Word processing is one of the most widely used software applications. It makes typing, saving and editing a document simple for the user. Word processing simplifies the process of error correction. A word processor allows you to replace scissors, paste and erasers with a computer application that takes care of all these manual processes.
At the end of this session you should be able to:
Understand the concept of word processing
Appreciate the advantages of word processing
Create simple documents in Word 97
Enter and edit text
Format the text
Open and close files
Document a file
Print a file
WHAT IS WORD PROCESSING
Word processing is a software program that helps in the creation of a written document for communication purposes. It is used to manipulate data in simple text form and convert it to a letter, a report, a memo, or any other formatted document. The text data is what is entered using the keyboard. This data when compiled produces a document. With the help of a word processor, you can create, modify, save or store, and print a document.
ADVANTAGES OF USING A WORD PROCESSOR
A word processor makes it easier to correct and change the data entered by the user. It also saves on time. The word wrap feature automatically moves the cursor to the next when a line is full. This was not possible while using a typewriter.
A word processor makes the task of editing a simple job. It includes facilities such as correcting spelling and grammar, moving text from one place to the other, structuring sentences, to name a few.
A word processor can also be used to combine data from two different files. This can help when there are many people working on different sections of a report, which has to be finally produced as a single report.
The appearance of data on a document can also be controlled with the various formatting options available. These include headings, highlighting words, page numbering, margin setting, displaying of headers and footers, etc.
COMMONLY USED TERMS
While working on any word processor, you will frequently come across the following terms and definitions:
Bold: Produces dark and highlighted print.
Center: Centers a line of text evenly between margins.
Edit: Changes or modifies contents of a document.
Font: Specifies type style and size.
Format: Defines how the printed document will appear; includes settings for underlining, boldface, printsize, margin settings, line spacing and so on.
Grammar checker: A support feature that checks grammar, phrasing, capitalization,
and other syntactical errors.
Justified: Evenly aligns text on both left and right margins.
Text data: Any number, letter, or symbol you can type on a keyboard.
Thesaurus: A support feature that displays synonyms and antonyms for words used in a document.
Word wrap: Automatically adjusts the number of characters or words on a line, Eliminating the need to press the Enter key at the end of each line.
LOADING WORD 97
Before working on Word 97, you need to start/load it. This can be done in the following steps:
Turn on the computer
Click on Start
Choose Programs->Microsoft Word
Alternatively, if there is a shortcut on the Desktop, double-click on the Word icon to start the program.
The Word application window is now activated.
DEVELOPING A DOCUMENT
A new Word document is opened by default when you start Microsoft Word. It is like a blank piece of paper with several pre-defined settings. These are the most commonly used settings and are called Default settings. Default settings can be customized as per the specifications given by you.
The default settings are stored as a document template. A common example of a document template is normal.dot. The .dot extension indicates that the file is a template. We shall see the concept of a default template in the next section.
THE DOCUMENT TEMPLATE
Each Word document is based on a document template. A document template is a document file that includes certain pre-defined settings that can be used as a standard pattern for future documents. Hence, all documents that are created will reflect the settings defined in this document template, except when a user defines his own settings.
There are many other template styles you can use. These are designed essentially to create professional looking documents. These are templates that help you create different styles of memos, letters and reports.
The blank document template sets the margins to 1 inch at the top and 1.25 inches at the bottom. Other standard settings include a paper-size setting of 8.5 inches by 11 inches, tab settings at every half-inch and single-line spacing.
INSERTING TEXT
Let us now see how to create a simple document and enter some data in the file. All we need to do is to simply start typing the text. Enter the following text:
This is a test document
The text appears left to the cursor location. The cursor location indicates that the next data entered would appear at that location. The status bar reflects the new horizontal position of the cursor location on that line.
As soon as you type a word, the program checks for its accuracy with respect to the correct spelling and grammar. For example, even if you enter the first letter of the new line in small case, it would automatically get converted to capital after you press the space bar or place a period after it.
DELETING TEXT
The text that you have entered can be deleted using the steps given below:
Select the text you wish to delete
Left-click on the point from where the text is to be deleted
Without leaving the left-click, drag it over the text till all the text to be deleted is highlighted.
The required text to be deleted is highlighted Now delete the text using one of the following options:
Press the Delete key on the keyboard
On the menu bar, click on the scissors.
Go to the Edit menu and click on Clear or Cut
CLOSING AND SAVING A FILE
In order to close a file/document, go to the File menu and click on Close. A window appears asking whether you want to save the file before closing it. There are three options:
Yes No Cancel
If the file has already been saved once, clicking on yes would just save the file again. In case you are saving the file for the first time, you will have to specify a filename and the directory where you want to save the file.
Clicking on No would close the file without saving the most recent changes since the file had been last saved.
Clicking on Cancel, cancels the Close command and returns back to the file in the open mode.
OPENING A FILE
To open a file, use the Open command in the File menu. Alternatively, the shortcut on the toolbar or Ctrl+O can also be used instead of the menu command.
In this dialog box, you need to specify the location and name of the file you wish to open. The Look In drop-down list box displays the drive you specified when saving the location of the file. The location should be the drive containing the data disk. After the drive is selected, choose the directory where you have saved the file, by double-clicking on it.
The Files of type drop-down list box by default contains Word Documents (*.doc). Hence, only Word files are displayed in the list.
NAVIGATING THE DOCUMENT WINDOW
You can make use of either the mouse or the keyboard to move through the data in the document window. You can choose either of them as per your convenience.
Generally, a mouse is used to move the cursor to a specific location in the document. At this stage, it is shaped as an I-beam. However, when the mouse pointer is placed in an unmarked area to the left of the line, on the left margin, it changes to an arrow. This area is called the selection bar. At this position the mouse is used to highlight text.
In order to move the cursor location, move the I-beam to that point and left-click on the mouse. Alternatively, the Home and the End key can also be used to quickly move the cursor location to the ends of a line of text.
EDITING TEXT
After entering the text of a document, you should proof-read it for accuracy, ensuring it is complete in all aspects. The document can then be modified or edited as required. Using the Insert or the Overtype mode can easily do this. The latter is used when you want to replace some existing text.
In the Insert mode new characters are inserted into the existing text. This is done by moving the existing text to the right to make space for the new characters.
While using the Overtype mode new text can be typed over existing text. To switch to this mode, double-click on the OVR on the status mode. The OVR status button appears highlighted to indicate that this is the current mode. To de-activate it, double-click on it again.
UNDOING EDITING CHANGES
After making some changes to the text, you may realize that you should not have made a particular change. To quickly restore the original text, you can use the Undo option to revert to your last action or command. Click on the Undo icon on the toolbar.
Undo returns the last deletion and restores it to its original location in the text, regardless of the current cursor position. The Undo button also has a drop-down list button. Clicking on this, will list your most recent actions. When you click on one of these actions, you also undo all actions previous to this one.
Immediately after the Undo icon, the Redo icon is also available on the toolbar. This helps you restore the action you just undid.
The menu equivalent to the Undo icon is Edit/Undo and the keyboard equivalent is Ctrl+Z.
Hence, we see that the following keys can be used to edit/undo changes:
Backspace: Deletes character to left of cursor location.
Delete: Deletes character to right of cursor location.
Ctrl+Backspace: Deletes word to left of cursor location.
Ctrl+Delete: Deletes word to right of cursor location.
Enter: Ends a line and moves cursor to the next line or a blank line.
Edit/Undo: Reverses your last action or command.
Edit/Redo: Reverses the effects of the Undo.
DELETING TEXT
In order to delete some text, select the text and press the Delete button. In order to delete a word, place the cursor before that word and press Ctrl+Delete.
The Ctrl+Backspace combination is used to delete the word before the cursor position.
DISPLAYING SPECIAL CHARACTERS
Sometimes a paragraph may be too long in a document. To split it into smaller paragraphs, just position the cursor at the point you want the new para to start and press Enter twice. Each time you press Enter, Word inserts a special character called a paragraph mark at that location in the document. These special characters are not displayed on the screen because they clutter the screen. They are also not printed while printing the document.
However, in some situations you may want to delete the special characters. For this they should be visible.
To do this, click on the Show/Hide button on the toolbar.
SELECTING TEXT
Text is selected by highlighting it. To select text, move the cursor to the beginning or end of the required text. Then drag the mouse over the text.
Alternatively, text can be selected using the keyboard holding down the Shift key while using the direction arrows to highlight the text in the same direction. Holding Ctrl+Shift keys together while using the arrows, can select text word by word.
Another method to select text is to click at the beginning of the text and press the Shift key while clicking on the end of the text areas.
The following table summarizes the different methods used to select standard blocks:
Text to be selected Procedure followed
Word Double-click on the word
Sentence Press Ctrl and click
within the sentence.
Line Click on the selection bar
next to the line.
Multiple lines Drag on the selection bar
next to the lines.
Document Triple-click on the selection
bar or press Ctrl and click
on the selection bar.
MOVING TEXT
Selected text can be moved or copied to new locations in a document without retyping the information thus saving time. A selected text that is moved, is deleted (cut) from its source, and inserted (pasted) in a new location or the target location. You can move and copy within or between document files.
When you copy or cut selected text, the contents are stored in the Clipboard. This is a temporary storage area in Windows95/Windows98.
Alternatively, in order to move text from one location to the other, select the text, right-click on it and drag it using the mouse to the required location.
FINDING AND REPLACING TEXT
Word has a special feature called Find and Replace. This feature is very fast and accurate, and makes editing work simple and easy. You can find text in a document and automatically replace it with whatever text you desire. For example, suppose you decide to replace all occurrences of a particular word with another word in a particular document. Instead of searching out every occurrence of the word to be replaced by going through the text line by line, you can use the Find and Replace feature to perform the task automatically.
With the help of this feature, you can also find occurrences of special formatting and change them to a different one. For instance you can replace bold text with italicized text.
The Replace command on the Edit menu is used to find and replace text. Word will search for all occurrences of words beginning at the cursor location. If you start from the middle of the document, when Word reaches the end of the document, it will ask you whether you want to continue searching from the beginning. You can also highlight text to restrict the search to the text selected.
The keyboard shortcut for the Replace command is Ctrl+H.
There are certain options available with the Find and Replace command. These can be combined in many ways to perform a better search. These options are summarized below:
Option Effect on text
Match case Replaces word and retains the
Capitalization.
Find whole For example finds mat only
words only and format
Use wildcards Fine tunes a search; for
example, m?t finds mat and
met, while m*t finds mat and
materialistic.
Sounds like Finds words that sound like
the word you type.
Find all word Finds and replaces all forms
of a word; for example, buy
will replace purchase and
bought will replace purchased.
BORDERS AND SHADING
You can add a border around selected paragraphs. Click on Borders and Shading on the Format menu, click on the Borders tab, and then select the border you want.
To add or change a border around a selected graphic, including a picture, drawing object, WordArt, or text box, click on the corresponding command on the Format menu. Then click on Colors and Lines, and select the line options you want.
This option gives improves a document
s aesthetic appearance.
CREATING HORIZONTAL RULES
Rules can be added to any side of a paragraph or object using the Borders toolbar, after selecting the paragraph or the object. Move to anywhere within the paragraph and choose Format/Borders and Shading/Borders.
The Borders and Shading dialog box appears.
As you specify the settings, the Preview area will reflect your selections. The horizontal border lines extend between the margins above and below the text in the color, style and point size as specified.
CREATING NEWSPAPER COLUMNS
This makes the text in a document appear in the form of newspaper columns. Newspaper columns display text so that it flows from the bottom of one column to the top of the next. The Normal document template has one column the full width of the margins, so the text appears to flow continuously from one page to the next.
At times the document layout may need two or more columns on a page, for example a newsletter.
The optimum column width for convenient reading is 4.5 inches. In a newsletter, narrower columns help the reader read the articles more quic
kly. It is not wise to use more than four columns on a page as it will look cluttered and messy.
The Columns command on the format menu is used to set the text format of a document to columns. While using this feature, the entire text in a document is changed to a new format. To format only a portion of the text, the document must be divided into different sections. Create section breaks between the different sections.
Move to the blank line under the bottom border line and choose Insert/Break/Continuous/and click on OK.
The section break lines are not displayed in the Page Layout view, but the status bar shows the section on which cursor is located.
The Presets area displays five preset column styles and shows the default style as one column covering the full-page width. Using the Presets area you can select up to three evenly spaced column formats. If none of the column styles is suitable to your requirement, you can enter the number of columns in the given section. The maximum limit is thirteen columns.
ADDING A DROP CAP
A drop cap is a large, uppercase character with the top part of the letter even with the line and the rest of the letter extending into the paragraph below it.
In most newspaper articles the first letter of the first paragraph is a drop cap. The drop cap character is changed to a graphic object in a frame and the text wraps to the side of the object.
To create a drop cap, change the zoom to Page Width and select the first letter of the first line of the first paragraph. Choose Format/Drop Cap/Dropped/2 and press OK.
The number 2 specifies the number of lines to which the character has to be dropped.
The drop cap effect signifies the beginning of the paragraph and makes the columns appear more like those in a magazine.
The document now looks appears in a format such that the first ketter of the first word is converted into a drop cap.
PAGE BORDERS
In a Word document, you can add a border to the following:
Any or all sides of a table
A paragraph
Selected text in a document
Any or all sides of each page in a document
A drawing object including a text box, an AutoShape, a picture, or imported art
By default, in Word documents, all tables have a
-pt black, single solid-line border that prints. On web pages, tables do not have a printable border by default. In Word documents, you can use the Table AutoFormat command to add borders and shading to a table.
How to add a border
To add a border to a table, click anywhere in the table. To add borders to specific cells, select only those cells, including the end-of-cell mark.
To surround a paragraph with a border, click anywhere in the paragraph. To surround only specific text, such as a word, with a border, select the text.
On the Format menu, click on Borders and Shading, and then click on the Borders tab.
Select the options you want and make sure the correct option is selected under Apply to.
To specify that only particular sides get borders, click on Custom under Setting. Under Preview, click on the diagram's sides, or use the buttons to apply and remove borders. To specify the exact position of the border relative to the text, click on Options, and then select the options you want.
DOCUMENTING A FILE
A user can add his own documentation to the file properties. To see the information associated with the files, choose File/Properties. The Properties dialog appears.
Each tab displays information about the document. The General tab displays basic information such as when the file was created and last modified, and the size of the file in bytes.
The Summary tab contains text boxes that allow you to enter a title, subject, author, keywords, and comments about the file. This information helps you locate the file you want to use as well as provides information about the objectives and use of the document. You should enter a descriptive title for the document. By default, Word displays the first few words of the document as the default title. This can be replaced by the user.
The Statistics tab displays the information relating to the date and time of creation of the file. The system date and time are taken by default. It also summarizes the total number of pages, lines, paragraphs, words and characters in the file. The name of the person who saved the file is also displayed.
The Content tab displays the contents of the file.
The Custom tab is used to create a customized file property. Here the user can enter relevant details about the file, for example, name of the person who created the file, department name, name of the project, client, destination, language used in the file, etc. It also has a text box where the type of file can be entered.
PRINTING A DOCUMENT
A document can be printed either directly or through a file.
Printing a document through a file
When you print through a file, you must first select the printer that will ultimately print the file. Word then saves the file in the appropriate printer language. That printer can be connected to any kind of computer, even if Word is not installed.
On the File menu, click on Print. In the Name box, click on the printer with which you will print the file. Select the Print to file check box, and then click on OK. In the File name box, type a file name.
Printing a document directly
You can print the active document by clicking on Print.
To display each page as it will appear when printed, click on Print Preview.
You can print a document with the following options:
Print a range of pages
Print more than one copy at a time
Print only odd or even pages
Print specific pages and sections
Print several documents at once
Print a draft of a document
Print in reverse order
PRINT PREVIEW
To save time, unnecessary printing and paper wastage, it is always a good idea to preview on screen how the document will appear when printed. The Print Preview feature displays each page of the document in a reduced size so that you can see the layout. It is also possible to make last-minute changes while previewing and then print directly from the preview screen.
The Print Preview window has its own toolbar. A document can be printed directly from this window by clicking on the Print button. To check the print settings, Choose File/Print.
EDITING IN PRINT PREVIEW
After viewing the layout of the document in the Print Preview you may realize that it would look better with a different format. Notice that the mouse pointer is in the form of a magnifying glass when it is positioned on text in the window. This indicates that when you click on a document, the screen will toggle between the current whole page view and 100% magnification. Point to the location to be modified and click on it.
The text is now displayed as zoom. Then to switch between zooming the document and editing it, click on the magnifier.
When positioned near the text, mouse pointer changes to an I-beam and the cursor location is displayed. Now you can edit the document as in normal view.
To switch back to zooming the document and restoring it to the original preview size, click on the magnifier, then click on the document and finally click on the View Ruler.
TYPES OF DOCUMENT VIEWS
It is possible to view a Word document in eight different ways. Each method offers different features for creating and editing documents. The ideal way to start a document is in the Normal View. Let us briefly discuss these eight different styles of viewing a document.
NORMAL VIEW
This category of document view shows the text formatting but not the layout of the page. It is the best form of view that is used while typing, editing, or formatting text.
The command to view a document in the normal form is View/Normal.
ONLINE LAYOUT VIEW
This type of document view best shows the document format for online reading. It turns on the Document Map Feature which helps you move around the document easily.
The command to view a document in the Outline Layout is View/Outline Layout.
PAGE LAYOUT VIEW
This type of document view shows how the text and objects are positioned on the printed page. It is usually used while adjusting margins, working in columns, drawing objects and placing graphics.
The command to view a document in the Page Layout View is View/Page Layout.
OUTLINE VIEW
This view style is used to show the structure of a document. It is generally used to move, copy and reorganize text in a document.
The command to view a document in the Outline view is View/Outline.
MASTER DOCUMENT
This kind of view shows several documents organized into a master document. It is used to organize and maintain a long document that is divided into several documents.
The command to view a master document is View/Master Document.
DOCUMENT MAP
This shows the document headings in a vertical pane along the left side of the document. Click on the heading to go to that location of the document.
The command to view the Document Map is View/Document Map.
FULL SCREEN
The Full Screen view shows the document without the toolbars, menus, scrollbars and other screen elements of Word.
The command to View a document in Full Screen is View/Full Screen.
PRINT PREVIEW
The Print Preview shows multiple pages of a document in a reduced size. This view is used to check the layout of a document and make the editing and formatting changes before actually printing the document.
The command to see the Print Preview of a document is File/Print Preview.
EXIT WORD 97
The Exit command on the file Menu is used to quit the Word application. Alternatively, you can also click on the Close button in the application window title bar.
When you do this the Windows 98 Desktop is visible again.
@After doing a first reading of a document, you can use the many formatting features included in Word 97. The usage of these features greatly improves the appearance and design of the document. Hence, the document not only looks better but also conveys the message more clearly and in a better fashion.
AUTO CORRECT
AutoCorrect automatically corrects commonly made typing, spelling and grammatical errors. This feature can be customized to add or delete the existing options.
AutoCorrect makes some basic assumptions about the text you are typing and, based on these assumptions, automatically identifies and/or corrects the entry. This feature automatically inserts proper capitalization at the beginning of sentences and the names of days of the week. It also changes any words that were capitalized due to the accidental use of the CapsLock key to lowercase. It also corrects common spelling errors automatically.
In some cases, you may want to exclude an abbreviation or capitalized item from automatic correction. Adding the word to an exception list can do this.
Word also includes AutoText entries which are commonly used phrases. If Word detects you are typing one of the AutoText phrases, it automatically suggests the remainder of the phrase. You can choose to accept the suggestion by simply pressing Enter, or ignore it. You can also add your own entries to the AutoText list.
LANGUAGE
Word 97 supports several languages and all documents are based on the language selected by the user. The default language is the one mentioned during the installation of the software. Spelling and grammar are also checked in accordance with the dictionary of the language selected.
In order to select a language of your choice, choose Tools/Language/Set Language.
THESAURUS
The Thesaurus is a support feature that displays synonyms, antonyms and words related to those in your document. This feature helps to liven up a document by adding interest and variety to your text.
To identify the word you want to check up in the Thesaurus, click on that word and choose Tools/Language/Thesaurus.
The Thesaurus dialog box that appears displays a list of possible meanings for the looked-up word. From this list you can select the most appropriate meaning for the word.
If a synonym, antonym or related word is not found, Thesaurus displays an alphabetical list of entries that are similar in spelling to the word.
HYPHENATION
The hyphenation feature inserts a hyphen in words that are broken over two lines. Since Word automatically wraps long words that fall at the end of a line to the beginning of the next line, uneven right margins or large gaps commonly occur in a document. Using hyphenation reduces the amount of space between words and makes line lengths more even, thus improving the appearance of a document. The program inserts optional hyphens, which only break the word if it appears at the end of a line. Then, as you edit the document, the hyphenation adjusts appropriately.
To hyphenate a document, choose Tools/Language/Hyphenation. The hyphenation dialog box which is displayed has two options:
Automatically hyphenate document
Hyphenate words in Caps
The first option sets the hyphenation for the entire document. You can also specify the size of the hyphenation zone which is an unmarked space along the right margin that
controls the amount of white space in addition to the margin that Word allows at the end of a line.
Making the hyphenation zone narrower, reduces the unevenness of lines by hyphenating more words. The reverse of this hyphenates fewer words.
SPELL CHECK AND GRAMMAR
Word gives the facility of checking the accuracy of spelling and grammar in a document. The Spell Check compares the word you type to a main dictionary of words supplied with the program. If the word does not appear in this, it checks the custom dictionary. This dictionary can be created to hold words commonly used by you which are not included in the main dictionary.
After typing a document, you will notice that Word has identified several typing and grammatical errors in the text. Displaying a wavy red line beneath the word identifies wrong spellings. Grammatical mistakes are displayed by green wavy lines below a word/ words.
You can use the Shortcut menu to correct spelling and grammatical errors individually. This can be done by right-clicking on the erroneous word and substituting it with the right word.
However, in many cases you may find it more convenient to wait until you complete typing out the entire document. This will not break the continuity of writing the text.
The Spelling and Grammar tool is used to perform the check. This can be done either by clicking the button on the toolbar or choosing Tools/Spelling and Grammar, or press the keyboard shortcut of F7.
The Spelling and Grammar dialog box is displayed, and the Spelling and Grammar tool has immediately located the first word that may be misspelled. It displays the sentence with the misspelled word in red color in the Not in Dictionary text box and highlights it in the document.
The Suggestions list box displays the words located by the Spelling tool, that matches the misspelled word most correctly. The first word is highlighted. Sometimes the Spelling tool does not display any suggestions and instead gives a message No suggestions.
To tell the Spelling tool what to do, you need to choose from the following six options:
Option Description
Ignore Accepts word as correct for this
occurrence only.
Ignore All Accepts word as correct
throughout the spell check of the
document.
Add Adds word to the custom
dictionary. The Spelling tool will
always regard an added word as
correct.
Change Replaces word with the selected
word in the suggestions box.
Change Replaces same word throughout
All the document with the word in the
suggestion box
Auto Adds word to the AutoCorrect list
Correct so Word can correct misspelled
versions of it automatically as you
type.
The Check Grammar check box is used to turn the grammar-check feature on or off. After there are no more incorrect spellings or grammar to check, Word displays a message that the Spelling and Grammar check is complete.
FORMATTING PARAGRAPHS
Different methods and techniques are used to format the text in a document, improving its appearance, making the document look more attractive and readable to the person who reads through it. It also makes the document easier to understand.
MARGINS
The margin is the distance from the text to the edge of the paper. Standard single-sided documents have four margins:
Bottom
Right
Double-sided columns also have four margins:
Bottom
Inside
Outside
You can also set a gutter margin that reserves space in the left or inside margins to accommodate binding.
There are also special margin settings for header and footer.
The default margin settings are:
1.25 inches for left and right margins
1 inch for top and bottom margin
INDENTS
In order to make the document more readable and easier for the reader to locate a particular information in the document, you can indent the paragraphs from the margins. Indenting paragraphs sets them apart from the rest of the document. There are four types of indents:
Left Indent
Right Indent
First Line Indent
Hanging Indent
Let us now take a look at the features of each indent.
Left indent
In this type of indent the entire paragraph from the left margin is indented. To extend the paragraph into the left margin, use a negative value for the left indent. Using the ruler or the tab key can set the indent. While using the ruler, place the cursor on the line to be indented and drag the indent marker at the top of the ruler.
In order to set the indent by using the Tab key, on the Tools menu, click on Options, and click on the Edit tab. Make sure that the Tabs and backspacesetleft indent check box is selected. Click in front of a paragraph of text and press the Tab key. To remove the indent, press the Backspace key.
Right indent
This type of indent sets the indent for the entire paragraph from the right margin. To extend the paragraph into the right margin, use a negative value for the right indent.
In order to set the right indent using the ruler, select the paragraph you want to indent and drag the right indent marker to it.
First line indent
This type of indent sets the indent for the first line of the paragraph. The lines after the first line are aligned with the left margin.
In order to change the left indent of the first line of text, drag the first-line indent marker at the top of the ruler.
Hanging indent
Hanging indent indents all lines after the first line of the paragraph. The first line is aligned with the left margin. A hanging indent is typically used for bulleted and numbered lists.
To create a hanging indent by using the Tab key, first verify that the Tabs and Backspace set Left Indent check box is selected on the Edit tab (Options command, Tools menu).
Type the text or item that you want to have on the left and press the Tab key. Type the text that you want on the right until it wraps to the second line. Click in front of the text in the second line and press the Tab key until the text is positioned where you want the second line to begin.
Word creates a hanging indent, so that the first element hangs
or is offset
to the left of the lines of text that wrap below the first line.
You can change hanging indent settings by dragging the indent markers on the ruler or by changing settings in the Paragraph dialog of the Format menu.
BULLETED AND NUMBERED LISTS
Whenever possible, you should use bulleted and numbered lists to organize information and to make the document readable at a glance. A list can be used whenever you present three or more related pieces of information.
Bulleted list
This can be used when you have several items in a paragraph that logically fall into a list. A bulleted list displays several styles of bullets that can be used before each item in the list. You can select from several types of symbols to use as bullets. The color, size and position of the bullets can also be changed.
To create a bulleted list, first of all select the list to be bulleted. Choose Format/Bullets and Numbering and open the bulleted tab. Several bulleted lists are available. Select the style you want and click on OK. The list you had selected will now appear bulleted.
Numbered list
A number list is generally used when you want to convey a sequence of events or procedures that have steps outlined in a certain order. A numbered list displays numbers or letters before the text. Word automatically increments the number or letter as you start a new paragraph. You can select several numbering schemes to create your numbered list.
To create a numbered list, choose Format/Bullets and Numbering and open the Numbered tab. Several numbered list styles are available, and the document default is None. Click on the style you choose and your list will be numbered accordingly.
A number is inserted at the left margin before each sentence and text following the number is indented to the 0.25 inch position. The ruler displays the lower indent marker at the same position to show the hanging indent setting for the text in the selection. If the text following each bullet is longer than a line, the text on the following lines would also be indented to the 0.25 inch position.
SETTING TAB STOPS
The setting of tab stops improves the appearance of data on a document. Normally the first column of data is aligned to the left.
A tab stop is a stopping point along a line to which text will indent when you press the tab key. By default, it is set at every 0.5 inch. This can be changed. You can also select from one of the five various types of tab stops that control how characters are positioned or aligned with the tab stop. These five tab types or the alignment tab mark that appears on the ruler and their effect are explained in the table below:
Alignment How it affects the text
Left Extends text to right from tab stop.
Center Aligns text centered on tab.
Right Extends text to left from tab stop.
Decimal Aligns text with decimal point.
Bar Draws a vertical line through text at
the tab stop.
Setting new tab stops, the new setings affects the current paragraph or selected paragraphs. When you insert custom tab stops, all default tab stops to the left of the custom tab stop are deleted. You can quickly specify custom tab stop locations and types using the ruler. To select a tab stop type, click on the tab alignment selector box on the left end of the ruler to cycle through the types. To specify where to place the selected tab stop type, click on the location in the ruler.
Setting different types of tab stops is helpful for aligning text or numeric data vertically in columns. Using tab stops ensures that the text will indent to the same set location. Setting custom tab stops instead of pressing the tab key or the spacebar repeatedly is a more professional way to format a document, as well as faster and more accurate. It also makes editing easier because you can change the tab stop settings for several paragraphs simultaneously.
PARAGRAPH ALIGNMENT
Alignment is the positioning of text on a line between the margins or indents. There are four types of paragraph alignments available. These are:
Left aligned
Right aligned
Center aligned
Justified
Left aligned
Aligns text against the left margin of the page, leaving the right margin ragged. This is the most commonly used paragraph alignment type and also the default paragraph alignment of Word.
Right aligned
Aligns text against the right margin of the page, leaving the left margin ragged. It is used when you want the text to line up on the outside of a page, such as a chapter title or a header.
Center aligned
Centers each line of text between the left and right margins. Center alignment is used mostly for headings or centering graphics on a page.
Justified
Aligns text against the right and left margins and evenly spaces out the words.
CHARACTER FORMATTING
It is also possible to format the characters or the text to make the document look clear and more readable. Some basic formatting that are usually done on characters are:
Fonts
Character effects
Use WordArt
FONTS
A font, also commonly referred to as typeface, is a set of characters with a specific design. The designs have names such as Times New Roman, Arial, Marlett, etc.
The size of fonts can be altered as per requirements. Size is the height and width of the character and is commonly measured in points. Fonts also have different styles in which they can appear, such as:
Italics
Underline
Strikethrough
The following table illustrates the usage of fonts and font styles:
Font name Font size Font style
Arial Size is 10 This is in Underlined
Times New Size is 14 This is in Italics
Roman
Courier New Size is 12 This is Bold
Brush Script Size is 16 This is the
MT strikethrough
To change the font setting for an existing text, select the text and choose Format/Font.
The Font list box displays the fonts supported by the active printer in alphabetical order.
The default font of word is Times New Roman.
CHARACTER EFFECTS
Different character effects can be applied to selections to add emphasis to a document. The following table summarizes the different character effects used in Word:
Format Example
Bold This text is in BOLD
Italic This text is in Italics
Underline This text is underlined
Strikethrough This shows the
Strikethrough effect
Bold and Italics This shows the both
bold and italics
Small Caps THIS IS IN SMALL
CAPS
All Caps THIS TEXT IS IN ALL
CAPS
Shadow This text shows the
Shadow effect
Subscript The number here is
subscript 2
Superscript The th of the 20this a
Superscript
It is also possible to use a combination of these character effects on the same text.
WORDART
WordArt is a built-in support feature provided in Word 97. With the help of this feature, it is possible to write your text in different designs and fashions such as stretched, skewed and slanted. It gives a 3-D effect to the text on your document. WordArt is present on the Drawing toolbar.
Using WordArt
To create a WordArt object, click on the Insert WordArt button on the drawing toolbar.
Click on the pattern you want and press OK. Another screen appears that asks you to place your text in the given area. You can also specify the size, font and font style of the text in this dialog box.
The desired WordArt picture now appears on the document. This can even be further formatted by you. You can flip or rotate the object or even change the specified settings by double-clicking on the same. WordArt is initially inserted at the cursor location, but can be moved to a different location by the simple drag and drop feature of the mouse.
In order to format a WordArt object, click on the Format WordArt button of the WordArt toolbar.
The options available on this window to format your WordArt object are:
Colors and Lines
Position
Wrapping
Picture
Text box
It is also possible to change the shape of the WordArt object. To do this, on the WordArt toolbar, click on the WordArt Shape button and select the new shape desired by you. In order to add more effects to the object you can use the option of fill in line colors and patterns. Different textures and patterns available for the picture and these can be chosen from the formatting window.
HEADERS AND FOOTERS
A header is a line or several lines of text at the top of each page just below the top margin. It usually contains the title and the section of the document.
A footer is a line or several lines of text at the bottom of every page just above the bottom margin. It usually contains the page number and the date. Headers and footers help the reader locate information in a document and they appear on all pages of the document.
In order to add a header to your document, choose View/Header and Footer.
The header area becomes active, and the Header and footer toolbar is displayed. You can toggle between the header and footer areas to enter the desired text. You can also add and format page numbers using the Insert/Page Numbers.
INSERT OPTIONS
There are several insert options available in Word:
Page Numbers
Document Breaks
Text Boxes
Date and Time
Captions and cross-references
Files
INSERTING DOCUMENT BREAKS
There are three types of breaks that can be inserted into documents:
Column
Section
Page break is used to create a break between two consecutive pages of a document. It is usually done when the current topic is over and a fresh topic is to be introduced in the next page.
In order to introduce a page break choose Insert/Break/Page Break. The keyboard alternative for this is to place the cursor at the point where you want to insert the break and press Ctrl+Enter.
Column breaks are inserted to start a new column beginning at the next line.
Normally Word inserts soft page and column breaks automatically into a document whenever the text fills a page or column. Entering a manual page or column brea
k instructs Word to begin a new page or column regardless of the amount of text on the previous page or column.
Section breaks divide a document into sections that can be formatted differently. It stores the format settings associated with that section of the document. The type of section break selected controls whether the following text begins on the next page, next even or odd page, or continues on the same page.
Word automatically inserts section breaks if you change the formatting of selected text, such as inserting columns or centering selected text vertically on a page.
The Break window appears on choosing Insert/ Break.
INSERTING TEXT BOXES
In order to make certain elements in the document stand out, they can be put in text boxes. Text boxes are graphic objects that can be placed on the page as a picture. Drawing features can also be added to text boxes to enhance their appearance.
A text box can be inserted by either of the following methods:
Choose Insert/Text Box
Click on the Text Box button on the Drawing toolbar
A box appears at the cursor location and the Text Box toolbar also appears.
INSERTING DATE AND TIME
You can insert either a particular date or time or the current date or time in a document. You can also use fields to insert the current date and time as well as to track information such as total editing time or the date a document was created, last printed, or saved.
To insert the date and time on your active document, click on where you want to insert it and choose Insert/Data and Time. To specify the format of the date or time, click on a format in the available format box.
To automatically update the date or time when you print the document, select the Update automatically check box. Otherwise, the document will always print with the original date or time.
INSERTING CAPTIONS AND CROSS-REFERENCES
A caption is a title or explanation for a table, picture or graph. Captions help the reader in quickly finding information in a document. Word can automatically add captions to graphic objects as they are inserted, or they can also be added manually.
A caption can be changed to reflect the type of object to which it refers, such as a table, chart or figure. In addition, Word automatically numbers graphic objects and adjusts the numbering when objects of the same type are added or deleted.
Once you have captions, you can also include cross-references. A cross-reference is a reference from one part of document to related information in some other part. For instance, if you have a graph in one part of the document that you would like to refer to in another section, you can add a cross-reference that tells the reader what page the graph is on.
A cross-reference can also be inserted as a hyperlink, allowing you to jump to another location in the same document or in another .
In order to add a caption, place the cursor at the required point and choose Insert/Caption.
The caption dialog box appears, where you can enter the caption you want to appear on your document.
The options in this window are tabulated below:
Label: Select from one of the three default captions viz. Table, Figure or Equation.
Position: Specify the location of the caption, either above or below a selected item. When an item is selected, the Position option is available.
New Label: Create your own captions.
Numbering: Specify the numbering format and starting number for your caption.
AutoCaption: Turns on the automatic insertion of a caption when you insert selected items into your document.
To insert a cross-reference in a document, type the introductory text that begins the cross-reference. For example, type For Details refer to
and then choose Insert/Cross-Reference.
In the dialog box that appears, fill in the following details:
In the Reference type box, click on the type of item you want to refer to. For example, a chapter heading or table.
In the Insert reference to box, click on the information you want inserted in the document. For example, a chapter heading.
In the For which box, click on the specific item you want to refer to. For example, if you click on Heading in the Reference type box and the document has six headings, click on the heading you want to refer to.
Click on Insert.
To allow readers to jump to the referenced item in the same document, select the Insert as hyperlink check box. If the item you want to refer to is located in another document, both documents must be part of a master document. The hyperlink option is selected by default.
FORMATTING HEADINGS
Adding and formatting headings are important to the appearance of a document. You can apply different fonts, sizes and character effects to headings or use the built-in feature of Word to do it for you.
A style is a set of formats that is assigned a name. Word includes 75 pre-defined styles, apart from the custom styles that the user can create for himself. Many styles are automatically applied when certain features, such as footnotes, are used.
Styles can be applied to characters or to paragraphs. Character styles consist of a combination of any character formats in the dialog box that affect the selected text. Paragraph styles are a combination of any character or paragraph formats that affect the text. A paragraph style can include all the font settings that apply to characters, as well as tab settings, indents and line settings that apply to paragraphs.
Many paragraph styles are designed to affect specific text elements such as headings, captions and footnotes. The most commonly used style is the heading style. This is designed to identify the different levels of headings in a document. The first four heading styles and the format associated with them are shown in the table below:
The most important heading in a document should be assigned a Heading 1style. This is the largest and most prominent.
GRAPHICS
A graphic is a non-text element or object, such as a drawing or picture, that can be added to a document. An object is an item that can be sized, moved and manipulated. A graphic can be a simple drawing object consisting of shapes such as lines and boxes, that can be created using the Drawing toolbar. A picture is an illustration such as a scanned photograph.
Surrounding each graphic object is a frame, which is an invisible box or container. The frame keeps the items together and allows the graphic object to be moved on the document.
When you insert or draw a graphic object, it is attached or anchored to a paragraph. But sometimes the graphic and paragraph may not appear on the same page. To keep them together you can lock the anchor. There are five wrapping options:
SquareTight
Through
Top & Bottom
A graphic object can be manipulated in many ways. You can change its size, add captions, borders and shading, or move it to a different location. In case several graphics are present together, they can be grouped and treated as a single object.
Adding of graphics to a document helps the reader to understand certain concepts. It also adds an element of interest and makes the document stand apart from others.
@TABLES
A table is used to organize information into an easy-to-read format. It displays the information in horizontal rows and vertical columns. The insertion of a row and a column creates a cell in which you can enter your data.
Tables are a very effective method for presenting information. The layout of a table organizes the information in a more readable way. It also reduces the number of words required to present the data.
REFERENCE A CELL IN A TABLE
Table cells are referenced as A1, A2, B1, B2, and so on, with the letter representing a column and the number representing a row. Columns are identified from left to right beginning with the letter A, and rows are identified from top to bottom beginning with the number 1. The table reference at the top leftmost cell is A1 since it is the first column A and the first row 1 of the table.
To reference cells in formulas, use a comma to separate references to individual cells and a colon to separate the first and last cells in a designated range.
There are two ways to indicate an entire row or column:
If you use 1:1 to indicate a row and then add a column to the table, your calculation will include all the rows in the table
If you use A1:C1 to indicate a row and then add a column to the table, the calculation will include only the rows A,B and C
To reference cells in another table, or to reference a cell from outside a table, identify the table with a bookmark. For example, the field { =average(Table 2 B:B) } averages column B in the table marked by the bookmark Table 2.
CREATING A TABLE
There are several methods by which you can create tables. Some of them are:
Table/Insert Table
Click on the Insert Table button on the Standard toolbar
Table/Convert Text to Table
Table/Draw Table
Table/Insert Table and click on Insert Table button
With the help of these two options, you can create a simple table with the number of rows and columns you specify. Click on where you want to create a table. Click on Insert Table button or the menu equivalent and drag to select the number of rows and columns you want.
Convert text to table
Place the cursor where you want to divide text into columns and rows by inserting separators. For instance, insert tabs to divide columns and insert paragraph marks to mark the ends of rows. Select the text you want to convert to table form. On the Table menu, click Convert Text to Table. Select the options you want.
Draw Table
This method is used to create any type of table, but is mostly used for creating complex tables that contain cells with different heights or a varying number of columns. Place the cursor where you want to create the table.
Choose Table/Draw Table or if the Tables and Borders toolbar is displayed, click on Draw Table. The pointer changes to a pen.
To define the outer table boundaries, draw (drag) from one corner of the table to the diagonal corner. Then draw the column and row lines. To erase a line, click on the Eraser, and drag over the line. When you finish creating the table, click on a cell, and start typing or insert a graphic.
INSERT DATA INTO A TABLE
After a table has been created, you are ready to enter the required data into the table. Each cell contains a single line space where you can enter data. You can move from one cell to the other by using the arrow keys or by clicking on the cell. Certain keys are also available to navigate through the cells. These are summarized in the following table:
Action Key Stroke(s)
Move to the next cell Tab
Move to the Shift+Tab
preceding cell
Move to the Up Arrow or Down Arrow
preceding or next
Move to the last Alt+Home, or Alt+7 on the
Cell in the row
Move to the last Alt+End, or Alt+1 on the
Cell in the row numeric keypad
Move to the first Alt+Page Up, or Alt+9 on
Cell in the the numeric keypad
Column
Move to the last Alt+Page Down, or Alt+3
Cell in the on the numeric keypad
Column
Start a new Enter
Paragraph
Add a new row Tab at the end of the last
At the bottom of row
The table
Add text before a Enter at the beginning of
table at the the first cell
beginning of a
document
The mouse pointer must also appear as an arrow when positioned in the table. When it is an arrow and you click on a cell, the entire cell is highlighted, indicating that it is selected.
By default, entries in a cell are horizontally left aligned and vertically top aligned in the cell space.
Let us take a sample table to understand the concepts related to a table more clearly. The following table gives the gross sale of a company in the four zones for four consecutive years.
2000 2500 2350 2670
3000 3400 2800 2850
4100 3980 2800 3000
4500 5000 4500 2700
Although the table is accurate, the data is not easily interpreted if the table is not given appropri
ate row or column headings. Let us now give the headings as 1994 through 1997 respectively to the columns.
For this we need to insert additional rows and columns for the headings.
Inserting rows and columns
Select the row above which you want to insert new rows, or select the column to the left of which you want to insert new columns. Select the number of rows or columns that you want to insert. Choose Table/Insert Rows or Table/Insert Columns.
You can also use the Draw Table tool to draw the row or column where you want. To add a row at the end of a table, click on the last cell of the last row and then press Tab. To add a column to the right of the last column in a table, click just outside the rightmost column. Select the column, and then choose Table/Insert Column.
In the sample table, insert one row at the top and one column to the left of the first column. The revised table would now look like the one shown below:
2000 2500 2350 2670
3000 3400 2800 2850
4100 3980 2800 3000
4500 5000 4500 2700
Click on the cells on the first blank row and insert the years 1994 through 1997, starting from the second column. Now click on the cells in the first column, which is blank, and insert the four zones, starting from the second row. The table will now look like the following table:
1994 1995 1996 1997
East 2000 2500 2350 2670
West 3000 3400 2800 2850
North 4100 3980 2800 3000
South 4500 5000 4500 2700
The cells of a table can also be formatted using the normal formatting procedures for text.
FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS IN A TABLE
Formulas and functions are used to perform calculations. A formula is an expression that contains any combination of numbers, fields resulting in numbers, table references, and operators. A function is a pre-written formula. Examples of common functions are sum, min, average etc.
To reference cells in formulas and functions, use a comma to separate references to individual cells and a colon to separate the first and last cells in a block.
Formulas and functions are entered as fields in the table. The calculated result is displayed in the cell containing the formula or function. Word inserts the result as a field. Therefore, if data in the referenced cell is changed, you can update the calculation by selecting the field and then pressing F9.
The formulas and functions in Word allow you to create simple tables and spreadsheets for your documents.
The following table lists a few common functions and their applications.
Function Application
Average Calculate the average of a column
of numbers
Count Totals the number of cells in a
Column
Max Displays the maximum value in
the column
Min Displays the minimum value in
the column
Other functions available as built-in applications are:
ABS AND
DEFINED FALSE
IF INT
MOD NOT
OR PRODUCT
ROUND SIGN
SUM TRUE
Let us see the usage of functions in our sample table. To calculate the total sales in each zone we use the Sum function. Choose Table/Formula. Then choose Sum(Left) and click on OK.
Alternatively, you can click on the AutoSum button on the table toolbar.
FORMATTING THE TABLE
Applying different formats to the cells can enhance the look or appearance of a table.
This is similar to adding different formats to a document, the difference being that the formatting affects the selected cells only.
Suppose you want to format the headings of the table so that they are of font size 14, center-aligned in their cell spaces and appear bold. To make these changes follow the steps given below:
Select the cells specifying the headings as years 1994 to 1997 and total
Change font size to 14
Click on Bold button on the formatting toolbar
Click on Center
Apply the above sequences for cells in the first column as the four zones
You can even add colors and shading to the cells. Let us fill the cells containing the headings with shade darker than white to highlight its appearance. For this purpose, follow these steps:
Select the cells A1 to A6
Open the Shading Color drop-down list on the Tables and Borders toolbar, and select a color of your choice from the color palette.
Clear the selection
Apply the above steps for cells of the first column, A1 to A5
The sample table would now look as the table shown below:
1994 1995 1996 1997 Total
East 2000 2500 2350 2670
West 3000 3400 2800 2850
North 4100 3980 2800 3000
South 4500 5000 4500 2700
You can also use the Table/Table Auto-Format or the equivalent toolbar button, as shown below, to apply a pre-designed table design and layout to an entire table.
Select the format you want and choose the required options, and click on OK.
BORDERS AND SHADING
To add a border to a table, click anywhere on the table. To add borders to specific cells, select only those cells, including the end-of-cell mark. Choose Format/Borders and Shading from the Format menu and then click on the Borders tab.
Select the options you want, making sure the correct option is selected under Apply to. To specify that only particular sides get borders, click on Custom under Setting. Under Preview, click on the diagram's sides, or use the buttons to apply and remove borders. To specify the exact position of the border relative to the text, click on Options, and then select the options you want.
GRIDLINES
On the Table menu, click on Show Gridlines or Hide Gridlines. In Word documents, all tables by default have a
-pt black, single solid-line border that prints.
To remove all borders from a table, click anywhere on the table. To remove borders from specific cells, select only those cells, including the end-of-cell marks.
You can quickly remove all borders and shading from a table by clicking on the table, clicking on Table AutoFormat and then clicking on None in the Formats box.
SORTING
In order to sort a list in a table the steps below should be followed:
Select what you want to sort
Choose Table/Sort from the Table menu
Select the options for your sort
It is also possible to sort a single column in a table without sorting the whole table, following the given sequence:
Select the column or cells you want to sort
Choose Table/Sort
Click on Options
Select the Sort column only check box
Double-click on OK
If you want to individually sort columns of information that are not in a table, first convert the text to a table.
MAIL MERGE
CONCEPT OF MAIL MERGE
The Mail Merge feature combines a data list, typically a file of names and addresses, with a document, usually a form letter, to create a new document. The names and addresses are entered or merged into the form letter in the blank spaces provided. This results in a personalized form letter.
Mail Merge usually requires the use of two files, which are:
Main Document
Data Source
The main document contains the basic form letter. It directs the merge process through the use of merge fields. A merge field is a field code that controls what information is used from the data source and where it is entered in the main document.
The data source contains the information needed to complete the letter in the main document. It is also known as an address file since it mostly contains data on names and addresses. Each category of information in the data source is called a data field. For instance, in an address, the first data field is the first name, followed by the second name, street, city and zip code as the subsequent data fields.
The data fields that are needed to complete a dossier of information on one person, together form a record. A database file created using a database application is usually used as a data source. However, the data source can also be created using Word.
CREATING THE MAIN DOCUMENT
To activate the Mail Merge feature, choose Tools/Mail Merge from the Tools Menu. The Mail Merge dialog box appears.
Word gives a step-by-step guidance to create the merge document. The three steps are:
Create a main document Create a data source Perform the merge
The first step is to create the main document. We shall then create a data source of the names and addresses of the various customers. While carrying out the merge, Word combines or merges the data field information of the data source and the main document. The merge fields in the main document control what data fields are used from the data source and where they are entered in the main document.
To create the main document form letter, follow the given sequence of steps:
Open a new document
Write the contents of the main document letter in the new document
Save the file as c:\My Documents\Main-doc.doc
In the Mail Merge window, choose Create/Form Letters/Active Window
The dialog box now shows the type of merge, Form Letters in our example, and the name of the file that will be used as the main document. There is a second button, Edit, which is used to edit the main document.
Mail Merge can also be used to create mailing labels, envelopes, or catalogs.
CREATING THE DATA SOURCE
The Mail Merge dialog box now indicates that the next step is to create the data source file. This file contains the names and addresses of customers which shall be merged with main document.
To create the data source file, choose Get Data/Create Data Source from the mail merge window. Create Data Source window appears.
In this dialog box, we shall specify the field names for the data. These names will be entered in the data source file.
Field names are used to label each data field in the data source. A field name can contain only letters, numbers or the underlined character. It can be up to a maximum of 40 characters, with no spaces in between. The first character should always be a letter. Field names should be descriptive of the contents of data field.
Commonly used field names are displayed in the Field names in header row list box. You can also remove names that you do not need in your letter from the list field, or you can add additional field names to the list by typing them in the Field Names text box.
In our example, you shall remove the field names that you do not want to use in your letter. The first field name that you need to remove is Title. Todo this, click on Remove Field Name. Similarly, remove all the other field names that you do not require, such as JobTitle, Company, Address2, Country, etc.
The Move button to the right of the Field Names list allows you to rearrange the order of the fields. The list will now reflect only the fields that you choose to include in the Data Source.
Click on OK and save the data source file as c:\My Documents\Data-source. The information dialog box displayed on the screen asks you to add the record information to the data source file and edit the main document to include the merge fields.
Let us first add the data to the data source file.
When you click on Edit Data Source, the Data Form dialog box appears on the screen. This displays the field names and a text box used to enter the data for each record. The data must be entered exactly as you want it to appear on the letter. If there is no relevant information for a particular field, it must be left blank. Insert the required number of records in the data source by clicking on Add New.
You can view all the records entered by you using the option View Source.
The field names are displayed in the top row of the table. Each record is displayed as a row. The database toolbar is also shown at the top.
Click on the Mail Merge Main Document button on the database toolbar.
The main document is displayed in the window along with the Mail Merge toolbar.
In this Mail Merge toolbar labels 1 through 13 stand for the following:
View Merged Data First Record Previous Record Go to RecordNext RecordLast Record Mail Merge Helper Check for Errors Merge to New Document Merge to Printer Mail Merge Find Record Edit Data Source
ENTERING MERGE FIELDS IN MAIN DOCUMENT
Word has to be told where to enter the source data in the main document, for instance the customer
s name and address in our example. For this purpose, Word uses the merge fields. The merger fields direct the program to accept information from the data source at the specified location in the main document. The letter we have prepared in our example, needs to be modified to allow the entry of the name and address information for each customer in the data source. The inside address will hold the following lines of information:
FirstName LastName,
Address,
State, Pin.
The first line of the inside address, which will hold the customer
s full name, will be entered as line 5 of the letter. A merge field needs to be entered in the main document for each field of data you want copied from the data source. The location of the merge field indicates where to enter the field data.
To position the cursor at the line where the customer
s name will appear as the first line of the inside address, and to enter the fields into the main document, follow the given sequence of steps:
Move to the blank line above the first line of the letter
Click on Insert Merge Field
A drop-down list of field names from the data source file is displayed. To insert the FirstName merge field at the cursor location, select it from the drop-down list.
This merge field is now displayed at the cursor location in the main document. A field code directs Word to insert the information from the FirstName data field from the data source at that particular location in the main document.
Similarly, enter the other merger fields, after placing the cursor at the location where you want the data for the merge fields to appear in the main document.
It is possible to use the same merge field more than once in the main document.
To see the appearance of the document with the merged fields, click on the View Merge Data button on the Mail Merge toolbar.
The data in the first record of the data source is displayed in place of the merged fields. To display the merged fields once more, ensuring that the entire letter still fits on a single page, click on the View Merged Data.
When you preview the letter and find that it is longer than one page, click on the Shrink to Fit button on the Mail Merge toolbar.
Now close the Print Preview window and save the main document file.
PERFORM THE MERGE
After the main document and the data source document have been created, they can be combined to create a personalized letter. During this process, a third file is created while the original main document and the data source files are not altered or affected. The third file is the result of merging the main document with the data source file.
Click on the Mail Merge Helper button.
Now click on Merge.
The Merge dialog box appears.
In this dialog box, specify the output required by the merge. You can give any one of the following directions:
Create a new document that contains copies of each form letter generated by the merge.
Merge directly to the printer to print each letter.
Output the form letters to e-mail or fax if the system is set up to include these features.
Specify a range of records to merge or criteria for records to meet, in case you do not want all records to receive the form letter.
After specifying the details, click on Merge.
After the merge is complete, the file containing the three merged letters is displayed. It has a default filename of Form Letters 1.
Now each time you need to send this letter, you will have to edit the data source file and issue the Merge command.
(.txt)