MS WORD.

Also, when using a text box to display a graphic, be sure to change the line colour on the text box to ‘No line’. You can do this by right-clicking the border of the text box and choosing ‘Format Text Box’.

Easy Access To Often-used Documents
The ‘Work’ menu is a great feature that you probably do not know about. You can use the ‘Work’ menu to keep an easily accessible list of your frequently- accessed Word files. To add the Work menu to the menu bar or a toolbar, on the ‘Tools’ menu, click ‘Customize’, and then click the ‘Commands’ tab. In the ‘Categories’ box, click ‘Built-in Menus’. Click ‘Work’ in the ‘Commands’ box, and drag it to the menu bar or displayed toolbar. Now, with the Work menu in place, you can add any open Word document to your list. The options you have are:

To add the current document to the Work menu, click ‘Add to Work Menu’ on the Work menu.

To open a document on the Work menu, click the document you want to open on the Work menu.

To remove a document from the Work menu, press [Ctrl] [Alt] [-]. The cursor will look like a large, bold underscore. Now on the Work menu, click the document you want to remove.

Add Watermarks To Your Documents
Watermarks are text or pictures that appear behind the text. They can identify the document’s status, marking a document as a draft, for example. You can use graphics or text as watermarks. To add a watermark to a printed document, go to Format > Background, and click ‘Printed Watermark’. Then do either of the following:

To insert a picture as a watermark, click ‘Picture watermark’, and then click ‘Select Picture’. Select the picture you want, and then click ‘Insert’.

To insert a text watermark, click ‘Text watermark’, and then select or enter the text you want.

Now select any additional options you want, and then click ‘Apply’. To view the watermark as it will appear on the printed page, click go to View > Print Layout.

Modify The Custom Dictionary
To add, delete, or edit words in a custom dictionary, go to Tools > Options, and click the ‘Spelling & Grammar’ tab. Click Custom Dictionaries. Choose the checkbox next to the dictionary you want to edit. Click ‘Modify’. Then, do one of the following:

To add a word, type it in the ‘Word’ box and click ‘Add’.
To delete a word, select it in the ‘Dictionary’ box and click ‘Delete’.
To edit a word, select it in the ‘Dictionary’ box, modify it, and then click ‘Add’. Delete the previous version.

Word XP uses a new feature called the ‘Mail Merge Wizard’ to guide you through the merge process. If you want to try the ‘Mail Merge Wizard’ in Word XP, choose it from the ‘Letters and Mailings’ menu. The directions appear in the task pane on the right side of the screen.

If you don’t like the Word XP Mail Merge Wizard, you can install the Word 2000 ‘Mail Merge Helper’. You’ll have to make two modifications to your installation of Word XP: adding the ‘Mail Merge Helper’ to the Word XP tools menu, and adding the ‘Insert Merge Field’ button to the Word XP Mail Merge toolbar.

Add The Mail Merge Helper To The Word XP Tools Menu
 To do this, go to Tools > Customize. In the Customize window, select the Commands tab. Select ‘All Commands’ from the ‘Categories’ list on the left. Then select ‘Mail Merge Helper’ on the right. Drag ‘Mail Merge Helper’ to the ‘Tools’ menu (the Tools menu will open). Continue holding the mouse button and drag ‘Mail Merge Helper’ to the ‘Letters and Mailings’ menu item (the Letters and Mailings menu will open). Continue holding the mouse and drag ‘Mail Merge Helper’ to the first position in the list of items. Release the mouse button; ‘Mail Merge’ will appear on the menu. Finally, click ‘Close’.

To add the ‘Insert Merge Field Button’ to the Word XP Mail Merge toolbar, go to View > Toolbars, then select ‘Mail Merge’ to display the ‘Mail Merge’ toolbar. Then go to Tools > Customize. In the ‘Customize’ window, select the ‘Commands’ tab. Select ‘Mail Merge’ from the ‘Categories’ list on the left. Select ‘Insert Mail Merge Field’ on the right. Then drag ‘Insert Mail Merge Field’ to the ‘Mail Merge’ toolbar, and position it to the left of the ‘Insert Word Field’ button. Release the mouse button-the ‘Insert Merge Field’ button will appear on the toolbar.

At this point, if you don’t need the ‘Mail Merge’ toolbar now, go to View > Toolbars, then select ‘Mail Merge’ to hide the ‘Mail Merge’ toolbar.

Create A Set Of Merge Documents
To create a set of merge documents, choose go to Tools > Mail Merge. (Word XP users should choose ‘Letters and Mailings’ from the Tools menu first). This will start the ‘Mail Merge Helper’, which will guide you through the three-step process:

Create the Main Document (Form Letter, Mailing Label, or Envelope).

Specify a Data Source (create from scratch or use an existing document, which is usually a Word table or an Excel spreadsheet).
Merge the ‘Data Source’ with the ‘Main Document’.

Save Word Documents As Web Pages
Word has a ‘Save as Web Page’ command on the File menu. In addition, there is an ‘Insert Hyperlink’ button on the toolbar, as well as two additional toolbars for the web: ‘Web’ and ‘Web Tools’. To activate these toolbars, go to View > Toolbars. If you save a Word document as a Web page, Word includes XML (Extensible Markup Language) tags, which enhances the format of the web page, but may cause problems with some Web browsers. Pages created with Word work best when viewed with the current version of Microsoft Internet Explorer.

You can download an HTML filter for Word 2000 that will allow you to Export as Compact HTML-compact HTML removes most of the XML tags. When you save a Word document as a Web page, the formatting is converted into the appropriate HTML code, although some formatting will not be displayed on the Web page exactly as it appeared in Word. To download the HTML filter for Office 2000-“Office 2000 HTML Filter 2.0”-go to http://snipurl.com/6mx2.

Sharing A Word Document In Other Versions
If you want to share a Word document with someone who doesn’t have your version of Word, go to File > Save As, and in the ‘Save as type’ box, select the file type you want to use.

If you’re not sure what file type will work-such as when you are sending a document to someone else-choose ‘Rich Text Format’ (*.rtf) or WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS (*.doc). All recent word processing programs for Windows or Macintosh can read either of these formats.

However, the conversion is sometimes not perfect and any formatting Word cannot convert will be discarded.

Put An Excel Chart In A Word Document
The easiest way to insert an Excel chart into a Word document is to open the chart in Excel, copy it, then paste it into your Word document. You may have to resize the chart after you get it into Word.

To resize the chart, go to Format > Object. The ‘Format Object’ dialog box has a ‘Size’ tab, and the ‘Layout’ tab has options for setting the flow of text around the chart.

You can also insert the chart as a linked or embedded object. A linked chart stores the data in the original Excel worksheet. If you edit the spreadsheet, the changes are reflected in the linked chart in Word.

An embedded chart is stored in the Word document. To create a linked or embedded chart, go to Insert > Object. Click the ‘Create from File’ tab. Enter the filename, or use the ‘Browse’ button to locate the file. An embedded object is created if you don’t check the ‘Link to file’ checkbox.

When you create an embedded object from an existing Excel workbook, the entire workbook is inserted into your document. The document displays only one worksheet at a time.

To display a different worksheet, double-click the Excel object, and then click a different worksheet.

MS EXCEL

Sheet And Workbook Names And Paths
The ‘Cell’ function returns information about the formatting, location, or contents of the upper-left cell in a reference.

So, to get the name of the current sheet, you can use this formula:
=MID(CELL(“filename”),FIND(“]”,CELL(“filename”)) 1,255)
To get the workbook name:
=MID(CELL(“filename”),FIND(“[“,CELL(“filename”)) 1,(FIND(“]”,CELL(“filename”)) 1)-FIND(“[“,CELL(“filename”))-2)
To get the path address and workbook name:
=CELL(“filename”)
To get the path address:
=MID(CELL(“filename”),1,FIND(“[“,CELL(“filename”))-1)

Use A Combo Box In Excel
Say you want to select a month from a drop-down list, and have the month number (as in “3” for “March”) appear in a cell. Here’s how to go about it.

First, add a list of months. Select the list. Press [Ctrl] [F3] and define the Name, say, ‘MonthsList’. Select cell B2-this is the cell where the month number will be displayed. Press [Ctrl] [F3], and define the Name as ‘MonthNumber’.

Now, place the mouse arrow over any toolbar, right click, and select ‘Forms’ from the shortcut menu. Click the ‘Combo Box’ icon. The cursor changes into a cross. Select a cell in the sheet, and draw the shape that you want for the combo box. A combo box will appear.

Select the combo box you just created, and make sure you are in edit mode. Right-click, and select ‘Format Control’ from the shortcut menu. Select the ‘Control’ tab.

In the ‘Input Range’ box, type in ‘MonthsList’.

In the ‘Cell Link’ box, type ‘Month Number’. Select the 3D shading checkbox, and click OK.

You should now be able to select a month from the combo box and see the month number appear in cell B2.

From the ‘Format’ menu, select ‘Conditional Formatting’. In ‘Condition 1’, select ‘Formula Is’ from the dropdown list. Now, in the Formula Box, enter the formula ‘=ISTEXT(A1)’.

Click ‘Format’. Select the desired format from the ‘Format Cells’ dialog box, and click ‘OK’. Again, click ‘OK’ to close the ‘Conditional Formatting’ dialog box.

Use AutoCorrect To Enter Special Symbols
You can use AutoCorrect to enter special symbols, for example, foreign characters. Here, we’ll use the example of the euro sign (€).

In a cell, enter the formula ‘=CHAR(128)’, press [F2], and then [F9]. This will paste the euro sign as a value. Copy the euro sign from the formula bar using [Ctrl] [C]. Now from the ‘Tools’ menu, select ‘AutoCorrect’. In the ‘Replace’ box, type in “euro”, and in the ‘With’ box, press [Ctrl] [V]. Click Add, and click OK.

Now, you can the type in the word “euro” in any cell. It will change to “€”.

Add Hidden Text To Formulas
Say you have a formula like ‘=12018 1056-4*1120’. When you wrote it, you knew what each number represented, but when you look at the sheet again, you find you can’t remember what the numbers are for. In such cases, you can add a hidden note to your formula by using the ‘N()’ formula. Change the above to read:
=12018 1056-4*1120 N(“My wage bonus – four weekly loan repayments”).
The ‘N()’ function converts
text to zero.

Formula Syntax
When writing formulas in Excel, you sometimes need a quick reminder of the formula syntax. Type an equals sign followed by the function name, and push [Ctrl] [Shift] [A]. For example, typing ‘=Vlookup’ and then pressing [Ctrl] [Shift] [A] will give you:
=vlookup(lookup_value,table_array,col_index_num,range_lookup).
Non-bold font arguments are optional.

Inverting A List
There is a simple and elegant way to invert a list in Excel. First copy the list to another location using Copy > Edit > Paste Special > Value. Now select all data in the list, and go to Tools > Options > Custom Lists.

Ensure the list address is in ‘Import list from cells:’, and then click ‘Import’. Now go back to the column next to your list, and in the top cell, place the last entry from your list.

In the cell below, place the second-last entry. Select both cells and double-click on the ‘Fill Handle’ (the small black square at the
bottom right).

Hiding And Unhiding Columns
To hide a column, select a cell or cells and press [Ctrl] [0]. To unhide a column, select the cells to the left and right of the hidden column, and press [Ctrl] [Shift] [0].

Changing Cell Indentation
Say your data is in cells A2 through A6. Select the range A2:A6 and press [Ctrl] [1]. Select the ‘Alignment’ tab, and in the ‘Indent’ box, change the number of characters to indent. Click OK.

Copying Cell Content Across Sheets
To fill across sheets or to copy information from the selected cells to all sheets in the workbook simultaneously, first copy the range of cells. Right-click the sheet tab, and from the shortcut menu, select ‘Select All Sheets’. From the ‘Edit’ menu, select ‘Fill’ and then ‘Across Worksheets’. In the ‘Fill Across Worksheets’ dialog box, check one of the three option buttons and click ‘OK’.

MS POWERPOINT

Multiple Slide Masters
A new feature in PowerPoint 2002 is that you can use multiple slide masters in a single presentation.

The slide master is an element of the design template that stores information including styles, placeholders, and colour schemes. Using the slide master, you can make global changes-such as replacing a font style-across all the slides in your presentation.

When using multiple slide masters, remember that if you want to make a global change to your presentation, you need to change each slide master. To insert a slide master, go to View > Master, and click ‘Slide Master’. Then do one of the following:

• To insert a slide master that uses the default styles in PowerPoint, on the ‘Slide Master View’ toolbar, click ‘Insert New Slide Master’.

• To insert a slide master by adding a new design template, on the ‘Formatting’ toolbar, click ‘Design’, point to the design you want, click the arrow, and select one of the options on the shortcut menu.

• To replace or add slide masters, go to View > Master, and click ‘Slide Master’. On the toolbar, click ‘Design’. If you want to replace selected, rather than all, masters in the presentation, select the masters in the thumbnails on the left. Then in the ‘Slide Design’ task pane, point to the design template you want, click the arrow, and perform one of the following tips:

• To replace selected masters with masters for the new design template, click ‘Replace Selected Designs’.

• To replace all the current masters with masters for the new design template, click ‘Replace All Designs’.

• To add a new design template and its masters to the presentation, click ‘Add Design’.

 

Toggling Case
If you have text that is in the wrong case, select the text, and then press [Shift] [F3] until it changes to the case style that you like.

[Shift] [F3] toggles the text case between the all caps, lowercase, and initial capital styles.

Using Guides
Make the guides visible by clicking View > Guides. Then, hold down [Shift] while you click-and-hold a guide; the tool-tip for the guide will display 0:00. As you move the guide, the distance the guide covers from the beginning of the drag will be displayed in the units of your ruler. This way, you can measure distances between objects, place guides at specific places, and so on.

Preview Fonts
If you would like to see previews of fonts in the font selection of the formatting toolbar, go to Tools > Customize, click on the ‘Options’ tab, and click ‘List font names in their font’. Click ‘Close’.

Resizing Proportionately
You can resize images while retaining proportions. Select the objects one at a time, keeping the [Shift] key pressed. Drag one object to the desired size, and PowerPoint will automatically scale them all.

Import Outlines From Word
Instead of creating presentation outlines in PowerPoint, they can be imported from Word.

First, open the file in Word, and click on File > Send To. Select ‘Microsoft PowerPoint’ to export the outline to PowerPoint. It will help to have the outline properly formatted with Word’s heading styles.

Create Semi-transparent Objects
To create a semi-transparent object, select the object you want and then ‘ungroup’ it by clicking Draw > Ungroup from the ‘Draw’ toolbar. Once the object is ungrouped, regroup it by selecting the ‘Group’ option, again from the ‘Draw’ menu. This will convert the picture to a Microsoft Office Drawing Object. Click Format > Object. Under the ‘Colours and Lines’ tab, check the ‘Semitransparent’ box.
Click ‘OK’.

Use Curved Text
WordArt allows text to be styled and twisted in various ways. For using curved text in PowerPoint, click Insert > Picture > WordArt, choose the style you want to apply to the text, and click OK. A dialog box will prompt you for the text to be placed in the given format. After the WordArt object has been generated, select it and click on the ‘Shape’ button on the ‘WordArt’ toolbar. Here, you can choose the style in which you want the text to be bent.

PowerPoint now shows you a slide-by-slide view of all the text in your presentation. So if you want to change all the text in your presentation to a different font, in Outline view, select ‘Select All’ from the ‘Edit’ menu. Now click Format > Font. Choose the font you want and click ‘OK’.

All the text in your PowerPoint presentation will now be displayed in the new font.
 
Mobile Buying Tips

Try Before You Buy
It’s always a good idea to try your hands on the model before you finalise a purchase. Find out if any of your friends has the same piece, so you can try out the interface and the feel of the phone to make sure you are comfortable with it. Apart from the interface, check out the size and weight to make sure it fits in with your requirements. If someone you know already owns the phone, he or she will also be able to tell you about the battery life and its other pros and cons. Some dealers also let you try out a demo piece.

Stick To Your Budget
The market is flooded with all sorts of phones. You may be lured to buy a more expensive phone than you can afford, but resist the temptation! Remember that you will be paying for all the features that the device offers, but it may be a waste if you will not use some of them.

Check The Talk-time
You should always check the talk-time of the phone before buying. Most mobile manufacturers specify this on the packaging box. However, it will be better if you can confirm this from a trusted source, such as a Digit review, or from someone you know who owns the same model.

Power Woes
There are usually two types of batteries available in the Indian market: Lithium Polymer and Lithium-ion. While buying a new phone, it’s advisable to buy one with a Lithium Polymer battery, as these are slimmer and have a larger power capacity. A third type of battery, Nickel Metal Hydride, was used in older models, but has been mostly discontinued as these are heavier and have less power capacity.

Size, Shape And Weight
It’s advisable to opt for a medium-sized phone that easily fits in your pocket. It’s easier to hold and use such phones than newer, tiny models, even if the latter look more appealing-especially if you have large hands.

Also check out the weight, as the weight mentioned by the manufacturer could be without the battery. Some users may prefer to opt for flip models over the standard candy-bar phones.

Scheduling your work
Most phones give you the functionality of a calendar and task options, which allow you to create daily schedules. However, the calendar could prove inconvenient if you are not provided with a monthly view.

Internal Memory
Some basic phones do not give you any internal phonebook memory. High-end phones provide fixed allocated memory ranging from 300 to 500 contacts, and also give you the flexibility of adding multiple entries for each contact-such as different phone numbers for home, work, mobile etc.

Hence, before buying a phone, take a look at the amount of internal phone memory that it ships with.

Internal memory is all the more important for phones that have features such as an integrated camera, MP3 playback, voice recording etc, as you will require more memory for storage.

External Memory Support
Many mid-range and high-end phones give you the flexibility of adding external memory modules, which allow you to add more data. If you’re buying a high-end phone, it’s advisable to buy one that supports external memory so that you can add more when you need. Again, this is important for phones with features that require extra storage.

Colour Display
If your budget permits, buy a phone that provides a colour display-the prices of these phones have come down drastically. The choices range from phones that can display 4K colours, 65K colours, and now even 260K colours. Generally speaking, phones with screens that can display more colours will be more expensive.

Tri-band Or Dual-band
Check if the phone supports dual-band, and preferably tri-band, which ensures that you can use the phone globally.

Infrared Port
Most new phones give you lots of connectivity options. Phones with infrared allow for a wireless connection between a computer and the phone. You can use infrared to send and receive phone book entries (business cards), reminder notes, images and much more.

The advantage of Bluetooth over infrared is that apart from being faster and having more range, Bluetooth does not require line-of-sight, as is the case with IR.

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
Most high-end phones have this feature, which allows you to send and receive rich media messages (comprising text, sounds, images and video).

However, most phones have a size restriction per message, and they may not allow you to forward audio. Before buying an MMS-enabled phone, make sure you take into consideration the file size restrictions and its capability to send audio.

Concatenated Messages And Character Support
The GSM standard restricts you to messages containing 160 characters, so a phone that supports concatenated messages enables you to send longer messages. Phones that have support for Unicode will allow you to display blinking messages.
 
Bundled Accessories
Most expensive phones bundle quite a few accessories in the form of a communications cable, a desktop charger, a leather case, etc. Check for these.

Voice Dial
This is a system that allows you to dial a telephone number by just saying the person’s name. Voice dial is convenient, and useful in places where you cannot see the keypad or when your hands aren’t free.

OS And Application Support
Most high-end phones allow you to install additional games and applications depending upon the OS and available memory. Options available include Symbian and Series 60.

A variety of third-party games and applications are available for purchase or even free download. If you are a power user who would like to use specific games or applications on your mobile, you will need to check whether they are supported on you new phone.

Data Input Mode
If you are buying a high-end smartphone, you also need to consider the mode of data input. Some phones use a touch-screen and stylus to enter data, while some may offer a full-fledged keyboard. Some phones come with both options. If you are going to enter a lot of data, make sure you are comfortable with the options available.

Support And Service
What happens when your phone breaks down-does the warranty cover all the critical parts such as the circuit board, screen, software installation and firmware? Check before you buy.

Mobile Accessories

Protect The Screen
Even if you do not get a cover, you may be able to find a screen protector for your phone display. Since the display is one of the most expensive and fragile parts of your phone, it is important to protect it from scratches and other types of damage.

A screen protector is a transparent film that sticks on to the top of the screen.

Change That Look
Most Nokia phones, and even some other brands, allow you to customise the look of your phone by changing the external body casing, keypads, etc. You can choose from lots of stickers and cool flickering LEDs, which you can stick on your phone’s back panel or the antenna. Watch them blink and jazz up your phone!

Carry It Safe
Various types of carry pouches, belt clips and cases are available for different phones. Ranging from leather to cloth, you should be able to find one that suits your requirements and style.

Memory
If your phone supports memory expansion, you can go in for a compatible memory card to expand the available memory. This is useful for phones that do not have a lot of internal memory but offer features like an integrated camera, video recording, MP3 playback, etc. There are a variety of memory cards supported by different brands and product models.

Ranging from Memory Stick Duo to MultiMediaCard (MMC), and available in varying capacities, you need to check, before you buy, the memory format and the highest capacity supported by your phone.

Free Your Hands
Handsfree adapters will free you from having to hold your phone all the while you speak. Depending on your budget and what your phone supports, you could go in for plain ones that start from Rs 100 for locally made ones and Rs 400 for the genuine thing.

If your phone has Bluetooth, go in for high-end Bluetooth wire-free headsets starting from Rs 2,800 (grey market). Original top-of-the-line handsfree sets from Nokia will set you back by Rs 6,000.

Looks apart, the reason you should look at Bluetooth handsfree is that it’s wireless, and has a range of approximately 30 feet, so you can move around without being attached to your phone.

Another kind of handsfree that is gaining in popularity is radio handsfree. If your phone doesn’t have a built in radio, then you can buy such a handsfree with integrated radio.

Phone Care Tips

• Never keep your phone near heat and magnetic sources (gas stoves, direct sunlight, audio speakers, etc).

• Switch off the device if it’s not going to be used for some period of time. If you don’t tend to use your phone for a long while, remove the battery and store it in a cool, dry place.

• Keep the device away from moisture and liquids. Avoid taking the phone into areas like kitchens or washrooms.

• Avoid storing or using it in dusty areas: the moving parts could get damaged. While charging the device, do not pull the adapter cord out of the device until the electricity supply is switched off. Switch off the phone before removing the battery or changing your SIM card.

• Use only approved accessories and batteries. Do not connect incompatible products. Always use rated and factory-specified accessories for your phone. If, for example, you use a higher power rating charger, it will charge faster, but battery life could be lowered, and the phone could even get damaged.

• Never forget your cell phone in your vehicle-the heat could shorten the life of electronic devices, damage batteries and melt some plastic components.

Similarly, do not store your phone in cold areas because when the phone warms up to its normal temperature, moisture can form inside it, which could damage the electronic circuit boards.

• Never attempt to open the phone yourself, as non-expert handling of the device may damage it.

• If you wish to clean your phone, do not use harsh chemicals, cleaning solvents, or strong detergents. Use just a soft moist cloth.

• A new battery usually lasts for two years, provided you use it the right way. Never recharge a battery unnecessarily-this reduces the charge cycle. Always make sure you use the specified charger, else battery performance could be affected.

• Where temperature and humidity levels are high, your phone may stop functioning in extreme cases. If this happens, do not open the phone-take it to an authorised service centre.

Safety Tips

• Never use your phone while driving. It may not be a punishable offence in many places, but you could cause an accident. As an alternative, you could use one of the many handsfree accessories available today, but be warned that using these while driving could also be dangerous.

• Avoid taking a call while crossing the road, as your attention could be diverted-stand on the side if you must take a call.

• Always buy a cell phone that’s SAR-approved. This ensures that the radiation emitted is minimal.