tips & techniques 

[Compendiums]  [Formatting & layout]  [Forms]
[Graphics]  [Lists & tables]  [Macros & customization]
[Mail merge]  [Proofing]  [Miscellaneous]

COMPENDIUMS TIPS AND FAQs
Nifty tricks, how-to information, and help with common--and not so common--problems.

• 101 Keys to the Office
  Tips for using Microsoft Office. You can also go directly to the 20 Word tips. (Windows Sources: July 1996)

• 2,001 Tips: Applications: Word Processing
  15 pretty good tips for Word 7.0 for Windows. (Windows Magazine: Winter 1997)

• Getting Results with Office 95
  This section of Microsoft's site has tips for performing specific tasks with Office. Some of the Word-related examples tell you how to create a pleading, a legal contract, a business plan, form letters, and a newsletter.

• Microsoft Word FAQ's
  From Baarns Publishing.

• Microsoft Word FAQ's
  From Loyola Marymount University.

• Microsoft Word Answers
  Quick tips on Word 6.0 for Windows, from Purdue University.

• PRIME FAQs
  A collection of FAQ pages, many on Word and WordBasic topics, from PRIME Consulting.

• Tips for Using Microsoft Word
  From the book Exploring Microsoft Word for Windows 95.

• Word
  Not a very illuminating title, I'll grant you, but this article has a dozen or so fairly useful tips on using Word. (Windows Sources: July 1996)

• Word Tips
  This Software School, Inc. page offers several short Word tips.

• Creating Splashy Page Borders for your Word Documents
  Using Word 97's Page Border feature. (Inside Microsoft Office 97: June 1997)

• Dual Page Numbering in Word for Windows
  How to number one section of a document separately from the rest, while maintaining an overall numbering scheme. (PC Magazine: June 25, 1996)

• Embedding TrueType Fonts in Your Word Documents
  Send the fonts along with your documents, to ensure correct display and printing. (Inside Microsoft Office: June 1996)

• Formatting a Word Document to Print on Letterhead
  How to allow space on the first page for your logo to print. (Inside Microsoft Office 95: August 1996)

• Formatting Text with the Repeat Command
  Using F4 to quickly apply the same formatting to various pieces of text. (Inside Microsoft Office 97: June 1997)

• Getting the Indents You Want in Word
  Setting heading numbering and indents in heading styles. (PC Magazine: March 25, 1997)

• Giving Word 6 "Automatic-fraction" Capabilities
  Type 1/2, 1/4, or 3/4, and have the appropriate symbol inserted automatically. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: June 1996)

• Heading Numbering Schemes in Word
  M. David Stone tells a user how to (sort of) use different heading numbering schemes in the same document. (PC Magazine: January 9, 1996)

• Improving Text clarity with Nonbreaking Spaces
  Keeping words together on the same line. (Inside Microsoft Office 95: October 1996)

• Including Header Text on Your Bordered Pages
  Including both standard header text and a graphical page border in a header. (Inside Microsoft Word: January 1997)

• Newsletter Basics
  Tips on creating a newsletter; not specific to Word. (The Computer Paper: May 1997)

• Removing Unwanted Paragraph Marks from Text Files
  This Microsoft tip explains how to use the Replace command to get rid of paragraph marks at the ends of lines.

• Sequential Numbering for Nonconsecutive Paragraphs in Word
  Using heading styles to achieve sequential numbering. (PC Magazine: July 1996)

• An Underline You Can Type On
  Using underlining and tab leader characters to create an underlined space on a form. (Inside Microsoft Office 95: November 1996)

• Updating a Word Document to Reflect Template Changes
  What the Automatically Update Document Styles option does (and doesn't) do. (Inside Microsoft Office: December 1996)

• Using Different Column Layouts on a Page
  Using the "Continuous" section break. (Inside Microsoft Word: June 1997)

• Writing a Resume with Microsoft Word
  Using Word's resume templates and resume wizard. (Austin Minority Business Journal: June 1995)

FORMS

• Creating Business Forms Using Word's Table Feature
  Using a table to design the form layout. (Inside Microsoft Word: March 1997)

• Custom Invoicing for Any Size Business
  Customizing and enhancing the invoice template that comes with the Office 97 ValuPack. (Office Computing: March 1997)

• Pleasures of the Form
  Bob Weibel provides tips for creating forms to be printed out and filled in by hand. (Computer Currents: March 26, 1996)

• Using a Macro to Display Optional Help
  Providing assistance for the people filling out your forms. (Inside Microsoft Word: June 1997)

• Using Tabs and Returns in a Microsoft Word Form
  M. David Stone explains how to insert tabs in a Word for Windows form field (Ctrl+Tab) and -- more complicated -- how to allow carriage returns in a Word 6 form field. (PC Magazine: March 12, 1996)

• Using Word's Form Fields to Enter Information
  The basics. (Inside Microsoft Word: April 1997)

GRAPHICS

• Adding Graphics to Your Envelopes
  Printing a graphic beside the return address. (Inside Microsoft Word: May 1997)

• Become a Wrap Artist
  Wrapping text around graphics. (Beyond Help: March 10, 1997)

• Enhancing Your Calendars with Pictures
  Covers both background graphics and small graphics to highlight particular days. (Inside Microsoft Word: December 1996)

• Enhancing Your Documents with Illustrated Headings
  Formatting tips for headings that include graphics. (Inside Microsoft Word: February 1997)

• The High Watermark
  Creating watermarks (background graphics) in Word and Excel. (Beyond Help: April 21, 1997)

• Take Your Pictures to the Office
  Using graphics to fill AutoShapes in Word 97. (Beyond Help: April 7, 1997)

• Tips for Quickly Formatting Drawing Objects
  Changing line style, fill color, and more. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: August 1996)

• Watermarks in Microsoft Word
  An elaboration on Microsoft's recommended procedure for creating watermarks (Word 6 and above). From Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.

LISTS

• Creating a Table of Contents
  An overview of Word's table-of-contents feature. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: February 1996)

• Creating a Table of Contents and Bibliography with Microsoft Word 6.0 (Macintosh)
  This "user note" from the University of Calgary includes tips on formatting headings and setting up bibliography entries for easy sorting.

• Creating a Table of Figures
  Creating a list of figures based on captions, styles, or field codes. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: March 1996)

• List-numbering Shortcuts
  Using the shortcut (right-click) menu with numbered and bulleted lists. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: April 1996)

• Merging Word Table Cells to Create Titles and Special Effects
  Word's Merge Cells and Split Cells features. (Inside Microsoft Office 95: January 1997)

• Mulitlevel Sorts in Word
  Sorting tables and lists based on multiple criteria. (PC Magazine: September 1996)

• Navigating Your Documents Can Be a Breeze
  Detailed instructions for creating a table of contents. (Windows Magazine: October 1, 1996)

• Painless Extraction
  Bob Weibel explains how formatting document elements with unique styles enables you to later extract specific information using Word's Table of Contents feature. (Computer Currents: July 22, 1996)

• Prettier WinWord Tables
  M. David Stone describes techniques for using WordArt and Word's drawing tools to enhance Word tables. (PC Magazine: August 1995)

• A Simple Way to Place Text and Graphics Side by Side
  Using a table to control graphic placement. (Inside Microsoft Word: October 1996)

MICROS

• Adding Sound to Macros and Commands in Word 6
  M. David Stone explains how to play a sound when you run a command or macro. (PC Magazine: November 27, 1995)

• Adding to Your Favorites Menu
  The Favorites menu on Office 97's Web toolbar can be used for both web sites and regular documents. (Inside Microsoft Office 97: May 1997)

• Create Custom Office Programs in Seconds
  A brief introduction to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which in Office 97 replaces WordBasic as Word's programming language. (Office Computing: March 1997)

• Creating and Copying Template-specific Toolbars
  Storing custom toolbars in templates other than Normal.dot. (Inside Microsoft Word: November 1996)

• Customize Your Office
  Customizing toolbars and menus. A companion article includes a sample Word 97 toolbar that you can download. (Beyond Help: April 21, 1997)

• Date and Page Numbering in Word
  Using fields to get custom date and page-number formats. (PC Magazine: May 6, 1997)

• Disabling the Office Assistant
  How to hide or completely remove Clipit and his friends. (Inside Microsoft Office 97: June 1997)

• Eliminating the Display of Your Most Recently Opened Files
  Protect your privacy by removing the names of your most recent files from your File menu. (Inside Microsoft Office 95: March 1997)

• A Few Words on Word Processing
  L. Magid provides tips on using macros, templates, and styles to customize your word processor. (Computer Currents: July 5, 1994)

• The Incredible, Extendable Word Doc
  Paul Bonner tells you how to take advantage of custom Properties fields in Word 7. (Windows Sources: January 19, 1996)

• Instant Custom Documents
  Creating a VBA application to help you assemble chunks of boilerplate text (and graphics) into new documents. (Office Computing: May 1997)

• Taking Advantage of Word's OrganizationalChartMaker Macro
  This macro comes in the MACRO60.DOT template that accompanies Word 6.0 for Windows, the Word 6.0 Macros template that accompanies Word 6.0 for the Mac, and the Macros7.dot template that accompanies Word 7 for Windows 95. (Inside Microsoft Word: September 1996)

• Using File Extensions in Word
  Displaying all files by default in Word 6 & 7's Open dialog box. (PC Magazine: April 22, 1997)

• Using Functions in Word for Windows
  Using macros to insert custom information. (PC Magazine: November 19, 1996)

• The Word 6 Survival Kit
  Make Word more convenient by customizing your toolbars, menus, and shortcut keys. (Macworld: February 1997).

• Word for the Lazy
  Sharing your AutoCorrect entries, and creating a menu of your favorite documents. (Windows Magazine: May 1, 1997)

MAIL MERGE
Known as "print merge" in early versions of Word.

• Ease into the Merging Lane
  An introduction to mail merge. (Beyond Help: April 7, 1997)

• Generating labels from a data source
  Word 6.0 for Windows. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: September 1995)

• Mail Merge Keyboard Shortcuts
  Keyboard equivalents for buttons on the Merge toolbar. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: July 1996)

• Merge with Word 6.0
  Bob Weibel responds to a user inquiry on creating a directory from an Excel spreadsheet. (Computer Currents: December 1, 1994)

• More on Inserting Merge Fields in WinWord 6
  M. David Stone discusses the use of the Insert Merge Field dialog box -- handy when your list of merge fields is too long to fit on the screen. (PC Magazine: October 24, 1995)

• Techniques for Generating Price Lists
  Describes merging list items from a data file, as well as typing lists from scratch. (Inside Microsoft Office 97: May 1997)

PROOFING:
Spell-checking, hyphenation, AutoCorrect, etc.

• Another Way to Get Around Word's Capitalize First Letter of Sentences Option
  Type a non-breaking space after abbreviations, to keep AutoCorrect from capitalizing the first letter of the next word. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: August 1996)

• Controlling automatic hyphenation in a Word document
  Word for Windows. (Inside Microsoft Office: June 1995)

• Correcting AutoCorrect in Word
  Using AutoCorrect with words or phrases containing apostrophes. (PC Magazine: May 14, 1996)

• Creating a Dictionary of Specialized Terms
  Creating a custom dictionary in Word. (Inside Microsoft Office 97: May 1997)

• Misspell for Success
  Chris Oakes explains how to use the AutoCorrect feature in Mac Word 6. (Computer Currents: April 18, 1995)

• Marking Student Work on the Computer
  Marking corrections on computerized coursework. Includes downloadable macros for Word 7 for Windows 95. (The Internet TESL Journal: September 1996)

• QuickTips
  Transferring a MacWrite custom dictionary to Word. (MacWorld: February 1995)

• A speedy way to create a custom dictionary in Microsoft Word
  Word for Windows. (Inside Microsoft Office: September 1995)

• Using IntelliSense in Microsoft Office
  Geof Wheelwright describes WinWord 6's AutoCorrect and Excel 5's AutoFormat, and suggests strategies for using them effectively. (The Computer Paper: September 1994)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Canceling Printing in Word 6 and 7
  Tip from user on canceling background printing. (PC Magazine: March 26, 1996)

• Combining Repeating Text and Sequential Numbers in Word
  M. David Stone responds to a user question about printing sequentially-numbered tickets that all have the same text. (PC Magazine: April 23, 1996)

• Competitive Upgrades Offer an Edge Over Licensing Costs
  Gene Koporowski discusses creative ways in which corporations are taking advantage of competitive upgrade offers on Microsoft Word and other products. A competitive upgrade, also known as a "sidegrade," is when a software maker offers its product at a discount to users who own a competing product. (MacWEEK Solutions: May 6, 1996)

• Easy Wins with Search and Replace
  Speeding up some common repetitive tasks. (Macworld: February 1997)

• Editing a Document in the Outline Window
  An overview of Word's outlining feature. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: November, 1995)

• Including Excel Data in Your Word Documents
  Copying, embedding, and linking. (Inside Microsoft Office: November 1996)

• Getting Online with Microsoft Office
  This series of articles previews the web-aware features of Office 97. It's divided into three sections: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

• Microsoft Word 97 Web Authoring Tutorials
  Three tutorials show you how to: create an HTML page from scratch, use the Web Page Wizard, and convert an existing Word document to HTML.

• The Right Sort
  Bob Weibel answers a user's question about sorting multiple-line paragraphs by a line other than the first. (Computer Currents: August 27, 1996)

• Selecting a column of text in a document
  Using Word's column-selection feature. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: July 1996)

• Taking Advantage of Word's Multiple-undo Feature
  Using the toolbar's Undo button and drop-down list. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: May 1996)

• Taking Advantage of Word's Outlining Feature
  An overview of Outline view. (Inside Microsoft Word 6: October 1995)

• A Trick for Sorting Multiple-line Items in Word
  Use Shift+Enter to keep them in the same paragraph. (Inside Microsoft Office: April 1996)