Information Technology

Frequently Asked Questions - Word

Want a quick way to place page numbers on alternating side of the page just beyond your margin?
How do you double space and/or 1.5 line space a document?
How can you alphabetize a list in Word?
Need to create an uncommon fraction?
Can you select a portion that doesn't follow the usual line by line on a document?
Do you have two versions of the same document?
Can you do formulas in Word?
How to get text and pictures to work together?
How do you make something really stand out in a document?
Do you use a lot of bulleted lists in Word? Or a way to promote and/or demote items in the list?
Are you repeating the same word and wished you had a Thesaurus?
Drag and Drop with a Right Click?
How do you add a watermark to a document?

Want a quick way to place page numbers on alternating side of the page just beyond your margin?
Trying to set this up using the header and footer option can take some time, but here is an instantaneous method to get the page numbers perfectly placed into the footers (or headers) ready for binding.

Go to the Insert menu and select Page Numbers. When the Page Numbers window opens you have a couple of things to attend to.

• Click the drop down list for the Position field to select where you want the page number to be placed.
• Select how to align the page numbers by clicking the drop down list for the Alignment field. Choose Outside for book pages that will be bound.
• Click the Format button in the bottom left corner. The Page Number Format window will appear on the screen. Use the Number Format field to choose whatever typo of page numbers from the drop down list.
• Click the OK button once you have made your choice and then click the OK button to save your changes.

You will be returned to your document to find your page numbers in alternating corners, just outside the margins. You will only be able to see them while you work on the document if you are in the Print/Page Layout View or in Print Preview.

Have other information for that header or footer? Now that you have got the page numbers in there, the headers/footers are started. You can get into the headers/footers the way you normally would and enter whatever extra information you need.

How do you double space and/or 1.5 line space a document?
I am always amazed when I find someone using the enter key to double-space their document. What a nightmare! Ever try to edit a paragraph when you have hit the enter kay at the end of each line? Not a pretty sight and not to mention a large headache. So for those of you who have not found the trick to double spacing, let's end your nightmare.

Go to the Format menu and select Paragraphs. The Paragraphs window will appear on the screen. In the middle section of the Indents and Spacing tab, entitled Spacing, you will find the Line Spacing pull down list. Using the pull-down menu you can select double space or whatever you like. There are several choices. Once you have made your choice, click on the OK button.

If you are not fond of the menus and all the resulting windows, then this is for those of you who prefer to use the keyboard. To quickly turn on the spacing options:

• Single Space - Ctrl+1 (PC users) - Command+1 (Mac users)
• Double Space - Ctrl+2 (PC users) - Command+2 (Mac users)
• 1.5 Spacing - Ctrl+5 (PC users) - Command+5 (Mac users)

So if you have already typed everything then just highlight the entire document (Ctrl+A or Command+A) and follow the steps above. If you want only a certain section spacing changed then just highlight that section and follow the steps above.

How can you alphabetize a list in Word?
Highlight the entire list to be sorted. Then go to the Table menu and select Sort. The Sort Text window will appear on the screen. The default is set up to Sort By Paragraphs, Type is Text, and Ascending should be selected. This will make your list alphabetical A to Z (descending will reverse the list to Z to A). At the bottom of the window there is an option of telling the program that your list has a header row (or title). If you highlighted a title with the data, then you would use this option to prevent the program from sorting your title into the list (in other words, the first row stays in place regardless of its first letter). Click the OK button.

You will be returned to the document and you should see that the list is now in order.

Need to create an uncommon fraction?
Do you ever notice that Word does this neat little trick with only the most common of fractions. You also may have found access to a few additional choices through the Insert menu, Symbols choice, but frustrated that neither of these work for the other fractions that plague your day. The first thing you should know is that you can format any fraction to "look right" using subscript and superscript text formatting. You can add it to the AutoCorrect feature so that it switches the fraction automatically.

Let's start with typing a fraction using the forward slash between the numerator (top) and the denominator (bottom) - example: 12/15. Highlight the numerator and press Ctrl+Shift++ (PC users only) (or Format menu, Font, and select Superscript located in the Font tab) to add the superscript formatting. Highlight denominator and press Ctrl+= (PC users only) (or Format menu, Font, and select Subscript located in the Font tab) to add the subscript formatting. The fraction is complete.

Now, if you have some that are constantly being used, you certainly don't want to keep formatting this stuff over and over again. Here is where the AutoCorrect feature will come in handy. It may take you a few minutes to get them entered into the system, but once they are there, you will get automatic replacements so your time investment will pay off. Once you have formatted a fraction, highlight the entire fraction. Go to Tools menu and select AutoCorrect. At the bottom of the AutoCorrect tab, you should see the Replace As You Type list. Notice that on the right, in the "with" field, your formatted fraction is already entered. If it doesn't seem to be formatted correctly, then double check that the Formatted Text option is selected just above. On the left, in the Replace field, enter the plain text for the fraction that should be replaced with your formatted text. Click the Add button and then the OK button.

Now I realize that you are going to have to repeat this process for each fraction that you want added to the list but I do have one small time saver to offer. When you return to your document, do not delete the fraction you just worked with. Instead highlight the numerator and type the next number. Report the process with the denominator. This will replace the numbers without removing the super and subscript formatting allowing you to go right back to the AutoCorrect feature much faster.

Can you select a portion that doesn't follow the usual line by line on a document?
You could highlight then copy/paste item of the list individually but that could take a very long time. Looking for a way to highlight then copy/paste that list in one move without taking extra text with you. It could be a handy skill to have and you just never know when it might just come in handy.

For the mouse lovers out there:

• Place the cursor at one corner of the text to be highlighted then hold down the Alt key (or Option key for Mac users).
• With the Alt key or Option key still depressed, click-hold-drag the mouse pointer over the exact rectangular/square shape you are looking to highlight.
• Once you release the mouse button then it's business as usual for the copy/paste stuff.

For the keyboard lovers (PC users only):

• Again, you need to move the cursor to one corner of the text to be highlighted. Once you use the next step the highlight will be anchored at this location, so be sure that you are located in a corner. If not you will have to start over to get it all highlighted.
• Now use the key combination Ctrl+Shift+F8.
• When you have highlighted the area you need, proceed with copy/paste work.

If you need to start over or cancel this feature how do you turn it off? Hit the Esc key. The Escape key cancels the function and you are free to continue as usual.

Do you have two versions of the same document?
Ever wonder how they are different? Well, I have good news for you. Newer versions of Word (2000 or later) have a wonderful little feature known as Compare and Merge which will do all the manual labor leaving the "what stays and what goes" decisions to you.

To begin open one version of the document. Now go to the Tools menu and select Compare and Merge Documents (Tools menu, Track Changes, and Compare Documents for Mac Users). When the Compare and Merge Documents window opens, select the second file and click Merge (Open for Mac users). Word will open the second document merging it with the first and marking text insertions/deletions for you to review. The Reviewing toolbar will also open to aid yo in your task. At this point, you have a couple of choices as to how to go through the document making decisions about what stays and what goes.

First, you could go through the document item by item. Each difference is marked within the text. It depends upon which View you use as to exactly how each change is marked, but they are pretty obvious regardless of your View choice. You can right click and select Accept or Reject from the menu. If you are not a "right clicker" then you will find an Accept and Reject button on the Review toolbar as well as buttons to move you to the Next or Previous change.

Second, you can use the Reviewing Pane. It can be opened using the button at the end of the Reviewing toolbar. A pane will open open at the bottom of the window. In this pane, you will have only those items that are different between the two documents. Again, you need to go through, change by change, and choose to accept or reject each one. To close the Reviewing Pane, click the button again.

Regardless how you work your way through all the marked changes, when you have finished you will have created one document from the two exactly to your specifications.

Can you do formulas in Word?
Once you have your table created and the data entered, the next step is to decide what data you need to calculate and where you want the answer placed. Place your cursor into the cell of the table where you want the result of the calculation to appear. Now to to the Table menu and select Formula. The Formula window will open and immediately suggest a formula to sum the most logical data. If that was your intent then you are ready to click OK.

If you were looking to do something else, no problem. Begin by deleting the formula suggested in the Formula field, leaving the equal sign to start the next one. Now, with the equal sign still in the field, go down to the Paste Function field and click the down arrow. From the list choose the formula you want to use your data. Many of the names are pretty self-explanatory. A basic understanding of the formulas from Excel is very helpful here, as they work pretty much the same way in Word. Once you select a formula, it's inserted into the Formula field with a set of empty parentheses at the end. Just like in Excel, you need to put the cells with data to be used into the parentheses. Cells references work the same as in Excel; columns are lettered starting with A and rows are numbered starting with 1. For example, a cell located in the second column, 3 rows down would be cell B3. Word will demonstrate directional words in its suggested formulas, but to be positive that the right cells are included, go with the cell references. To use separate cells in a list, use a comma to separate their references (=product(B2,B6). If a range of data is to be used, then type the first cell in the list, use a colon, and then the last cell in the list (=product(B2:B6). Also, you can create formulas using the actual math you are trying to accomplish. If you want to divide cell B2 by B6 he enter the formula (B2/B6). When you are done, click OK.

One thing to keep in mind, unlike Excel, Word does not automatically update calculations as data is changed.

How to get text and pictures to work together?
What we are looking for is called text wrapping. There are a couple of ways to find the text wrapping. There is a couple of ways to find the text wrapping settings - one of them is on the Picture Toolbar that opens when a picture is selected. You are looking for the Text Wrapping button (the little dog with the lines). If you click the button then a whole list of choices will appear. Choose from the list how you want the text to interact with the picture. Whatever your choice you should see a change in the way the text behaves around the picture. If it does not make an improvement then select a different option.

The second way to cause text wrapping changes, if the picture toolbar is not handy click View on the menu bar and select Picture.

How do you make something really stand out in a document?
There are lot of things you can do (bolding, italics, underline, etc...). The first step is to highlight the text that you want to make the changes:

• Go to the Format menu, and select Borders and Shading. Now that you are in the Borders and Shading window, you can create a color box and/or shading around your selected text by selecting any color under the Shading tab as well as borders under the Borders tab.
• Go to the Format menu, and select Font. The Font window will appear on your screen, you can make changes to the font by selecting a different style and size, underline styles, and effects under the Font tab. For fun, click on the Text Effects (or Animation) tab where you can choose from Marching Ants, Las Vegas Lights, etc.

Do you use a lot of bulleted lists in Word?
To demote an item one level in your list place the cursor somewhere in the item then use Alt + Shift + Right Arrow (PC users) or Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow (Mac users) . Need to move another level yet? Then repeat the key combination to demote again. You can also use the Tab key to demote (the emphasis here is that you need to have the cursor at the very left of the information).

To promote something one level use Alt + Shift + Left Arrow (PC users) or Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow (Mac users). And repeat to move up another level.You can also use the Shift + Tab key to demote (again, remember to have the cursor at the very left of the information).

Now there's the dilemma of moving items up and down through the list. Place the cursor within the item to move. Use Alt + Shift + Up or Down Arrow (PC users) or Ctrl + Shift + Up or Down Arrow (Mac users). Instantly the bulleted item begins to climb or drop down through the list without the need for a cut/paste.

Some quick ways to manage bulleted lists without a single toolbar button or menu in sight...

Are you repeating the same word and wished you had a Thesaurus?
Have you ever found yourself repeating the same word in a document over and over again? What did you do? Wish you had a Thesaurus? Word comes with a built-in Thesaurus. First you will need to highlight the word that you want replaced. You could go to:

PC Users

• Go to Tools menu, Language submenu, and choose Thesaurus.
• Right-click over the word, select Synonyms from submenu, and choose Thesaurus.
• You could just use Shift + F7 - fastest...

Mac Users

• Go to Tools menu and choose Thesaurus.
• Press Ctrl + Click Mouse Button, select Synonyms from submenu, and choose Thesaurus.
• You could just use Option + Command + R - fastest..

A window will open with a list of any meanings. In addition, Word may have a list of synonyms, definition, and translations. Just pick the word you want to use, then click Insert. An added little bonus is that you can click on one of the meanings and get another list of meanings by clicking Look Up.

Drag and Drop with a Right Click? - PC Users
We often find ourselves moving text in Word with a quick drag and drop, but did you know that if you use a right click instead of a left click, Word will offer you far more than the usual move text thing?

Next time you want to move or even copy text simply follow these steps:

• Highlight the text
• Move your mouse pointer over the highlighted text
• Right click
• Drag to a new location

When you release the right mouse button, you won't see and instant move in the text as you usually would. Instead, you will see a small menu pop open. To complete the process make a choice from the menu. The obvious choices of "Move Here" and "Copy Here" really don't need explanation. They work exactly as you'd expect.

The "Link Here" choice is an interesting bonus to the concept of copy/paste. Linking the text will not only copy the text but also create a link between the copy and the original. This gives you the benefit of updating. Linked text will automatically update to match the original text whenever it's changed.

There is also the "Create Hyperlink Here" choice. This one will make the text in the new location a clickable link that takes the cursor back to the original. Changes in the original text will not automatically update in the hyperlink text. Once it is created, you have to make all changes manually.

And, of course, there the ever popular "Cancel" choice at the bottom, just in case you decide that the whole thing is a bad idea.

How do you add a watermark to a document?
While the document is open, go to:
PC Users - Format menu, Background submenu, and select Printed Watermark.
Mac Users - Insert menu and select Watermark.

The Printed Watermark window will open presenting you with three choices.

• You could leave the choice at No Watermark, but you might use it to remove a watermark previously inserted.
• The second option is a Picture Watermark. Choose this and the settings for that section will become active. Click the Select Picture button to locate the graphic you want used as your watermark. You can use the Scale field to dictate the watermark's size or leave it as Auto to have Word center it on your page. The Washout choice makes the picture lighter in color (it is difficult to read text that over a brightly colored picture).
• The third choice in the Printed Watermark window is to have one made of Text Watermark. You can select text to use from the drop-down list, or you can enter your own word or phrase in the Text field. Below that you can choose a font, size and color. Again, I suggest that you leave the semitransparent option checked so you can read the text that is placed over it. At the bottom you will need to choose the orientation of the text.

When you have got a watermark that you like click the OK button.