MS Office 101

Making the Ruler Measure Up

Did you know that MS Word comes with a built in ruler?

No?

Well, it does if you're using the Page / Print Layout view or the Normal view—and it's pretty easy to access.

I find the Word ruler very helpful with layout decisions, setting tab stops and for making quick changes to paragraph settings.

To display Word's ruler, simply use the View menu, Ruler choice.

Poof!

Rulers appear.

If you use the Page / Print Layout view then you'll see a ruler across the top and up the left side.

In the Normal view it's visible across the top only.

OK, so now that we've got the ruler displayed, are you wishing it were in a different measurement?

I mean, I'm happy with the inches but would something else work better for you?

Yes? Well then you're in luck, because you can change its measurements rather quickly—so let's take a look.

The first thing you need to do is to go to the Tools menu, Options choice.

In the Options window you're looking for the General tab.

On this tab you're looking for the Measurement units field.

Use the pull down list to pick the type of ruler you'd like displayed.

Click OK.

And, just like magic, the ruler is useful to you. Imagine that!

Office Tip of the Day

Setting Indents Using The Word Ruler

Have you ever wondered what all the little "triangle-looking things" are on the Word ruler?

If you haven't noticed them, then take a quick look. See them now? They must be there for a good reason—want to know what it is?

Yes? Good, you're in the right place since that's what we're going to cover today.

The "triangles" are actually markers for different paragraph indents. This means you can make changes to specific paragraph margins right in the Page / Print Layout or Normal views without ever bothering with the Format menu and Paragraph window.

Cool.

So let's get right to it.

On the left side of the ruler you'll find an hourglass-type marker. This is actually 3 settings all at the same place—at least they are right now—but, as you'll learn, they can be separated.

The top triangle is the location for the First-line Indent. The first line of text in a paragraph will start at whatever location you put this on the ruler.

The bottom triangle sets the location for Hanging Indents. This is where all lines of text—except the first—begin in a paragraph.

The little square below the "hourglass" is the Left Indent. This one will move both of them simultaneously, allowing you to set them at the same place without having to do it twice.

On the far right side of the ruler you'll find one more marker.

This is the location of the Right Indent. By moving this one left you can choose to change the right margin for a particular paragraph.

To move a marker simply put your mouse pointer over it, left-click, hold, then drag it across the ruler to its new location. Release the mouse button when you've found the right place.

You'll also probably notice that a vertical dotted line will appear below the marker helping you to align items if necessary.

So, now that you know what they're all for and how to move them, maybe we should quickly discuss what they'll affect.

• If you make changes to these indent markers before a paragraph is typed then the setting will work on the current paragraph and all other paragraphs you create after it.

• If you'd like to change just one paragraph that's already typed then simply place the cursor anywhere in the paragraph and move the markers as needed. The changes will only affect the current paragraph.

• If you'd like to make changes for several paragraphs that are already typed then highlight them before moving the markers. The change will affect only highlighted paragraphs.

And there you have it.

Use the ruler to make paragraph changes on the slide!

~ April