jump to navigation

HELP! Word Keeps Adding Styles Based on Formatting September 14, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, Word Tips.
add a comment

If you use Word styles, then you might notice that new styles are added to the style list based on formatting changes you have made, not to the style but to items in the document itself. 

For example, you are using Heading 1 style and for one of the headings you format the font to be red;  the font color for Heading 1 was blue.  Now you have a new style named Heading 1 + Red.

I find this feature to be most annoying!  This post will show you how to turn off the addition of styles based on formatting changes.

Word 2003

1.  Tools, Options, Edit Tab

2.   Remove the √  in Keep track of formatting

Word 2007

 1.  Office Button, Word Options, Advanced category

2.  Remove the √  in Keep track of formatting

 

How Do I Stop Word from Creating a Hyperlink When I Type a Web Page Address? September 8, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, Word Tips.
Tags: , ,
add a comment

Q:  What do I do if I don’t want web page addresses to be a hyperlink? 

A:  There are two solutions based on how often you want the hyperlink removed:

  • Turn the feature off completely
    Office 2000-2003:
    1.  Go to Tools | AutoCorrect Options and select the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
    2.  Under Replace As You Type, deselect the Internet And Network Paths With Hyperlinks check box and click OK.
    Office 2007:
    1.  Office Button, Word Options, Proofing category, AutoCorrect Options
    2.  Select the AutoFormat as You Type tab. 
    3.  Under Replace as You Type, deselect the Internet and Network Paths with Hyperlinks check box and click OK.
 
  • Turn the feature off occassionally
    1.  Right-mouse click the hyperlink
    2.  Select Remove Hyperlink

Deliver your PowerPoint 2007 Presentation on Two Monitors September 1, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, PowerPoint Tips.
Tags: ,
add a comment

Presenter view

By using two monitors, you can run your Office PowerPoint 2007 presentation from one monitor (at a podium, for example) while your audience views it on the second monitor. Presenter view offers the following tools to make it easier for you to present information:

  • You can use thumbnails to select slides out of sequence and create a customized presentation for your audience.
  • Preview text shows you what your next click will add to the screen, such as a new slide or the next bullet in a list.
  • Speaker’s notes are shown in large, clear type so that you can use them as a script for your presentation.
  • You can black out the screen during your presentation and then resume where you left off. For example, you might not want to display the slide content during a break or a question and answer period. 

Configure PowerPoint to use Presenter view

  1. On the Slide Show tab, in the Monitors group, click Use Presenter View.    NOTE:   The Display Settings dialog box from Windows Control Panel may appear.  If it does not, see Microsoft Windows Help to locate your Windows Display Settings.
  2. In the Display Settings dialog box, on the Monitor tab, click the monitor icon that you want to use to view your speaker notes, and then select the This is my main monitor check box.  If the This is my main monitor check box is selected and unavailable, the monitor is already designated as the primary monitor.  You can select only one primary monitor at a time.  If you click a different monitor icon, the This is my main monitor check box is cleared and made available again.
  3. Click the monitor icon for the second monitor that the audience will view, select the Extend my Windows Desktop onto this monitor check box, and then click OK.
  4. On the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show.
  5. In the Set Up Show dialog box, choose the options that you want, and then click OK.
  6. To begin delivering your presentation, on the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click Slide Show.

Deliver your presentation on two monitors

  1. On the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show.
  2. In the Set Up Show dialog box, choose the options that you want, and then click OK.
  3. To begin delivering your presentation, on the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click Slide Show.

Add an ‘Action Button’ to a Slide August 24, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, PowerPoint Tips.
Tags: , ,
add a comment

Action buttons are built-in button shapes that you can add to your presentation and then assign an action to occur upon the click of a mouse or when someone ‘mouses over’ the button.  I would not recommend the ‘mouse over’ method.

When you deliver your presentation, you can click an action button to:

  • Go to the next slide, the previous slide, the first slide, the last slide, the most recent slide viewed, a specific slide number that you specify. a different PowerPoint presentation, or a Web page
  • Run a program
  • Run a macro
  • Play a sound

     PPT Action Buttons

I often place an Action Button on a ‘hidden’ slide.  If I need to go to the hidden slide during the presentation, then I can click the Action Button to take me back to the slide I had been on.  The setting used is “Hyperlink to:  Last Slide Viewed.”  I always place an Action Buttons on the lower right corner of the slide and make it as small as possible, changing the color of the button so it blends in with the slide background.

PowerPoint 2000 – 2003

Insert an action button on a single slide

  1. Select the slide you want to place a button on.
  2. On the Slide Show menu, point to Action Buttons, and then select the button you want— for example, Home, Back or Previous, Forward or Next, Beginning, End, or Return.
  3. Click the slide.
  4. Make sure that Hyperlink to is selected. Click OK to accept the proposed hyperlink in the Hyperlink to list, or click the arrow and select the link you want.

PowerPoint 2007

Add an action button and assign an action

  1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes, and then under Action Buttons, click the button that you want to add.
  2. Click a location on the slide, and then drag to draw the shape for the button.
  3. In the Action Settings dialog box, do one of the following:
    ►  To choose the behavior of the action button when you click it in Slide Show view, click the Mouse Click tab.
    ►   To choose the behavior of the action button when you move the pointer over it in Slide Show view, click the Mouse Over tab.  (I do not recommend this method!)
  4. To choose the action that will take place when you click or move the pointer over the action button, do one of the following:
    ►  To use the shape without a corresponding action, click None.
    ►  To create a hyperlink, click Hyperlink to, and then select the destination (for example, the next slide, the previous slide, the last slide, or another PowerPoint presentation) that you want the hyperlink action to go to.NOTE:  To link to a file created by another program, such as a Microsoft Word or Excel file, in the Hyperlink to list, click Other File.►  To run a program, click Run program, click Browse, and then locate the program that you want to run.
    ►  If you want the shape that you chose as an action button to perform an action, click Object action, and then select the action that you want it to perform.
    ►  To play a sound, select the Play sound check box, and then select the sound that you want to play.
  5. Click OK.

Nudge It a Little in PowerPoint August 3, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, PowerPoint Tips.
Tags: , ,
add a comment

I use the arrow keys all the time to move my objects; however, sometimes the nudge is a bit too much.  So I might turn off the Snap to Grid feature (instructions below).

But, even easier is to hold down CTRL and press the ARROW keys to nudge the freeform in 1-pixel increments.  This is one screen pixel.  What 1 screen pixel represents is relative to the document area depends on the zoom percentage.  When your document is zoomed in to 400%, 1 screen pixel is a relatively small nudge distance on the document.  When your document is zoomed out to 25%, 1 screen pixel is a relatively large nudge distance on the document.

 To Nudge:

  1. Select the object and then use the appropriate arrow key.
  2. Each key press will move the object approximately 1/12 of an inch.
    PowerPoint applies this predefined amount when the grid is enabled.

To Change or Disable Snap to Grid Settings:

Office 97 – 2003

  1. Click Draw on the Drawing toolbar and choose Grid And Guides.
  2. In the resulting dialog box, you can select or deselect the Snap Objects To Grid check box, adjust the grid spacing, and display the grid and/or drawing guides on your slides.

Office 2007

  1. Under SmartArt Tools, Drawing Tool, Picture Tools, Chart Tools, etc., on the Format tab, click Arrange, and then click Align.  If you are working with a Table, select the Layout tab in the Table Tools Ribbon.
  2. Click Grid settings, and then clear the Snap objects to grid check box or change the number in the Spacing box under Grid settings.
    If you do not see the SmartArt/Drawing/Picture Tools or Format tabs, make sure that you selected an object.

Remember, for a quick, small nudge is CTRL + ARROW key!

Print the ‘Field Titles’ Row at the Top of Each Page July 20, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Excel Tips, Office 2007 Tips.
Tags: ,
add a comment

If you have an Excel sheet that prints on more than one page, it is helpful if the titles print at the top of each page, not just on page one.

Unfortunately you cannot set this feature up from Print Preview.

For Excel 97 – 2003:

  1. File, Page Set Up, then the Sheet Tab.
    Excel Rows to repeat at top
  2. At Rows to repeat at top, click the red marker at the end of the area then click on the row # (#’s) you want to repeat at the top, then press Enter.  You can then select Print Preview from this box to see how it works.

For Excel 2007:

  1. Click on the Page Layout Ribbon, then in the Page Setup group, select the Print Titles icon.
  2. The dialog box above in the 97-2003 instructions appears.  Follow the step 2 above.

NOTE:  You can also repeat columns on the left of a printed page.  This is helpful is the data will not print one page wide.

Modify Word 2007’s Normal Style – Get Rid of the Spacing July 6, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, Word Tips.
Tags: , ,
add a comment

Word 2007’s default Normal style includes formatting for spacing after the paragraph and a line spacing larger than Single.

To adjust the Normal style to have no spacing after the paragraph and be single spaced do the following:

  1. On the Home tab, the Styles group, locate Normal
  2. Right-mouse click on Normal
  3. Click on Modify
  4. On the bottom left of the style box, click Format, then Paragraph
  5. On the Indents and Spacing tab, change the Spacing After: to 0 pt (zero)
  6. Change the Line spacing: to Single
  7. Click OK
  8. Click the radio circle in front of New documents based on this template that appears at the bottom of the Modify Style dialog box
  9. If you want to change the font type or size, do it now.  All future documents you created based on this default template will conform to the changes you make.
  10. Click OK