format is chosen, however, Access will automatically disable any new features (EX: multivalued fields, the new attachment data type, and SharePoint 3.0 integration) by graying them out in the Ribbon if they are not compatible with that format; conversely, it will allow access to a few features that are not available with the 2007 format (EX: replication and user level security) The table below summarizes the available formats in Access (new formats are in BOLD SMALL CAPS); the default format is .ACCDB Extension
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Normal database
.ACCDE
Database in “execute-only” mode (code not accessible for modification); replaces .mde
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first record that matches the criteria) and makes it the current record 2. Previous Record: Moves back 1 record (relative to the current record) in
the table/query (if filtered, the first record before the current one that matches the criteria) and makes it the current record 3. Current Record: Displays the current record number; a specific record can be made the current record by typing its number in the text box 4. Next Record: Moves forward 1 record (relative to the current record) in the table/query (if filtered, the first record after the current one that matches the criteria) and makes it the current record 5. Last Record: Moves to the last record in the table/query (if filtered, the last record that matches the criteria) and makes it the current record 6. New Record: Adds a new record to the end of the table; same as the button
.ACCDT
Template for new databases
7. Filtered Status: If highlighted as shown here, a filter is in effect; if grayed
.ACCDR
Database in “run-time” mode (only data can be changed); rename to .accdb for full functionality
8. Search: Quick way to search for a specific value—type it here and press
.LACCDB
Locking file used with .accdb database format when multiple users access the same database to prevent corruption (automatically deleted when all users are out of database)
.mdb
Format used in Access 95 – 2003 for a normal database
.mde
Format used in Access 95 – 2003 for an “execute-only” database
.ldb
Locking file used with .mdb database format when multiple users access the same database to prevent corruption (automatically deleted when all users are out of database)
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<ENTER> to find the next matching value; similar to basic capabilities of Find or Filter buttons
Database Objects Databases are made up of objects; the following is a brief description of objects available in Access 2007: Table: Stores data in records and fields very similar to a spreadsheet; all other objects directly or indirectly access the data stored in them Query: Locates and displays information (from tables and/or other queries) based on user-defined criteria; many query types can be created, but only simple Select queries will be discussed in this guide (they have the icon shown here)
Access® 2007 Terminology
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out, no filter is in effect; toggle the status with the
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1. First Record: Moves to the first record in the table/query (if filtered, the
Purpose
.ACCDB
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Form: Forms allow information from a table or query to be displayed in a user-defined format (beyond the scope of this guide)
• Database: A collection of related objects designed to be used together (EX: inventory management, scheduling, managing a list of recipes, etc.); in its simplest form, it is composed of tables (which are made of fields and records) in which information can be stored in an organized manner; once information is entered into a database, it can be analyzed, printed, sorted and retrieved; Access 2007 is a software application that assists in the creation and maintenance of databases Dialog Box: A window that provides access to the advanced functionality in Access Dropdown Menu: A menu of choices that appears in dialog boxes and next to some icons; accessed by clicking the downward-facing triangle shown here Field: Column of data (EX: city, phone number) Flat File Database: Database format that doesn’t allow related tables to be used together; very few database applications are flat file anymore; most flat file-style databases are created in other applications that use various formats (EX: spreadsheet, text document, etc.), as opposed to the format that Access uses Foreign Key: A field in a table that references an indexed field (usually the primary key) of another table Primary Key: A field that uniquely identifies each record; no 2 records can have the same primary key in the same table; primary keys are often numbers (EX: Social Security numbers, UPC codes, etc.) Record: All related information for 1 item; a row Relational Database: Database format that allows for the defining of relationships among data contained in multiple tables; this capability allows for extensive information manipulation, as well as for smaller databases and fewer data entry errors (due to decreased duplication of information); Access 2007 is a relational database application • Relationship: Link between 2 tables (EX: a table with item numbers and descriptions, and a table with sales of those items) • Template: A predefined database that makes it easy to create a type of database, such as for sales, contacts or inventory; some come with Access, but many more are available from Office Online
Report: Compiles, displays and prints information located in tables and/or queries (beyond the scope of this guide) Macro: Simple way to automate many tasks; can be used with forms, reports and modules (beyond the scope of this guide) Module: Provides access to complex and powerful programming abilities of Access (beyond the scope of this guide) [NOTE: This guide will only describe the creation of a database, and the creation and use of tables and queries]
Office Button Creating a New Database Unlike the other applications in the Office 2007 suite, Access 2007 (like all previous versions of Access) creates a database file on the disk as soon as the database is created; when the application is started, the Getting Started with Microsoft Office Access dialog box is displayed, which allows both blank and template-based databases to be created To create a new database using a template: • Click the Office Menu button and select New; the Getting Started with Microsoft Office Access dialog box will appear as shown here • In the Templates section, click on the Local Templates link to view the templates installed with Access; Microsoft if the desired template can’t be found (and there is an active Internet connection), use the links under the From Microsoft Office Online heading to download one instead • Select the desired template and click OK
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Office Button (continued )
Home Tab (continued )
Opening a Database
PivotTable View: PivotTable is used for complex data analysis; similar to a spreadsheet
To open a database recently accessed: • Click on the Office Menu button and point at (but don’t click on) Open • Select the desired file from the list on the right of the menu; if any existing database is open, it will prompt you to save any changes, as only 1 database can be open at the same time
PivotChart View: PivotChart is used for complex data analysis with graphical output SQL View: SQL (used to view the SQL [Structured Query Language] code to produce the results shown graphically in Design View); only used with queries
To open any database: • Click on the Office Menu button and select Open • Navigate to the desired folder in the Open dialog box • Select the name from the list • Click the Open button
Font Group Font: Displays the font of the currently selected text and allows it to be changed to any installed font via the dropdown menu Font Size: The size of the selected text is displayed and can be changed by selecting from the dropdown menu or typing in a number
Printing a Database Object To print a database object: • Open the desired object (EX: form, report, table, etc.) • Click on the Office Menu button and point at Print • Select Print OR • Select Quick Print to print a single copy of all the pages of the object to the printer last used (usually the system’s default printer) TIP: To view the printer that will be used, point at (but don’t click) the Quick Print button, and the printer name will be in parentheses of the Tooltip • Select the printer you wish to print to and observe its status (ready, needs attention, or the number of print jobs waiting to be printed on that printer); click the Properties button if printing properties (color vs. black & white, contrast, etc.) need to be set • Select the number of copies desired and check the Collate box if you want multiple copies collated • Specify the pages to be printed or choose to print just Selected Record(s) (records must be selected first) • Click OK to print the database object
Align Left: Formats the selected text to have an even left margin and a ragged right margin Center: Centers the selected text between the left and right margins, leaving both margins ragged Align Right: Formats the selected text to have an even right margin and a ragged left margin Bold: Changes the selected text to bold Italic: Italicizes the selected text Underline: Underlines the selected text Font Color: Changes the text color of the selected text to a theme color, a standard color or a custom color; selected color shows under the A; others can be selected from the dropdown menu Fill/Back Color: Changes (or removes) the background color of the selected object to any desired color Gridlines: Displays gridlines options: Horizontal, Vertical, Both or None
To preview what a database object will look like when printed: • Open the desired object (EX: form, report, table, etc.) • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Print and select Print Preview • The Print Preview tab will be displayed (and all other tabs hidden), allowing you to change margins, change the page orientation (portrait or landscape), scroll through the database, etc. • Click the Close Print Preview button to return to the normal ribbon tabs
Alternate Fill/Back Color: Changes the background of every other record to the specified color to make it easier to see records and edit the correct one Rich Text Group [NOTE: Many of the rich text options can only be applied in Design View, or to text and memo fields that have the Text Format property set to Rich Text]
Undo, Redo & Save— Quick Access Toolbar
Decrease List Level: Reduces the left margin indent of the selected field by 1/2 inch (and changes list number as appropriate in a numbered list)
Undo: Reverses the last action taken; not all actions are undoable and many only have 1 level of Undo; if multiple items can be undone, select them in order from the dropdown menu
Increase List Level: Increases the left margin indent of the selected field by 1/2 inch (and changes list number as appropriate in a numbered list)
Redo: Undoes the last Undo; not all actions that can be undone can be redone
Text Direction: Specifies that the text should be read Left-to-Right or Right-to-Left (used with other languages; EX: Arabic and Hebrew)
Save: Saves the current object (in Design View only); saves the current record in all other views
Numbering: Places a number in front of each paragraph in the selected text (used with memo fields)
Home Tab
Bullets: Places a bullet in front of each paragraph in the selected text (used with memo fields)
Clipboard Group Cut: Removes the currently selected text or object from the database object and places it on the clipboard for pasting
Text Highlight Color: Highlights (by changing the background color) the selected text in 1 of 15 colors (or removes highlighting); select other colors from the dropdown menu
Copy: Copies the currently selected text or object from the database object and places it on the clipboard for pasting
Records Group Refresh All: Updates the data and calculated fields; most useful in a multiuser database
Paste: Places the contents of the clipboard into the current database object
New: Creates a new record
Format Painter: Picks up the formatting of the currently selected object and allows it to be applied on another object while the format painter icon is the cursor; when single-clicked, the next object highlighted will be changed and the cursor returned to normal, but when double-clicked, format painter will remain active until the format painter icon is clicked again; primarily used in Design View
Save: Saves the current record (automatically happens when another record is selected) Delete: Deletes the selected text in a field; if record(s) or field(s) is/are selected, the entire record(s) or field(s) is/are deleted; can also choose to delete a record or field from the dropdown menu
Views Group Design View: Design is available for all objects—used to change the structure of the selected object
Warning: Deleting records and fields is not undoable Totals: Adds a summary row at the bottom of Datasheet View for totals (numeric fields can be summed, averaged, counted, etc., whereas text fields can only be counted); dynamic data that is not stored in the table
Datasheet View: Datasheet is available to view and change records like a spreadsheet; available for queries and tables 4
Home Tab (continued )
Table Tools
Spelling: Spell-checks the data in the underlying table More: Other display options (EX: setting row height or column width, and hiding/unhiding fields); also used to add data as an Outlook contact or importing data from Outlook Sort & Filter Group Ascending: Sorts data in current field in ascending order (EX: A to Z, smallest to largest, oldest to newest) Descending: Sorts data in current field in descending order (EX: Z to A, largest to smallest, newest to oldest) Clear All Sorts: Clears any sort criteria that have been specified, returning to the default data order (usually the way data was entered) Filter: Displays dialog box for simple filtering of data—check/uncheck boxes for desired data; can also sort data and specify advanced filter criteria (EX: <, >, =, between, contains, starts or ends with, etc.) Selection: Filters records based on data in current field (equal to or not equal to field’s value, or other similar, simple criteria) Advanced Filter Options: Advanced filtering and sorting options, such as sorting by multiple fields or filtering data by filling out a form with all the desired criteria Toggle Filter: Turns on/off the last filter used TIP: If filter is enabled, “Filtered” appears in the status bar by the view buttons Find Group Find: Finds text, numbers, dates, etc., throughout the current field or in all fields of the current table or query; can be used to find part of a word, number, etc. (beginning, anywhere in field or entire field contents) Replace: Provides all the functionality of Find, with the added ability of replacing any or all occurrences of that text with the replacement text specified Go To: Moves the current record to the First, Previous, Next or Last record, or creates a new record at the end of the table Select: Can be used to select entire record (not just current field contents) or all records in table/query
Creating Tables Tables are the key to storing information; proper table design is beyond the scope of this guide, but the mechanics of how to do so are described here; Access 2007 makes it much simpler to create simple tables than it was in previous versions, but table design wizards have been removed To create a blank table: • On the Create tab, click Table • Begin entering data and new fields will automatically be created OR • Click the Design View below
button and build the table design as described
To create a table based on a template: • On the Create tab, click the Table Templates button and select one of the built-in templates: Contacts, Tasks, Issues, Events or Assets • Access will automatically create a new table with predefined fields • Enter data into the table as created Using Design View To create a new field, give it a name and select the appropriate data type; optionally, a description may be entered for the field to describe its purpose, its role in relationships with other tables, expected data, etc. To create or modify a table in Design View: • In the desired table, click the Design View button on the Home tab OR Right-click it in the Navigation Pane and select Design View • Enter or change names for each field (up to 64 characters long), select a data type for each field, and optionally enter a description for each field • Optionally, enter field properties in the bottom half of the screen as needed • When finished, click the Save
button to save it and remain in Design
View, or click the Datasheet View entering/changing data
button to save it and begin
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Tools Group Primary Key: Sets the primary key to the selected field(s) Builder: Wizard that helps with some field properties (such as Input Mask) or opens Expression Builder to help enter complex criteria for other field properties (EX: Default Value and Validation Rule) TIP: The Builder button also appears to the right of those properties and does the same thing Test Validation Rules: Tests existing data in the table to make sure that validation rules, allow zero length fields, and required fields rules are valid for all the records; a dialog box appears for each rule not met, with the name of the rule violated and the field involved Delete Rows: Deletes the selected field(s) Insert Rows: Inserts a new row for a new field above the selected field Insert Lookup Column: Inserts a new field and opens wizard to create a lookup list (list of possible values for a field; EX: state abbreviations or days of the week) Creates a combo (dropdown) menu used to select data from another table or a list of entered values; typically, text data (such as customer names) is displayed in the list, but the underlying primary key for the record (EX: customer ID) is stored in this table, not the longer textual form (easier to use and reduces data entry errors) TIP: Use the Lookup tab in the Field Properties area of the design window to change the properties of the list after it is created Show/Hide Group Property Sheet: Displays (on the right side of the screen) the properties of the table and allows modifications to them, if needed Indexes: Opens a dialog box where indexes can be created and modified, including sort order, making the index the primary key, forcing all records in the field to be unique, and ignoring (in the index) NULL (blank) values
Creating Queries Queries make databases useful; data is stored in tables and is just that— raw data, but queries turn the raw data from the tables into useful information; queries are questions you need answered (such as “What are the names and phone numbers of everyone in the marketing department?” or “What are the top-selling products?”); most queries are created in Design View, but a query that returns all the records for selected fields and a query that generates summary data (such as total units sold or average selling price) have been automated in wizards; a few complex tasks can also be accomplished with specialized wizards; unfortunately, they are beyond the scope of this guide, but fortunately, the new sorting and filtering options already described can help answer many questions of this type without creating queries
Common Keyboard Shortcuts When entering data into a table or query, the following keyboard shortcuts can greatly speed up the process: • <ESC>: Once undoes any change to a field; twice undoes all changes to the record •
+ ; (semicolon): Inserts the current date • + <SHIFT> + : (colon): Inserts the current time • + + <SPACE>: Enters the field’s default value (if specified [in Design View for the table for that field]) • + ’ (apostrophe): Copies the same value for field from previous record • + + (plus): Adds a new record (at the end of the table) • + – (minus): Deletes current record Many more keyboard shortcuts are available; view them by opening Help, then selecting Accessibility from the list of options; from there, click on the Use the keyboard to work with Ribbon programs to view how to use Help in conjunction with buttons on the Ribbon or Keyboard Shortcuts for Access to view the keyboard shortcuts unique to Access 2007 (and there are lots of them!)
Data Types
Common Field Properties
Fixed-length text and numbers not used in calculations (EX: names, phone numbers, ZIP codes); 1 to 255 characters; requires 1 byte on disk per character entered per record Memo: Variable-length text and numbers (EX: notes on a customer); up to 63,999 characters; requires 1 byte on disk per character entered per record Number: Byte: Whole numbers from 0 to 255; used for small values (EX: number purchased) or as a key for small sets of data (EX: days of the week); requires 1 byte on disk per record Integer: Numbers from –32,768 to +32,767 (with 0 digits to the right of the decimal); requires 2 bytes on disk per record Long Integer: Numbers from –2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647 (with 0 digits to the right of the decimal); commonly used when linking fields; requires 4 bytes on disk per record Single: Numbers from –3.40282338 to –1.401298–45 for negative numbers, and from +1.401298–45 to +3.40282338 for positive numbers (with 6 digits of precision to the right of the decimal in scientific notation); requires 4 bytes on disk per record Double: Numbers from –1.79769313486231308 to –324 –4.94065645841247 for negative numbers, and from +4.94065645841247–324 to +1.79769313486231308 for positive numbers (with 14 digits of precision to the right of the decimal in scientific notation); requires 8 bytes on disk per record Decimal: Stores numbers with 28 digits of precision (with 0 to 28 digits to the right of the decimal); (thus, number range with 0 to the right of the decimal is +/–79,228,162,514,264,337,593,543,950,335 and with 28 digits is +/–7.9228162514264337593543950335, with the smallest non-zero value of +/–0.0000000000000000000000000001); it requires 12 bytes on disk per record Date/Time: Dates (from 100 to 9999 A.D.) and times; requires 8 bytes on disk per record Currency: Used for financial calculations and other mathematical calculations (with 1 to 4 characters after the decimal point); faster than single or double-data types if 1 to 4 decimal places needed as fixed-point math used instead of floating point math; accurate to 15 characters to the left of the decimal and 4 after it; requires 8 bytes on disk per record AutoNumber: Unique, sequential number that is typically incremented by 1 for each new record; used often in relationships between tables; value can’t be modified; if the FieldSize property is set to ReplicationID instead of Long Integer, it is a random number guaranteed to be unique (a GUID); requires 4 bytes on disk (16 for ReplicationIDs) per record Yes/No: Simplest data type; can contain only yes/no, true/false, on/off or checked/unchecked data; requires 1 byte on disk per record (minimum 1 byte per record for yes/no data types, but up to 8 yes/no fields can be placed in 1 byte) OLE Object: Data linked or embedded from another application (up to 1 GB in size), such as a picture, Word document, etc. Hyperlink: Link to a URL (on the Internet, for example) or a UNC path (location on the network); can also display different text from URL or UNC path and have associated tooltip text; requires up to 2,048 bytes on disk for each of the 3 parts (text, URL, tooltip) per record, depending on data entered for each part Attachment: New in Access 2007; similar to but a little more efficient than OLE Object type, because it can store any kind of file (similar to email attachment); up to 1 GB per record Lookup Wizard: Same as Insert Lookup Column button TIP: When choosing a number type, use the simplest type that will meet the requirements, as they can be processed faster in calculations and don’t take as much space to store in the database; number formats are listed in the table above from simplest/smallest to most complex/largest
There are, for most data types, the additional properties listed below; although they vary from data type to data type, and each data type has its own combination of properties, the common ones are: Field Size: For text, the maximum number of characters allowed; for numbers, the number type (EX: Byte, Integer, etc.) Format: For text and memos, force to upper- or lowercase, require a minimum number of characters, etc; for numbers and currency, the display of the numbers (EX: scientific notation, currency, percent, etc.); for date/time, the format of the date and/or time (formats are defined in the Regional Settings control panel); for yes/no, whether to display yes/no, true/false or on/off; for numbers, yes/no and date/time fields, custom formats can be defined Decimal Places: The number of digits that will be displayed to the right of the decimal point
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Warning: The actual value, not the number of digits displayed, will be used in all calculations involving the field Input Mask: Usually used with text fields to format the display of data for specific purposes (EX: ZIP codes, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, etc.); can also be used with date/time fields to format dates and times Default Value: The value that will automatically be placed in the field for all new (but not existing) records (EX: the current date, a common title or an area code) Caption: Used as the field (column) heading in Datasheet View for queries and tables, and as the label for a field on a form; the default (if nothing is entered for this property) is the field name Required: Whether or not data must be entered in the field when a new record is created or an existing record is edited; data is commonly required for things like names, phone numbers, etc. Indexed: An index makes data retrieval and relationships to other tables faster and more efficient; creating indexes on other fields generally decreases performance; 3 settings are available: No (no index for the field; the default), Yes (Duplicates OK) (field is indexed, but there may be more than 1 record with the same value; EX: last name), and Yes (No Duplicates) (field is indexed; no 2 records can have the same value in the field; EX: employee ID number or Social Security number); primary key is always Yes (No Duplicates)
Primary Keys Most tables should have a Primary Key; it uniquely identifies each record in a table; the primary key is often a field with “ID” in the field name and is often an AutoNumber field (EX: in the figure here, the Products table contains all the information about each product—each Microsoft product has a ProductID associated with it that is the primary key for that table; the Orders table contains the “header” information for an invoice—who it was sold to, where to ship it, P.O. number, etc.—while the Order Details table lists each item ordered, how much it cost, any discount, etc.; in this example, the Orders table is linked to the Order Details table by OrderID; OrderID is the primary key in the Orders table and a foreign key in the Order Details table; likewise, ProductID is the primary key in the Products table and a foreign key in the Order Details table); referencing ID fields in other tables reduces errors and makes data entry faster; all but the simplest of databases should have tables with primary keys defined; they are also very useful when creating queries
Screen shots may vary depending on the version installed. This guide is based on the software version shipping at the time of publication and is accurate to that version. * Microsoft ®, Access®, MSN ®, and Windows ® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation ® in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. Due to its condensed format, it cannot possibly cover every aspect of the software. BarCharts, Inc., its writers and editors are not responsible or liable for the use or misuse of the information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. ©2007 BarCharts, Inc. 0208
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BarCharts, Inc.®
WORLD’S #1 QUICK REFERENCE SOFTWARE GUIDE
Contents Pg. 1 Main Window, New Features Pg. 2 New User Interface (The Ribbon, Contextual Tools, Live Preview, Quick Access Toolbar, Getting Help, Galleries, Dialog Boxes, MiniBar, Super Tooltips, Key Tips & Keyboard)
Pg. 3 Status Bar, Document File Formats, Terminology, Office Button Pg. 4 Undo & Redo—The Quick Access Toolbar, Formulas, Functions
Pg. 5 AutoFill, Basic Formatting of Cells— The Home Tab Pg. 6 Basic Formatting of Cells—The Home Tab (continued)
Main Window 1. Office Button: Replaces the File Menu in
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previous versions of Excel; provides options to work with the worksheet (EX: Save, Close, Print) Quick Access Toolbar: Puts commonly used commands on a permanently visible toolbar; 15 fully customizable Ribbon: The new User Interface (UI) for most 16 Office 2007 products, replacing traditional menus; used to work in the worksheet (EX: formatting text) 17 Insert Function: Clicking this button displays 18 Insert Function dialog box [see p. 4] Formula Bar: Formula or contents of the currently selected cell is shown here; edit the 19 contents by using the mouse to select text to be edited and entering desired change Filename & Type: The Title Bar shows the name of the worksheet and its type Help: Provides quick and easy access to the 20 Help system Close Worksheet: To close the currently displayed worksheet, click this icon; if the worksheet needs to be saved, a window will be displayed asking whether or not to save the worksheet before closing Expand Formula Bar: New in Excel 2007, it allows more space to display a long formula instead of it covering data cells below it WordArt: Excel can create text-based graphics 21 and place them in a worksheet 22 23 24 MiniBar: New in Excel 2007, a toolbar that makes common tasks easily selectable; 19. automatically appears when cell is right-clicked along with the shortcut menu Shortcut Menu: Displayed when a cell is right-clicked; also displays the 20. MiniBar 21. Conditional Formatting: Formatting that is automatically displayed based on the content of the cells; two different options shown here—(data bars, above; icons, below) 22. Scroll Bars: These bars provide the ability to scroll horizontally and vertically through a worksheet; to scroll one line at a time, click the single arrows located at either end of the scroll bars; to scroll through a full screen, click in the shaded 23. area at either end of the location indicator Name Box: Cell coordinates (intersecting column and row) of the currently 24. selected cell are displayed here Select All: Clicking this button selects all the cells on the current sheet 25. Column: Excel 2007 organizes data into rows and columns; the designation for columns is alphabetic and is displayed in this area; to select an entire column, 26. click the column letter Row: Excel 2007 organizes data into rows and columns; the designation for rows is numeric and is displayed in this area; to select an entire row, click the 27. row number
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Selected Row & Column: The column and row of the selected cell is displayed
like this Active Cell: The currently selected (active) cell; to select a cell, click it Status Bar: This area displays various state indicators of the application and
statistics for the selected cells, if any (includes SUM, MIN and MAX, among others); it is customizable Worksheet Scroll Icons: The icons displayed here allow scrolling through worksheet tabs, providing access to worksheets when there isn’t enough space to display all sheet tabs Worksheet Tabs: A tab for each worksheet in a workbook is displayed here; display a specific worksheet by locating the worksheet tab and clicking it Insert Worksheet: New in Excel 2007, inserts a new blank worksheet tab at the end of the list of tabs AutoShape: Excel can create shapes in a worksheet; they can be filled with color and have text placed inside Views: These icons in the Status Bar provide the ability to quickly change the display view; the buttons represent (left to right): Normal, Page Layout and Page Break Preview Zoom: The document can be zoomed in or out from 10 to 400% by dragging the arrow, or clicking the + or – icons to change 10% per click
New Features in Excel® 2007 Excel 2007 offers many new features not found in Excel 2003; some of the new and improved features (those in red are described in greater detail in this guide) are: • The most noticeable change is the completely redesigned User Interface (UI); while very different from past versions, most people adapt to the new design very quickly, liking it much better because it is easier to find what you want and offers the ability to preview changes before actually making them
• Many spelling and grammar options, as well as custom dictionaries, can be set and used in any Office program, and applied to and used in all other Office programs that support the feature • Exclusion Dictionaries can be specified; these flag words that are otherwise spelled correctly, considered obscene, or that you don’t want to use for whatever reason 1
• The Document Inspector is a tool to check for comments, annotations, revisions, hidden text, personal data, etc., before distributing the document • The Mark as Final option prevents editing of the document when it is finished (not a security feature, as it can easily be reversed)
New Features (continued )
• Structured Referencing: Instead of referring to cells by the usual B4 or C3:C10 notation, can create tables and refer to data by table and column name (EX: Products[Cost]); requires saving in a native Excel 2007 format • New larger sheet size—1,048,576 rows by 16,384 columns (from A to XFD instead of IV); the number of sheets is limited only by available memory; each cell can contain up to 32,767 characters • Supports dual processors and multi-threaded processors, and 2 GB of RAM (up from 1 GB) • More chart options, including transparency and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) icons • Formula Auto-Complete makes it easy to enter formulas—just start typing a function name, and a list of functions that start with the characters entered is displayed; press TAB to have Excel enter the rest of the selected function name automatically
• Page Layout View shows the spreadsheet as it will print (similar to the same view in Word 2007) and provides easy access to common page formatting options (such as margins); available through both the View tab of the Ribbon and a Status Bar icon • White space in the margins can be shown or hidden in Page Layout View as desired • Headers & Footers can be seen and edited in Page Layout View by just clicking in those areas of the page, which opens the Headers & Footers contextual tab; different odd and even headers and footers can be selected, as well as a different first page header/footer; headers and footers can have fixed margins or automatically adjust with the page margins • Conditional Formatting to make data stand out without formatting the data itself (a visual effect, not a cell property); for example, relative data bars to see how selected values compare to each other, color scales, or icons (arrows, traffic signals, etc.); available on the Home tab of the Ribbon
New User Interface (UI)
Galleries
The new User Interface (UI) is the most striking feature of Excel 2007, and it came about as the program has gotten more and more complex with more and more options; this section reviews the changes in each section and is designed to help you intuitively know where to look for the options you want (and, along the way, discover some things you never even knew existed!)
Galleries are different from standard options, in that they show the results of what is selected instead of how to make those results appear (colors, borders, shading, etc.); they make it simple to apply a coordinated look to an object; however, the individual elements can be formatted to override the style, if desired There are two types of styles: In-Ribbon and Dropdown; in the Contextual Tools section, the Shape Styles were an example of an InRibbon Gallery; notice that the gallery had Microsoft scroll bars to view different options; some galleries can also be used in a dropdown format, but some are only one or the other The example here is the Shape Styles in Dropdown format; dropdown galleries are
The new UI’s format is called the Ribbon, and it includes Contextual Tools, Galleries, Live Preview, Quick Access Toolbar, Super Tooltips, MiniBar, and much more; the Ribbon and its component features are described in detail in the sections that follow
The Ribbon The Ribbon replaces all the menus that were part of every Windows program; it is designed to put the tasks and options you need at your fingertips and to show you those that are only applicable when a particular kind of object is being worked with; the parts of the Ribbon are:
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displayed by clicking the arrow (either
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Dialog Boxes & Dialog Box Launchers
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Dialog boxes still exist in Excel 2007, but they are primarily to provide access to advanced functionality; for example, Underline is on the Home ribbon, but not all underline styles can be set there: To access all these styles, the Font dialog box must be used
1. Tab: Groups tasks into areas of functionality; Home has the most common
options in one place 2. Group: Breaks the Ribbon tab down into related areas of functionality, such as
formatting characters or numbers The Ribbon is not optimized for any screen resolution and will adapt its contents automatically; it supports the traditional button, as well as Galleries [see Galleries], and can launch dialog boxes (windows) if they are required
To open any dialog box, simply click on the Dialog Box Launcher end of a Group name
icon at the
MiniBar
Contextual Tools
As shown in the screenshot on the first page, the MiniBar is a small toolbar of the most commonly used options; it appears when a cell is right-clicked
Super Tooltips Super Tooltips are an enhanced version of Tooltips that have been available for years in previous versions of Excel In the past, they simply provided the name of the tool that was pointed at, but in Excel 2007, they also provide descriptions (1) and may also show a graphical preview of what the tool does (2); while the tip is displayed, pressing F1 will open help on the subject
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One of the new features of the Ribbon is the ability to show new tabs based on the object currently being used; in the example shown here, the cursor is in the arrow at the bottom of the sheet, so an additional tab is shown—Format; notice that Drawing Tools is shown above this tab, showing the context; also notice that the tab and the Drawing Tools text are in yellow, whereas the standard tab color is white, making it easy visually to see that they are contextual tools
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Live Preview Live Preview is a new feature in Excel that allows you to see the results of a change before you make the change; simply point at a gallery option and the selected cell(s), object(s), etc., will be formatted in the exact same way in the worksheet; however, nothing changes once you point at something else in the worksheet, unless you click on the icon
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Key Tips & Keyboard Navigation
Quick Access Toolbar The Quick Access Toolbar places common commands on the screen at all times, no matter which tab in the Ribbon is displayed; these are common icons that are frequently used, such as Save and Undo, but any button can be added to it by simply right-clicking on the button to add to the toolbar, then selecting Add to Quick Access Toolbar
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Keyboard Shortcuts that start with CTRL (such as Ctrl+B for bold) work as they have in past versions [see Help for a list of them by looking under Accessibility Options]; to make selections from the Ribbon, press ALT, and the shortcuts will appear: First, to select the appropriate tab, then the option on the tab (ALT does not need to be held down), as shown above Excel also uses the function keys (F1 – F10) for many common functions [NOTE: The same Help topic lists these as well]
Getting Help on Excel offers an extensive Help system that can be displayed by clicking on the the right side of the Ribbon; alternatively, you can get context-sensitive help (based on what is selected, the tooltip displayed, etc.) by pressing F1 2
Status Bar
Office Button Microsoft®
Creating a New Workbook The Status Bar can be configured to display as many or as few details as desired about the current document; to change what is displayed, simply right-click on the status bar and check or uncheck the options desired Each option also has a Tooltip that explains what happens if you click on that information The Status Bar changes, based on what is selected; the normal display is “Ready,” meaning it is waiting for you The status bar shown in the graphic is what appears if a range of values is selected
Document File Formats Excel 2007 has several brand-new file formats that are based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language), as well as a new binary format designed to be used with very large spreadsheets; these new formats are stored in a compressed format on disk, and thus should take less disk space than previous formats; they are also stored internally in “segments,” so that if one segment gets corrupted, the rest of the workbook will still be usable (in previous versions of Excel, if there was any corruption, the workbook usually could not be opened at all) Excel can still read and write workbooks created in previous versions, and can create new worksheets in the old format as well; if the old format is chosen, however, Excel will operate in Compatibility Mode (and display this in the title bar next to the filename); it will automatically disable any features (by graying them out in the Ribbon and stating they are disabled in the Super Tooltip) that are not compatible with that format In addition, Microsoft has available for download from its Web site the Compatibility Pack, which allows previous versions of Excel to read and write the new format as well; before sending a new format file to users of a previous version of Excel, though, run Office Menu Button > Prepare > Run Compatibility Checker to see what functionality/features/functions will not be available to them; the compatibility pack works with Excel 2000, XP and 2003 The table below summarizes the available formats in Excel (formats available in the compatibility pack as well are in blue and those that are new in Excel 2007 are in BOLD SMALL CAPS); the default format is .xlsx Extension Purpose
Help in creating many types of workbooks can be accessed by simply using a predefined template; many templates come with Excel and hundreds more are available from Office Online To create a new workbook using a template: • Click the Office Menu button and select New; the New Workbook dialog box will appear as shown here • In the Templates section, click on the Installed Templates link to view the templates installed with Excel; if the desired template can’t be found (and there is an active Internet connection), use the links under the Microsoft Office Online heading to download one instead • Select the desired template and click OK
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Opening a Workbook To open a file recently accessed: • Click on the Office Menu button and point at (but don’t click on) Open • Select the desired file from the list on the right of the menu To open any file: • Click on the Office Menu button and select Open • Navigate to the desired folder in the Open dialog box • Select the name from the list TIP: Pressing the arrow next to the Views button (in the Open dialog box) opens a dropdown menu; selecting Preview from the menu will display the selected file in a pane on the right-hand side of the dialog box—however, not all file types are able to be previewed • Click the Open button
Saving a Workbook It is very important to save your workbooks frequently to prevent data loss; once a file has been saved for the first time (giving it a name), Excel won’t prompt for a name again, rather it will update the file each time it is saved; if a copy of a file is needed, use the Save As command to make a copy with a new name and/or location; to save a file, simply click the Save in the Quick Launch Toolbar or select Save from the Office Menu button
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.XLSX
Normal workbook
.XLSM
Workbook with macros in it
.XLTX
Template for new workbooks
.XLTM
Template for new workbooks that contains macros
.XLSB
Binary-formatted Excel 2007 workbook
.XLAM
Excel add-in
To save a file with a different name or in a different folder: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Save As and select the desired file type from the list presented to open the Save As dialog box TIP: Select the Excel Workbook format unless you need to share it with a user running a prior version of Excel or you want to save it as a PDF (smaller and not editable); the Excel Binary format is very useful for very large spreadsheets • Navigate to the desired folder • Enter a name in the File Name box • Click the Save button
.xml
Excel 2003 XML workbook or XML data
Printing a Workbook
.xls
Format used in Excel 97 – 2003 for a normal workbook (with or without macros)
.xla
Format used in Excel 97 – 2003 for an add-in
.xlt
Format used in Excel 97 – 2003 for a workbook template (with or without macros)
To print a workbook: • Click on the Office Menu button and point at Print • Select Print and the dialog box shown here will be displayed OR • Select Quick Print to print a single copy of the entire workbook; will print from the printer last used (usually the system’s default printer) Microsoft TIP: To view the printer that will be used, point at (but don’t click) the Quick Print button, and the printer name will be in parentheses on the Tooltip • Select the printer you wish to print to and observe its status (EX: idle, needs attention, or the number of documents waiting to be printed on that printer); click the Properties button if printing properties (color vs. black & white, contrast, etc.) need to be set • Select the number of copies desired and check the Collate box if you want multiple copies collated • Specify the pages to be printed • Specify what to print (current selection, all active [selected] worksheets, entire workbook) • Click OK to print the document
Excel® 2007 Terminology • Application: A software program, such as Excel 2007 • Cell: Rectangular intersection of a row and a column contained within a workbook or worksheet; a cell can contain text, values or formulas that return a value • Dialog Box: A window that provides access to the advanced functionality in Excel • Formula: An equation that performs various operations (typically mathematical calculations) within a worksheet • Macro: Simple program that automates a task, but can be a security risk; if unsure, do not enable macros in a workbook • Template: A predefined workbook that makes it quick to create a type of worksheet, such as an expense report, budget or loan amortization; some templates come with Excel, but hundreds more are available from Office Online • Workbook: A file that contains one or more worksheets • Worksheet: A 2-D page of cells (16,384 columns wide and 1,048,576 rows long) contained within a workbook
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To preview what a document will look like on screen: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Print and select Print Preview • The Print Preview tab will be displayed (and all other tabs hidden), allowing you to change margins, scroll through the document or open the Page Setup dialog box • Click the Close Print Preview button to return to the normal Ribbon tabs 3
Office Button (continued )
Preparing Documents for Distribution If the document needs to be shared with others, you may want to remove personal information or make sure that features used will be accessible to those using previous versions of Excel Use the Document Inspector to remove things before distribution: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Prepare and select Inspect Document; this dialog box will appear: • Select the desired options and click Inspect • When Excel has finished reviewing the document, it will display the results; items that were OK are shown with a checkmark and the rest with an ! • Click the Remove All button next to each item to clean up any of that content type Warning: Some of the editing may not be able to be undone, so save a copy of the original before completing this action • Click Close when finished Use the Compatibility Checker to verify that nothing will be lost when accessed with a previous version of Excel: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Prepare and select Run Compatibility Checker • Review potential issues (if any) • Click OK when finished
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Undo & Redo—The Quick Access Toolbar Undo: Reverses the last action (typing or formatting) taken; remembers the last 100 actions; multiple items can be undone in order by selecting them from the dropdown menu
Redo: Undoes the last Undo; remembers the last 100 Undo actions
Formulas [NOTE: Due to its condensed format, this guide can only provide a brief overview of formulas]
Order of Operations When creating any formula, Excel always follows the mathematical (algebraic) order of operations; when evaluating a formula, the order is as follows (from highest to lowest priority): 1. Parentheses () 2. Negation (EX: -1) 3. Percentage (%) 4. Exponentiation (^, EX: 2 squared [22] is written as 2^2) 5. Multiplication & Division (* and /) 6. Addition & Subtraction (+ and -) To illustrate, 9+4*6 on most calculators is 78 (9+4=13*6), while Excel will calculate it as 33 (4*6=24+9); be sure to verify that calculations are created with this in mind
Creating Simple Formulas The power of Excel lies not in the ability to make data look pretty (although it can do that), but rather in its ability to perform powerful calculations! ALL formulas begin with an equal sign (=); constants (numbers, such as 1or 5), functions and cell references may all be used in formulas; functions may contain other functions, constants and/or cell references as well A few examples of formulas will help illustrate the kinds of formulas that can be used in Excel: Example
Result
=7+12
Places the value 19 in the current cell
=5^2
Places the value 25 (52) in the current cell
=A1*B2
Multiplies the value in cell A1 by the value in B2 and places the result in the current cell
=D7-A7
Subtracts the value in A7 from the value in D7 and places the result in the current cell
=SUM(A5:D5)
Adds all of the cells in the range A5 through D5 (A5+B5+C5+D5) and places the result in the current cell
Functions [NOTE: Due to its condensed format, this • Add-In & Automation Functions: Used to convert Euros to other Euro-zone currencies, access a SQL guide can only provide a brief overview of database, access a .DLL, etc.; generally advanced functions] functions and/or functions used by programmers In Excel 2007, Functions are tools that provide the ability to perform complex calculations; • Engineering: These functions can be used to convert between base systems (hexadecimal, decimal and octal), functions can perform financial, analytical and as well as many functions commonly used in engineering statistical calculations; simplified, a function is • Cube: Functions used with cubes (advanced a predefined formula that can perform functionality beyond the scope of this guide) common calculations without the need to • Financial: Functions used in accounting, including: create and enter the formulas PMT to determine a periodic payment for an item (such as a house or car) and DDB for calculating depreciation Function Categories using the double-declining balance method Excel 2007 has a new Formulas tab on the • Date & Time: Functions used to manipulate dates and Ribbon to make it easy to enter functions times, including: Weekday, which returns the day of the The Function Library group is shown here: week a given date falls on; NOW, which returns the current date and time, and is updated with each recalculation • Math & Trigonometry: Functions commonly used in math, except those used in statistics, including: ABS for Microsoft the absolute value of a number; CEILING, which The Insert Function button can also be used to rounds a number up; FLOOR, which rounds a number add a function to a formula down; LOG10 for base-10 logarithmic calculations; PI, Excel breaks down the list of functions (there the constant accurate to 15 digits; RAND to generate a are several hundred of them) into categories to random number between 0 to 1 make it simpler to find the function desired: • Statistical: Statistical functions, from the common (including AVERAGE, MEDIAN, MAX and MIN) to the • Recently Used: Places functions you use specialized (from AVEDEV, the average deviation frequently at your fingertips; not a function from the mean, to ZTEST, the one-tailed P-value of a category, but represented by a button in the z-test, and everything in-between) Function Library group ®
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• Lookup & Reference: This group of functions is generally used to look up a value in a table and return that value (EX: Given a ZIP code and weight of a package, this function could provide the shipping charge [return value]) • Database & List Management: This category is similar to the Statistical category, except that criteria can be specified on the data, such as the average salary for female employees (DAVERAGE) vs. the average salary for all employees (AVERAGE) • Text & Data: This category is for manipulating text, such as taking part of a cell (LEFT, MID and RIGHT), determining the length of a cell (LEN), converting the case of text (UPPER, PROPER and LOWER), etc. • Logical: Functions that allow data to be compared logically (using AND, OR and NOT), as well as testing a value and returning different results depending on the criteria specified (IF) • Information: Most of these functions return a TRUE/FALSE answer, such as ISTEXT and ISNUMBER, as well as the value “Not Available” with NA To insert a Function (the Insert Function Wizard): • Select the cell in which the function is to be entered • Select the function from one of the types listed in the Function Library group (on the Formulas tab) OR • Click the Insert Function button on either the Formula Bar or in the Function Library group • Select the type of function that is to be inserted by clicking the appropriate category from the Select a category dropdown list of the Insert Function dialog box
Functions (continued )
• Select the function by clicking the desired function in the Select a function pane of the Insert Function dialog box • Click the OK button • A dialog box will be displayed that provides text boxes in which to enter the information necessary for the function; enter the data that is requested [NOTE: The data requested will vary with the function selected; for example, for the SUM function, it is the cells to be added together, whereas for the PMT function, an amount, frequency of payments and interest rate per period are required; some functions, such as NOW, don’t require any parameters at all; the current value of the function is also displayed and updated as new parameters are added] • Click the OK button
Function Argument ScreenTips To use function argument ScreenTips, simply begin entering a function in a cell and a dropdown list of functions that start with the characters you’ve entered so far will appear, as shown here: Microsoft ®
The arguments for that function will appear near the formula in the formula bar; for example, to get help with the IF function, simply enter “=IF(” and the following will appear:
[NOTE: The function name and the current argument (the one that is bolded) can be clicked on for a definition of it in Help] AutoSum Function The AutoSum capability uses the SUM function, which calculates the sum of the numeric values of all cells specified within a range; a range can be specified by selecting the cells, or Excel 2007 will automatically suggest a range—automatic selections usually include all cells that are contiguous (in a single direction) to the cell where the AutoSum function is entered To use the AutoSum function: • Select the range of cells to be totaled, including a blank cell to the right of a row or at the bottom of a column button • Click the AutoSum OR • Click the arrow next to AutoSum to select COUNT, AVERAGE, MIN or MAX (instead of SUM)
AutoFill AutoFill is a capability that has been in Excel for many versions; its functionality varies, depending on the type of data selected
Selected Data
Result When Data Is Filled
A single day of the week
The next day of the week
This table summarizes the behavior of AutoFill in various situations: To use AutoFill: • Select the cell or cells with the existing data • Place the cursor in the bottom right-hand corner of the
Multiple days of the week
The next day of the week, based on the series selected
A single month
The next month
A single number
The same number
cell (or range of cells) on the AutoFill Handle • Drag the handle down or to the right to continue the series
A series of numbers
A continuation of the series
A random collection of numbers A linear continuation of the data, using the least squares method
Basic Formatting of Cells—The Home Tab Clipboard Group
Bold: Changes the selected cell(s) to bold
Cut: Removes the currently selected cell(s) from the workbook and places it/them on the clipboard for pasting; cell(s) not actually removed until it/they is/are pasted elsewhere
Underline: Underlines the selected cell(s); click arrow to double-underline
Copy: Copies the currently selected cell(s) from the workbook and places it/them on the clipboard for pasting
Borders: The icon for this button will change depending on what border is displayed; other styles can be selected from the dropdown menu
Paste: Places the contents of the clipboard into the current document, where the cursor is; the dropdown arrow lists other ways to paste data— Paste Values (of the formulas) only, Formulas only (no formatting), Transpose (switch the data in rows to columns, and vice versa), etc.
Fill Color: Changes the background color of the selected cell or drawing object to a theme color, a standard color or a custom color; also removes the fill; color is displayed below the paint bucket
Format Painter: Picks up the formatting of the currently selected cell(s) and allows it to be applied on cell(s) highlighted while the format painter icon is the cursor—when single-clicked, the next cell(s) highlighted will be changed and the cursor returned to normal; when doubleclicked, format painter will remain active until the format painter icon is clicked again or ESC is pressed
Font Group Font: Displays the font of the currently selected cell(s) and allows it to be changed to any installed font via the dropdown menu
Italic: Italicizes the selected cell(s)
Font Color: Changes the text color of the selected cell(s) to a theme color, a standard color or a custom color; selected color shows under the A; others can be selected from the dropdown menu
Alignment Group Top Align: Aligns text vertically at the top margin of the cell Middle Align: Aligns text vertically in the center, between the top and bottom margins of the cell Bottom Align: Aligns text vertically at the bottom margin of the cell Orientation: Rotates the text in the cell 45° or 90° clockwise or counterclockwise, or can stack letters in the normal orientation below each other
Font Size: The size of the selected cell(s) is displayed and can be changed by selecting from the dropdown menu or typing in a number (in points)
Wrap Text: Makes text that spills over into adjacent cells fit within the margins of the cell, by making the cell tall enough to hold the contents and wrapping the text between the left and right margins
Increase Font Size: Increases the font size of the selected cell(s) to the next-larger size listed in the Font Size dropdown menu
Align Left: Formats the selected text to have an even left margin and a ragged right margin (default for text)
Decrease Font Size: Decreases the font size of the selected cell(s) to the next-smaller size listed in the Font Size dropdown menu
Center: Centers the selected text between the left and right margins of the cell, leaving both margins ragged 5
Align Right: Formats the selected text to have an even right margin and a ragged left margin (default for numbers) Decrease Indent: Decreases the left margin indent of the selected cell(s) by 1 character Increase Indent: Increases the left margin indent of the selected cell(s) by 1 character Merge & Center: Merges cells horizontally (multiple columns into 1) and centers text across multiple cells (Merge & Center) or leaves it left aligned (Merge Across); rows are not merged (just columns) unless Merge Cells is selected, which merges all selected cells into 1 big cell; can also Unmerge Cells
Number Group Number Format: Dropdown list of number formats, with a graphical preview; can choose currency, number, date, time, fractional (instead of decimal) and scientific formats Accounting Number Format: Displays the currency symbol at the left margin of the cell (instead of right next to the number, as in currency), with commas every thousand and 2 digits to the right of the decimal (thousands separator [comma] and number of digits after the decimal can be changed in the Regional and Language Options of Control Panel); displays a list of currency formats and symbols (including: $, £, ¥ and €) Percentage Style: Displays the number as a percentage Comma Style: Same as Accounting Number Format, without the currency symbol Increase Decimal: Adds 1 more digit after the decimal Decrease Decimal: Removes 1 digit after the decimal
Basic Formatting of Cells—The Home Tab (continued)
• Data that is cut or copied will be highlighted like this:
Styles Group Conditional Formatting: A new, powerful feature that formats cells according to rules specified (>, <, between, containing text, even duplicate values; can also show top or bottom items or % of items, as well as values above or below the average of the values); can use different colors or fills, data bars and/or icons to represent the various values, and the formatting changes with the underlying data, unlike the other formatting options, which apply to the cell regardless of the value of that cell Format as Table: Can format a range of cells as a table with many various styles; similar to the table formatting styles in Word 2007 Cell Styles: Simple way to format cells; can also format notes, explanations, headings, etc.; styles vary based on Theme specified for the workbook
• Click the Paste button on the Home tab The Paste Special option provides the ability to paste only formulas, the values of the formulas, formatting, or comments from the cell(s) copied
• Click the Border tab; the dialog box illustrated above will be displayed • Select the style of the border by choosing one of the presets or by clicking the desired border buttons • Select the color of the border by selecting one of the colors from the workbook’s Theme colors, standard colors, or any other color in the Color dropdown menu • Select the line style from the list of line styles • Click OK
To paste specific portions of what was copied:
Insert/Delete a Row or Column
; it will remain available for pasting as long as the cell(s) is/are still highlighted To paste an item: • After an item has been cut or copied, select the destination cell(s) for the item that is to be pasted
Many times, a new column of data is necessary between existing columns, or a new row between existing rows; conversely, when data is no longer needed, it can be easily removed (individual cells can also be inserted or removed in a similar fashion) All this is simple to do in Excel, and all formulas will automatically adjust to refer to the same data now located in a new location
Cells Group Insert Cells: Inserts cells, rows, columns or worksheets, based on the current cell(s)
To Insert a row or column: • Place the cursor in the row or column where the new row or column is desired • Click the arrow next to the Insert Cells button and select Insert Sheet Rows or Insert Sheet Columns (as desired)
Delete Cells: Deletes cells, rows, columns or worksheets, based on the current cell(s) Format: Formats cells in 4 categories: Cell Size (EX: changing column width or row height); Visibility (used to hide or unhide rows, columns or worksheets); Organize Sheets (EX: rename the current worksheet, move or copy the worksheet, change the tab color); Protection (used to lock the worksheet to prevent changes to some cells, such as formulas, while optionally leaving others changeable, such as interest rate, mortgage amount and time period for a loan); can also open the Format Cells dialog box
Editing Group SUM: Automatically add the cells to the left or above the current cell [see the Formulas section under AutoSum for more information on this button] Fill: Can create a series based on the currently selected cell(s) [see the Formulas section under AutoFill for more information on this button]
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• Copy or cut the cell(s) that is/are to be used with the Paste Special command • Select the destination cell(s) for the item(s) that is/are to be pasted • Select Paste Special by clicking on the arrow below the Paste button; the window illustrated above will be displayed • Select the desired special paste action and click OK TIP: It is also very useful to switch data in rows to columns, and in columns to rows; this is called Transpose
Cell Borders
Clear: Used to remove the formatting, contents or comments associated with the selected cell(s); can also remove all of them Sort & Filter: Used to sort data (selected data or all adjacent cells with data based on column with active cell; can also specify multi-column sorts) and to filter data to show desired data only (dropdown lists of data appear in first row of cells; select from list to show only matching values) Find & Select: Find (and optionally Replace) text throughout the workbook; format of the text can also be specified; can be used to select all formulas, comments, constants, etc.
Copying & Pasting Data To copy or cut the contents of a cell: • Select the cell(s) that contain the data that is to be copied or cut • To copy the contents, click the Copy button on the Home tab OR • To move the contents, click the Cut button on the Home tab [NOTE: Nothing will be removed from the worksheet after it is cut until it is pasted elsewhere]
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To apply a border to a cell or group of cells: • Select the cell(s) that a border is to be added to • Click the Borders button on the Home tab and choose from 1 of 13 predefined formats OR • Right-click on the cell(s) and select Format Cells from the shortcut menu
Screen shots may vary depending on the version installed. This guide is based on the software version shipping at the time of publication and is accurate to that version. * Microsoft ®, Excel®, Office® MSN ®, and Windows ® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation ® in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. Due to its condensed format, it cannot possibly cover every aspect of the software. BarCharts, Inc., its writers and editors are not responsible or liable for the use or misuse of the information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. ©2007 BarCharts, Inc. 0807
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To Delete a row or column: • Place the cursor in the row or column to be deleted • Click the arrow next to the Delete Cells button and select Delete Sheet Rows or Delete Sheet Columns (as desired)
Changing Column Widths As data is entered in cells, sometimes the data requires more space than available in a column; the column widths can be easily modified Manually changing the column width: • Place the cursor on the line to the right of the column to be sized • The cursor will appear as follows: ; drag the line left or right to shrink or widen the width of the column OR • Place the cursor in the column(s) to be sized • Click on Format on the Home tab and choose Column Width from the menu • Enter the column width—from 0 (which hides the column) to 255 • Click OK Automatically sizing the column width to fit the widest entry: • Place the cursor on the line to the right of the column to be sized ; double-click • The cursor will appear as follows the line OR • Place the cursor in the cell that is too wide for the column width • Click on Format on the Home tab and choose AutoFit Column Width from the menu
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Contents Pg. 1 Navigation Pane; New Features in Outlook 2007; Icons Used Throughout Outlook Pg. 2 New User Interface (UI); The Ribbon & Its Components
Pg. 2-5 Contacts; Mail Pg. 5-6 Calendar
Navigation Pane 1 The Navigation Pane (on the left side of the 2 window) provides quick access to the major capabilities of Outlook; the top section will 3 vary depending on what view is selected; the 4 blue bar at the top of the figure is a split bar— 5 it can be used to provide more or less space 6 for these buttons as desired (if less space is chosen, they are reduced to icons on the 7 bottom bar) 8 1. Mail: Provides access to all your Microsoft mailboxes and the folders within them, as well as Favorite Mail Folders; multiple Inboxes may be defined if the user has several email accounts 2. Calendar: Displays the user’s Calendar and a list of upcoming Tasks 3. Contacts: Provides a place to store Contact and information for others with whom the user interacts
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4. Tasks: Displays a list of Tasks; many views are available in the Navigation Pane that
display different details of the Tasks 5. Notes: Electronic equivalent of Post-it Notes® 6. Folder List: Contains the Folders used within Outlook; many folders are also
accessible with the other buttons described here; in addition, the amount of space consumed by each folder (with and without subfolders) can be displayed by clicking the Folder Sizes link; a link is also provided to manage data files (.PST files), default delivery information, etc. 7. Shortcuts: This button allows you to create Shortcuts to your Favorite Folders and to create Custom Groups of those Folders; especially useful when many subfolders are created within a folder (such as the Inbox) to provide quick access to those used most often; by default, contains links to Outlook Today and to Microsoft Office Online 8. Configure Buttons: This button will show any of the above buttons that have been “minimized” to an icon (all buttons are visible here in their “expanded” state for quick reference); the Customize button is used to configure the buttons to be displayed and change the order in which they are displayed
New Features in Outlook® 2007
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Outlook 2007 offers many new features over Outlook 2003; some new and improved features (those in red are described in greater detail in this guide) are: The Ribbon is used when creating new email, tasks, contacts and calendar entries; most of the rest of the interface is the old standard using menus Many spelling and grammar options, as well as custom dictionaries that can be set and used in any Office program and apply to all other Office programs that support the feature Contextual Spelling flags words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly in context (EX: Too instead of two) Tasks and Calendars are integrated To-Do Bar (available in the Mail view) shows a calendar with the next 3 upcoming events and all the tasks on the right side of the screen; it can be minimized, if desired, to provide more room for reading email; tasks can be rearranged, renamed, and even created from this bar Tasks can be given deadlines and integrated into the calendar with other events The Calendar can be shared as a simple HTML file (called a Calendar Snapshot as it is static content), so others can see your schedule with varying amounts of information (from free/busy only to details about appointments) The Calendar can be published on a Web site, and others’ calendars can be subscribed to, which allows multiple calendars to be kept up-to-date and easily accessible Calendars can be displayed overlaid on top of each other, as well as the
usual side-by-side format from previous versions • Anti-Phishing technology helps prevent unsuspecting email readers from revealing personal details to criminals online under the guise of a legitimatelooking Web site • Color Categories, more than just the flags from previous versions, these now allow mail to be categorized and the categories to have names associated with them; an email may also be placed in more than one category; the category information is stored in the actual data file (instead of the Registry), allowing the category information to remain constant if opened on another computer • Many attachments can be previewed in Outlook without opening the program associated with it • The Navigation Pane can be minimized to icons only (formerly, at least 1 bar was always visible) • Flagged Messages can be given due dates, which appear in the To-Do bar and on the bottom of the due date’s page when calendar is displayed in Day View • Tasks can be dragged onto the calendar to schedule time to work on them and automatically carry over the due date from day to day until marked complete • RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds can be accessed directly in Outlook, making it easy to keep news headlines, blogs, etc., at your fingertips • When used with Exchange 2007, voicemail and faxes can be delivered to your inbox • Instant Search allows searching through all open .PST files, as well as searching content on the local drives; it doesn’t come with Outlook but is a free download from Microsoft for Windows XP; comes with Microsoft Vista
Icons Used Throughout Outlook® Displays Outlook 2007 Help system
Many icons are used throughout Outlook:
Prints the currently displayed item
Displays the Contacts defined within Outlook 2007
Saves information on the open item and then Closes the window selected
Allows you to do a search for Help on a specific aspect of
Allows you to choose from several common colored categories; can also create new categories, rename existing ones or delete those no longer needed; you have the option to assign it a Shortcut Key
Outlook 2007 Deletes the Current Selection Provides a search mechanism for finding a Contact and displays
Allows you to specify a date to follow up or mark as complete the selected Task; you have the option to add a Reminder
its details 1
New User Interface (UI)
Super Tooltips
The new User Interface (UI) is a major change in Outlook 2007—although not visible from the Main Window, it can be seen whenever a new Email, Contact, Appointment or Task is created; this section reviews the changes to the UI, and is designed to help you intuitively know where to look for the options you want Microsoft®
The Ribbon
Super Tooltips are an enhanced version of Tooltips that have been available for years in previous versions of Outlook; in the past, they simply provided the name of the tool that was pointed at, but in Outlook 2007, they also provide descriptions (as shown here)
Keys Tips & Keyboard Navigation
The Ribbon replaces all the menus that were part of every Windows program; it is designed to put the tasks and options you need at your fingertips and to show you those that are only applicable when a particular kind of object is being worked with; it will be explained and shown in context of Emails, Tasks, Contacts and Appointments; the parts of the Ribbon are:
Keyboard Shortcuts that start with CTRL (such as Ctrl+B for bold) work as they have in past versions [see Help, under Accessibility Options, for a list of them]; to make selections from the Ribbon, press ALT and the Shortcuts will appear, first to select the appropriate tab, then the option on the tab (ALT does not need to be held down)—as shown here:
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Contacts
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1. Tab: Groups tasks into areas of functionality; the Main Tab will vary with
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the kind of object that is being worked with (EX: Email, Task, etc.), but note that more than 1 tab is available 2. Group: Breaks down the Ribbon tab into related areas of functionality (EX: Communication and Proofing options) It is not optimized for any screen resolution and will adapt its contents automatically; it supports the traditional button and can launch dialog boxes (windows) if they are required
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Galleries Galleries are different from standard buttons, in that they show the results of what is selected, instead of how to make those results appear (colors, borders, shading, etc); they make it simple to apply a coordinated look to an object; however, the individual elements still can be formatted to override the style Microsoft® Microsoft®
This feature allows you to keep an Address Book of people and store pertinent information about each of them; each Contact can be called, emailed, etc., based on the information entered; multiple Contact folders may be created 1. New Contact: Displays a window allowing you to add a new Contact 2. Move to Folder: Moves the selected Contact to a specified Folder 3. New Message to Contact: This icon creates a new email Message addressed to the selected Contact 4. Dial: Dials phone numbers for a Contact; click the arrow beside the icon and choose from the phone number types provided (EX: Business, Mobile) 5. Selected Contact: Selected Contact is displayed 6. Letter Tabs: Display the Contacts that begin with a specific number or letter, click the appropriate button 7. To-Do Bar: Expands or collapses To-Do bar, displaying Calendar and Tasks 8. Contact View: Displays Contacts in different styles
Live Preview Live Preview is a new feature in Outlook that allows you to see the results of a change before you make that change; simply point at a gallery or other formatting option, and the selected text, object, etc., will be formatted in that exact same way in the document—but, once you point at something else in the document, nothing changes unless you click on the icon
Quick Access Toolbar The Quick Access Toolbar places common commands on the screen at all times, no matter which tab in the Ribbon is displayed (as long as you are in a part of the program that displays the Ribbon); these are common icons that can always be used, such as Save and Undo, but any button can be added to it by simply right-clicking on the button to add it to the Toolbar and selecting Add to Quick Access Toolbar
Creating A New Contact
• Click the New Contact illustrated here is displayed: TIP: Use the Tab key to move between fields • Enter the Contact’s name in the field provided • Enter the rest of the information for the Contact in the appropriate fields; the phone and email information is especially useful because Outlook can automatically email and dial Contacts, as described above
Dialog Boxes & Dialog Box Launchers Dialog Boxes still exist in Outlook 2007, but they are primarily to provide access to advanced functionality; for example, Underline is in the Basic Text group, but not all underline styles can be set there—to do so, the Font dialog box must be used; to open any dialog box, simply click on the Dialog Box Launcher icon at the end of a Group name
MiniBar The MiniBar is a small Toolbar of the most commonly used options; it automatically appears when text is selected—it will appear dimly and last only a few seconds unless you move the mouse over it, which will make it fully appear; it is also fully visible whenever you right-click on text 2
button located on the Toolbar, and the window
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Mail • If an Email Address is entered, the Display As field will display the Contact’s name as the recipient instead of just the email address • You may click the Add Contact Picture
Mail is the thing most people associate with Outlook; this section reviews mail-related features and introduces some of the new features with Outlook 2007
button to add a picture of the contact
• Once all the information is entered, click the Save and Close button on the Ribbon Other Contact Details There are other screens available to provide additional information on Contacts; they are accessed via the buttons in the Show Group: •
Details: Lets you enter additional information about a Contact; it also allows you to enter the URL for Internet free/busy calendars for shared scheduling
•
Activities: Automatically populated with the list of emails sent to the Contact; Tasks and Calendar items can be added to this list by using the Contacts button when creating them
Outlook Today
Microsoft®
The Outlook Today window provides a summary of the Events, Appointments and Tasks for the Current Day, as well as the number of Unread Messages in the email Inbox and the number of Messages in the Drafts and Outbox folders; it is visible when the Mail option is selected in the Navigation Pane by clicking on Personal Folders
Certificates: Lists all the Digital Certificates on file for this Contact; Certificates may also be imported on this tab; used with encrypted email • All Fields: Provides access to all fields that can be accessed for a Contact via the Select From dropdown menu; also allows you to create and view userdefined fields •
Mail Window
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Contact Shortcut Menu
Right-clicking on a contact will cause this menu to appear: The following actions are available: • Open: Displays the Contact’s properties • Print: Prints the Contact’s information (for all fields with data in them) to the default printer • Send as Business Card: Emails the selected Contact to a recipient in the electronic business card format (vCard), as well as a graphical version of the business card • Send Full Contact: Emails the selected Microsoft Contact to a recipient in either the electronic business card format (vCard) only or in native Outlook format • Create > New Message to Contact: Allows you to create a new Email Message for the selected Contact • Create > New Meeting Request to Contact: Creates an Email Message requesting the attendance of a Contact for a meeting • Create > New Task for Contact: Creates a new Task in the Task list feature; this is not the same as assigning the Task to the Contact (assigning makes the Contact responsible for the Task) • Create > New Journal Entry for Contact: Creates a new Entry in the Journal feature for the selected Contact • Call Contact: Calls the Contact and prompts you for home, mobile, etc. • Follow Up: Adds “Follow Up: ” right below the name of the Contact; the types available are: Follow Up, Call, Arrange Meeting, Send Email and Send Letter; also clears Follow-Up messages • Categories: Categorizes the Contact so you can find it more easily • Delete: Removes the contact from the Contacts feature
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! Warning: Does not prompt for confirmation and only the last deletion can be undone Importing a Contact
Outlook lets you import contact information from other sources, including: • vCard (.vcf) • iCalendar (.ics) and vCalendar (.vcs) • Other programs, including comma- and tab-separated files, Lotus Organizer, Access, Excel, personal address book (.pab), and personal folder file (.pst) • Internet Mail Settings and/or Internet Mail and Addresses stored in other programs, such as Outlook Express and Eudora To import a contact: 1. Select Contacts in the Navigation Pane 2. Select Import and Export from the File menu 3. Choose from the list what to import and in what format 4. Depending on the format selected, you will be prompted for additional information as necessary 3
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1. New Mail Message: Creates a new Email Message 2. Move to Folder: Moves the selected Message to a specified
Folder (for organization) 3. Reply: Creates a new Email Message with the sender of the
displayed or selected Message as the recipient 4. Reply to All: Creates a new Email Message with all recipients of
the displayed or selected message as recipients 5. Forward: Sends a copy of an Email Message to one or more
recipients 6. Send/Receive: Causes Outlook 2007 to log on to the Internet or
exchange and deliver messages that are stored in the Outbox and check the email server(s) for new Messages 7. Create Rule: Creates a Rule for automatically managing email; advanced options allow more control over both the conditions and actions, allowing you to view, prioritize, modify and delete rules 8. Navigation Pane – Mail: [See the section below for details] 9. Inbox Folder – Messages View: This is the default view for Mail Folders; other views are available throughout Outlook; data can also be grouped to make it easier to find related information 10. Sort Order: This button shows which way the Mail items are sorted within the view; click the button to switch the Sort Order 11. Selected Message: When a Message is selected, it is displayed in this manner; to select a Message, click the Message once using the left mouse button 12. Unread Message: Messages that have yet to be read are displayed in bold text with a yellow closed envelope, as illustrated here 13. Read Message: Messages that have been read are displayed in standard text with a blue open envelope, as illustrated here 14. Sender: This area displays who the Message is from 15. Date or Time Received: By default, Outlook shows the date received 16. Subject: Displays the subject line of the Message
Calendar (continued )
TIP: To move between fields, you may use the Tab key • Enter a subject in the Subject field; this is what will appear on the Calendar • Enter a location in the Location field TIP: If the Location has been used before, it will appear in the dropdown list • Specify the Start/End Dates and Times in the appropriate fields; if the event is for the entire day, check the All Day Event box instead of specifying start and end times; as an option, time zone information can be selected for
16. Earlier/Later Appointment: These icons indicate that there are
additional Appointments scheduled before or after the first/last time currently visible on the schedule beside a Calendar entry 17. Free: White beside each Calendar entry indicates Free time 18. Busy: No border beside a Calendar entry identifies the time slot as Busy or Unavailable 19. Tentative: Striped blue beside a Calendar entry identifies the time slot as a Tentative Appointment 20. Out of Office: Purple beside a Calendar entry identifies the time slot as the user being Out of the Office 21. Working Hours: This color background indicates the time slot is during the normal working day 22. Non-Working Hours: This color background indicates the time slot is outside the normal working day 23. Task List: Displays the Tasks due on the displayed date(s); right-click on the label Show Tasks On to change from due date to start date and toggle the display of completed Tasks
button and selecting them from both by clicking the Time Zone the dropdown menus • If desired, you can be notified before the event by selecting the amount of time before the event that you wish to be alerted from the Reminder dropdown list (just right of the Reminder ) • Specify how the time should appear in the Calendar via the Show As dropdown list (just right of the Show As icon); choices are Free, Tentative, Busy and Out of Office; default is Busy • You may also enter any notes or other information necessary for this appointment • Optionally specify who else is involved by clicking the Invite Attendees button and entering the email Addresses of those who should attend • Additionally, you can specify the category or categories to which the
Navigation Pane – Calendar
The Navigation Pane for Calendar provides quick access to your calendar(s); to
Appointment belongs by clicking the Categorize button and selecting from the list • Further, if your Calendar is shared with others but you don’t want them to be able to see what you’re doing during this event (just that you’re busy), click
view more months, increase the resolution of the monitor or click the icon To create a New Calendar: • From the Go menu, select Folder List (or click the Folder List button on the Navigation Pane) to display the list of Folders • Right-click the Calendar folder and select New Folder from the Shortcut menu • Give the new Calendar a name (EX: “Personal Schedule”) • Verify that the Folder Contains dropdown menu says Calendar Items, then click OK To Display/Hide a Calendar: • NOTE: At least 1 Calendar will always be visible • Check/uncheck the box to the left of the Calendar you wish to Display/Hide in the My Calendars area of the Calendar Navigation Pane; the screen will split vertically, showing each Calendar side-by-side (in different colors) TIP: If multiple Calendars are displayed at once, each Calendar (except the first)
the Private
• You can also mark this Appointment as High Importance Importance
or Low
by clicking the appropriate button
• Click the Save and Close
button when finished (if others have been
invited, this button becomes Send instead, and an email is sent to each participant) TIP: If multiple Calendars have been created, the Calendar to which the Appointment is being added is displayed at the bottom of the window by In Folder To View, Modify or Delete an Appointment: • Display the Calendar feature by clicking the Calendar button on the Navigation Pane • Display the Date the Appointment is scheduled for by clicking it in the Calendar Navigation Pane. • Double-click the event to open it in a new window • Make any necessary changes (as described above) and click the Save and
will have a icon displayed next to the name in the tab; click it to overlay on top of the Calendar(s) displayed on the left (multiple Calendars can be overlaid in this manner); click the icon to separate it from the pile of Calendars—the actual color of the icons will vary depending on the Calendar color Appointments
To create a New Appointment: • Display the Calendar feature by clicking the Calendar button on the Navigation Pane • Click the New Appointment this window:
button
Close OR
button
• Delete the item by clicking Delete
button located on the Toolbar to display
Reminders
When Tasks and Appointments are created with Reminders, Outlook will notify the user at the specified interval before the event occurs; the dialog box shown here will appear: • The number of reminders will be displayed in the title bar of the dialog box • The type of event (Appointment or Task) will be represented by an icon • The Subject of the item will be displayed, along with scheduled start • Time Remaining before the event is scheduled Microsoft to start—or if in the past, how far Overdue it is The following options may be taken for any or all items: • Dismiss: Remove the Reminder from the selected item(s) • Dismiss All: Remove the Reminder from all the listed events • Open Item: Open selected item(s) to view/modify details • Snooze: Silence alarm until a specified time before scheduled start
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Author:
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free downloads &
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Screen shots may vary depending on the version installed. This guide is based on the software version shipping at the time of publication and is accurate to that version. * Microsoft ®, Outlook®, Office® MSN ®, and Windows ® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation ® in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. Due to its condensed format, it cannot possibly cover every aspect of the software. BarCharts, Inc., its writers and editors are not responsible or liable for the use or misuse of the information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. ©2007 BarCharts, Inc. 0608
6
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Contents Pg. 1 Main Window, New Features Pg. 2 New User Interface (UI), The Ribbon, Contextual Tools, Galleries, Live Preview, Quick Access Toolbar, Dialog Boxes & Dialog Box Launchers, Minibar, Super Tooltips, Status Bar, Key Tips, Getting Help
Pg. 3 Presentation File Formats, Terminology, Office Button Pg. 4-5 Undo & Redo, Basic Formatting—The Home Tab Pg. 6 Views, Speaker Notes, Presenting a Slide Show
Main Window 1. Office Button: Replaces the File Menu in
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previous versions of PowerPoint; provides options to work with the presentation (EX: Save, Close, Print) Quick Access Toolbar: Puts commonly used commands on a permanently visible toolbar; fully 6 customizable Filename & Type of Presentation: The Title Bar shows the name of the presentation and its 7 type Close Presentation: To close the currently displayed presentation, click this icon; if the presentation needs to be saved, a window will be displayed asking whether or not to save the 8 presentation before closing Help: Provides quick and easy access to the Help 9 system Ribbon: The new user interface for most Office 2007 products, replacing traditional menus; used to work in the presentation (EX: formatting text) Outline: Slides included in a presentation are displayed in this window pane by name and content summary; to display a slide, click the slide name/summary; a preview of the slides can be viewed instead of the outline by clicking on the Slides tab Outline/Slide Scroll Bar: Allows for scrolling through the list of slides or the outline, depending 10 on the selected tab Slide Preview: Once a slide name or description is selected in the left pane of the window, the contents of the slide are displayed in this pane Status Bar: This area displays various state indicators of the application and statistics for the presentation; it is customizable Views: These icons in the Status Bar provide the ability to quickly change the display view; the buttons represent (left to right): Normal (the one shown here), Slide Sorter (thumbnails of each slide within the presentation) and Slide Show Zoom: The presentation can be zoomed in or out from 10 to 400% by dragging the arrow, or clicking the + or – icons to change 10% per click Fit Slide to Current Window (Zoom to Fit): Sets the zoom level to display all of the current slide
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14. AutoShape: PowerPoint provides the ability to create geometric shapes that can be placed on a slide;
these shapes can be filled with color, and text can be in inserted into the shape 15. WordArt: PowerPoint provides the ability to create word-based graphics and place these graphics on
a slide 16. Clip Art: PowerPoint includes many graphics, as well as an extensive collection of graphics available
from Office Online for inserting clip art into a presentation 17. MiniBar: A Toolbar that makes common tasks easily selectable; automatically appears when text is
selected or right-clicked; automatically disappears if not used 18. Slide Preview Scroll Bar: Allows for scrolling through the preview pane 19. Previous Slide: Moves the current slide to the slide before the current slide 20. Next Slide: Moves the current slide to the slide after the current slide 21. Slide Notes: PowerPoint 2007 allows for notes to be added to slides within a presentation; to add
notes to a slide, type in this area
New Features in PowerPoint® 2007 PowerPoint 2007 offers many new features over PowerPoint 2003; some of the new and improved features (those in red are described in greater detail in this guide) are: • The most noticeable change is the completely redesigned User Interface (UI); while very different from past versions, most people adapt to the new design very quickly, liking it much better because it is easier to find what you want and offers the ability to preview changes before actually making them • Many spelling and grammar options, as well as custom dictionaries, can be set and used in any Office program and apply to all other Office programs that support the feature • Contextual Spelling flags words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly in context (EX: too instead of two) • Office documents can be digitally signed to prove authorship and that it hasn’t been modified since it was created
• Document Inspector is a tool to check for comments, annotations, revisions, hidden text, personal data, etc., before distributing the document • Mark as Final prevents editing of the presentation when it is finished (not a security feature, as it can easily be reversed) • SmartArt graphics are a simple way to help create professional-looking graphics from text (EX: points that are related in a cycle or by a hierarchy; a pyramid to show how one thing builds on another); existing bulleted text can also be converted into SmartArt • Text, WordArt, Tables, Graphics and SmartArt can have many visual effects applied to them, such as rotating them in 3-D, adding a glow around them, adding a bevel, or reflecting (mirroring) them • Custom slide layouts can be created and saved (instead of the predefined templates for slides in previous versions) with any number of placeholders of any type (EX: text, movies, clip art, SmartArt, etc.) • Discontinuous text can be selected
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New Features (continued )
• Text can be wrapped within a shape or put in columns • More options are available for formatting text—different styles and colors of underlines, small caps, strikethrough, etc. • Tables can easily be copied to/from Excel and Word, preserving the look and feel of the original
• New design for Presenter View, making it easier to use, placing the slide and notes side by side, and the slide thumbnails across the bottom; the current time is also displayed (great for giving breaks, remembering stopping points, etc.)
New User Interface (UI)
Quick Access Toolbar
The new User Interface (UI) is the most striking feature of PowerPoint 2007; it came about as the program has gotten more and more complex, with more and more options; this section reviews the changes in each section and is designed to help you intuitively know where to look for the options you want (and along the way, discover some things you never knew existed!)
The Quick Access Toolbar places common commands on the screen at all times, no matter which tab on the Ribbon is displayed; they are common icons that can always be used, such as Save and Undo, but any button can be added to it by simply rightclicking on the button to add to the toolbar and selecting Add to Quick Access Toolbar
Dialog Boxes & Dialog Box Launchers
The new UI’s format is called the Ribbon, and it includes Contextual Tools, Galleries, Live Preview, Quick Access Toolbar, Super Tooltips, MiniBar, and much more; the Ribbon and its component features are described in detail in the sections that follow
Dialog Boxes still exist in PowerPoint 2007, but they are primarily to provide access to advanced functionality; for example, Underline is on the Home tab, but only 1 underline style can be set there; to select any other style or to choose a different color for the underline, the Font dialog box must be used; to open any dialog box, simply
The Ribbon
click on the Dialog Box Launcher
The Ribbon replaces all the menus that were part of every Windows program; it is designed to put the tasks and options you need at your fingertips, and to show you those that are only applicable when a particular kind of object is being worked with; the parts of the Ribbon are as follows:
MiniBar As shown in the screenshot on the first page, the MiniBar is a small toolbar of the most commonly used options; it automatically appears when text is selected; it will appear dimly and last only a few seconds unless you move the mouse over it, which will make it fully appear; it is also fully visible whenever you right-click on text or some objects
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Super Tooltips
1. Tab: Groups tasks into areas of functionality; Home has the most common
options in one place 2. Group: Breaks the Ribbon tab down into related areas of functionality, such as formatting characters or paragraphs; names appear at bottom of groups It is not optimized for any screen resolution and will adapt its contents automatically; it supports the traditional button, as well as Galleries [see Galleries], and can launch dialog boxes (windows) if they are required
Super Tooltips are an enhanced version of tooltips that have been available for years in previous versions of PowerPoint; in the past, they simply provided the name of the tool that was pointed at; in PowerPoint 2007, they also provide descriptions (1) and may also show a graphical preview of what the tool does (2); while the tip is displayed, pressing F1 will often open Help on the subject
Contextual Tools
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One of the new features of the Ribbon is the ability to show new tabs based on the object currently being used; in the example shown here, a picture is selected, so a new tab is shown—Format; notice that Picture Tools is shown above the tab; also notice that the tab and the Picture Tools text are in red, whereas the standard tab color is blue/white, making it easy visually to see that they are contextual tools
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Status Bar 1
Galleries
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The Status Bar can be configured to display as many or as few details as desired about the current presentation; to change what is displayed, simply right-click on the status bar and check or uncheck the options desired 1. View Indicator: The slide that is currently selected (Normal view only) 2. Theme: Displays the presentation’s Theme, a consistent “look and feel” for the presentation (background, colors, etc.) 3. Spell Check Indicator: Shows a book with a X if there are any errors in the
Galleries are different from standard options, in that they show the results of what is selected, instead of how to make those results appear (EX: colors, borders, shading, etc.); they make it simple to apply a coordinated look to an object; however, the individual elements still can be formatted to override the style, if desired There are 2 types of style—InRibbon and Dropdown; in the Contextual Tools section, the Picture Styles were an example of an in-ribbon gallery; notice that the gallery has scroll bars to view different options; some galleries can also be used in a dropdown format, and some are only one or the other; the example here is Picture Styles in dropdown format; dropdown galleries are displayed by clicking the arrow or ) (either
icon at the end of a Group name
presentation or a ¸ if there are none 4. Views Shortcuts: As described in the Main Window section 5. Zoom: As described in the Main Window section 6. Zoom to Fit: As described in the Main Window section
Key Tips & Keyboard Navigation
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Keyboard Shortcuts that start with CTRL (such as Ctrl+B for bold) work as they have in past versions [see Help for a list of them by looking under Home > Customizing > Accessibility and selecting the desired shortcut type]; to make selections from the Ribbon, press ALT and the shortcuts will appear, first to select the appropriate tab, then the option on the tab (ALT does not need to be held down), as shown here
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Live Preview Live Preview is a new feature in PowerPoint that allows you to see the results of a change before you make that change; simply point at a gallery option, and the selected text, object, table, etc. will be formatted in that exact same way in the presentation; however, nothing changes in the presentation (once you point at something else in the presentation) unless you click on the icon
Getting Help PowerPoint offers an extensive Help system that can often be displayed by clicking on the right side of the Ribbon; alternatively, you can get context-sensitive the help (based on what is selected, the tooltip displayed, etc.) by pressing F1 2
Presentation File Formats PowerPoint 2007 has several brand-new file formats that are based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language); these new formats are stored in a compressed format on disk and, thus, should take less disk space than previous formats; they are also stored internally in “segments,” so that if one gets corrupted, the rest of the presentation will still be usable (in previous versions of PowerPoint, if there was any corruption, the presentation usually could not be opened at all); PowerPoint can still read and write presentations created in previous versions, and can create new presentations in the old format as well; if the old format is chosen, however, PowerPoint will operate in Compatibility Mode (and display this in the title bar next to the filename); it will automatically disable any features (by graying them out in the Ribbon and stating they are disabled in the Super Tooltip) that are not compatible with that format In addition, Microsoft has available for download from its Web site the Compatibility Pack, which allows previous versions of PowerPoint to read and write the new formats as well; before sending a new format file to a user of a previous version of PowerPoint, though, run Office Menu Button > Prepare > Run Compatibility Checker to see which functionality/features/functions will not be available to them; the compatibility pack works with PowerPoint 2000, XP and 2003 This table summarizes the available formats in PowerPoint (formats available in the compatibility pack as well are in blue and those that are new in PowerPoint 2007 are in BOLD SMALL CAPS); the default format is .pptx Extension
Purpose
.PPTX
Normal presentation
.PPTM
Presentation with macros in it
.POTX
Template for new presentations
.POTM
Template for new presentations that contain macros
.PPSX
PowerPoint Slide Show (always opens in Slide Show mode vs. in Normal mode)
.PPSM
PowerPoint Slide Show with macros (always opens in Slide Show mode vs. in Normal mode)
.PPAM
PowerPoint add-in (for advanced functionality not included with PowerPoint)
.ppt
Format used in PowerPoint 97 – 2003 for a normal presentation (with or without macros)
.pot
Format used in PowerPoint 97 – 2003 for a presentation template (with or without macros)
.pps
Format used in PowerPoint 97 – 2003 for a slide show (with or without macros)
.ppa
Format used in PowerPoint 97 – 2003 for an add-in
PowerPoint 2007 Terminology ®
• Application: A software program, such as PowerPoint 2007 • Design Template: A file containing appearance and formatting that can be applied to other presentations; may also have sample content to help you get started with many kinds of presentations; some come with PowerPoint, but hundreds more are available from Office Online • Dialog Box: A window that provides access to the advanced functionality in PowerPoint • Hyperlink: Text that is linked to additional information, such as another presentation, Office 2007 document or Internet Web site • Macro: Simple program that automates a task, but can be a security risk; if unsure, do not enable macros in a presentation • Notes: Notes are text that is added to a slide; it does not appear when the presentation is viewed, but can be printed or viewed on a separate monitor to aid the presenter during the actual presentation of the slide show; can also be used as audience handouts • Point: Font sizes are usually specified in points (1/72 of an inch) • Presentation: A PowerPoint file that contains slides • Slide: A page of a presentation that can contain text, graphics, charts, sounds and movies • Slide Show: This view is what PowerPoint is designed for; it is used to give a presentation before an audience, online, at a kiosk, etc.
Office Button Creating a New Presentation Help in creating specific types of presentations can be obtained by using templates in the New Presentation dialog box To create a new presentation using a template: • Click the Office Menu button and select New; the New Presentation dialog box will appear as shown here • In the Templates section, click on the Installed Templates link to view the templates installed with PowerPoint; if the desired template can’t be found (and there is an active Internet connection), use the links under the Microsoft Office Online heading to download one instead TIP: Microsoft has many slides with quotes, timers, etc., prebuilt under the Content Slides link • Select the desired template and click Create
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To create a photo album: • Click the Insert tab • Click the Photo Album button and select New Photo Album; the Photo Album dialog box will open as shown here • Select the source of the pictures by clicking the File/Disk button and then select the pictures to be placed in the album from the source folder (NOTE: Pictures can no longer be added directly from a scanner or camera as with PowerPoint 2003; you must instead download them to the computer first) Microsoft • If explanatory slides are desired, click the New Text Box button (enter the text after the album is created; a placeholder slide is inserted at this point) • Select the picture layout (1, 2 or 4 photos per slide, with or without a title on each slide or Fit to Slide) from the Picture layout dropdown list • Enter the shape of the frame around each picture (rectangle, bordered, rounded corners, etc.) from the Frame shape dropdown list • Optionally, select a Theme by clicking the Browse button to create a standard look and feel to the album • If captions are desired below the pictures, check the Captions below ALL pictures checkbox • If the photos should be in black and white instead of color, check the ALL pictures black and white checkbox ®
• Use the Up
and Down
buttons to reorder the slides, the Remove button to delete a picture
from the list, the Rotate Clockwise
and Rotate Counterclockwise
pictures 90° at a time, and the Increase Brightness Contrast and Decrease Contrast as needed • Click the Create button
buttons to rotate
, Decrease Brightness
, Increase
buttons to adjust the brightness or contrast (respectively)
Opening a Presentation To open a file recently accessed: • Click on the Office Menu button and point at (but don’t click on) Open • Select the desired file from the list on the right of the menu To open any file: • Click on the Office Menu button and select Open • Navigate to the desired folder in the Open dialog box • Select the name from the list TIP: Pressing the arrow next to the Views button (in the Open dialog box) opens a dropdown menu; selecting Preview from the menu will display the selected file in a pane on the right-hand side of the dialog box • Click the Open button Saving a Presentation It is very important to save your presentations frequently to prevent data loss; once a presentation has been saved for the first time (giving it a name), PowerPoint will not prompt for a name again, rather, it will update the file each time it is saved; if a copy of a file is needed, use the Save As command to make a copy with a new name and/or location; to save a file, simply click the Save button in the Quick Launch Toolbar or select Save from the Office Menu button 3
Office Button (continued )
To save a file with a different name or in a different folder: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Save As and select the desired file type from the list presented to open the Save As dialog box TIP: Select the PowerPoint Presentation format unless you need to share it with a user running a prior version of PowerPoint, you want to save it as a show only, or you want to save it as a PDF (smaller and not editable); you can also choose the Other Formats option to save it in a graphics format (such as GIF, BMP, WMF or JPEG) if you want to save a single slide or the entire presentation to be added as graphics in another program • Navigate to the desired folder • Enter a name in the File Name box • Select the type of file (PowerPoint, Text, Web page, Template, graphics, etc.) in the Save as type dropdown list (types will vary depending on installed options) • Click the Save button
Use the Document Inspector to remove things before distribution: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Prepare and select Inspect Document • Select the desired options and click Inspect • When PowerPoint has finished reviewing the presentation, it will display the results; items that were OK are shown with a checkmark and the rest with an ! • Click the Remove All button next to each item to clean up any of that type of content
Printing a Presentation
Use the Compatibility Checker to verify that nothing will be lost when accessed with a previous version of PowerPoint: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Prepare and select Run Compatibility Checker • Review potential issues (if any) • Click OK when finished
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To print a presentation: • Click on the Office Menu button and point at Print • Select Print and the dialog box shown here will be displayed OR • Select Quick Print to print a single copy of the entire presentation; will print from the printer last used (usually the system’s default printer) TIP: To view the printer that will be used, point at (but don’t click) the Quick Print button and the printer name will be in parentheses of the Tooltip • Select the printer you wish to Microsoft print to and observe its status (idle, needs attention, or the number of print jobs waiting to be printed on that printer); click the Properties button if printing properties (color vs. black & white, contrast, etc.) need to be set • Specify what is to be printed from the Print what dropdown list (Slides, Handouts, Notes Pages or the Outline View of the presentation); if Handouts is selected, specify the number of slides to print per page and their arrangement TIP: When printing handouts, 3 is often selected, as lined space is provided to the right of each slide for note taking • Specify whether to print in Color, Grayscale or Pure Black and White • Select the number of copies desired and check the Collate box if you want multiple copies collated • Specify the slides to be printed • Click OK to print the presentation
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To preview what a presentation will look like on screen: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Print and select Print Preview • The Print Preview tab will be displayed (and all other tabs of the Ribbon hidden), allowing you to scroll through the presentation, define what to print, etc. • Click the Close Print Preview button to return to the normal Ribbon tabs Preparing Presentations for Distribution If the presentation needs to be shared with others, you may want to remove personal information and make sure that features used will be accessible to those using previous versions of PowerPoint; other features in this category include the ability to package it for a CD (EX: for mass distribution) or to send it to Word to create custom handouts with all the formatting capabilities of Word (often done when creating training materials so that the presentation and the student guide are closely related)
Warning: Some of the editing may not be able to be undone, so save
a copy of the original before completing this action • Click Close when finished
Use the Package for CD feature: • Select Publish from the Office Menu button and then select Package for CD • If more than 1 presentation is desired on the CD, click the Add Files button and add any presentations desired; click the Add button when finished • To specify how the presentations will be shown when the CD is inserted into the CD player, passwords to open or change the presentation(s), etc., click the Options button and set any desired options; click OK when finished • On computers running Windows XP or later, CDs can be burned directly from PowerPoint; name the CD in the Name the CD text box and click the Copy to CD button; otherwise, click the Copy to Folder button, specify the path, and use whatever software is installed on the computer to burn a CD Use Word to create custom handouts: • Select Publish from the Office Menu button and then select Create Handouts in Microsoft Office Word • In the Send to Microsoft Office Word dialog box, select the desired page layout as shown here • Select Paste to paste the slides into Word (subsequent changes to the presentation will not update the Word document, but there is not a requirement to keep the PowerPoint presentation and the Word document in the same folder) or Paste Link to paste links to the slides in the Word document (updates to the PowerPoint Microsoft presentation will automatically update the Word document when it is opened next) • Click OK • Edit the resulting Word document like any other document, adding graphics, texts, table of contents, indices, etc.
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Undo & Redo—The Quick Access Toolbar Undo: Reverses the last action (typing or formatting) taken; remembers the last 99 actions; multiple items can be undone, in order, by selecting them from the dropdown menu
Redo: Undoes the last Undo; remembers the last 99 Undo actions
Basic Formatting—The Home Tab Clipboard Group Cut: Removes the currently selected text/object from the presentation and places it on the clipboard for pasting Copy: Copies the currently selected text/object from the presentation, placing it on the clipboard for pasting
Paste: Places the contents of the clipboard into the current presentation where the cursor is Format Painter: Picks up the formatting of the currently selected text and allows it to be applied on text highlighted while the format painter icon is the cursor; when single-clicked, the next text highlighted will be changed and the cursor returned to normal; when doubleclicked, format painter will remain active until the format painter icon is clicked again 4
Home Tab (continued )
Slides Group New Slide: 2 buttons in one—the icon on top will create a new slide with the same layout as the last slide added; clicking the arrow at the bottom will display a gallery of layouts from different recently used themes and will create a new slide of the selected type
Drawing Group Shapes: Inserts a predefined shape (EX: Lines, Rectangles, Block Arrows, Ovals, Flowchart Symbols, Stars and Banners); after it is selected, the cursor becomes a cross hair—click and drag to create the desired size for the shape
Layout: Changes the current slide to the selected type from the gallery of layouts from different recently used themes
Arrange: List of options to work with the order of objects stacked on top of each other (moving them toward the top or bottom of the stack), to group several objects into a single object (for sizing, moving, etc.) or ungroup an object that was previously grouped together, to align the selected objects horizontally or vertically, and to rotate (by default in 90° increments, though others may be specified by selecting the More Rotation Options option) or flip (mirror it horizontally or vertically) an object
Reset: Resets the slide to the defaults for the layout of this slide Delete: Deletes the slide !
Warning: No confirmation is asked for when this is clicked, but it can be undone
Shape Quick Styles: Applies a border and/or fill, as well as a background color (based on the selected Theme), to the selected object or text box; the Other Theme Fills option displays other background patterns and gradient fill choices; use the Shape Fill, Shape Outline and Shape Effects buttons for more control and options
Font Group Font: Displays the font of the currently selected text and allows it to be changed to any installed font via the dropdown menu Font Size: The size of the selected text is displayed and can be changed by selecting from the dropdown menu or typing in a number (in points)
Shape Fill: Fill the selected text box or object with a specified color; also provides the ability to place a picture as a background, as well as to set a gradient and/or texture
Increase Font Size: Increases the font size of the selected text to the nextlarger size listed in the Font Size dropdown menu Decrease Font Size: Decreases the font size of the selected text to the nextsmaller size listed in the Font Size dropdown menu
Shape Outline: Specify the border to be used around the selected object; color, thickness (Weight) and style (Dashes, solid, etc.), or remove the border; for lines, arrows can also be specified on either or both ends and the type of arrow can be selected
Clear Formatting: Clears all formatting of the selected text and leaves it as plain text
Shape Effects: Applies a special effect, such as a Shadow, Reflection (lighter mirror image), Glow (soft, fuzzy border), or Bevel (3-D appearance to make the object appear above or below the rest of the slide) to the object
Bold: Changes the selected text to bold Italic: Italicizes the selected text Underline: Underlines the selected text
Editing Group
Strikethrough: Strikes through the selected text
Find: Locates text throughout the presentation
Text Shadow: Places a shadow shadow behind the selected text to help it stand out
Replace: Changes any or all occurrences of given text, with the replacement text specified
Character Spacing: Adjusts the spacing between characters to use more/less space (from very tight to very loose; normal by default); can also specify custom spacing
Select: Can be used to quickly select all objects on a slide; one great option is the Selection Pane which will display all objects on the slide and allow any/all of them to be selected (even ones hidden behind others, formatted in a color that is not visible, etc.)
Change Case: Changes the case of the selected text from a list of choices: Sentence case, lowercase, UPPERCASE, Capitalize Each Word, or tOGGLE cASE
Bulleted & Numbered Lists
Font Color: Changes the text color of the selected text to a theme color, a standard color or a custom color; selected color shows under the A; others can be selected from the dropdown menu
PowerPoint 2007 provides the ability to create bulleted, numbered, and multilevel lists Bulleted lists are lists with a graphic character, very small picture or bullet at the beginning of each paragraph in the list
Paragraph Group Bullets: Places a bullet in front of each paragraph in the selected text
Numbered lists are similar, except each paragraph is numbered or lettered instead
Numbering: Places a number in front of each paragraph in the selected text Decrease List Level: Promotes the current item in a bulleted list by 1 level (decreases indent)
Multilevel lists are designed for things such as outlines to show the relationship of items to each other; they are simply an advanced form of the numbered list (though you might want to strongly consider using SmartArt for this instead)
Increase List Level: Demotes the current item in a bulleted list by 1 level (increases indent)
The style of each list type can be changed and different bullets can also be used
Line Spacing: Sets the line spacing to one of several common settings; available choices are in the dropdown menu; selecting Line Spacing Options displays the Paragraph dialog box, where custom setting may be specified as well as adding a fixed amount of space before or after the selected paragraphs
To create a bulleted list: • Select the text to be bulleted or the location of the new list to be created • To use the last style of bullets for the list, press the Bullets
or Numbering
button; press it again to end the list
Align Left: Formats the selected text to have an even left margin and a ragged right margin
OR • Select the arrow next to the Bullets or Numbering buttons to view a gallery of available styles; select the style desired (use Live Preview first if desired) OR • Right-click in the selected text and select Bullets or Numbering from the shortcut menu to view a gallery of available styles; select the style desired (Live Preview does not work in this case) • The bullet or number appears at the beginning of a line of text when the Enter key is pressed at the end of the preceding line of text; press Enter twice or click the same button that started the list to end the list TIP: Select the Bullets and Numbering option at the bottom of the gallery to display the Bullets and Numbering dialog box; the Bulleted tab is used to change the bullet character or use a picture instead of one of the standard bullets, whereas the Numbered tab is used to change the numbering (or lettering) style and the number (or letter) to begin with; both tabs allow the color and size of the bullet or number to be specified (relative to the associated text)
Align Center: Centers the selected text between the left and right margins, leaving both margins ragged Align Right: Formats the selected text to have a ragged left margin and an even right margin Justify: Formats the selected text to have even left and right margins Columns: Splits the text in the selected text box(es) into 1 or more columns Text Direction: Displays text in the usual manner (Horizontal), rotated 90° clockwise or counterclockwise; or, keeps the standard orientation, but places letters vertically instead of horizontally (Stacked) Align Text: Specifies vertical alignment of text within a textbox (Top, Middle or Bottom), as well as its internal margins Convert to SmartArt Graphic: Converts the text in the selected textbox(es) into a SmartArt graphic, creating visually stunning designs instead of plain, boring text 5
Views There are 3 primary views in PowerPoint 2007: Normal, Slide Sorter and Slide Show; a 4th view is also available if you have 2 monitors connected: Presenter View; Normal view is typically used to create the presentation and format it, while Slide Sorter view is primarily used to rearrange slides; Slide Show view is used when displaying the presentation to an audience, while Presenter view makes it easier to manage a presentation and to view the speaker notes during the presentation; this view is shown on 1 monitor (visible only to the presenter) and Slide Show view is what the audience sees Buttons on the Slide Show Tab The following describes the icons on the Slide Show tab (they are available in Normal view as well): Start Slide Show Group Slide Show from Beginning: Shows the presentation, starting with slide 1
Presenter View
Use Rehearsed Timings: Check to use timings created with the Rehearse Timings option or leave unchecked to manually advance slides Monitors Group
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Show Presentation On: If multiple monitors have been defined, select the monitor for the presentation (the audience)
Set Up Show: Opens dialog box for advanced options, such as looping continuously, and whether or not to display any animations or narration included in the presentation Hide Slide: Hides or displays the selected slide(s) when the slide show is presented; only available if a slide is selected Record Narration: Records (with a microphone connected to the computer) narration to go along with show for use when presenter is not available (such as later playback of a Webcast) Rehearse Timings: Displays the slide show in rehearsal mode, allowing you to set timings for each slide; a toolbar will be used and a button to clock displayed in it; click the Next advance to the next slide or transition effect; when finished, the timings can be kept or discarded; if kept, they will be displayed below each slide; useful when creating an automated presentation
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Use Presenter View: Check to show presenter view Slide Sorter View
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1. Selected Slide: The currently selected slide(s)
has/have this thicker border
Set Up Group
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Resolution: Resolution for the slide show—lower resolutions (as low as 640 x 480) display and advance the fastest; higher resolutions look better, but may advance more slowly
From Current Slide: Shows the presentation, starting with the currently selected slide Custom Slide Show: Used to create several named slide shows from a master list of slides; each one gets slides specified in order specified; also used to run show previously created
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2. Animation Icon: Shows that this slide has 1 or more
animations and/or slide transitions associated with it (NOTE: Advanced feature beyond the scope of this guide) 3. Timing Indicator: Displays how long the slide will be visible before the next slide is displayed (no time means that the slide is manually advanced by mouse click); it is useful for gaining an overview of the entire presentation 4. Slide Number: Displays the slide number (automatically renumbered when slides are reordered) 5. Thumbnail of Slide: Displays a miniature version of the slide To rearrange slide order: • Select the slide(s) to be moved • Drag it/them to the new position (a thick vertical line indicates where they will be placed [line is only visible before the mouse button is released]) Slide Show View Slide Show view is the reason PowerPoint exists; it is used to display the presentation to an audience and when running a demo that continuously repeats [see also Presenting a Slide Show]
Presenter View is a feature that appears only during slide shows and only if the computer has 2 monitors attached; otherwise, the feature is disabled 1. Thumbnails of Slides: Shows thumbnails of the slides; click on a thumbnail to display that slide (even if it is not next in sequence) 2. Task Bar: Windows Task Bar remains visible, allowing easy access to other applications, the Start menu, etc. 3. Slide Number of Total: Displays the current slide number and the total number of slides 4. Currently Displayed Slide: The current slide shown to the audience 5. Previous/Next Slide: Used to go back a slide or advance to the next slide, respectively 6. Pointer Options: Displays menu of options for pointer—an arrow (default) or various pen types (Ballpoint, Felt or Highlighter); ink colors can also be selected, as can an eraser to remove stuff that is drawn (NOTE: Draw on the audience’s monitor, not the presenter’s—clicking on the presenter’s screen to draw advances the slide instead) TIP: Ink annotations can be kept as part of the slide or discarded at the end of the show 7. Slide Show: Menu of common tasks (change screen to black or white, jump to a specific slide, end the show, etc.) used during a presentation 8. Timer: Elapsed time since start of show 9. Current Time: Current time (useful in giving breaks, for pacing, etc.) 10. Zoom: Displays note text larger or smaller 11. Notes: Notes entered with the slide are visible here 12. Help: Displays on presenter’s monitor a dialog box with keyboard shortcuts used during a slide show
Speaker Notes Speaker Notes allow the creator of the presentation to provide notes for the presenter of the slide show and/or for the audience when handouts or notes slides are printed; these notes do not display as part of the slide show (Slide Show View), but can be printed or viewed on a 2nd monitor via Presenter View
Presenting a Slide Show To Navigate in Slide Show View: There are many tasks that can be accomplished during a slide show; some of the most common are: Desired Action
Method
Next slide or animation on current slide
Click the mouse OR press the Spacebar OR press Enter OR press Page Down OR press Right Arrow
Previous slide or animation on current slide
Press Backspace OR press Page Up OR press Left Arrow
Go directly to a specific slide
Type the slide number and press Enter
Toggle between the presentation and a black slide
Press B OR type a period
Toggle between the presentation and a white slide
Press W OR type a comma
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Screen shots may vary depending on the version installed. This guide is based on the software version shipping at the time of publication and is accurate to that version. * Microsoft ®, PowerPoint®, Office® MSN ®, and Windows ® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation ® in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. Due to its condensed format, it cannot possibly cover every aspect of the software. BarCharts, Inc., its writers and editors are not responsible or liable for the use or misuse of the information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. ©2007 BarCharts, Inc. 0508
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BarCharts, Inc.®
WORLD’S #1 QUICK REFERENCE SOFTWARE GUIDE
Contents Pg. 1 Main Window, New Features Pg. 2 New User Interface (UI), Quick Access Toolbar, Help, and more Pg. 3-4 Office Button—Creating, Opening, Saving, Printing, and more
Pg. 4-5 Home Tab—Formatting, Fonts, Styles, Editing, and more Pg. 5-6 Insert Tab—Headers, Footers, Text Features, Symbols, and more Pg. 6 Page Layout Tab—Themes, Page Styles & Setup, and more
Main Window 1. Office Button: Replaces the File Menu in previous
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versions of Word; provides options to work with the document (EX: Save, Close, Print) 2. Quick Access Toolbar: Puts commonly used commands on a permanently visible toolbar; fully customizable 3. Ribbon: The new user interface for most Office 2007 products, replacing traditional menus; used to work in the document (EX: formatting text) 4. Filename & Type of Document: The Title Bar shows the name of the document and its type 5. Close Document: To close the currently displayed document, click this icon; if the document needs to be saved, a window will be displayed asking whether or not to save the document before closing 6. Help: Provides quick and easy access to the Help system 7. Margin Indicator: This icon represents the position of the right margin; to change the right margin, hold down the left mouse button on this indicator and drag to the desired location; the blue shaded areas in the rulers show the default margins specified on the Page Layout tab 8. Scroll Bar: This bar provides the ability to scroll vertically through a document; to scroll one line at a time, click the single arrows located at the top and bottom of the scroll bar; to scroll through a full screen, click in the shaded area above or below the location indicator 9. Browse Previous: Browse to the previous object of the type selected with the Browse Object button 10. Browse Object: Used in conjunction with the Browse Next and Browse Previous buttons to select the object that will be moved to with next and previous buttons; objects include: Field, Endnote, Footnote, Comment, Section, Page, Heading, Graphic and Table 11. Browse Next: Browse to the next object of the type selected with the Browse Object button 12. Zoom: The document can be zoomed in or out from 10 to 500% by dragging the arrow or clicking the + or – icons to change 10% per click 13. Views: These icons in the Status Bar provide the ability to quickly change the display view; the buttons represent (left to right): Print Layout, Full Screen Reading Layout, Web Layout, Outline and Draft (formerly Normal) Layout 14. Status Bar: This area displays various state indicators of the application and statistics for the document; it is customizable 15. Page Ruler: Word provides vertical and horizontal page rulers to assist in accurate placement of text and graphics on a page; this feature may be hidden or revealed, as the user desires
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16. WordArt: Word provides a tool for creating graphics using text; this is an example of
a graphic created using it 17. Spelling Indicator: A wavy red line under a word denotes a possible misspelled word 18. Highlight: Word provides the ability to highlight text within a document; the color of
the highlight can be selected 19. Contextual Spelling Indicator: A wavy blue line under a word indicates that a
word is spelled correctly, but not in this context (EX: four should have been for) 20. Table: Word provides the ability to create tables; a table can have a border separating
the individual lines of text as well as colored backgrounds and formulas 21. Grammar Indicator: A wavy green line under a word denotes a possible
grammatical error 22. Graphic: Word makes it easy to add clip art, pictures, shapes, etc., to a document 23. Hyperlink: The Hyperlink feature of Word provides the ability to insert text into
documents that, when Ctrl+(text) is clicked on, will display the document or Web site that has been defined as the Hyperlink destination; this example is a Hyperlink that displays an Internet Web site 24. MiniBar: A toolbar that makes common tasks easily selectable; automatically appears when text is selected or right-clicked; automatically disappears if not used
New Features in Word® 2007 Word 2007 offers many new features not found in Word 2003; some of these new and improved features (those in red are described in greater detail in this guide) are: • The most noticeable change is the completely redesigned User Interface (UI); while very different from past versions, most people adapt to the new design very quickly, liking it much better because it is easier to find what you want and offers the ability to preview changes before actually making them • Many spelling and grammar check options, as well as custom dictionaries, can be set and used in any Office program and applied to and used in all other Office programs that support the feature
• Exclusion Dictionaries can be specified; these flag words that are otherwise spelled correctly, considered obscene, or that you don’t want to use for whatever reason • Contextual Spelling flags words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly in context (EX: Too instead of two) • Office documents can be digitally signed (visibly or invisibly) to prove authorship and that it hasn’t been modified since it was created • The Document Inspector is a tool to check for comments, annotations, revisions, hidden text, personal data, etc., before distributing the document • The Mark as Final option prevents editing of the document when it is finished (not a security feature, as it can easily be reversed) • Quick Styles Gallery and Document Themes can be used to quickly and consistently format a document 1
New Features (continued )
• SmartArt graphics are a simple way to help create professionallooking graphics from plain text (EX: points that are related in a cycle or by a hierarchy; a pyramid, to show how one thing builds on another) • WordArt, Tables, Graphics, and SmartArt all can have many visual effects applied to them—such as rotating them in 3-D, adding a glow around them, adding a bevel, or reflecting (mirroring) them; available effects depend on the object selected • The Cover Page Gallery makes it simple to add a cover page to a document; many predefined styles are included and all are customizable; can also add new cover pages to the gallery
• Better Document Comparison options, making it simpler to see what changes have been made between two documents—such as where text has been moved to, what has been added or deleted, etc. • Building Blocks are downloadable templates (from Office Online) that can help with layout of headers, footers, cover pages, etc.; these are not complete documents, just small components that can be added to documents to give them a more professional look • The Bibliography feature makes it very simple to create a bibliography according to several different styles (EX: APA, MLA, Chicago Manual of Style); it will prompt you for the required information, and then automatically format it correctly—no more incorrect formats or lost points on a term paper!
New User Interface (UI)
Galleries
The new User Interface (UI) is the most striking feature of Word 2007, and it came about as the program has gotten more and more complex with more and more options: Word 1.0 had 100 commands and 2 toolbars, but Word 2003 featured more than 1,500 commands and 31 toolbars, which made finding the command, option, etc., almost impossible; as a result, the whole UI had to be updated; the sections that follow review the changes, and are designed to help you intuitively know where to look for the options you want (and, along the way, discover some things you never even knew existed!)
Galleries are different from standard options because they show the results of what is selected, instead of how to make those results appear (colors, borders, shading, etc.), making it simple to apply a coordinated look to an object; however, the individual elements can be formatted to override the style if desired (for example, look at the color of the headers on the front page in the table—they were formatted differently from the style) There are 2 types of styles: In-Ribbon and Dropdown; in the Contextual Tools Microsoft section, the Table Styles are an example of an In-Ribbon Gallery; notice that the gallery had scroll bars to view different options; some galleries can also be used in a dropdown format, but some are only one or the other The example here is Table Styles in Dropdown format; Dropdown Galleries are
The new UI’s format is called the Ribbon, and it includes Contextual Tools, Galleries, Live Preview, Quick Access Toolbar, Super Tooltips, MiniBar, and much more; the Ribbon and its component features are described in detail in the sections that follow
The Ribbon
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The Ribbon replaces all the menus that were part of every Windows program; it is designed to put the tasks and options you need at your fingertips and to show you those that are only applicable when a particular kind of object is being worked with; the parts of the Ribbon are: 1
displayed by clicking the arrow (either
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Dialog Boxes & Dialog Box Launchers
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1. Tab: Groups tasks into areas of functionality; Home has the most common
Dialog Boxes still exist in Word 2007, but they are primarily to provide access to advanced functionality; for example, Underline is on the Home ribbon, but not all underline styles can be set there: To access all these styles, the Font dialog box must be used
options in one place 2. Group: Breaks the Ribbon tab down into related areas of functionality, such as formatting characters or paragraphs The Ribbon is not optimized for any screen resolution and will adapt its contents automatically; it supports the traditional button, as well as Galleries [see Galleries], and can launch dialog boxes (windows) if they are required
To open any dialog box, simply click on the Dialog Box Launcher end of a Group name
icon at the
MiniBar
Contextual Tools
As shown in the screenshot on the first page, the MiniBar is a small toolbar of the most commonly used options; it automatically appears when text is selected; it will appear dimly and last for only a few seconds unless you move the mouse over it, which will make it fully appear; it is also fully visible whenever you right-click on text
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One of the new features of the Ribbon is the ability to show new tabs based on the object currently being used; in the example shown here, the cursor is in a table, so two new tabs are shown: Design and Layout; notice that Table Tools is shown above these tabs; also notice that the tabs and the Table Tools text are in yellow, whereas the standard tab color is white, offering a quick and easy visual aid to show that they are contextual tools
Super Tooltips Super Tooltips are an enhanced version of tooltips that have been available for years in previous versions of Word In the past, they simply provided the name of the tool that was pointed at, but in Word 2007, they also provide descriptions (1) and may also show a graphical preview of what the tool does (2); while the tip is displayed, pressing F1 will open Help on the subject
Live Preview Live Preview is a new feature in Word that allows you to see the results of a change before you make that change; simply point at a gallery option, and the selected text, object, table, etc., will be formatted in the exact same way in the document; however, nothing changes once you point at something else in the document unless you click on the icon
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Quick Access Toolbar
Key Tips & Keyboard Navigation
The Quick Access Toolbar places common commands on the screen at all times, no matter which tab on the Ribbon is displayed; these are common icons that are frequently used, such as Save and Undo, but any button can be added to it by simply right-clicking on the button to add to the toolbar, then selecting Add to Quick Access Toolbar Microsoft®
Getting Help
Keyboard Shortcuts that start with CTRL (such as Ctrl+B for bold) work as they have in past versions [see Help for a list of them by looking under Accessibility Options]; to make selections from the Ribbon, press ALT and the shortcuts will appear, first to select the appropriate tab, then the option on the tab (ALT does not need to be held down), as shown above
Word offers an extensive Help system that can be displayed by clicking on the on the right side of the Ribbon; alternatively, you can get context-sensitive help (based on text that is selected, the tooltip displayed, etc.) by pressing F1 2
Status Bar 1
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Word® 2007 Terminology 10
• Application: A software program, such as Word 2007 • Document: A Document is a Word file that contains user-entered information, such as a letter or a memo • Template: A predefined document that makes it quick to create a specific type of document (EX: memo, report, gift tag); some come with Word, but hundreds more are available from Office Online • Macro: Simple program that automates a task, but can be a security risk; if unsure, do not enable macros in a document • Dialog Box: A window that provides access to the advanced functionality in Word • Point: Font sizes are usually specified in points (1/72 of an inch); 10- to 12point text is considered normal for general text; this text is 8.5 points (set smaller than standard in order to accommodate the huge amount of information condensed into this guide)
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The Status Bar can be configured to display as many or as few details as desired about the current document; to change what is displayed, simply right-click on the status bar and check or uncheck the options desired; each option also has a tooltip that explains what happens if you click on that information 1. Formatted Page Number: The page that the cursor is currently on as currently formatted 2. Section Number: Sections can be used in long, complex documents to set different headers and footers, margins, orientations, etc.; they are numbered starting at 1; this displays the section the cursor is currently in 3. Current/Total Pages Indicator: Displays the current page number on the left and the total number of pages in the document on the right 4. Vertical Position Indicator: Displays the vertical position on the page where the cursor is (same value is shown on the vertical ruler if the top margin is added) 5. Line Number: The number of lines from the top of the page, without regard to how large or small each line is based on formatting; it is often used when programming and editing Web pages 6. Column Number: The number of characters over from the left edge of the line 7. Word Count: Displays the number of words in the document, excluding headers, footers, etc. 8. Spelling & Grammar Errors Indicator: Shows a book with an X if there are any errors in the document or a 3 if there are none 9. Overtype Indicator: Overtype appears if Word is in overtype mode (text typed replaces existing text at the cursor), or Insert if in insert mode (new text is inserted at the cursor, pushing existing text to the right); toggle this feature on/off by clicking the indicator 10. Views: As described in the Word 2007 Main Window section 11. Zoom: As described in the Word 2007 Main Window section
Office Button Creating a New Document Help in creating specific types of documents can be accessed by using templates in the New Document dialog box To create a new document using a template: • Click the Office Menu button and select New; the New Document dialog box will appear as shown here • In the Templates section, click on the Installed Microsoft Templates link to view the templates installed with Word; if the desired template can’t be found (and there is an active Internet connection), use the links under the Microsoft Office Online heading to download one instead • Select the desired template and click OK
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Document File Formats Word 2007 has several brand-new file formats that are based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language); these new formats are stored in a compressed format on disk, and thus should take less disk space than previous formats; they are also stored internally in “segments,” so that if one gets corrupted, the rest of the document will still be usable (in previous versions of Word, if there was any corruption, the document usually could not be opened at all)
Opening a Document To open a file recently accessed: • Click on the Office Menu button and point at (but don’t click on) Open • Select the desired file from the list on the right of the menu
Word can still read and write documents created in previous versions, and can create new documents in the old format as well; however, if the old format is chosen, Word will operate in Compatibility Mode (and display this in the title bar next to the filename); it will automatically disable any features (by graying them out on the Ribbon and stating they are disabled in the Super Tooltip) that are not compatible with that format
To open any file: • Click on the Office Menu button and select Open • Navigate to the desired folder in the Open dialog box • Select the name from the list TIP: Pressing the arrow next to the Views button (in the Open dialog box) opens a dropdown menu; selecting Preview from the menu will display the selected file in a pane on the right-hand side of the dialog box • Click the Open button
In addition, Microsoft has available for download from its Web site the Compatibility Pack, which allows previous versions of Word to read and write the new format as well; before sending a new format file to a user of a previous version of Word, though, run Office Menu Button > Prepare > Run Compatibility Checker to see what features/functions will not be available to them; the compatibility pack works with Word 2000, XP and 2003 The table below summarizes the available formats in Word (formats also available in the compatibility pack are in blue, while those that are new Word 2007 features are in BOLD SMALL CAPS); the default format is .docx
Extension
Saving a Document It is very important to save your documents frequently to prevent data loss; once a file has been saved for the first time (giving it a name), Word will not prompt for a name again, rather it will update the file each time it is saved; if a copy of a file is needed, use the Save As command to make a copy with a new name and/or location; to save a file, simply click the Save button in the Quick Launch Toolbar or select Save from the Office Menu button
Purpose
.DOCX
Normal document
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Document with macros in it
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Template for new documents
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Template for new documents that contains macros
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Format used in Word 97 – 2003 for a normal document (with or without macros)
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Format used in Word 97 – 2003 for a document template (with or without macros)
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Word 2003 XML document
To save a file with a different name or in a different folder: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Save As and select the desired file type from the list presented to open the Save As dialog box TIP: Select the Word Document format unless you need to share it with a user running a prior version of Word or you want to save it as a PDF (smaller and not editable) • Navigate to the desired folder • Enter a name in the File Name box • Click the Save button 3
Office Button (continued )
Printing a Document To print a document: • Click on the Office Menu button and point at Print • Select Print and the dialog box shown here will be displayed OR • Select Quick Print to print a single copy of all pages; will print from the printer last used (usually the system’s default printer) • TIP: To view the printer that will Microsoft be used, point at (but don’t click) the Quick Print button, and the printer name will be in parentheses on the Tooltip • Select the printer you wish to print to and observe its status (EX: idle, needs attention, or the number of documents waiting to be printed on that printer); click the Properties button if printing properties (color vs. black & white, contrast, etc.) need to be set • Select the number of copies desired and check the Collate box if you want multiple copies collated • Specify the pages to be printed • Click OK to print the document
Use the Document Inspector to remove things before distribution: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Prepare and select Inspect Document; this dialog box will appear • Select the desired options and click Inspect • When Word has finished reviewing the document, it will display the results; items that were OK are shown with a checkmark and the rest with an ! Microsoft • Click the Remove All button next to each item to clean up any of that content
To preview what a document will look like on screen: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Print and select Print Preview • The Print Preview tab will be displayed (and all other tabs hidden), allowing you to change margins, shrink the document by one page, scroll through the document, etc. • Click the Close Print Preview button to return to the normal Ribbon tabs
Use the Compatibility Checker to verify that nothing will be lost when accessed with a previous version of Word: • Click on the Office Menu button, point at Prepare and select Run Compatibility Checker • Review potential issues (if any) • Click OK when finished
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Preparing Documents for Distribution If the document needs to be shared with others, you may want to remove personal information and make sure that features used will be accessible to those using previous versions of Word
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Warning: Some of the editing may not be able to be undone, so save a copy of the original before completing this action • Click Close when finished
Undo & Redo—The Quick Access Toolbar Undo: Reverses the last action (typing or formatting) taken; remembers the last 99 actions; multiple items can be undone in order by selecting them from the dropdown menu
Redo: Undoes the last Undo; remembers the last 99 Undo actions
Basic Formatting—The Home Tab Most of the common formatting and editing functions are on this tab
Change Case: Changes the case of the selected text from a list of choices: Sentence case, lowercase, UPPERCASE, Capitalize Each Word or tOGGLE cASE
Clipboard Group Cut: Removes the currently selected text from the document and places it on the clipboard for pasting
Highlight: Highlights (by changing the background color) the selected text in 1 of 15 colors or removes highlighting; select other colors using the dropdown menu
Copy: Copies the currently selected text from the document and places it on the clipboard for pasting
Font Color: Changes the text color of the selected text to a theme color, a standard color or a custom color; selected color shows under the A; others can be selected from the dropdown menu Paragraph Group Bullets: Places a bullet in front of each paragraph in the selected text
Paste: Places the contents of the clipboard into the current document where the cursor is Format Painter: Picks up the formatting of the currently selected text and allows it to be applied on text highlighted while the format painter icon is the cursor; when single-clicked, the next text highlighted will be changed and the cursor returned to normal; when double-clicked, format painter will remain active until the format painter icon is clicked again
Numbering: Places a number in front of each paragraph in the selected text Multilevel List: Creates a list of various styles (standard outline, legal format, etc.); clicking Define New Multilevel List allows you to define a new type, numbering format, indention amount, etc., and adds that list to the main dropdown menu
Font Group Font: Displays the font of the currently selected text and allows it to be changed to any installed font via the dropdown menu
Decrease Indent: Reduces the left margin indent of the selected paragraph(s) by a tab stop (default: 1/2 inch)
Font Size: The size of the selected text is displayed and can be changed by selecting from the dropdown menu or typing in a number (in points) Increase Font Size: Increases the font size of the selected text to the next-larger size listed in the Font Size dropdown menu
Increase Indent: Increases the left margin indent of the selected paragraph(s) by a tab stop (default: 1/2 inch)
Decrease Font Size: Decreases the font size of the selected text to the next-smaller size listed in the Font Size dropdown menu
Sort: Brings up the Sort dialog box, where the type of sort to be performed (number or paragraph), the sort direction (ascending or descending), etc., can be specified
Clear Formatting: Clears all formatting of the selected text and leaves it as plain text
Show/Hide: Turns on/off the display of formatting symbols (paragraph marks, spaces, tabs, etc.)
Bold: Changes the selected text to bold Italic: Italicizes the selected text
Align Left: Formats the selected text to have an even left margin and a ragged right margin
Underline: Underlines the selected text; clicking the arrow allows you to select different underline styles and colors
Center: Centers the selected text between the left and right margins, leaving both margins ragged
Strikethrough: Strikes through the selected text Subscript: Subscripts the selected text
Align Right: Formats the selected text to have an even right margin and a ragged left margin
Superscript: Superscripts the selected text
Justify: Formats the selected text to have even left and right margins 4
Basic Formatting—The Home Tab (continued )
Line Spacing: Sets the line spacing to one of several common settings; available choices are in the dropdown menu; selecting Line Spacing Options displays the Paragraph dialog box Shading: Changes the background color, of the selected text or paragraph to any desired color, or removes the shading Lines & Borders: The name and icon of this button will change depending on what border or line style is displayed; other styles can be selected by clicking the downward-pointing triangle to the right of the button Styles Group This group contains a gallery of styles that can be applied; point at a style to have Live Preview show you how the selected text will look in that style Change Style: Changes the styles available in the document (will change the entire Styles Gallery; use Live Preview to see what the document will look like with that group of styles), as well as the fonts used in the style group selected and the colors used in the theme Editing Group Find: Find text throughout the document; can be used to find part of a word (beginning, middle, end), find any word form (EX: search for run and find ran, running, etc.), formatted text (EX: only bold versions of the word word), or special characters (like tabs or paragraph marks) Replace: Provides all the functionality of Find with the ability to replace any or all occurrences of that text with the replacement text specified (and optionally formatted a specific way, such as replacing word with word or word) To specify indentation: • Use the Increase Indent and Decrease Indent buttons described above (identical buttons are located on the Page Layout tab in the Paragraph group) OR • Use the steps below: - The Paragraph dialog box can be displayed by clicking on the
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dialog box launcher for the paragraph group OR Select text, right-click in the selected text and choose Paragraph from the shortcut menu Enter the amount of indentation (in inches) in the fields labeled Left and Right in the Indentation area; enter a negative number to outdent (into the margin) If the first line should have a different indentation amount from the rest of the paragraph, use the Special dropdown menu and select First Line to indent the first line only or Hanging to outdent the first line; specify the amount to indent or outdent using the By field Click the OK button
To specify line & paragraph spacing: • Use the Line Spacing button described above to change the line spacing OR • Use the steps below: - The Paragraph dialog box can be displayed by clicking on the dialog box launcher for the paragraph group OR - Select text, right-click in the selected text and choose Paragraph from the shortcut menu Microsoft - For space above or below each paragraph, enter the amount of space (in points) desired before or after the paragraph ®
TIP: You can also use the Spacing Before
and Spacing After
buttons on the Page Layout tab (in the Paragraph group) for this - To set line spacing, use the Line Spacing dropdown menu and choose either Single, 1.5 lines, or Double to have Word use single, 11/2 , or double-spacing, based on the font size; to specify a fixed-line spacing, use Exactly (always the same, regardless of font size), Multiple (value specified in the At field times the font size) or At Least (minimum line spacing, may be more if a larger font is used), and specify the desired line spacing (in points) in the At field - Click the OK button Bulleted & Numbered Lists Word 2007 provides the ability to create bulleted, numbered, and multilevel lists: Bulleted lists are lists with a graphic character, very small picture, or bullet at the beginning of each paragraph in the list Numbered lists are similar, except each paragraph is numbered or lettered instead Multilevel lists are designed for outlines and other documents that show the relationship of items to each other; they are an advanced form of the numbered list; the style of each list type can be changed and different bullets can also be used To create a bulleted list: • Select the text to be bulleted or the location of the new list to be created • To use the last style of bullets for the list, press the Bullets
or Numbering
button; press it again to end the list OR • Select the arrow next to the Bullets or Numbering buttons, or click the Multilevel List button to view a gallery of available styles; select the style desired (use Live Preview first if desired) OR • Right-click in the selected text and select Bullets or Numbering from the shortcut menu to view a gallery of available styles; select the style desired (Live Preview does not work in this case) • The bullet or number appears at the beginning of a line of text when the Enter key is pressed at the end of the preceding line of text; press Enter twice or click the same button that started the list to end the list
Insert Tab Pages Group Cover Page: A gallery of cover pages comes with Word, making it simple to create a professional-looking cover page Blank Page: Adds a blank page where the cursor is currently located, with text continuing after that page (if there is additional text) Page Break: Inserts a page break at the current position with text continuing on that new page Page Breaks Page breaks are automatically added when a page fills up, but page breaks can also be added manually wherever desired To add a manual page break: • Press Ctrl + Enter at the desired location • OR Place the cursor at the desired location and click the Page Break button
Header & Footer Group A Header is text that you want to appear at the top of every page; a Footer, at the bottom of every page Word can do different headers and/or footers on odd and even pages, or a different first-page version; Headers and Footers are used on all pages within a section [see the Page Layout tab for a brief introduction to sections]; if only a page number is desired on each page, the Page Number button will provide many options for this Header: Displays a gallery of headers (NOTE: No Live Preview) Footer: Displays a gallery of footers (NOTE: No Live Preview) Page Number: Displays a list of options for placing the page number on each page at the top or bottom of each page, or in the left or right margin; each option has a gallery associated with it; page number format can also be specified (NOTE: No Live Preview) To specify formatting for page numbers: • Click the Page Number button and choose Format Page Numbers • Use the Number Format dropdown menu to select how the page numbers will look (Roman numerals, letters, etc.) • Specify the page number to start with by entering the page number in the Start At field (EX: page 1 could be page 27 if it is part of a series of documents) • Click OK 5
Insert Tab (continued )
Text Group This group lets you add text in interesting and different ways WordArt: Many different ways of displaying text [see “The Book Worm” on the front page] Drop Cap: Creates a Drop Cap (a large first letter with text next to it); can be in the margin or in the text with the rest of the text flowed around it Date & Time: Opens a dialog box that displays a list of possible date and/or time formats that can be selected Adding the Date & Time Word has the capability to add the Date and Time to a document; it can be either plain text (the date and/or time the command was used) or a Field Code that will automatically update each time the document is opened To insert the current date and/or time: • Click the Date and Time button
Inserting a Symbol provides the Word ability to insert symbols that are not standard characters There are some special symbols that are always available (such as the registered trademark ® and copyright © symbols, and breaking and non-breaking spaces and dashes) available on the Special Characters Microsoft tab of the Symbols dialog box (breaking and non-breaking refer to the ability of Word to split the text on either side of the space or dash across lines) ®
The Symbols tab provides access to all characters in all fonts installed on the system
• Select the desired date and/or time format • If the date and/or time should automatically update each time the document is opened, check the Update Automatically checkbox • Click OK Symbols Group This group is used to add mathematical and scientific equations with the new equation editor (if you don’t need one of the built-in ones already provided with Word), and special symbols Equation: Presents a gallery of mathematical equations that come with Word (EX: the area of a circle or the quadratic equation) or creates a blank equation and opens the Equation Tools/Design tab Symbol: Displays a list of common symbols (EX: ©, €, and ∞) and a choice to enter any other symbol desired via More Symbols
To insert a symbol: • Click Symbol • Make a selection from the list shown OR • Select More Symbols • Select the Symbols or Special Characters tab • Click the desired character, then click the Insert button • Click the Close button to close the symbol dialog box when finished (multiple symbols can be entered at once) Other Uses for Insert Tab The Insert tab is used to add special content to the document, such as cover pages, graphics and tables (NOTE: Many things can be added, but most are beyond the scope of this guide)
Page Layout Tab Themes Group Themes are new features in Word 2007 that change the look and feel of the entire document, including fonts and colors Word comes with many predefined themes that are consistent across Word, Excel and PowerPoint; more can be downloaded from Office Online You can also create your own custom theme and save it for later use; themes can be seen in your document before being applied via Live Preview Themes: Displays the list of Themes available in a gallery, as well as allowing you to download new ones and save the current theme Theme Colors: Change the list of colors for the currently selected Theme from the gallery provided or create your own; works with Live Preview for any colors selected from the colors provided by the Theme, but doesn’t affect colors not selected as part of a Theme Theme Fonts: Change the list of fonts for the currently selected Theme from the gallery provided or create your own Theme by selecting heading and body fonts; works with Live Preview for any text based on a standard style, but doesn’t affect fonts specifically formatted outside a style Theme Effects: Change the list of standard theme effects for the currently selected Theme from the gallery provided; Theme effects are combinations of lines and fill effects used with graphic objects Author: John Hales A+, Network+, MCSE, CNE
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Page Setup Group Margins: Displays a gallery of common top, bottom, left and right margin settings (NOTE: No Live Preview) or allows you to set your own with the Custom Margins link; the Mirrored option is useful if the document will be bound and extra space is needed on the bound edge for the binding (right margin for even pages and left margin for odd pages) Orientation: Sets the Paper Orientation to either Portrait (tall and narrow; this guide right side up) or Landscape (short and wide; this guide sideways) Size: Provides a list of Page Sizes you can select from Breaks: Inserts a Page Break or Column Break at the current cursor position; can also be used to create a new section starting on the next page, next odd page, next even page, or continuing on the same page; sections can have different headers, footers, paper sizes, orientations, etc.; commonly used with long documents Line Numbers: Places line numbers [see the Status Bar section] in the margin next to each line (often used when programming or when comparing documents); can be specified to run throughout the document, restart each page, or restart each section
Screen shots may vary depending on the version installed. This guide is based on the software version shipping at the time of publication and is accurate to that version. * Microsoft ®, Word®, Office® MSN ®, and Windows ® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation ® in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. Due to its condensed format, it cannot possibly cover every aspect of the software. BarCharts, Inc., its writers and editors are not responsible or liable for the use or misuse of the information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. ©2007 BarCharts, Inc. 0807
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Contents pg. 1 Windows Vista Ultimate Desktop pg. 2 Windows Vista Ultimate Desktop continued, New Features, Editions of Vista, Help & Support pg. 3 Windows Explorer
pg. 4 Working with Files, The Recycle Bin, Creating a Shortcut, The Taskbar pg. 5 The Taskbar continued, Control Panel pg. 6 Control Panel continued, Sleep vs. Shutdown, Customizing the Display
Windows® Vista™ Ultimate Desktop 1. Internet: Opens the default Internet browser
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(by default, Internet Explorer [version 7 comes with Vista]) 2. Currently Logged on User: Username and associated icon of the user that is currently logged on; click on the user name to open 8 his/her Documents folder 3. Desktop: Similar to a physical desktop, icons, 9 20 folders, gadgets, etc. can be placed here for quick access; an optional background picture 10 21 can be displayed instead of a single color 4. Minimize: Reduces (shrinks) a window to a 11 22 button on the Taskbar; used to reduce the clutter of open windows 12 23 5. Restore/Maximize: Toggles between restore and maximize; restore reduces the size 13 24 of a window to something less than the full screen and allows the window to be sized to 14 any size desired, while maximize increases the 25 size of a window to fill the display 15 26 6. Close Window: Closes the window; if the window is a program, the application is exited 16 27 7. Gadgets: Simple applications designed to be 28 conveniently available; EX: A clock (top flower is 1 available clock), calendar, currency 29 convertor, CPU meter, or slide show of your 30 pictures (picture of turtle is part of slide show) 17 8. Email: Opens the default Email application 31 (initially Windows Mail) 9. Welcome Center: By default, it shows each 18 32 time Vista is started (uncheck the Run at Startup checkbox to prevent this); provides quick links to add new users, view new features of Vista, transfer files and settings (but not 19 Microsoft programs) from another computer, etc., as well 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 as to go online and access offers from [NOTE: 3, 17, 19 and 43 are frequently used] Microsoft (such as for antivirus protection) 20. Documents: Opens the Documents folder for the logged-in user; commonly used to 10. Windows Media Center: Used to manage pictures, videos, and music; can also be store his/her personal files used to record TV (like a DVR) and play it back later, and burn CD/DVDs 21. Pictures: Opens the Pictures folder for the user; used to store digital photos 11. Windows Ultimate Extras: Provides access to content that is only for Vista 22. Music: Opens the Music folder for the user; used to store music (EX: MP3 downloads) Ultimate owners—many programs will be available via Windows Update; other 23. Games: Opens a folder that displays most frequently played games; displays the programs and services will be available game’s minimum and recommended performance level, and displays the computer’s 12. Windows Media Player: Opens Windows Media Player [version 11 comes with score (a numeric score generated by Vista); also allows parental controls to be Vista] to watch videos (online and DVDs) and listen to music (from CDs and online sites) configured determining Web restrictions, time limits, game ratings, etc. 13. Windows Photo Gallery: Tool to view and organize photos and videos; can also 24. Search: Displays a window with filters for types of files and a box for search criteria; by fix pictures (contrast, exposure, red eye problems, etc.) and print, email, and burn default, shows only indexed locations; use the Advanced Search option to search other them to CD or DVD locations, specify file sizes and/or dates, etc.; quick access to search is also available at 14. Windows Live Messenger Download: Downloads and installs Windows Live the bottom of the left side of the Start Menu where terms can be entered directly Messenger for Instant Messaging (IM); formerly called MSN Messenger 25. Recent Items Menu: This Start Menu entry displays a menu containing the file 15. Windows DVD Maker: Used to create and edit digital videos and slide shows names for files that were recently opened; to reopen a document, select the name from (pictures with optional music behind them); many settings such as aspect ratio and this menu scenes can also be specified 26. Computer: Displays the Computer window; this window is one of the ways to access 16. Windows Meeting Space: A simple tool to share a program (and the file or files disk, floppy, CD/DVD, etc. drives, the user’s Documents folder, as well as documents inside that program) or your desktop with others to collaborate on projects or to join shared among the users of the computer (listed under Public); can also be used to view meetings that others have created; handouts can also be created and distributed (used System Properties, to Uninstall or change a program, access Control Panel, etc. and to create a sharable handout that all participants can edit [one at a time], with edits set view and folder organization options; Search can also be accessed here directly distributed to all participants) 27. Network: Displays computers, printers, and other devices on your network; may 17. Frequently Accessed Programs: This area shows programs that are frequently open an Explorer window to a computer or a Web browser interface to view and used; the more the program is used, the higher it is on the list; any or all of these modify settings of a device (such as a printer or router) default applications can fall off the list if not used frequently 28. Connect To: Used to connect to wireless, dialup, and VPN (Virtual Private Network) 18. All Programs Menu: Displays a menu containing the software programs networks (applications) installed on the PC; to launch one of these programs/applications, select the program name from this menu or one of the submenus of this menu 29. Control Panel: Displays a window containing items associated with configuration 19. Taskbar: Tool that assists in organizing open windows and provides quick access of the PC and Windows Vista to programs which have their icons located on the Taskbar; it also provides access 30. Default Programs: Used to set default programs to open certain types of files (such to the Start Menu; the Quick Launch area of the taskbar in Windows Vista is not as default email application or Internet browser), change AutoPlay settings displayed by default, but it can be displayed if desired (automatically play CDs, DVDs, etc. or not), etc. ®
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Windows® Vista™ Ultimate Desktop (continued )
Editions of Vista™
31. Help and Support: Displays the online Help system, containing links to get Help with
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Remote Assistance and provides links to Microsoft customer support as well as many Help topics, which can be searched or browsed Sleep: Keeps data in memory (and copies it to disk if Hybrid Sleep is enabled) and places the computer in a “standby” mode that saves power; press the power button to quickly resume where you left off [NOTE: Feature not available on all computers, as hardware must support this feature] Start Menu Button: Displays the Start Menu, which provides quick access to programs, recent documents, PC and operating system settings, online Help, etc. Quick Launch: Used to quickly run a program; avoids opening the Start Menu to launch the application Minimized Window: Represents a window that has been reduced to the Taskbar; to restore the window, click again Lock: Locks the computer so no one else can access it, keeping data and open windows behind a logon screen; click on the user icon and enter the password to resume where you left off Folder Icon: Represents a folder (directory); folders are used to organize files into groups; to display the contents of a folder, double-click the icon; folders can be placed inside of other folders Other System State Options: Click the arrow to display a menu that allows you to Log Off (exiting all applications and displaying the logon screen), Switch User (leaving the current user’s data and applications in memory and allowing another user to logon at the same time; only 1 user’s desktop will be available at a time), Restart, or Shutdown the computer TIP: Microsoft recommends using the new Sleep mode instead of shutting down in most cases [See Sleep vs. Shutdown section for more details] Recycle Bin: Contains files that have been deleted but are still recoverable Shortcut: This is a Shortcut icon; when double-clicked, this icon launches or displays the application, file, folder, or URL the Shortcut was created from [NOTE: Deleting a shortcut does not uninstall the application or delete the file or folder] Notification Text: Many applications will provide additional information when a significant event occurs, which will appear in this (or a similar) manner Windows Security Alerts: Alerts you to 1 or more security problems; double-click to view it/them Taskbar Notification Area: Area that displays information on problems, new features, tools, etc.; after a while, the unused icons in this area can be automatically hidden to save space System Clock: Displays the current date (and optionally, the time in up to 2 additional time zones); move the mouse cursor over the clock; click it to change the date, time, or time zone
New Features in Vista™ Windows Vista Ultimate offers many new features over Windows XP; to view which features are new or improved relative to previous versions of Windows, refer to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/features/default.mspx; some of the new and improved features (those covered in more detail elsewhere in this guide are in red) are: • Search is integrated into every folder, making it simple to find a file from anywhere without having to use the Start Menu • Windows Defender is a free anti-spyware program that protects the OS, services, programs, Internet Explorer, and other parts of the computer from spyware • BitLocker Drive Encryption encrypts the contents of the computer’s system drive (usually C:) to make it unreadable; security can be further enhanced by requiring a USB key to be inserted with a decryption key or a PIN entered [NOTE: Available only in Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Vista] • User Account Control asks for your permission whenever administrative tasks are requested to make sure that you asked for them and a virus or spyware application didn’t; this is true even if you logon with a user with administrative rights; anytime a task will prompt for confirmation, this icon will be displayed: • Internet Explorer 7 is standard with Vista, bringing tabbed browsing and greater security; a search bar is also always visible (with a user-selectable search engine) so you don’t have to open a search page in a browser • Many new synchronization capabilities are available in Sync Center, making it simple to synchronize 2 computers (such as a laptop and desktop), or a PC and a MP3 player or cell phone [NOTE: Computer-to-computer synchronization is not available in the following editions of Vista: Starter, Home Basic and Home Premium] • The Ease of Access Center replaces Accessibility Options in previous versions of Windows, placing all accessibility options in 1 place and offering a new set of questions to help decide which functions would be most helpful (via the Get recommendations to make your computer easier to use link) • Parental Controls allow parents to set the following limits: hours they can be on the computer, games they can play (by age or content rating as well as by specifying individual games), Web content they can access (by type of content and/or specific Web sites as well as allowing or disallowing downloads), and by specifying specific programs that are allowed or denied; in addition, once configured, activity reports can be generated and viewed • The Network and Sharing Center makes it simple to view what network you are attached to and how, as well as determining what is shared (folders, printers or media) and if the PC is discoverable by others if they search for other computers on the network • Windows Experience Index is designed to rate how fast your computer is at various types of tasks so that when an application is purchased, instead of specifying minimum and recommended amounts of RAM, CPU speeds, etc., an Experience Index would be provided to better gauge what is required (at the same time with less techno mumbo-jumbo) • The Aero interface is a new 3D interface with translucent “glass-like” windows to view underlying objects; can also view a thumbnail of programs and data when pointed at on the task bar, or is pressed, or use wheel on mouse to flip through them; requires higherend computer and graphics card to enable [for more on the requirements, see http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/aero_rules.mspx] 2
Windows Vista comes in more versions than any other Windows operating system; each edition (except Starter) is available in both 32-bit (the standard CPU type used for the last 20 years) and x64 (a new CPU type used in most computers made in the last couple of years; these CPUs can still natively run a 32-bit OS as well); the x64 editions allow access to more memory and may be faster at some tasks, but requires 64-bit drivers (check with your PC vendor or card manufacturer to verify availability of a driver before installing or upgrading to avoid surprises; many drivers also come with Vista) The following editions of Vista are available: • Starter: Only available in emerging markets (not the US, EU, Canada, etc.); subset of Home Basic with more tutorials and help for first-time users, but lacking the ability to share files, run more than 3 programs at once, etc.; also limits the type of CPU and maximum RAM • Home Basic: The lowest edition available worldwide; supports all security features, parental controls, new search capability, etc.; designed for general home user; does not support Aero interface, Windows Meeting Space, and other “advanced” features • Home Basic/N: Same as Home Basic but without Windows Media Player and related functionality • Home Premium: All of Home Basic features plus Aero, Windows Media Center capabilities, DVD burning, Tablet PC capabilities, file sharing, backup to network devices, etc.; designed for homes with multiple computers, notebook users, and higher-end PC users • Business: Similar to Home Premium without the media capabilities, but adding the ability to belong to a domain, use the Encrypted File System (EFS) to encrypt data in the drive, act as a small Web server, etc.; designed for most businesses • Business/N: Same as Business but without Windows Media Player and related functionality • Enterprise: All of the Business features, plus BitLocker, multi-language support, a license to run 4 virtual OS sessions (useful for old applications that don’t run on Vista), and UNIX support; not available through retail channels, only via Microsoft Volume Licensing agreements • Ultimate: All of the features of both Home Premium and Business, along with BitLocker; also includes some features unique to Ultimate, such as Ultimate Extras You can see which edition you are running by opening the Welcome Center; Vista supports a single CPU (though multiple cores on the CPU are supported) in all Home editions and 2 CPUs on all Business editions and Ultimate; max RAM is 256 MB for Starter, 8 GB for Home Basic and 16 GB for Home Premium, and for all Business editions and Ultimate is the maximum physical RAM supported for 32-bit CPUs and 128 GB for x64 CPUs
Help & Support Windows Vista provides an extensive online Help system, which can display Help articles chosen from a Table of Contents, or searches can be performed to locate articles by word or phrase; the interface is significantly different from most other previous help systems because search is so pervasive The Home Page of the Help & Support Center 1. Back: Returns to 1 2 3 4 5 the previous Help topic viewed 2. Forward: If the back button has been pressed, it allows screens that have already been viewed to be viewed again 3. Search
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Help:
Enter the text to search for here and press <ENTER> or press the
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Search Help button Home: Returns to this screen Microsoft Print: Prints the current topic (information in the window) Browse Help: Displays a list of Help topics in a Table of Contents format Ask: Provides quick links to ways to get support (Newsgroups, Microsoft’s Web site, customer support, and/or Remote Assistance) Options: Displays a screen for setting the font size, searching within the current topic for a word or phrase, and specifying whether or not to search local as well as online help by default
To display the Home Page of the Help & Support Center: • Select Help and Support from the Start Menu
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Windows® Explorer size on disk, artist(s) and length
Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer), which is now the same as Computer on the Start Menu, is used to manage resources on the computer; the only difference is that opening Windows Explorer starts in the Documents folder for the user whereas the Computer link starts at the computer level (shown in the illustration below) New in Vista are different views depending on the type of folder being viewed (templates can be manually assigned to any folder)
6. Rating: Displays the rating of the file (can be changed by viewing the file’s properties)
If a CD or DVD burner is installed, will also display the burn music to a CD or DVD drive
Pictures This section describes the specific options and view for the default picture folders
Common Features This section describes 1 2 3 4 10 5 6 11 12 7 options that are the same in all views; the Computer Level is based on the same screenshot 1. Back: This button changes the current 8 selection to the previous 9 selection; for a menu of previously selected items, 13 click the arrow located to the right of the Forward button and previous and 14 next locations will be displayed with a ü 15 displayed at the location in the list currently being viewed 2. Forward: Once the Back button is used, the selection moves forward Microsoft through the sequence 3. Address Bar: The path of the current selection is displayed in this field; the path is the location of the folder/file; an example of a path of an item located on the primary internal hard drive would be C:\Users\Public (typically displayed in Vista as R Computer R Local Disk (C:) R Users R Public); if the selected item is a shortcut to a Web site, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) Address is displayed 4. Views: This button displays a menu containing a list of the different view options available in Windows Explorer 5. Refresh: Refreshes the content of the location displayed in the Address Bar 6. Search: Used to search for specific words or phrases in folder names, file names and contents 7. Help: Links to Help as described previously 8. Organize: Used to cut/copy/paste/delete/rename files and folders, create new folders, view the properties of a file, folder, drive, etc. as well as to specify Folder and Search Options, and the desired folder Layout 9. Navigation Pane: Displays a list of Favorite folders (which can be customized) as well as a list of other folders and other useful locations
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1. Play: Plays the selected music using the default media player (by default,
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application can be selected) 2. Slide Show: Displays all pictures full-screen one after the other; advanced
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automatically after 5 seconds or click the mouse to advance more quickly; loops continuously; press <ESC> to end Print: Opens a dialog box where the printer, number of copies, paper size, image quality and size, etc. may be specified, then prints them E-mail: Prompts for an image size (smaller images take less space and email faster), then compresses the image to that size and attaches it as an email attachment Sharing Settings: Specify sharing settings to enable or disable sharing on the network Name, Date taken, Tags, Size and Rating buttons: Used to sort, group, and/or filter by the file name, the date the picture was taken, any tags (keywords) assigned by the user, the file size or its rating; tags and rating can be set and modified by viewing the file’s properties ToolTip: Displays the type (EX: JPEG or BMP), date and time taken, any tags entered by the user, its rating, dimensions (size in pixels), size on disk, and full title (description)
If a CD or DVD burner is installed, will also display the burn picture(s) to a CD or DVD drive
button to write the
Documents This section describes the specific options and icons for most folders 1. Folder Icon: This icon represents a folder (directory); folders are used to organize files into groups; to display the contents 1 of a folder, double2 click the icon 2. Data File Icon: This 3 icon represents a data file (in this case, a 4 Microsoft sound); the icon will vary depending on the program that created it [NOTE: The application that created it and its size are displayed beside the icon (in the default List View); to open a file, double-click the icon] 3. Unknown File Icon: This icon represents a file type that Windows doesn’t recognize; the type column will list the type as the extension 4. System File Icon: This icon represents a system file; the icon will vary depending on the type of system file, but it often will include one or more gears in it; these files are generally used only by the operating system itself
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Music This section describes the specific options and view for the default music folders
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1. Preview: Display the picture in Paint or Windows Photo Gallery (or another
Computer Level This section describes the additional options at the computer level 10. Properties: Displays the properties of the selected drive, including a graph of free and used space, the volume name, and indexing and compression state (if the drive supports it) 11. System Properties: Displays information on the hardware installed (CPU & RAM) and the new Windows User Experience rating; also shows the computer name, description, etc. 12. Display Additional Commands: List of other tasks available: Uninstall or change a program (to remove an installed application or change its installed options), Map Network Drive (to connect with data elsewhere on the network) and Open Control Panel (described below) 13. Hard Drive: Icon for a hard drive (generally built-in drives), along with a simple graph of used and free space; also displays name (if assigned) and drive letter (in this case, C:) 14. Floppy Drive: Icon for a floppy disk; also displays name (if assigned) and drive letter (in this case, A:) 15. CD Drive: Icon for a CD or DVD disk; also displays name (if assigned—in this case, LRMCFRE_EN_DVD) and drive letter (in this case, D:)
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Microsoft®
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button to write the
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To start Windows Explorer: • Click Start, then select All Programs, then Accessories, then Windows Explorer to open with the Documents folder selected OR Click Start, then select to open with the folder selected OR Right-click on the Start menu and select Explore to open the folder containing the Start menu contents for the current user To hide the Navigation Pane: • In Windows Explorer, click Organize, then Layout, then click Navigation Pane if necessary
Microsoft®
Windows Media Player) 2. Play All: Plays all the music in the folder 3. Sharing Settings: Specify sharing settings to enable or disable sharing on the network 4. Name, Artists, Album, #, Genre and Rating buttons: Used to sort, group, and/or
filter by the file name, artist(s), album name, #, genre (music style; EX: jazz, classical) or its rating; most of these fields can be set and modified by viewing the file’s properties 5. ToolTip: Displays the full name of the song, type (EX: Windows Media or MP3),
to make sure it is not highlighted (it should look like this:
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i.e., no shaded background)
Working with Files
The Recycle Bin
File management is a critical part of using a computer; just as most people categorize and file their paper documents, making their retrieval easier when needed, so file management makes finding data much simpler All of the steps in this section assume that you have already started Windows Explorer as described above File Management
With few exceptions (EX: Very large files), when a file or folder is deleted, it is sent to the Recycle Bin; things placed in it can be undeleted if desired; once the Recycle Bin is emptied, the files can no longer be recovered using Vista
Shortcut Menu
To copy a file or folder: • Select the desired file(s) and/or folder(s) • Click the Organize button, then click Copy OR Right-click any of the selected files/folders and select Copy from the shortcut menu • Open the destination drive or folder • Click the Organize button, then click Paste OR Right-click in an empty area of the folder and select Paste from the shortcut menu
If the Recycle Bin has anything in it, it looks like this:
;
conversely, if it is empty, it looks like this: Restoring a deleted file: • Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking its icon on the Desktop or by selecting it in Windows Explorer (it is located in the Desktop folder) • Right-click the file(s) or folder(s) to be undeleted (back to where they were deleted from) and select Restore
To move a file or folder: • Select the desired file(s) and/or folder(s) • Click the Organize button, then click Cut OR Right-click any of the selected files/folders and select Cut from the shortcut menu • Open the destination drive or folder • Click the Organize button, then click Paste OR Right-click in an empty area of the folder and select Paste from the shortcut menu
Emptying the Recycle Bin: • Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop or select it in Windows Explorer and select Empty Recycle Bin from the menu Microsoft®
Creating a Shortcut
To delete a file or folder: • Select the desired file(s) and/or folder(s) • Click the Organize button, then click Delete OR Right-click any of the selected files/folders and select Delete from the shortcut menu To rename a file or folder: • Select a single file or folder • Click the Organize button, then click Rename OR Right-click the selected file or folder and select Rename from the shortcut menu • The file or folder name will be highlighted; enter the new name, then press <ENTER> to complete the change TIP: Multiple files and folders may be selected by clicking on the first file/folder, then holding down the key and clicking on each of the remaining files/folders desired
A Shortcut is an icon that provides quick access to the original file, folder or drive that the shortcut was created from; it can be identified by a small arrow in the standard icon for the object; this icon
is an example of a Shortcut icon
To create a Shortcut: • Select the desired file(s) and/or folder(s) • Click the Organize button, then click Copy OR Right-click any of the selected files/folders and select Copy from the shortcut menu • Open the destination drive or folder, or right-click the desktop • Right-click in an empty area of the folder or desktop and select Paste Shortcut from the shortcut menu
The Taskbar The Taskbar is a bar that appears at the bottom of the screen by default; it contains the Start Menu button, which displays the Start Menu, icons for launching programs, notifications from programs and the system clock The Taskbar provides a way to organize multiple open windows; EX: When multiple programs/software applications are being used, one or more of the program windows can be minimized (shrunk) to the Taskbar until needed; to restore/maximize the window, just click the window’s Task button
[NOTE: The white 3 denotes there are 3 different Windows Explorer windows open; clicking the arrow will show the list of documents (browsers, windows, etc.) and the desired document may then be selected from the list] - Show Quick Launch: This area of the Taskbar, standard in many previous versions of Windows, makes it simple to start commonly used applications, such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player; it is hidden by default in Vista - Show window previews (thumbnails): This feature is only available if Aero is used and changes the standard button at the bottom to a small thumbnail (minipicture) of what will be seen if the window is restored • Click OK
Customizing the Taskbar & Start Menu Windows Vista provides many options for customizing the operation and use of the Taskbar and the Start Menu; they are specified through the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box To display the Taskbar & Start Menu Properties dialog box: • Right-click the Taskbar, making sure the cursor is not over a Taskbar element, such as a Task button, the system clock or the Start Menu button • From the shortcut menu, select Properties to display the figure shown here
To switch between the new Start Menu and the classic Start Menu: • Display the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window • Click the Start Menu tab • Select either Start Menu to use the Windows XP and Vista-style Start Menu or Classic Start Menu to use the Start Menu style used in all previous versions of Windows (since Windows 95); to customize either Start Menu style, click the Customize button to the right of the desired menu style • Optionally, check or uncheck the Store and display a list of recently opened files and/or Store and display a list of recently opened programs checkboxes to show the default programs and documents (if unchecked), or to automatically adjust the Start Menu programs list and recently opened documents with programs and files used recently and often • Click OK
To set Taskbar properties: • Display the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window • Click the Taskbar tab • Set options as desired; Microsoft commonly used checkboxes include: - Lock the taskbar: Keeps the Taskbar where it is on the screen and prevents it from being resized - Auto-hide the taskbar: Hides the Taskbar unless the mouse is moved over the edge of the screen where the Taskbar is located, when it will reappear; gives more room on the screen for programs - Keep the taskbar on top of other windows: Reduces the size of a maximized window to keep the Taskbar visible; if this is unchecked, a maximized window will have to be minimized or restored to get access to the Taskbar - Group similar taskbar buttons: This was a new feature in XP; if multiple documents are open inside an application (EX: Word or Internet Explorer) that normally creates 1 Task button for each document (browser, etc.), they will be located next to each other on the Taskbar, but if the width of the buttons becomes too small, only 1 will be created for the application and an arrow will appear to indicate that several documents are open like this:
To set Notification Area options: • Display the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window • Click the Notification Area tab • Set options as desired; commonly used checkboxes include: - Hide inactive icons: This feature hides programs and other status information displayed in the notification area of the Taskbar (usually on the right-hand side) if they are not frequently used; this option can also be set to always hide or display selected icons as well by clicking the Customize button - Clock, Volume, Network and Power: These checkboxes determine if these icons are displayed (and their associated capabilities easily accessible) or not in the notification area (Power is grayed out if the computer is not a laptop) • Click OK
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To relocate the Taskbar: • Unlock the Taskbar as described above (if necessary) • Drag the Taskbar to the desired edge of the screen • Lock the Taskbar as described above (if desired) 4
Taskbar (continued )
Control Panel
To size the Taskbar: • Unlock the Taskbar as described above (if necessary) • Place the cursor on the inside edge of the Taskbar (the side touching the desktop); the cursor will become a double-headed arrow • Drag the mouse up or down to increase or decrease the height of the Taskbar (if it is on the top or bottom of the screen) OR Drag the mouse left or right to increase or decrease the width of the Taskbar (if it is on the left or right of the screen) • Lock the Taskbar as described above (if desired)
The Control Panel provides a way to customize the appearance and operation of the Windows operating system and the PC; Vista uses the same style as XP, Category View (illustrated below); Category View provides links to common tools in each category, as well as to the actual Control Panel applets themselves (via Classic View, not discussed here) [NOTE: Many options require User Account Control; thus, the frequently and are not specifically mentioned in this section]
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Setting Date & Time Many features of Vista use the current system time, such as the date and time a file or folder was created; setting it correctly is also very important if you are in a domain To set the date and time manually: • Right-click on the system clock in the Taskbar and select Adjust Date/Time from the menu • Select the Date and Time tab, and the window illustrated here is displayed • Click the Change date and time…button (note the User • •
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•
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Account Control icon that will confirm that you requested this action) Click Continue Select the current month and year by clicking on the arrow icons to the left and right of the month and year displayed to scroll a month at a time backwards or forwards TIP: Click the month and year to shrink the calendar to a list of months and use the arrows to scroll a year at a time to scroll faster over long periods of time; click the month name to display the calendar again Select the current date by clicking the date in the calendar Specify the current time by clicking in the hour, minute, second and/or AM/PM fields and using the up/down arrows Click OK to close the Date and Time Settings dialog box Optionally set the time zone by clicking the Change time zone… button and selecting the desired time zone from the list; the Automatically adjust clock for Daylight Saving Time checkbox will automatically adjust the clock at the appropriate times of year if selected; click OK when finished Click OK to close the Date and Time dialog box
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To display the Control Panel: • Select Start, then choose Control Panel • Category View will be displayed by default; to change to Classic View, select Classic View OR If Classic View is displayed, select Control Panel Home to return to Category View Categories in Category View The categories available in Category View are: System and Maintenance: Tools to backup and restore data, view the system’s performance, speed of the CPU and amount of RAM installed, Windows Update settings (also available under Security), power options, indexing options, review problem reports and any known solutions for them, Device Manager (manage the installed hardware and drivers), and access to administrative tools (manage disks, defragment disks, view the event log, and schedule tasks)
To set the date and time automatically: • Right-click on the system clock in the Taskbar and select Adjust Date/Time from the menu • Select the Internet Time tab
Security: Provides access to the Security Center (check for updates with Windows Update and manage the associated settings for it [also available under System and Maintenance], check the status of the firewall, require a password [or not] when Vista wakes up from a sleep state), manage Windows Firewall (specify allowed programs and turn the firewall on or off), manage Windows Defender (scan [and possibly remove] spyware and other malicious software), specify Internet options (including changing security settings, managing browser add-ons, and deleting temporary files created by the Web browser [such as browsing history and cookies]), setup and manage parental controls (including viewing activity reports for those configured to generate them [also available in User Accounts and Family Safety]), and setup and manage BitLocker (including associated keys)
icon that • Click the Change Settings…button (note the User Account Control will confirm that you requested this action) • Click Continue • Verify that Synchronize with an Internet time server is checked to keep your clock always synchronized with the most accurate time available; for this to work properly, be sure to set the correct information for your location in the Time Zone tab • To force an immediate update of the time, click the Update Now button; if any errors are generated, try another time server from the list provided and repeat this step • Click OK to close this dialog box • Click OK to close the Date and Time dialog box
Network and Internet: Tools used with networking, including the new Network and Sharing Center (to connect to networks and view the devices on them, add a device to the network, and setup and manage file and printer sharing), set Internet options (including managing browser add-ons, setting the homepage, and deleting browser history and cookies [also available in Security]), managing offline files (including setting the amount of space they can consume and the encryption [or not] of them), managing the Windows Firewall (same options as in Security), and setting up, managing, and resolving conflicts involved with synchronization with other devices, computers, etc. (via the Sync Center)
Taskbar Shortcut Menu While the contents of the Taskbar shortcut menu may vary depending on what is selected, the following options are generally available: • Toolbars: Displays a submenu containing the Toolbars available for the Taskbar; to display or hide a Toolbar, check or uncheck the Toolbar name from this menu; visible Toolbars are denoted with a checkmark in front of the name • Cascade Windows: Causes all open windows to be cascaded (overlapped with a small horizontal and vertical offset from the previous window), with each window slightly showing; this arrangement saves a lot of space but still provides access to windows without having to reduce each to the Taskbar • Show Windows Stacked: Sizes all open windows horizontally across the screen; each window will be long and short; if many windows are open, they will be stacked horizontally and vertically • Show Windows Side by Side: Sizes all open windows vertically across the screen; each window will be narrow and tall; if many windows are open, they will be stacked horizontally and vertically • Show the Desktop: Minimizes all open windows to Task buttons on the Taskbar, enabling the Desktop to be seen • Undo: Undoes the last window-sizing action taken with any of the Show or Cascade options (only remembers the last action) • Task Manager: Displays the Task Manager window [NOTE: Open windows are those that are not minimized]
Hardware and Sound: This is the largest collection of tools and utilities, providing access to the following: printers (and faxes; used to create and delete printers, as well as setting a default printer), managing AutoPlay behavior (what happens when a CD, DVD, or other media is inserted by default), managing sound (including the hardware devices as well as the sounds that are played when various events occur and the volume), configuring the mouse (including cursor style and button settings), setting power options (managing what the power button(s) do, when the computer sleeps and various related power options [some of which are also available in System and Maintenance]), changing various display settings (including resolution, size of icons, etc. [some of which are also in Appearance and Personalization]), managing attached scanners and digital cameras (including scanning and faxing documents), setting keyboard options (such as the cursor blink rate, keyboard delay before repeat and the repeat rate if a key is held down), managing all the hardware devices through Device Manager (to add, change, and remove installed devices and their drivers), setting phone and modem options, 5
Control Panel (continued )
setting up and configuring game controllers, setting up and configuring Windows SlideShow (an external, usually small, screen to view and access content even when the computer itself is off, such as playing a CD or viewing email), configuring pen and input devices (used with tablet PCs), configuring color management (to make screens, printers, and scanners all reproduce the same color the same way), and manage other tablet PC settings (such as the screen orientation—portrait [tall and thin] or landscape [short and fat]) Programs: Tools to add and remove programs and configure the installed options of currently installed programs (as well as configuring compatibility for programs designed for older versions of Windows), specify Windows Defender settings (also available in Security), configure Windows SlideShow (also available in Hardware and Sound), add and remove gadgets to/from the Sidebar (simple applications that are on the desktop for quick and easy access), specify default programs for various tasks (such as default Web browser or email reader), and provide a quick and easy way to buy (and manage those already purchased) applications from Windows Marketplace User Accounts and Family Safety: Tools to create, manage and delete users (including changing the associate picture and password for a user) and to set and manage parental controls (including viewing activity reports [also available in Security]) Appearance and Personalization: Tools to manage the look and feel of Windows (including desktop background, screen saver, resolution [also available in Hardware and Sound], and colors), configure the Taskbar and Start Menu (as described in the The Taskbar section), make Vista easier to use for those with various handicaps and disabilities (also available in Ease of Access), set various folder options, install or remove fonts, and set various Sidebar properties (including adding or removing gadgets [also available in Programs]) Clock, Language and Region: Provides access to the date and time functions (including setting the date and time and time zone [described in the Setting Date and Time section], adding multiple clocks to the system clock notification area, and adding the Clock gadget to the Sidebar), and the regional settings and language options (including changing installed languages, display languages, keyboard type, and changing date, time, and number formatting) Ease of Access: These settings revolve around 2 sets of options: the Ease of Access Center (which optimizes the display, changing mouse and keyboard settings for easier access for the disabled, etc., including a new Let Windows suggest settings link to run a wizard to help Vista optimize all of the accessibility features based on the user’s needs [also available in Appearance and Personalization]) and speech recognition capabilities (including microphone setup and using the speech recognition features built into Vista) Additional Options: This is the catch-all for any Control Panel applet that does not come with Vista, such as 3rd party virus scanners
Sleep vs. Shutdown When turning off the PC, Windows Vista must be properly “shutdown” first; in previous versions of Windows, this happened frequently, but with Vista and the upgraded power management capabilities, shutting off the computer should be a relatively rare occurrence When Vista is shutdown, it closes all open programs and files, whereas if the shutdown procedure is not completed prior to turning off the PC, Vista will have to check the drive for errors prior to the next start up, and files may be corrupted that may hamper Vista from functioning properly, and temporary files will consume disk space until deleted The new sleep capability allows the computer to go into a very low power state but to resume right where you left off within seconds; a variation of this, called Hybrid Sleep, will also write the contents of RAM to the disk to allow the PC to be fully powered off and resume within a short period of time (faster than starting from a cold boot, but slower than standby); this is particularly useful for laptops to avoid draining the battery [refer to Help for details on the power options] To shutdown Windows Vista: • Select the arrow at the right side of the Start Menu and choose Shutdown To restart the PC: • Select the arrow at the right side of the Start Menu and choose Restart To place the PC in Sleep: • Select the arrow at the right side of the Start Menu and choose Sleep OR Click the Sleep
button
To enable Hybrid Sleep: • Open Control Panel and select Hardware and Sound • Select the Power Options link • Select the desired power plan (or create a new one) • Click the Change Plan Settings link • Click the Change advanced power settings link • Expand Sleep • Expand Allow hybrid Sleep • Set On Battery and/or Plugged in to Yes • Click OK to close the Advanced Power Settings window • Click Save Changes
Customizing the Display Windows Vista offers several options for customizing the appearance of windows, the desktop and screen savers; configuration is through the Appearance and Personalization area of Control Panel To display the Personalization window for appearance and sounds: • Click the right mouse button on the Desktop and a shortcut menu is displayed; select Personalize and the window illustrated here is displayed Microsoft ®
To select a Desktop picture or wallpaper: • Display the Personalize window as outlined above • Click the Desktop Background link • From the Picture Location drop-down menu, select Windows Wallpapers (includes black and white and color pictures, textures, and widescreen backgrounds), Pictures or Public Pictures (then, specify which folder has the pictures to choose from), Sample Pictures (samples that come with Vista) or Solid Colors (to select from a list of common colors or create your own) • Once a background/picture is chosen, click the name once • Specify how the picture should be scaled relative to the screen resolution (leave it the original size and center it, tile it as many times as it fits, or stretch it to fit the screen) • Click OK To enable a Screen Saver: • Display the Personalize window as outlined above • Click the Screen Saver link • Click the arrow located beside the Screen Saver field and make a selection from the options provided; to see a preview of the selection, click the Preview button • Click the Settings button to change the setting specific for the selected screen saver • Specify the delay, with no keyboard or mouse activity before the screen saver starts, in the Wait field (in minutes, from 1 to 9,999 minutes) • Check the On resume, display logon screen to make the user type his/her password to get back to the desktop (where he/she left off), or uncheck it to return to the desktop as soon as any keyboard or mouse activity occurs • Optionally, click the Change power settings link to specify how long with no keyboard or mouse activity before the screen goes into standby mode (saving a lot of electricity) and, optionally, even placing the computer in sleep mode • Click OK
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Customer Hotline # 1.800.230.9522 We welcome your feedback so we can maintain and exceed your expectations Screen shots may vary depending on the version installed. This guide is based on the software version shipping at the time of publication and is accurate to that version. * Microsoft ®, VistaTM, MSN ®, and Windows ® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation ® in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. Due to its condensed format, it cannot possibly cover every aspect of the software. BarCharts, Inc., its writers and editors are not responsible or liable for the use or misuse of the information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. ©2007 BarCharts, Inc. 0508
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ISBN-13: 978-142320768-9 ISBN-10: 142320768-8
