Category: Word Processing

Using Formatting Styles in Word 2007

Using Formatting Styles in Word 2007

1X1If you want to create a professional looking document, the preset styles in Word 2007 make it easy to choose headings, subheadings, and font themes that are designed to complement one another. Using the Quick Styles feature can help save you time and make your document look more polished.  To get started, go to the Home tab and find the Styles box on the right. In this box, you can choose from a range of styles and color schemes. To apply a style to a section, just highlight your text then click on the style you want.  You can also use the Change Styles button to quickly change style sets, colors and fonts.

image001

Track Changes as you Edit in Word

Track Changes as you Edit in Word

1X1Track Changes in Microsoft Word is a helpful feature for viewing and editing revisions while you work in a document. This tool can be incredibly useful when multiple users are editing the same document. Also, if you are a professor, you can use Track Changes to add comments and make revisions to a paper. The author of the document can accept or reject each change once the document is ready to be finalized.   Here are a few steps to get started with Track Changes:

Turn on Track Changes

Under the Review tab, select Track Changes. (For older versions of Word, go to Tools and select Track Changes.)

track-changes

You can also use a shortcut to turn on and off track changes (CTRL-SHIFT-E).

Add Changes or Comments

  • 1.      Turn on Track Changes.
  • 2.     Make revisions directly into the document and they will show up in red.
  • 3.      Click on the New Comment button to add remarks.

track-changes-new-comment2

Here is what each displays:
Final Showing Markup: Document with changes
Final: Document including proposed changes
Original Showing Markup: Original document with proposed changes
Original: Document before any editing

track-changes-views

Accept or Reject Changes

To accept or reject changes, click on the appropriate button on the top menu.

accept-changes

Or you can right click on the change and a drop-down menu will appear with options to accept or reject.

 

To learn more visit:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA012186901033.aspx

Adjusting Auto-Save in Office 2007

Adjusting Auto-Save in Office 2007

1X1If you’ve ever lost your work due to a computer freeze or power loss then you know how frustrating it can be.  In Microsoft Office, there is a way to help prevent such a disaster. All you need to do is adjust the auto-save interval time so that you know how often and where your documents will be saved. Here are the steps in Microsoft Word to set up this option; note that the steps are the same for PowerPoint and Excel:

  • 1. Click on the Microsoft Logo in the top left corner.
  • 2. At the bottom of the screen, select Word Options. 

    word-options-button

  • 3. Go to the Save tab. Here you can select an interval time and location for auto-saving your documents.word-auto-save-options2
Google Wave

Google Wave

Google Wave is a new online tool that provides a platform for real-time collaboration and communication. Google has combined features of instant messaging, wikis, email and word processing so that users can work together to create and edit documents called “waves.”  These waves allow any participant to edit any part of the document and there is an option to add pictures, maps or graphics to the document. This tool could be useful for collaborating on group projects, brainstorming, class notes or even planning an event.

Initially Google Wave only released in a limited preview to a select number of participants, but now you can follow this  link to request an invite from Google. It still may take a few days to get a confirmation email though. For more information about Google Wave visit their website or watch a short video from some of the Google developers.

As of August 2010, Google Wave has been shut down.

Reduce the Size of Large PowerPoint and Word Files

Reduce the Size of Large PowerPoint and Word Files

With Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, large files are almost always caused by images.  You might have high resolution digital photos from your digital camera that you’ve inserted, high quality scans, or uncompressed graphics all throughout your file. Reducing file size helps alleviate complications later such as your colleague not being able to open your email attachment or lengthy download times.  If you have a Word or PowerPoint file containing images that you plan to attach in an email or post to Blackboard then it’s worth compressing the images within your document.

PC users

There is a built-in option for compressing all of your images at once in Office 2003 and 2007.  Follow these steps to compress your image in Word 2003/2007 and PowerPoint 2003.

  1. Right-click on a picture, then click Format Picture on the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Format dialog box, click the Picture tab, and then click Compress.
  3. Under Apply to, click All pictures in document.
  4. Under Change resolution, click Web/Screen.
  5. Under Options, select the Compress pictures check box and the Delete cropped areas of pictures check box.
  6. Click OK.
  7. If prompted, click Apply in the Compress Pictures dialog box.

If you are using PowerPoint 2007, the steps vary slightly:

  1. Single-click on a picture, then click the Format tab from the menu options on the upper right.
  2. Click the Compress Images button on the upper left.

Mac Users

Microsoft Office does not have a built in compression feature for the Mac. However, if your image files are too big, consider converting them to JPG. You can easily convert images on a Mac by opening them in the Finder and saving them to the JPG format. You can also lessen the quality to reduce file size when you save images from the Finder.  You can also use any photo-editing program such as Photoshop to reduce the size of an image.  If you do not have a program like Photoshop installed on your computer, see a previous Tech Tip on free photo-editing tools.

Easily Extract Images from a Word Document

Easily Extract Images from a Word Document

Once an image is included in a Word document, it is embedded as part of the file.  If you would like to use an image that is part of a Word document, luckily there is a quick and easy way to extract and save images from Word.  Saving a Word document as a Web page (from Word 2000 on) will separate the text from images as separate files.   

To save your document as a Web page, select (File > Save as) then choose Other Formats.  From the pull-down menu, next to Save as type:, select (Web page *.htm; *.html), then save.  Two components will be saved; a folder, which will contain the image files along with a separate .htm file. Find the image files you’d like to use and you may delete the rest, since you will still have the original Word document.

Edit your Google Documents Offline

Edit your Google Documents Offline

You may already be using the online word processor Google Docs to create and store documents online for free, publish them in multiple formats and access them anywhere and anytime you can connect to the Internet. If you are unfamiliar with Google Docs, you can check out a previous Loyola Tech Tip to learn about the benefits of using this fabulous tool. The greatest advantage of using Google Docs is that you can login from any computer to edit your documents. However, if you lose your internet connection and need access to a crucial file, you will be out of luck. That is unless you install Google’s Gears, an open source browser extension that enables Web applications to run offline.

Enabling Google Docs Offline

Once you download and follow the installation instructions from the Gears Home Page , you will be prompted to restart your Web browser. When you reopen your browser, sign into Google Docs and click on the Offline link.

offline.png

You will be prompted with instructions to synchronize your documents. Once your documents are synched, you will notice a green checkmark status indicator next to your user name in the upper right hand corner. The status indicator will turn gray when you are working offline. If you login to Google Docs without an internet connection you will be able to edit any of your word processing documents or view your spreadsheets. At this time, you cannot create new documents when you are working offline. Keep in mind that you’ll need to install Gears on each computer that you would like to sync your Google Docs with (i.e. your laptop and your desktop). You should only enable the Google Docs offline feature on your personal computer, not a shared computer. Gears is also compatible with Google Reader, which enables you to access your Web feeds offline as well.

Further Reading:

Google Gears Help Center