Hello Again:
Alright, so I'm going to be a little picky here...
One of the things that comes up all the time is when I am working with someone in a Word document and they click and drag the cursor over some text and say "here, I highlighted the text ..." I usually at that point go into a discussion about concepts and semantics. I say "you mean you selected the text?" They look at me like I'm crazy and say "OK, but you see the text is highlighted, right?" I say "yes, but that is the result of you having 'selected' the text."
So what's the point here? Clicking and dragging over text "selects" the text. The software "highlights" the text to let you know it is selected. Just to be clear, there is a "highlighting" feature in Word. So knowing about this and in light of the discussion, when someone tells me they "highlighted" some text in Word, I have to question their meaning of "highlight"; do you mean highlight or perhaps select? See what I mean...semantics.
Now that I have cleared the air about the concept of selecting text, how might I make selections in a Word doc??
Below are ways to select anything in a document from a single character to the entire document:
Any amount of text: Click where you want to begin the selection, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the pointer over the text that you want to select. Or Click at the start of the selection, scroll to the end of the selection, and then hold down SHIFT while you click where you want the selection to end.
A word: Double-click anywhere in the word.
A line of text: Move the pointer to the left of the line until it changes to a right-pointing arrow, and then click.
A sentence: Hold down CTRL, and then click anywhere in the sentence.
A paragraph: Triple-click anywhere in the paragraph.
Multiple paragraphs: Move the pointer to the left of the first paragraph until it changes to a right-pointing arrow, and then press and hold down the left mouse button while you drag the pointer up or down.
An entire document: Move the pointer to the left of any text until it changes to a right-pointing arrow, and then triple-click or CTRL+A.
Try 'em out. These methods usually work in any text editor, not just Word. Talking about improving efficiency!
Take care in the meantime until next time. Joel
Friday, October 15, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
More Words about Word: What's "Normal" in Normal Style?
Hello Again:
Well, some more words about Word. But first a question...What's a Style (as applied to software like Word)? How about a predefined compilation of formats (my definition)? Such as {Times New Roman, 12, Green, Left Aligned, 2 Line Spacing}. Each Style has a name and a definition of the formats that make up that Style. Then there are of course default settings such as the default Style for a given application. Microsoft seems to like the word 'Normal', many of the default settings in MS applications are set to Normal, although Normal may mean different settings for the specific format in this case. Excel has Normal Style by default but has different settings than Word.
As far as the Word Normal Style, low and behold, MS decided to change what Normal is for Word after Word 2003 (Word 2007). So, for those of you who have worked with both versions (or even 2010), you probably have "seen" this and wondered what happened.
In Word 2003 and earlier versions, basically the Normal Style is {Times New Roman, 12, Left Aligned, single space, no before or after spacing}, there are certainly other setting to fully define Normal, but good enough for comparison.
In Word 2007 and 2010, Normal is {Calibi, 11, Left Aligned, 1.15 Line Spacing, 0 pt Before, 10 pt After} and other settings.
The HUGE difference as I would see it, not so much the font change but the spacing changes and the implications. Word 2003 has single spacing with no before or after paragraph spacing, thus one would press Enter twice to create the end of a paragraph, a "blank line", and then start a new paragraph. In Word 2007, 2010, pressing Enter once, starts a new paragraph but 'appears' to have a blank line between the paragraphs. This is of course is due to the After Paragraph setting of 10 pts and the line spacing of 1.15. MS decided this for you. They decided the font and spacing setting are the most visually appealling and the easiest way to make it work.
So what if you want it to be the way it was? In Word 2007 notice there is a style "No Spacing", it is the old style spacing but still uses Calibri 11. To change the font, right click on "No Spacing" and choose Modify. In the lower left click Format, Font and then change it to what you want. Do this for any of the format options. After you are done changing any formats, click "New documents based on this template" to make it the default style for new docs. You could do the same thing to the Normal Style, just modify IT and make it the default. You could even create a New Style and make it the default...
So you don't have to be Normal I guess is the bottom line...
Take care in the meantime until next time. Joel
Well, some more words about Word. But first a question...What's a Style (as applied to software like Word)? How about a predefined compilation of formats (my definition)? Such as {Times New Roman, 12, Green, Left Aligned, 2 Line Spacing}. Each Style has a name and a definition of the formats that make up that Style. Then there are of course default settings such as the default Style for a given application. Microsoft seems to like the word 'Normal', many of the default settings in MS applications are set to Normal, although Normal may mean different settings for the specific format in this case. Excel has Normal Style by default but has different settings than Word.
As far as the Word Normal Style, low and behold, MS decided to change what Normal is for Word after Word 2003 (Word 2007). So, for those of you who have worked with both versions (or even 2010), you probably have "seen" this and wondered what happened.
In Word 2003 and earlier versions, basically the Normal Style is {Times New Roman, 12, Left Aligned, single space, no before or after spacing}, there are certainly other setting to fully define Normal, but good enough for comparison.
In Word 2007 and 2010, Normal is {Calibi, 11, Left Aligned, 1.15 Line Spacing, 0 pt Before, 10 pt After} and other settings.
The HUGE difference as I would see it, not so much the font change but the spacing changes and the implications. Word 2003 has single spacing with no before or after paragraph spacing, thus one would press Enter twice to create the end of a paragraph, a "blank line", and then start a new paragraph. In Word 2007, 2010, pressing Enter once, starts a new paragraph but 'appears' to have a blank line between the paragraphs. This is of course is due to the After Paragraph setting of 10 pts and the line spacing of 1.15. MS decided this for you. They decided the font and spacing setting are the most visually appealling and the easiest way to make it work.
So what if you want it to be the way it was? In Word 2007 notice there is a style "No Spacing", it is the old style spacing but still uses Calibri 11. To change the font, right click on "No Spacing" and choose Modify. In the lower left click Format, Font and then change it to what you want. Do this for any of the format options. After you are done changing any formats, click "New documents based on this template" to make it the default style for new docs. You could do the same thing to the Normal Style, just modify IT and make it the default. You could even create a New Style and make it the default...
So you don't have to be Normal I guess is the bottom line...
Take care in the meantime until next time. Joel
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Word: Basic but Important
Hello again. I guess it's time to put in a word about Word. So I'll start at the beginning...
I taught a Word Level 1 class last week and and once again was reminded as to how some of the most basic concepts about how an application works are missed sometimes when people just "jump into" working with an application and "fumble around" (these are the terms I am told by users, I didn't make it up).
When I teach a Word Level 1 class, one of the first things that is taught in the class is about the "Show/Hide" button. It's the paragraph symbol button. It's in the Standard Toolbar in 2003 and earlier versions and a button in the Paragraph Command Group of versions 2007 and later.
What does the button do (it is NOT on by default)? Well, it shows or hides non-printing characters (dot's for spaces, paragraph marks for paragraphs, right arrow for tab spacing, etc.) Non-printing means the characters don't print but show you the "data" in the document such as spaces.
How many of you after typing something have wondered "is that one or two spaces there???" If Show/Hide were on, just count the number of dots as one dot is one space (zoom in if you need to see it better, like 250%). You all know that one creates paragaphs in Word and the document starts with one blank paragraph (with Show/Hide on you see one paragraph mark in the upper left of the blank document). Honestly, I don't know how someone can confidently work on a document without Show/Hide on or at least turn it on every now and then to see what's there or not there. White space in a document is hard to interpret without this feature; several things can cause white space such as spaces, tabs, indents, alignments, etc. Show/Hide makes it obvious as to what is creating the white space. Do you "see the white", har har.
I hope this gives you some insight and opened your eyes as to what the Show/Hide button in Word is about, no pun intended.
Stay tuned, I'll have more to tell you about in the near future.
Take care in the mean time until next time. Joel
I taught a Word Level 1 class last week and and once again was reminded as to how some of the most basic concepts about how an application works are missed sometimes when people just "jump into" working with an application and "fumble around" (these are the terms I am told by users, I didn't make it up).
When I teach a Word Level 1 class, one of the first things that is taught in the class is about the "Show/Hide" button. It's the paragraph symbol button. It's in the Standard Toolbar in 2003 and earlier versions and a button in the Paragraph Command Group of versions 2007 and later.
What does the button do (it is NOT on by default)? Well, it shows or hides non-printing characters (dot's for spaces, paragraph marks for paragraphs, right arrow for tab spacing, etc.) Non-printing means the characters don't print but show you the "data" in the document such as spaces.
How many of you after typing something have wondered "is that one or two spaces there???" If Show/Hide were on, just count the number of dots as one dot is one space (zoom in if you need to see it better, like 250%). You all know that one creates paragaphs in Word and the document starts with one blank paragraph (with Show/Hide on you see one paragraph mark in the upper left of the blank document). Honestly, I don't know how someone can confidently work on a document without Show/Hide on or at least turn it on every now and then to see what's there or not there. White space in a document is hard to interpret without this feature; several things can cause white space such as spaces, tabs, indents, alignments, etc. Show/Hide makes it obvious as to what is creating the white space. Do you "see the white", har har.
I hope this gives you some insight and opened your eyes as to what the Show/Hide button in Word is about, no pun intended.
Stay tuned, I'll have more to tell you about in the near future.
Take care in the mean time until next time. Joel
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