Word: Mail Merge into a Table
Many of us regularly use Excel and Word to perform mail merges. We merge data from Excel worksheets into letters, labels and envelopes to save a ton of time. Another great thing you can do with the mail merge feature is to merge information from Excel into a table in Word.
It is not too much different than performing a standard mail merge. In fact, there are only a few steps you will do differently than you would in a typical mail merge.
The first thing you will want to do is create a table on your new, blank document. If you are not sure how to do so, go to the Table menu in Word 2003. Point to Insert and click on Table. In Word 2007 or 2010, go to the Insert tab, click the Table button and choose Insert Table. Be sure you create a table with just one row to start with, but insert as many columns as you need for each merge field (Name, Address, etc.).
Next, start a mail merge. In Word 2003, go to the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings and select Mail Merge. In Word 2007 or 2010, go to the Mailings tab, click Start Mail Merge in the Start Mail Merge group and click on Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.
Select Directory as the Document Type. Make sure to select Use the Current Document. When your task pane shows Arrange Your Directory, insert the merge fields into the appropriate cells of the table. When you get to the Complete the Merge section, click To New Document on the task pane.
Voila! You will now have a Word table that you can adjust, format or even copy and paste into another existing document.
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9/16/2010
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PowerPoint: Rehearse and Set Timing
Nervous about presenting a PowerPoint slide show? Relax, take deep breaths and rehearse with your presentation beforehand. You can rehearse and record slide timing for a PowerPoint that can practically run the show on its own.
In PowerPoint 2003, open the presentation for which you want to rehearse and set timings. Go to the Slide Show menu and click on Rehearse Timings. This starts the presentation in rehearsal mode. Practice your lecture as you want it to go along with each slide. When you are ready to go to the next slide, click the Advance button. Continue to do so for the entire presentation. When you are done, click Yes to accept the timings. You can also click No to start all over.
In PowerPoint 2007 or 2010, open the presentation for which you want to rehearse and set timings. Go to the Slide Show tab and click Rehearse Timings in the Set Up group. The presentation begins and the Rehearsal toolbar appears. Practice your lecture as you want it to go along with each slide. When you are ready to go to the next slide, click the Next button. You can also click Pause if you need to take a break (helpful if the phone rings or you are otherwise interrupted) or the Repeat button to start over on that slide. Continue through the presentation. When you are done, click Yes to accept the timings. You can also click No to start all over.
You can also enter a time directly into the Slide Time box if you know how long you want a slide to appear.
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9/15/2010
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Excel: Change Sorting Direction
Excel is a terrific tool when you need to sort lots of data. All you do is select the column or range you want to sort, go to the Data menu in Excel 2003 and choose the Sort option, or click Sort & Filtering in the Editing group of the Home tab in Excel 2007 or 2010.
What if you want to sort rows rather than columns, though? You might think you have to rearrange your info so that it is in columns. Happily, you do not have to go to all that trouble. Just let Excel know that you want to sort in a different direction.
To do this in Excel 2003, select the range you want to sort. Go to the Data menu and click on Sort. Click the Options button. Under Orientation, choose Sort Left to Right. Click OK. Choose the row or series of rows by which you want to sort. Ascending will mean left and Descending will mean right. When you are ready, click OK.
To sort left to right in Excel 2007 or 2010, select the data range you want to sort. Click Sort and Filtering on the Home tab in the Editing group. Click Custom Sort. In the Sort dialog box, click the Options button. Select Left to Right and click OK. In the Sort By drop down list, select the row by which you want to sort. Choose your sort order (again, Ascending is left and Descending is right). Click OK and you are good to go!
The next time you use Excel’s sort option it will revert to the default column sorting.
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9/14/2010
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Word: Line Numbering
There are times when it is helpful and even necessary to have line numbers in a Word document, such as when you are creating a legal document, a script or some other type of document in which someone might need to refer to a specific line quickly. Fortunately, Word offers a built-in feature so that you can number lines in a document swiftly and easily. You can add line numbers to an entire document, a section or just some selected text.
To add line numbers to an entire document in Word 2003, go to the File menu and click on Page Setup. Go to the Layout tab and click Whole Document in the Apply To box. Select Line Numbers and then the Add Line Numbering check box.
In Word 2007 or 2010, go to the Page Layout tab. Click Line Numbers in the Page Setup group and select Continuous.
To add line numbers to a certain section only, click inside or select the section. In Word 2003, go to the File menu, select Page Setup and go to the Layout tab. In Word 2007 or 2010, go to the Page Layout tab, click on Line Numbers in the Page Setup group and select Line Numbering Options.
Select an option in the Apply To box, such as This Point Forward. Click the Line Numbering button. Select Add Line Numbering, choose any options you wish to apply and click OK.
You can skip a paragraph or section, too. Make sure you are in Print Layout view and select the paragraphs or lines you want to skip.
In Word 2003, go to the Format menu and select Paragraph. Go to the Line and Page Breaks tab and select the Suppress Line Numbers check box. In Word 2007 or 2010, go to the Page Layout tab. Click Line Numbers and select Suppress for Current Paragraph.
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9/13/2010
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Word: Ways to Change Text Case
If you are formatting titles and headings in Word or working with text you have copied and pasted, you may find yourself needing to change the case of your text. Fortunately, there are a few ways to change your text case in Word. Let’s go over them and then you can decide which one you like the best.
If you are a fan of keyboard shortcuts, you can select the text you want to change and press Shift+F3. Your selected text will cycle between Title Case, which simply means the first letter of each word is uppercase, Uppercase and Lowercase.
Of course, you can always change your using case the ribbon or toolbar. In Word 2003 or earlier, select the text you want changed. Go to the Format menu and select Change Case. You can choose between Sentence Case (which will simply capitalize the first letters of any sentences you have selected and make the rest lowercase), Lowercase, Uppercase, Title Case (which, unfortunately, cannot distinguish words such as prepositions, so it simply capitalizes each word) and Toggle Case, which frankly I have yet to find a use for, but hey, it’s there if you need it!
In Word 2007 or 2010 go to the Home tab. The Change Case button is in the Font group. Your options here are Sentence Case, Lowercase, Uppercase, Capitalize Each Word (more accurate than Title Case) and Toggle Case.
You can add a Change Case button to your toolbar in Word 2003, too. Go to Tools and click Customize. On the Commands tab, scroll down to Format under Categories and select it. Under Commands, scroll to Change Case. Click on it and drag that puppy to your toolbar. That’s right, anywhere you want it.
In Word 2007 or 2010, you can add the command to your QAT (Quick Access Toolbar). To do so, click the arrow at the right end of the QAT and choose More Commands. Choose All Commands in the Choose Commands From box. Select Change Case Gallery, Change Text Case – which acts like Shift+F3 – or even Change Case Dialog Classic, which offers an old school dialog box. Click Add and OK and there it is on your QAT.
Now it is up to you to choose your fave!
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9/10/2010
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