Word 97: Increasing Efficiency

Transcription

1 Windows 95 Word 97: Increasing Efficiency Increasing Your Efficiency Word for Windows has a number of features that can help you perform word processing tasks more quickly or to increase efficiency by allowing you to customize Word according to your individual needs. This document discusses eleven such features in Word 97. They fall into four broad overlapping categories: Proofing, Automatic Text, Moving and Deleting Text, and Navigating. Spelling and Grammar Checkers Word will check your spelling and grammar for you as type, or it can check your entire document at once. Be aware, though, that the spellchecker will not pick up incorrect words (such as "there" instead of "their") or misspellings that look like other words. It will not mark words in uppercase letters and words containing numbers unless you tell it to. The spellchecker also ignores Internet and file addresses. The grammar checker will mark some mistakes, but it is unreliable. Nevertheless, although these tools are not substitutes for proofreading, they will catch a lot of mistakes. Always spellcheck your document. Spelling and Grammar Check as You Type As you type, Word will automatically check your document and underline possible spelling errors with a wavy red line and possible grammatical errors with a wavy green line. To correct an error, right-click the underlined word, and select the correction you want from the shortcut menu. You may also Add the word to the dictionary or Ignore All occurrences of the word. If you select AutoCorrect, Word will not only correct the error but will also correct it automatically if you make it again. (You'll see later how to add AutoCorrect entries manually). Select Spelling or Grammar from the shortcut menu to bring up the Spelling/Grammar dialog box which contains additional options, including Change All, which will automatically change all subsequent misspellings of the word, and Ignore All, which will tell the spellchecker to ignore all occurrences of the word. The Spelling Icon To go to the closest misspelled word in the document and automatically bring up the shortcut menu, double click on the spelling icon on the right side of the bottom status bar. This icon will be in one of three formats: the left one indicates that Word has not found any spelling errors in the document; the center one appears when one or more spelling errors are present; and the right icon appears while Word spell checks the document. Turning off Automatic Spelling and Grammar Checkers To turn off the automatic spelling and grammar checkers, go to the Tools menu, select Options, and click on the Spelling and Grammar tab. Uncheck the boxes next to "Check Spelling as You Type" and "Check Grammar as You Type." You can also tell Word to ignore words with numbers or in uppercase. Checking the Whole Document at Once If you have the automatic spelling and grammar checkers turned off, or if you want Word to check your entire document at once, you can activate spellchecker in three different ways: By selecting Spelling and Grammar from the Tools menu. By pressing <F7> on your keyboard. By clicking on the Spelling and Grammar button on the Standard Toolbar. Word will search the document, and the Spelling and Grammar dialog box will appear when it finds a misspelled word or grammatical error.

2 Windows 95: Word 97 Increasing Efficiency Page 2 Excluding Text from Spellcheck If you have ever quoted Old English or included a list of personal names, you know that this can really slow down the spellchecker. Fortunately, Word lets you omit a range of text from spell checking. To do this, highlight the text that you want to omit. Go to the Tools menu, and click on Language and then Set Language. Scroll to the top of the options and select (no proofing). Word will now skip over this text when it spell checks the document. You will note that the menu lists several languages for proofing, but spellchecker cannot proof languages other than English unless a dictionary for that language is installed. Thesaurus Word also has a built in thesaurus to help you find the right word quickly. Highlight the word for which you want a synonym. Go to the Tools menu, select Language, and then Thesaurus. Or type <Shift> <F7>. In the thesaurus dialog box, select the shade of "Meaning" closest to what you want, and then select the "Synonym" you want. Click Replace. If you don't see the word you want, select the closest synonym on the list and click Look Up to see the synonyms for that word. AutoCorrect Word automatically corrects common spelling and grammatical errors as you type. For example, if you mistakenly type "adn," Word will change it to "and" as soon as you press the space bar. Replace Text as You Type You've already seen how to add spelling corrections to AutoCorrect as you run the spellchecker. But you can also manually add words and phrases to AutoCorrect: 1. Select AutoCorrect from the Tools menu and click on the AutoCorrect tab to bring up the AutoCorrect dialog box. The bottom half of the AutoCorrect dialog box lists the text and symbols that Word automatically replaces 2. Type the abbreviation or misspelled word that you want to change automatically into the "Replace" box. We typed "fyi" in the example. 3. Type what you want it replaced with into the "With" box. We typed "for your information." 4. Click Add. Now in the example, every time we type "fyi," it will automatically be changed to "for your information." If you have text highlighted when you open the AutoCorrect dialog box, that text will appear in the "With" field, so you only need to type in what you want that text to "Replace."

3 Windows 95: Word 97 Increasing Efficiency Page 3 Capitalization The top half of the AutoCorrect dialog box lists common capitalization errors that word corrects as you type. A check beside a feature indicates that it is turned on. To turn off a feature, simply click in the check box to uncheck it. To turn off AutoCorrect (including the "Replace" feature), uncheck Replace Text as You Type. Exceptions to Capitalization Changes Occasionally, the AutoCorrect feature can become more cumbersome than helpful because exceptions frequently arise. For instance, if you checked "Capitalize First Letter of Sentence" and typed in a sentence like "It will be approx. ten minutes." Word will see the period after "x" and capitalize the "t" in "ten." You can correct this problem by simply changing the "t" back to lowercase, but Word will remember this and not correct a lowercase "t" after a period the next time it appears. Fortunately, you can make exceptions for particular words or phrases by following these steps: 1. Select AutoCorrect from the Tools menu and click on the AutoCorrect tab to bring up the AutoCorrect dialog box. 2. Press the Exceptions Button. 3. Select the tab for either Initial Caps or First Letter depending upon which rule you want to make an exception to. 4. Enter the word or phrase on the Don t capitalize after or the Don't Correct line. 5. Click Add 6. Uncheck "Automatically Add Words to List," if you do not want Word to add words to the exceptions list after you have manually reversed AutoCorrect's changes. 7. Click OK when you have finished. Now AutoCorrect will not alter that word when you type it. HOT TIP: Holding down the Control Button and tapping "z" (the Undo Command), will cause Word to reverse any change made by AutoCorrect. Autoformat as you Type After selecting AutoCorrect from the Tools menu, click on the AutoFormat As You Type tab to see a list of additional characters that Word automatically changes. Word, for example, will replace "straight quotes" with smart quotes. The AutoFormat As You Type dialog box also lists common formatting changes that Words make automatically, such as making a list numbered or bulleted. Again, you can turn any of these features off or on by clicking in its checkbox. AutoText AutoCorrect will expand abbreviations automatically, but what if we wanted to be able to insert a longer string of text by using just a few letters? That is what AutoText is for.

4 Windows 95: Word 97 Increasing Efficiency Page 4 Using the AutoText toolbar, you can quickly create an AutoText entry: 1. Turn on the AutoText toolbar by selecting it from the Toolbar options in the View menu. 2. Type and format the longer string of text exactly how you want it to be inserted. Highlight the text. 3. Click New on the AutoText toolbar. 4. In the window that opens, type in a nickname, and click OK. Now when you type the nickname in your document, a yellow box will appear over the word with the AutoText entry in it. Press <Enter> to accept it, and Word will automatically replace the nickname with the text. To reject the AutoText entry, just keep typing. You may also insert AutoText by selecting the text from the All Entries dropdown menu in the center of the toolbar. If you do not want the yellow window to pop up when you type a nickname, click on the button on the far left of the toolbar to open the AutoText dialog box. Uncheck "Show AutoComplete tip for AutoText and dates." You can also create an AutoText entry by typing it into the dialog box. Customizing Toolbars After using Word for awhile, you will realize that the things Microsoft thinks you will use the most often are not necessarily the things that you actually do the most often. Hunting through toolbars for the right button may seem inefficient, and toolbars take up space on your screen. You also may want a button for an AutoText entry that you use all the time or to change from single to double spacing. For these reasons, you might want to customize an existing toolbar or create your own toolbar with just the items that you use the most. Follow these steps to create your own toolbar. To modify an existing toolbar, begin with step On the Tools menu, select Customize, and click on the Toolbars tab. 2. Click New. 1. In the Toolbar name box, type a name for the toolbar. Click OK. A blank toolbar will appear on your screen. 2. To add buttons to the toolbar, click the Commands tab. 3. In the Categories box, click a category for the command you want to add. 4. Click and drag the button or command to the toolbar. You can see what a particular button does by highlighting it and clicking the Descriptions button. 5. If the command does not have a button assigned to it (as is the case with AutoText entries), or if you want to change the button for a particular command, click the Modify Selection button. 6. Select Change Button Image from the dropdown menu, and select the icon you want. 7. Click the Modify Selection button again and choose what you want to appear on the toolbar: "Text Only," "Image and Text," or the "Default," which is just the image. 8. To reset an existing toolbar or to delete a custom toolbar, click on the Toolbars tab, select the toolbar, and click the Reset button or the Delete button. 9. When you finish making your changes, click Close. Tip: If you click the Keyboard button in the Customize Commands dialog box, you can create keyboard shortcuts for commands. Be careful that you do not accidentally delete a pre-existing keyboard shortcut.

5 Windows 95: Word 97 Increasing Efficiency Page 5 Moving and Deleting Text Keyboard Shortcuts The edit menu lists the keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy, and paste, but here are some others that will speed your editing: Delete one word to the left of the insertion point Delete one word to the right of the insertion point Move highlighted text (without replacing the clipboard contents) Copy highlighted text (without replacing the clipboard contents) Move a paragraph up Move a paragraph down Copy formats Paste formats <CTRL> <Backspace> <CTRL> <Delete> Highlight the text. Press <F2>. Place the cursor at the new location. Press <Enter>. Highlight the text. Press <Shift><F2>. Place the cursor at the new location. Press <Enter> <Alt><Shift> <Alt><Shift> <CTRL><Shift>C <CTRL><Shift>V The Spike The Spike, named for old-fashioned desktop spikes where messages and notes were impaled, is a way to cut multiple bits of text, pile them, and then paste them into a new document in the order in which they were compiled. To put text onto the Spike, simply follow the steps below: 1. Highlight the text that you want to place on the Spike. 2. Hold down the <Ctrl> key and press <F3>. Your text is now on the Spike. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each item you want to collect in the Spike. 4. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the contents of the Spike. 5. Press <Ctrl><Shift><F3>. You cannot copy text to the Spike; in other words, when text is placed on the Spike, it is deleted from its original location. But you can copy text from the Spike, leaving a copy on the Spike to be inserted another time. Simply follow steps 1-4 above. Then at the insertion point, type spike and press <F3>. Windows Splitting a Document Window Splitting a document window can speed your document editing by allowing you to see two parts of a document at the same time. You can see both what you're cutting and where it goes all in one screen. Changes you make it one pane are reflected in the other. You can also work in a different view in each plane: one may be in Outline View, while the other is in Normal View. Word gives you two ways to split a document window: Double click on the split window button, which is just above the up arrow button at the top of the vertical scrollbar. When the mouse is on the split window button, it appears as an up-and-down arrow divided by two short lines. Your window will divide evenly into two panes. Go to the Window menu and select Split. This will attach a horizontal bar to your cursor. Click where you want the bar to go in the document. Click and drag the horizontal bar to move the split. To switch between panes, click in the pane you want to activate. To remove a split, double click on the bar, or select Remove Split from the Window menu.

6 Windows 95: Word 97 Increasing Efficiency Page 6 Arranging Windows You can also use multiple windows to increase your efficiency when cutting and pasting between documents. To see all open documents on the screen at once, selecting Arrange All from the Window menu. Again, click in the pane you want to activate. New Window To open a second window for a document, select New Window from the Window menu. As with splitting the window, changes made in one window will affect the other. But you will not see both windows on the screen at the same time unless you select Arrange All. By opening a New Window and selecting Arrange All, you can see two different places in one document on the same screen with any other open document. Navigating Windows From the Windows menu, you can navigate between multiple windows or documents by selecting from the list of open windows at the bottom of the menu. The following keyboard shortcuts will also help you navigate between open windows: Go to the next document window Go to the previous document window Maximize a document window Maximize an application window Restore a document window to its previous size Restore an application window to its previous size Display non-printing characters in Word <CTRL><F6> <CTRL><Shift><F6> <CTRL><F10> <ALT><F10> <CTRL><F5> <ALT><F5> <CTRL><Shift>* Navigating Within Documents Keyboard Shortcuts The following are some keyboard shortcuts that will keep you from having to use the scroll bars or leave the keyboard to grab the mouse when you want to move around the document. To move... One word to the right One word to the left To the end of a line To the beginning of a line One paragraph down One paragraph up One screen down One screen up To the top of the next page To the top of the previous page To the end of the document To the beginning of the document To a previous revision To the location of the insertion point when the document was last closed [CTRL=the Control Key] <CTRL> <CTRL> <End> <Home> <CTRL> <CTRL> <Page Down> <Page Up> <CTRL><Page Down> <CTRL><Page Up> <CTRL><End> <CTRL><Home> <Shift><F5> <Shift><F5>

7 Windows 95: Word 97 Increasing Efficiency Page 7 Bookmarks Bookmarks let you define a location in the text by name so that later you can jump directly to that place, even if its location has shifted during revisions. To create a bookmark, place your insertion point at the location in the text or highlight the text where you want the bookmark. From the Insert menu, select Bookmark. Type a name in the Bookmark name box, and click the Add button. You can also bring up the Bookmark dialog box by pressing <Ctrl><Shift><F5> on your keyboard. To delete an existing bookmark, selecting it from the list in the Bookmark dialog box, and click Delete. To use the bookmark, select the bookmark from the Bookmark dialog box, and click Go To. You may also get to it by using the Go To feature. Go To You can jump to particular portions of your document, including bookmarks, by using the Go To function. Word provides three options for opening the Go To dialog box: Select Go To from the Edit Menu. Press <F5>. Double click on the page number on the far left of the bottom status bar. Use the scroll down menu to select what you want to "Go To": a bookmark, a page number, a footnote, or an endnote, for example. The box in the center of the dialog box will change depending upon what you select ("Enter page number" in the example). In this box, type the specific place you want to go to (perhaps a page number), or select from the drop down menu if one appears. Then click Go To. Find and Replace The Find and Replace feature speeds your editing and navigating within a document by allowing you to search for or to replace specific text, formats (such as a certain font or style), and special characters (such as paragraph marks). The Find Command To go to the next occurrence of a particular word or words, select Find from the Edit menu or press <Ctrl> F. Type in the word you want to find and click Find Next. Modifying Your Search Click More to modify your search with the following options: In the Search box, select "All" to search the entire document, "Down" to search from the current location to the end, or "Up" to search from the current location to the top. Match case instructs Word to find only text that matches the uppercase and lowercase letters of your search text. Find whole words only. Use wildcards allows you to use advanced search operators. Click Special to see a list of wildcards that you can select from. Two useful wildcards are listed below:

8 Windows 95: Word 97 Increasing Efficiency Page 8? allows you to search for a single occurrence of any character. For example, typing "h?t" would cause WinWord to find "hat," "hit," and "hot." * allows you to find any combination of characters. For example, typing "chair*" would cause Word to find "chair," "chairs," "chairing." Use Sounds like if you are not sure you spelled the word correctly. Find all word forms is similar to the * and? wildcards. It will find the root of the word plus any ending and any different forms (such as the different forms of irregular verbs). If you have this box checked and you search for "sing," word will find "sing," "singing, "sang," "sung," etc. Finding Formats and Special Characters The bottom of the Find dialog box features two buttons labeled Format and Special. The Format dropdown menu allows you to search for specific fonts, tab settings, styles, or highlighted text. The Special drop down menu allows you to search for special characters, including hidden characters such as paragraph marks and manual page breaks. Replace You can choose not only to find text or formatting but also to replace it with something else once found. Selecting Replace from the Edit menu or pressing <Ctrl><H> will cause the Replace dialog box to appear. You can also click the Replace tab in the Find dialog box. This dialog box looks remarkably similar to the Find dialog box except that a Replace With box is added. Follow the same steps that you would to find text, but in the Replace With box add what you want to replace the original text, formatting, or character with. This document is a publication of Academic Technology and Networks at The University of North Carolina. It may be copied for individual or non-profit use. Please send comments about this publication to CB# 3450, 402 Hanes Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, or to atndocs@unc.edu. Authors: Debbie Best and Suzanne Craymer. Editor: Damon Sauve. Revision date: May 6, Print date: May 6, ATN Document dww26