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MS or MICROSOFT WORD
This is a program that falls under the category of text editors. It’s ideal in text manipulation (Creating, Formatting, printing, and editing of documents). It produces an output that is better in quality compared to a normal typewriter. This class of program is highly specialized in text handling. Other examples of word processing programs in the market include: Word Perfect, Word Star, Corel Word Perfect, and Lotus Word Pro
Loading the Microsoft Word program
· Click on the start button
· Point to programs
· Point to Microsoft office
· Point to Microsoft Word and click
CREATING A NEW FILE
- Click on file
- Point to new and click
- Click on blank document
- Click ok
- Enter your data
- Save your work
NB :- Save your work in the lowest possible version for convenience since a lower
version cannot open a higher version.
MICROSOFT WORD – INTERFACE ELEMENTS
1. Buttons for window manipulation – minimize, maximize, close window
2. Title Bar – used to display the document name
3. Tab names / Menu Bar- used to display the menus and tabs for data
manipulation and text editing (File, Home, Insert, Page Layout, etc)
4. Status Bar: – displays information about the current position in the document –
insertion point and the condition of some special functions of Microsoft Word
5. Rulers: – there are horizontal and vertical rulers, above and left from desktop
6. Window:- the white area indicates the area of writing; the gray area
represents the margins
7. Toolbars – this is a Graphical User Interface widget on which on-screen
buttons, icons, menus, or other input and output elements are placed.
Examples of toolbars are: – Standard toolbar, Drawing toolbar, picture toolbar
etc.
8. Scrolling Buttons – used to scroll/move through the window
NB. Some tools have hidden tools. If they do have hidden tools, they have an
arrow in their lower right corner which, when clicked, displays additional option
Tools that cannot be applied on the selected object are greyed out
Tools that have dots, if pressed, lead to another sequence of commands (in the
image: Define New Bullet …)
TEXT EDITING
SELECTING TEXT
Before we can format text it is necessary for the text to be selected.
Arbitrary text selection:
- Take the pointer to the beginning of your selection, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag to the end of your selection.
- Place the insertion point at the beginning of the text that you want to select, press, and hold the Shift key and then press the left mouse button to the end of the selection. You may release all the buttons.
- Click at the beginning of your selection, hold down the shift key, and move using the arrow keys until you get to the end of your selection.
- To select one word, double-click on it.
- To select a whole paragraph triple-click it.
- To select a whole document, click on its margin 3 times or click on edit and then select all or hold down CTRL key and then press A.
DATA TRANSFER AND REPLICATION
We can transfer data or produce many copies by using the Copy, Cut and paste commands.
To make copies of data
- Select the data you want to Copy
- Click on Edit
- Click on Copy
- Click the destination (desired position)
- Click on Edit and Paste.
To transfer data
- Select the data you want to transfer
- Click on Edit
- Click on Cut
- Click the destination (desired position)
- Click on Edit and Paste.
NB:- You can also paste by holding Ctrl and V at the same time.
If you want to reverse you click on edit and then undo or hold down Ctrl and Z or hold Ctrl and delete.
REDO- repeats your last action
Hold down Ctrl and Y to redo
FORMATTING
It involves changing the text characteristics and the general layout of the document e.g. changing Font type, Color and Size or changing Paragraph Alignment. To effect change on any part of the document, it must first be selected.
FONTS
We can change the following font attributes:
- Size
- Color
- Type
- Character spacing
- Style (Bold, Italics, Regular)
- Underlined Style
- Position & Animation.
FORMATTING OF PARAGRAPHS
a) ALIGNMENT
This is positioning the text within the window. The text can be aligned to the Left, Right,
or Center.
Procedure:
- highlight the work
- Click on format then paragraph
- Choose the alignment
- Click OK.
(b) INDENTATION
This is positioning a paragraph from the margin.
Procedure:
- Select the work
- Click on format then paragraph
- Set the Indentation
(c) LINE SPACING
To determine the spacing between lines:
- Click on format then paragraph
- Set the line spacing e.g. 1.5 lines, Double spacing, etc (Click)
BULLETS AND NUMBERING
We use Bullets and Numbering to indicate Ordered / Unordered lists. (We can also indicate color, by clicking customize button in the bullets and numbering dialogue box.)
We do this by:
- Select Text
- Click on the format
- Click in bullets and numbering
- Select the “numbered” tab or “bullets” and the color tab for your list.
- Select the style
- Click OK.
COLUMNS
This is dividing text/paragraph into vertical partitions called columns
- Highlight Text
- Click on the format then columns.
- Select the number of columns you want and style
- Click OK.
BORDERS AND SHADING
We use this to add boundaries and color shades to our work.
To add a border to text/paragraph:
- Highlight text / paragraph
- Click Format
- Borders and shading
- Choose the border selection tab
- Choose the style and color
- Click OK.
To add a page border
- Click Format
- Borders and shading
- Choose the page border selection tab
- Choose the style and color
- Click OK.
To add Text Shading:
- Highlight text
- Click Format
- Borders and shading
- Choose the shading selection tab
- Choose the shade style
- Click OK.
USING THE VIEW MENU
We use this menu to change the appearance of our document on our screen.
We are able to change the layout and the available tools by this command
N/B: These changes cannot be printed.
NORMAL VIEW
Under this view we are able to see only the text; but not the drawing.
It is useful for quick editing.
PAGE LAYOUT
It displays all the characters in a document, as they would appear on the
print out.
OUTLINE LAYOUT
It displays the document text in their classification.
This is useful for re-arranging the document.
RULER
It is used to bring the ruler to the screen (ruler command).
NB. The ruler is only visible in page layout.
HEADERS AND FOOTERS
This command is used to insert Headers and Footers to documents.
HEADER – appears at the top of the page.
FOOTER – appears at the bottom of the page.
PAGE SETUP
This command is found under the file menu. It is used to design the document
layout in the following areas.
- Margins
- Paper size
- Layout
- Paper Source
To accomplish this:
- Click on file then page setup
- Select on each of the selection tabs and adjust your settings
- Click, OK.
ZOOMING.
We use the zoom command to adjust the image size on the screen.
To do this:
- Click on view the zoom
- Adjust the percentage size
- Click OK.
BACKGROUND FORMATTING
We use this command to determine the color of the background of our document.
- Click on the format
- Point to background
- Pick one of the colors that you find comfortable.
INSERT MENU
(i) PAGE BREAK.
This command is used for inserting page portion between text.
The procedure is:
- Click on insert
- Click on break
- Choose page break
- Click OK.
(ii) COLUMN BREAK.
It is used to insert a column partition between text.
- Click on the position you want the next page to start
- Click on insert
- Click on break
- Choose column break
- Click OK.
(iii) DATE AND TIME.
We use this to insert current time and current date into our document
- Click on insert
- Click on date and time
- Choose the format that you want to apply
- Click OK.
INSERTING OBJECTS/PICTURES
We use this command to insert graphics Click on Insert choose picture choose Clipart. Choose the kind of picture that you want to apply and click Ok.
The procedure for inserting the object.
(a) Click on insert
(b) Click on object
(c) Choose the source e.g. Microsoft, then clip art gallery
(d) Click on OK
(e) Select the data/object then click on insert.
PRINT PREVIEW
This is found under the file menu. It is used to view what the print out will look like.
- Click on the file
- Click on Print preview
PAGE NUMBERING.
· Click on insert
· Choose and Click on page numbers
· Select the position and the alignment
· Click OK.
N/B To use a format of style, which differs from the default, then click on the format tab in the page number dialogue box, then change the format and click OK. If you don’t want the 1st page to be numbered, start on o and then turn off the “show no. On the first page,” checkbox.
SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
To check the spelling and grammar:
- Click on tools then spelling and grammar.
- Select a word out of the suggestions given or type them correctly
spell check word then click on change. - Otherwise, complete the dialogue box per requirement until the computer reports the spell check is complete.
DROP CAP
We use this command to create a drop capital letters at the beginning of a
paragraph.
- Select the paragraph
- Click on the format then drop cap
- Select the style, i.e. the number of lines to drop through, Click OK.
TABLES.
The following are some of the activities we can perform in a table:
- Inserting tables
- Deleting cells
- Selecting
- Autoformat
- Sort & Calculation
STEPS FOR INSERTING A TABLE.
- Click on table
- Insert a table
- Determine the size of the table by specifying the number of Columns and the number of Rows and
- Click OK.
DELETE CELLS.
- Select the cells to delete
- Click on the table and then delete cells
- Indicate the shift direction
- Click, OK.
SELECTION.
- Select a column by pointing above it until the arrow pointer becomes an arrow down then click once.
- You can select a row by clicking on the left margin while the mouse pointer is pointing towards it.
- Then you can select the whole table using the select table command in the table menu.
TABLE AUTOFORMAT.
We use this command to apply a pre-defined format.
- Select the table, then click on table auto format.
- Select the style or design, which you would like to use.
- Click, OK.
SORTING.
- Select the table
- Click on table then sort
- Indicate the sort order and the column sort by.
- Click, OK.
The sorting command is used to arrange Entries / Records in Ascending or Descending order.
CALCULATIONS.
We use this command to manipulate data Mathematically or Analytically.
The steps:
- Position your cursor into the cell where you want your answer to be displayed.
- Click on table then formula
- Edit the formula accordingly. I.e. =sum (Above)
- Click OK.
TO INSERT A ROW
- Click inside the row to be proceeded by the new row
- Click on table then insert row.
If you want to insert a row, point at the end of the table, then click.
MERGE CELLS.
- Select the cells to be merged
- Click on table
- Click on merge cells
MAIL MERGE
This is a procedure for combining database records into a document so as to produce as many documents as the number of records.
It is particularly helpful in producing several copies of the same letters butbaddressed to different addresses.
Mail merge can be done in 3 three major stages:
1) CREATING THE MAIN DOCUMENT.
With your document open, edited, and well-formatted for use.
- Click on tools then click on mail merge.
- Under the main document, click on create.
- Choose form letters.
- Click on the active window.
2) CLICK ON CREATE DATA THEN CREATE DATA SOURCE.
·
- Click on remove field name until all the field names are removed.
- Enter the field names in the field name text box and click add field name after every entry.
- Click OK
- Give the name for your database (file to contain addresses)
- Click on save, then click on edit data source.
- Edit your database; by typing in every record and then clicking add new. Do these until you have entered your entire record then click OK.
3) This step involves inserting the field into the main document then
merging.
- Position your cursor where you want your detail to appear.
- Click on insert merge field in the mail merge toolbar.
- Select the detail to insert
- Repeat this until you have inserted your entire field in their relevant places.
- Click on merge
- Click on merge again.
NB:- In case you do not want to merge all the records, then you must edit the dialog box, which comes after the first click on merge command.
THE END
