If you’re using Office 2007 and have to save files formatted for the 97-2003 versions then I’d be that at one time or another you’ve seen this little gem:
Now, since you saw this warning about compatibility issues when you went to save it could mean a lot of re-working to set everything as you want it.
For example: SmartArt… Continue reading
I’m sure that anyone who works in MS Excel has noticed that it has a habit of trying to finish a piece of data for you.
Excel likes to think of that habit as helpful and it’s called AutoComplete.
Well… I can admit that there are select times when it can be helpful but I’ve got to say that for the Excel work I… Continue reading
Over the years I’ve found that the best tricks are discovered completely by accident. Usually a stray click or two and something unexpected happens, the next thing you know you’ve actually found something that you can use.
Recently my accidental click on one of Outlook’s little calendars gave me more than I thought I’d find.
Like many of you, I always used the left… Continue reading
Okay, so you’ve used the Find/Replace function in MS Excel with a lot of success before, right?
But, let’s just say you now have a multiple worksheet file and you have to search for replacements on several (or all) of the worksheets. What do you do?
You could run the Find/Replace on the first worksheet, switch to the next sheet and start the process… Continue reading
If you’re anything like me then you’re PowerPoint presentation slides may contain a lot of elements. Whether they’re stacked to use with animations or just lots of little parts to make the whole thing work, there’s a lot of objects and selecting just the right one can be a bit of a pain.
You’ve got to be wondering if there’s a better way to select… Continue reading
Have you ever created an absolutely beautiful Excel Workbook that needs to be shared? Well, it’s beautiful except for that one worksheet that contains all the data.
That one, not so pretty, but the data on it feeds all the others so it’s a necessity… but don’t you wish you could just hide it?
You know, like when you were a kid and had… Continue reading
Do you find yourself constantly drawing horizontal lines in MS Word? You know, using the drawing toolbar to draw lines as borders or dividers, in order to give your document a little extra pizzazz.
Are you tired of all the mouse work involved in the drawing toolbar? You know, turning on the line tool, drawing the line and then changing the style.
Wish you… Continue reading
If you work with Microsoft Word a lot then I’m sure that you’ve created documents containing columns at one time or another.
I know that I use them frequently when I have long lists of short items… things that could be easily put into two or three columns across the page. The columns will save on printed paper as well as give a pleasing layout that would… Continue reading
Have you ever felt the need to move an entire row in an Word table?
Maybe you’ve decided that the first row of information should really be the 5th row… so, what did you do?
Did you insert a new row below the 4th one, copy & paste the information into its new position and then go back and delete the first row? Or… Continue reading
Working with a table in MS Word?
Finding out you need to select the entire table to oh, let’s say, change the font or format the borders or whatever? The list could go on and on.
What do you do?
Do you select the first cell, hold the mouse button down and drag, hoping not to miss anything by releasing the… Continue reading
We all know that we can get Excel to run a sort on columns of data; that is to sort the data in a column either ascending or descending. But, did you know that you can do the same thing to data that is in rows?
No?
Well, maybe that’s because it’s sort of “hidden” in the fine print of a Custom Sort.… Continue reading
Here’s a great keyboard shortcut for repetitive tasks!
I tested it and found that it works great in MS Word and Excel. I also tried it in PowerPoint with very limited success and had no luck in MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
At any rate, in Word and Excel, this one can be a huge time saver.
The trick is all… Continue reading
So, you’re in need of a hard copy from an MS Word file, but you don’t need the entire file.
Maybe you just need a page or maybe even just a section or two.
If that is all you need, why are you printing the entire document?
Good question and unfortunately, there’s no good answer.
So, let’s explore… Continue reading
We all know that when it comes to PowerPoint presentations we tend to use a lot of styling aspects such as text color, shadows, glow, etc… basically all the things that appear in the WordArt Styles section of the Drawing Tools, Format tab that appears on the Ribbon when we’re working in text boxes.
You may not have noticed it but any time… Continue reading
Yep – it does!
If you’re looking to use just any text to try out a slide layout or content placement don’t go through the hassle of a copy and paste from some other source.
And… definitely don’t try the old random key trick (dkladf kfadslj fddl)… we all know that it’s a pain and really doesn’t form text that actually mimics… Continue reading
Have you ever found yourself working on a Word document or Excel workbook and wishing you could apply that really cool theme you used in a PowerPoint presentation the other day? And I don’t mean just a blanket theme setup… you took the time to change the colors and fonts to make it “just right”.
Or, what about the times when the reverse situation is true?… Continue reading
I’m sure you’re aware of the wonders of the Shift key when it comes to mouseless highlighting, but are you one who isn’t so great with key combinations? I mean, all those keys at once is just not something you’re good with, but on the other hand, you’d still like to use your keyboard more and the mouse less.
If that’s an accurate description for… Continue reading
Are you a user of Word 2007 who also tends to use a lot of text boxes in your documents?
If you’re anything like me then you see this sight all the time…
And what do you get from it?
A plain text box that needs a ton of formatting to become anything that’s visually interesting.… Continue reading
If your Outlook folder list looks like mine then you’ve got a folder for, well… everything.
With so many locations for messages it becomes necessary to nest them. That is, to group several folders with a commonality underneath on folder name.
This configuration can help to shorten the folder list and can help to bring some order to the potential chaos.… Continue reading
Ever find that you need to print only part of a Word document? Let’s say from page 3 to the end?
To accomplish this task I’m sure you already know that when you get to the Print dialog box you need to use the Pages field.
We all know that we can enter a range of pages for printing by… Continue reading
You know those little miniature slides you see on the left side of your PowerPoint program window when in the Normal view?
I don’t know about you but I love them. They make it very easy to jump around the presentation, especially the longer ones, without going through slide by slide.
Well, if you love those then you just may… Continue reading
Ever have a picture or drawing object that needs to be duplicated in a file?
What did you do?
Did you continue to draw the object or did you insert the picture over and over again? (Boy, I hope not, because that’s the most time consuming method!)
Or, maybe you selected the item (drawing object or picture), copied it (Copy button… Continue reading
Sometimes when working with Excel we end up with those dreaded errors – you know – the formulas that just aren’t working out.
They’re a pain, especially when we can’t seem to figure out what we did wrong, but they’re a part of our reality when it comes to Excel. And, while we have to deal with them in our worksheets, we can choose to… Continue reading
Have a contact in MS Outlook that you need to visit in person?
Looking for driving directions?
Yeah, you could go online and enter all the address information onto a Web site and be on your way, but you’ve already got the address typed into Outlook, so why would you want to enter it all again?
With that, I’ve got an… Continue reading
Did you know that in MS Word, you can edit your document while the Find dialog box is still open?
I know, I know. I hear you!
Every time you’ve ever tried to edit a document while a dialog box (such as the font formatting window) is open, you get nowhere. The dialog box just sits there, open and waiting. You certainly… Continue reading
If you tend to use objects such as text boxes, shapes or pictures in you workbooks then you may have, from time to time, found yourself frustrated with the process of placing it in a location that you find appealing.
In fact, if you’re at all like me then you want everything to be “just so,” which means that placing an item could take quite a while… Continue reading
We all depend on the Spell Check feature (far more than we should) to alert us to mistakes and typos.
Ever make a typo that involved a number accidentally inserted into the text?
Think about it. It’s not that hard to do… just a small overreach and you’ve hit a number key across the top of the keyboard and…… Continue reading
