Announcements

What A Gem!

This was HUGE in our other newsletters!! Check it out while we still have a few left!

I'm so excited! We have a program called MasterCook Deluxe and it is probably the BEST cookbook software I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot)!

First off, it has 15 cookbooks that have a combined total of over 4,000 recipes! So, yes you;re sure to find just the right idea for a meal :-)

Of course, with 4,000 recipes, you'll need a good way to find what you're looking for. Well, the search engine in this thing is fantastic. You can even search based on what you want - or don't want in a recipe. Great for those who are on a strict diet or who are sensitive to certain foods.

My favorite part? The nutritional calculator. I've been trying to lose some weight and this program makes it easy. Just click the Nutritional Analysis button and you'll get a screen full of info. For example, I was looking at the Candy Cane Coffee Cakes (some dieter huh?) and found that a serving has 260 calories, 28% of which are from fat, 65% from carbohydrates, and 7% from protein. In addition, it also gives you the percentage of daily values per serving. From what I can tell, it would take a LOT of coffee cake to get my daily requirement of vitamins.

It also lets you put your favorite recipes into a "favorites" section, has an awesome glossary of cooking terms, includes fantastic "how to" type videos, has an incredible meal planner, can print out shopping lists, and can even scale recipes so you make exactly the amount you need. Heck, you can even add YOUR recipes to it!

Whew, that's the highlight show, but it barely scratches the surface of what this program can do. The price? It's only $14.97 and US Shipping is FREE! (retail is $29.95) Again, this is easily the best CD ROM cookbook I've ever seen and I can't recommend it highly enough! Here's the link - go there now!

http://www.worldstart.com/store/mastercook-deluxe-62.htm

PS - Please! Don't miss out! This cookbook really is fantastic and is a must have. Oh, and remember - we have our 30 day satisfaction guarantee - if you don't think it's a great as I say it is just send it back for a fast, courteous refund! You have nothing to lose!

MS Office 101

Here's a quick update to the "Text Inside an AutoShape" tip from last Tuesday (08-20-2002).

I had several emails about text already typed. Readers were suggesting solutions for putting existing text into the shapes.

Some of them suggested that we draw a shape and then set it to have no fill color. To set fill color to clear click on the fill button (the pouring paint can)

and select No Fill from the palette. This would allow you to drag the shape over the text, but still have the text showing.

A good idea but not easy to manipulate. You can't really drag the shape and text around the document easily and you can't use a fill color to draw attention the shape. (A very powerful thing in color documents and PowerPoint presentations.)

My best suggestion for already existing text is to highlight and copy the text. Then create the AutoShape from the draw menu - as we did last Tuesday - and still use the right-click to Add Text.

Then simply paste the text into the shape.

You can then continue on with formatting and maneuvering. This method also allows you to use a color to fill in the shape behind your text. (The other method requires a clear fill.)

Then go back and delete the text you put into your shape to prevent repetition. (You could use Cut instead of Copy on the text in the beginning - I just find that people feel more secure when they are sure they've got it and would rather go back and delete later. One of those "always keep the kids in your sight" things.)

So - go ahead...

Office Tip of the Day

Frustration Reduction

You're working on a document in MS Word with a lot of numbers and you find yourself frustrated with the way the program is continually trying to turn the numbers into a numbered list.

I mean let's face it - this automatic numbering is a tremendous help if a numbered list is what you're creating but a big pain if you're not. You find yourself constantly trying to delete the numbering and formatting inserted automatically by Word. Is there relief?

Of course there is - and without the aid of aspirin!

Don't get me wrong. I love the automatic numbering and use it frequently - but there are times when it's nothing but a time-consuming nuisance.

Knowing how to turn the feature on and off helps me to maximize my performance (and not to mention minimizes my aggravation) in MS Word.

To turn off the automatic numbering feature we will first need to go to the Tools menu, AutoCorrect choice. (We're not covering AutoCorrect today, but what we need is in the AutoCorrect window. For a run-down of the AutoCorrect feature visit our archives at http://www.worldstart.com/archives/index.htm and check out the April 4th issue of MS Office Tips & Tricks.)

Once in the AutoCorrect window, you will need to go to the AutoFormat As You Type tab.

In the top section, Apply as you type, you will find several choices. If you take a look at the choices on the right hand side you'll find one that says "Automatic numbered lists."

Uncheck this box and you will turn off the feature that has Word constantly trying to start numbered lists anytime it thinks they may be appropriate. Click OK to activate your change.

At this point you'll be able to create your document without a single interruption by the numbering monster.

Now - here's the catch. Once you turn this feature off, you'll have to go back to the same place to turn it back on. It will stay off, even if you close Word completely and then restart the program, until you check the box again. So, in short, if you do have a lot of use for this feature, don't forget to turn it back on again!

(Not too much of a catch, I'd say, given the amount of time certain documents will cause you to spend fighting the numbering process.)

You also may have noticed the checkbox above the numbering. Along the same lines there's a choice to turn off the automatic bulleted lists.

I find that this feature kicks in when I choose to start bulleting items in a list. Then every time I hit enter it starts a new bulleted line automatically.

If you want to turn this feature off then uncheck the box.

The same holds true for turning it back on. You have to actually go back in and check the box again.

You'll probably want to take a quick minute to look through the rest of the choices on the AutoFormat As You Type tab. They're pretty self explanatory and I find I like to have almost all of them working. (I don't like the Headings - in the "Apply as you type" section - because it tries to decide what text is meant as a heading and then automatically makes it bold and larger. I don't want to have to undo all that formatting all the time. Of course, that's just me.)

But it's truly all up to you. Choices, choices, choices…