Posts Tagged ‘tools’

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Select Words Automatically in MS Word

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

I have received many inquiries regarding MS Word’s behavior when trying to select text from the middle of one word to the middle of the next word while editing a document.

When you are trying to select text in the manner above, MS Word tries to figure out what you are trying to accomplish and then complete your task for you.  This can be very frustrating because whenever you click inside a word and start to drag your mouse over it, Word assumes that you want to select the entire word that you clicked.

To disable that assumption on MS Word’s part, follow the steps below:

Versions 2007 – 2010:

  1. In version 2007, click Office Button | Word Options, and in version 2010, display the File tab of your Ribbon and click Options to display the Word Options dialog box.
  2. Click Advanced at the left-hand side of your screen.
  3. In the Editing Options area, be certain the When Selecting, Automatically Select Entire Word check box is cleared.
  4. Click on OK.

Versions 97, 2000, 2002, 2003:

  1. Click on Tools | Options to display the Options dialog box.
  2. Be certain the Edit tab is displayed.
  3. Make certain the When Selecting, Automatically Select Entire Word check box is cleared.
  4. Click on OK.

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Posted in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Word, MS Word 2000, MS Word 2002, MS Word 97, Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2010 | No Comments »

Add your Own Menu Items in MS Excel

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

MS Excel is a robust piece of software that can make your life so much easier, but you do not want to wade through menu items that you hardly ever use, right?

You can customize Excel to meet your specific needs and have it your way just like the popular fast food franchise boasts.

Did you know that you can add a macro you have created to a menu?  Well you can! You can customize your menus to reflect your own personal commands.

Follow the steps below to learn how:

  1. Click on Tools | Customize to display the dialog box.
  2. Be certain the Commands tab is selected.
  3. In the Categories list, select the category of commands you would like to add to your menu or, alternatively, select Macros if you wish to add a macro to your menu.
  4. In the list of available commands for the category, select the one that you would like to add.
  5. Drag the selected command to the menu where you would like it added. The menu appears as you move the selected command over the command name.
  6. As you reach the point where you would like to add the item, simply release your mouse button.

That’s all there is to it!

Versions 97, 2000, 2002, 2003

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Calculate Totals Within a Table in MS Word

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

When you have a list of numbers and you want to show totals, you do not need to start Windows’ built-in Calculator to sum them.

MS Word can calculate totals and averages and do other simple calculations. In order to do this though, you must have your Tables and Borders toolbar visible.

Before you start, click on View | Toolbars or right-click on an empty space on an existing toolbar and select Tables and Borders.

Follow the instructions below to begin summing figures:

Simply place your cursor in a blank cell of your table, below or to the right ofthe numbers you would like to total.

Click the AutoSum (resembles a sideways letter M) button on the Tables and Borders toolbar to calculate totals automatically.

To make other types of calculations, Click on Table | Formula. This will open the dialog box.

If your figures should change, you must recalculate the formual. To do this, select the formula and press the F9 key.

When you place a formula in a table, the numbers appear with grey shading. They will not print in grey though. The grey shading simply lets you know that you have a formula, not just typed figures.

You can also total figures in paragraphs in MS Word. The Calculate function in MS Word ignores any text that is not a number, except for currency symbols, periods and commas, which it recognizes when they are part of a number.

For operations other than addition, you must include the mathematical operator. To force a calculation out of precedence order, enclose the expression in parentheses.

You can add the Tools Calculate button to any toolbar or shortcut menu by following the steps below:

  1. Select Tools | Customize.
  2. Click the Commands tab.
  3. In the Categories column, select All Commands.
  4. Scroll down until you find Tools Calculate.
  5. Drag the command to the Tools menu and place it wherever you  like or, you could just drag it to your toolbar.

It may appear greyed out as Tools Calculate is only available when you have selected text. By default, the Calculate command will add any set of selected numbers separated by white space. Word tmporarily displays the result in the status bar and also places it on the clipboard.

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