WORKING with your documents in Word 2010 isn’t all about creating content. Once you design your page, enter your text, format it the way you want it, add your illustrations, and do your proofreading pass, you need to think about what you want to do with the file. Will you print it? Share it? Close it and go to lunch?
This chapter is all about what you do with the files you create in Word 2010. While you’re creating your document, you will be making decisions about who can access it and when, what kind of editing you want them to do, what kinds of tags and comments you add to the file, and much more. In order to manage that type of information, perform file management tasks, and set program preferences in Word, you will use the new Backstage view. This view pulls together in one convenient place all the commands you need to set program preferences, work with your Word files, get help, and save, share, and print your files.
Backstage view was designed with the idea of giving you an easy way to access all the tools you need as you manage your documents. Because today we have so many different ways to use and share the content we create, having one central location for file-management tasks is more important than ever. We need to be able to use a consistent process to find, save, create, open, and share our files—and that process should be similar, no matter which Office 2010 program we are using.
The Ribbon was designed to bring you just the tools you need while you’re working on various tasks in your document. The idea was to reduce both the clutter on the screen and make the commands in the program easier to find and use. Backstage view was designed with a similar goal in mind, except that the focus of the commands is different. Now instead of using commands to create, format, and work with the content in your document, Backstage view gives you the tool you need to work with the document itself.
You’ll find Backstage view on the File tab, which is located at the far left end of the Ribbon. This takes you to a window that looks similar to the Word 2010 document window—same color scheme and fonts—but provides a multicolumn interface, with tabs stretching down the left side of the window (see Figure 2-1).
Figure 2-1. Backstage view shares a color and font scheme with the Word 2010 window, but the interface lets you know you’ve entered a new realm.
At the top of the tabs column, you find four selections called fast commands in Office 2010. These are the common operations you perform regularly in Word—Save, Save As, Open, and Close. When you click Save, Save As, or Open, the familiar dialog boxes open from which you can navigate to the folder you need and save or open a file, depending on your selection. When you click Close, Word 2010 prompts you to save the file if needed and then closes the current document. Pretty straightforward.
Below the fast commands, by default a set of four recent documents is displayed. From this list, you can conveniently reopen files you’ve used most recently without needing to navigate to the folder in which they are stored. You can change the number of files displayed in this portion of the Backstage tab column by clicking the Recent tab and changing the Quickly Access This Number of Recent Documents entry at the bottom of the Recent files list.
The Backstage tabs column offers a set of six tabs, organized according to the different ways you will want to work with your files. Here’s a quick definition of what you’ll do with each tab:
Info. Use the options on the Info tab to display document properties; set user permissions for your document; inspect the document before sharing it and run accessibility and compatibility tests; and recover or delete draft versions of documents you’ve worked on previously.
Recent. When you click Recent a listing of documents you’ve already worked on appears in the center column of the view. You can scroll through the list, click a file to open it, or “pin” a file to the list (this causes it to remain at the top of the list and not scroll out of view) so that you can access is easily later. Further, at the bottom of the Recent file list, you can click the Recover Unsaved Documents link to open a dialog box that gives you access to versions of files you have closed without saving. You can also set the number of recent documents you want to be displayed on the tab area beneath the Close tool.
New. The New tab displays your options for creating a new document in Word. You can choose to start with a blank file, a blog post, an existing or sample template, or create a new file based on an existing one. Additionally, you can browse through literally dozens of Office Online templates. After you find the document you want to create, click it and a thumbnail image of the template appears in the preview pane on the left. Click Create to create the document.
Print. The Print tab is where you can preview and set print options for your file. The preview shows you in real time the changes you make in the print selections. For example, if you change the orientation of the page from portrait to landscape, Print Preview shows the change. You can set the options you want for the print job and then click Print to complete the operation.
Tip
Print is one of the great—and greatly simplified—features now available in Backstage view. The whole print process has been simplified so that you can preview, set options, and print your document all in a single screen. To find out more about printing your documents in Word, see Chapter 14.
Save & Send. The Save & Send tab lists the various options you have for sharing your document. Depending on whether you are part of a team or use either SharePoint Workspace or Windows Live SkyDrive for your files, you might have the following options or others in the Save & Send area: Send Using E-mail, Save To Web, Save To SharePoint, Publish As Blog Post. When you choose any of these options, additional selections—for example, the location of the SharePoint site to which you want to save the file—become available in the pane on the right. In the File Types area on the tab, you can select the type of the file you’re saving or create a PDF/XPS document.
Help. The Help tab in Word 2010 provides you with information about your software registration and your product ID and version. It also provides access to tutorials, searchable help, and links to program updates.
The final choice in the tabs column isn’t a tab per se—it’s the Options command. Clicking Options in Backstage view displays the Word Options dialog box, where you can control a wide range of settings related to various aspects of the program.
The sections that follow offer more detail about the different tasks you’ll accomplish in Backstage view. Because the Info tab provides access to file information you won’t find anywhere else in Word 2010, many of the techniques described in this chapter concern this tab and the actions you carry out in it. You will also find information about each of the tabs and their basic functions and get pointers to specific chapters where techniques are described in greater detail. Along the way, you’ll discover a few tips and techniques for tailoring the program to handle your documents the way you want them to be handled.
The middle column of Backstage view displays groups of tools related to the tab you’ve selected. Although each of the tabs displays a very different set of tools—some of which require additional choices—the idea is always the same: the groups area allows you to take action on a specific task or file. In the groups area, you choose the command you want to use or the file you want to work with. The groups area for the Print tab is displayed in Figure 2-2. As you can see, you choose the print options for the current file in the groups area of Backstage view.
The column on the right side of Backstage view also varies depending on the tab you’ve selected. On the Info tab, this column displays the document properties for your file. On the Print tab, you can preview and page through your document. On the Help tab, this area displays information about your version of Word 2010 and gives you access to your product ID (see Figure 2-3).
Have you noticed that in earlier versions of Word, there’s no easy way to display your document’s properties without taking up a large portion of the document window? You might want to know, for example, when the file was last modified, who has been working on the document, or whether the file has been printed recently. You can find out all this—and more—by viewing the properties on the Info tab.
By default, Word 2010 provides the following document properties:
Size. Displays the file size of the current document
Pages. Shows the number of pages
Words. Gives you a total word count of the entire document
Total Editing Time. Lists the number of minutes the file has been open since it was created
Tags. Enables you to add tags to identify the document content and topic
Comments. Lets you add a note that stays with the file so that others viewing or editing the file can see it
You can also find out when the document was last modified, when it was created, and when it was last printed. This information is for viewing only; there’s nothing you can do to change the date information displayed (except, of course, modify or print the document).
Tagging provides an important and easy way to identify the content in such a way that you can find it easily again later. Suppose, for example, that you are creating copy for a new catalog your department is producing. If you create a document with blurbs for the catalog copy, you could add the tag catalog—or, if you want to be more specific, two tags, such as catalog, smartphone—so that others compiling the content later can search and find your document for inclusion in the larger catalog file.
Tip
If you work as part of a team that is working together to produce content for a specific project, meet and discuss the tags you are going to use before you start using them. Because tagging provides you with a system for locating and grouping files, you want to be sure you’re all using the same tags; otherwise, the benefit of tagging is lost because the files won’t be found together in a search.
Likewise, you can add comments to your document to make an overall comment that is not visible to people who are viewing your document. You can add a note to your editor about a section you are working on, but when others view the file in Final view, the comment won’t be visible.
Tip
If you are working with others who use earlier versions of Word (Windows or Mac versions), be sure to let them know you have added comments to the file. Recently I sent an article to a publisher who was using Word for the Mac and a comment I inserted in the file was published as a footnote! When using comments across multiple program versions, be sure to be clear and let everyone know comments are included in the file—just in case.
The process for adding tags and comments to your document is a simple one.
Click the File tab to display Backstage view.
The Info tab is displayed by default. Click Add A Tag in the Tags area in the right column.
Type one or more tags, separating the tags with commas—for example, catalog, smartphone, fall (see Figure 2-4).
Save and close your document.
Figure 2-4. Enter tags for your document by clicking the Add A Tag area and typing the tags you want to use.
You can use the tag and comment information you use in your Word 2010 document when you are viewing your files at the operating system level. For example, suppose that you are looking for a specific Word document in which you discuss different smartphone models. The tags you entered in your Word 2010 document will help you locate the catalog file. (Note, however, that a file you’ve just created might not show up because the operating system needs to have a chance to include the file in a file index before it is displayed in search results.) Here’s how to do it:
Click the Windows 7 Start button.
Type smartphone in the search box.
Click the file you want from the list that appears (see Figure 2-5).
The tags and comments you add on the Info tab of Backstage view stay with the file and are visible when you choose a file in a folder in Windows 7 as well. In Figure 2-6, you see that when you click the file, the tags appear in the details at the bottom of the folder window. You can also display all the file’s properties by right-clicking the file, choosing Properties, and then clicking the Details tab.
You can also add, modify, and make contact with your co-authors for the current file from the Info tab. To add a co-author to your document, follow these steps:
Click in the Related People area.
Place your cursor in the Add An Author box and type the name of the co-author you want to add.
As you begin typing, Word searches for contacts in your local or global Outlook contacts lists that match the text you enter.
Click the co-author you want to add from the list that appears or finish typing the name in the box, and press Enter.
The names are added to the Author list, as you see in Figure 2-7.
Note
Adding authors to the Author list does not give them the permissions they need to share the document; nor does it make the document available to them in any kind of shared folder, such as a folder available on SharePoint Workspace or Windows Live SkyDrive. In order to take advantage of the full co-authoring features in Word 2010, you need to give your co-authors the necessary permissions to work in the file and save the file to a location they can access. You learn more about the entire co-authoring process in Chapter 22.
Why add co-authors to the Author list? For one thing, compiling a list of people working on the current document gives you access to the people you might need to contact related to various aspects of the project. Then if you want to contact one of your co-authors, you can simply click the name of the person on the Info tab and choose the way in which you want to communicate.
If you are working with Office Communicator or Microsoft Exchange, a presence indicator lets you know who among your co-authors is currently online and available for contact and who is not. In Figure 2-7, for example, Beth’s presence icon shows green, which means she is available for online contact. Rosemary’s presence icon, on the other hand, shows yellow, which means she is currently away and unavailable for contact. When you click the name of a co-author, the contact card appears, giving you four different ways to contact the person, as shown in the following illustration:
Tip
You’ll learn more about the various ways of contacting your co-authors in Chapter 22.
Another valuable option on the Info tab of Backstage view is found in the Related Documents area. Because few of the documents we create today actually stand alone, knowing where and how to access similar content is important (and can save you a lot of time searching through folders and drives on the server).
Both selections in the Related Files area—Open File Location and Edit Links To Files—are live selections, meaning that you can click them to move directly to the task you want to perform. When you click Open File Location, Word 2010 will ask you to confirm that the location you are accessing is a safe one; click Yes to continue, and Word 2010 opens the folder where the current file is stored. Now you can look for additional files, open collateral documents, or do the research you need to do. Perhaps, for example, you want to see what tags have been assigned to other files in your document folder. When you’re finished in the folder, click the Close box to return to the Word 2010 Backstage view.
The Edit Links To Files selection enables you to check, modify, and update links to any objects you’ve embedded in your document. If you do not have other objects in your document, this option will not appear. Clicking this selection displays the Links dialog box, as shown in Figure 2-8.
Figure 2-8. Use the Edit Links To Files selection on the Info tab to review, change, and update links to objects embedded in your document.
Note
To learn more about embedding objects and working with links in Word 2010, see Chapter 18.
The document properties shown by default on the Info tab of Backstage view are the ones most commonly used by the majority of Word users, but your needs or interests might dictate storing more specialized information about the file. You can change the document properties collected and displayed on the Info tab by clicking the Properties arrow (see Figure 2-9).
When you click Show Document Panel, the Document Properties panel appears at the top of your document. This panel is where you can view and modify document properties easily (see Figure 2-10). The Document Properties panel shows you any properties that currently store document information as well as the current folder location of the file. The Keywords field reflects the tags you add so that the file can be located easily in a search. You can review and change the information as needed and then close the panel by clicking the close box in the upper-right corner.
Figure 2-10. The Document Properties panel appears at the top of your document, showing all properties currently entered for the file.
When you choose Advanced Properties, the Properties dialog box appears, giving you the option of entering and working with document properties by entering information in the General, Summary, Statistics, Contents, and Custom tabs.
Note
To learn more about customizing your document to use document properties in content controls, see Chapter 27.
Tip
By clicking Show All Properties at the bottom of the Properties panel on the Info tab you can add additional properties fields so that you can view and modify those settings as well. The additional properties include Status, Template, Categories, Subject, Hyperlink Base, and Company. You might use Status, for example, to update the progress on the document or use Categories to indicate which department has ownership of the project.
When you are working with documents created or saved in previous versions of Word, the document is automatically opened in Compatibility Mode. Word 2010 shows you that Compatibility Mode is in effect by displaying [Compatibility Mode] in the title bar of the document. When you display the Info tab for a file created in a previous version of Word, you will see the Compatibility Mode group, which contains the Convert command. Using this command, you can convert the file to Word 2010 format so that all the features in the latest version of the program are available to you as you work on the file.
Tip
Will you worry about maintaining compatibility with others who aren’t using Word 2010 if you convert the file? Microsoft has made a converter available free of charge for users who aren’t interested in upgrading their version of Microsoft Office but still need to trade files with Office 2010 and Office 2007 users. This way you get the best of both worlds—you can share files with other users and still get the best the program has to offer. You’ll find the Microsoft Compatibility Pack available on the Microsoft Downloads site.
To convert the file to Word 2010 format, simply click Convert (see Figure 2-11). A message box appears, alerting you that the file will be converted into the new format. Click OK to complete the operation.
Figure 2-11. To convert the file from an earlier version of Word, click Convert on the Info tab of Backstage view.
Caution
The document will be converted to the new file format, given the new file extension (.docx for macro free documents or .dotm for macro enabled documents), and a copy of the original will not be preserved. Though you can save a converted document back to the Word 97-2003 file format, if you have any conversion concerns, you should make a backup copy of your document prior to using the Convert tool or use Save As to save your document in the new file format instead. For more information about saving documents, see the section titled Saving and Sending Your Documents.
Tip
Why Convert? Many of the new features available with both Word 2007 and Word 2010—for example, quick styles, SmartArt, photo effects, and more—are not available in older file formats. To take full advantage of the latest features designed to enhance the look and function of your document, convert the file to Word 2010 format.
If you share files regularly—both within and outside your organization—you know how important it is to safeguard the information you create. You might want to prepare a file in such a way that others can’t change it; ensure that others can only make certain changes—such as fill out a form, respond to questions, or edit only a specific section.
Word 2010 makes it easy for you to set varying levels of protection for your document, and the Permissions group on the Info tab shows you which features are in effect for your current file. Here’s how to protect your document in Backstage view:
Click the File tab to display Backstage view.
In the Permissions group, click Protect Document.
Click the option that best reflects the type of protection you want to add to the file:
Mark As Final. This option makes your document as read-only so others can’t change it.
Encrypt With Password. Word prompts you (twice) to assign a password so only those with the password can open the file.
Note that although password protecting a document in this way is suitable protection for some documents, for highly sensitive information you also need other means of protection as well.
Restrict Editing. With this option, you can choose the level of editing you want various users to be able to perform.
Restrict Permission By People. This enables you to set the limits of editing by role so people with specific functions are given the permissions you specify.
Add A Digital Signature. You can add a digital signature to the document to help ensure the authenticity of the file.
Figure 2-12 shows how as you make choices to protect your document. Your selections are displayed in the Permissions group so you can always keep track of the protection features in use in the current document. When you return to the document window via the File tab, you see that the message bar shows the new level of protection and provides a button you can click for more information (see Figure 2-13).
In the Prepare For Sharing group on the Info tab, you’ll find the Check For Issues tool (see Figure 2-14). This tool contains three checkers you can use to ensure that your document is ready for sharing with others outside your organization. The following list describes each:
Inspect Document. Word will let you know whether the file contains any sensitive personal or business information, hidden comments, or XML data you might not want to share.
Check Accessibility. This ensures that users with varying levels of ability will be able to read your file.
Check Compatibility. This checks your document to locate any features that will not be available to people who are using previous versions of Word.
Note
Both the Inspect Document and Check Accessibility features are covered in Chapter 21, so this section focuses on showing you how to check the compatibility of the documents you create and use in Word 2010.
The Word 2010 Compatibility Checker helps you identify which elements in your document are not fully supported in previous versions of Word. If there’s any possibility that your document will be viewed by people who use earlier versions of Word, use the Compatibility Checker to ensure that you know how your document will look to all recipients.
Note
Word 2007 and Word 2010 use the same file format (.docx), so saving to a previous version of Word means saving to the Word 97-2003 format or earlier.
The Compatibility Checker evaluates your document and displays a report that lets you know how things in your file will change (see Figure 2-15). For example, the following list provides some of the more common changes made when you save a Word 2010 document to a previous version format:
Building block information becomes static text
OpenType font features are removed
Citations and bibliographical entries cannot be updated
Charts become single elements
Text effects are removed
Content Controls become static text
Embedded objects can no longer be edited
Equations are converted to images
SmartArt graphics are converted to single objects that cannot be edited
Text box positioning might change
Tracked moves are shown as deletions and insertions
Figure 2-15. The Microsoft Word Compatibility Checker lets you know how features will change when you save a Word 2010 document to an earlier format.
If you are not sure what a summary item means, you can click the Help link below the number of occurrences in the Summary area to view additional information.
After you review changes, click OK and then either save the document in Word 97-2003 format knowing what changes will take place or make changes in your document and run the Compatibility Checker again.
Most computer users have experienced losing data at one time or another—whether because of a badly timed power outage, a glitch in the program, a sudden lockup, or forgetful moment. To help reduce the risk of losing data, Word includes the AutoRecover and Background Saves features, which are both activated by default. These two features work together to help save your information without interrupting your workflow too much. Here’s what they do:
AutoRecover. Creates temporary files of open documents. These files are used if your system crashes or if there’s a power failure. These files are considered temporary because they are deleted when you either close the open documents or exit Word.
Background Saves. Allows you to continue working in Word while you save a document. A flashing disk icon appears on the status bar when a background save is taking place. You can toggle background saves off and on using the Allow Background Saves option found in Word Options in the Advanced section under the Save options.
Note
If you attempt to save a long document while Word is still performing a background save, you might get a Same Name error because Word uses the same file name to complete both save operations. If this occurs, simply wait a moment until the background save is complete and then save the document normally. You can tell when a document is being saved by looking for the Save message and Save Progress bar on the status bar at the bottom of the Word window.
Keep in mind that the AutoRecover feature isn’t a replacement for saving your files. AutoRecover only temporarily saves changes made to active documents. It is specifically a tool designed to help you recover a file after a system crash. You need to continue to save and back up your documents regularly.
Note
By default, Word does not automatically create backup files. To turn on the automatic backup feature, select the Always Create Backup Copy check box in the Save section on the Advanced tab in Word Options. The backup copy will have the words, Backup Of, added at the beginning of the file name and will have a .wbk file extension. Note the backup copy is a version of the document that you saved prior to the most recent save.
If you experience a system crash while working in Word, the application displays a Document Recovery task pane along the left side of the Word window after you restart your system and reopen Word. The Recovery task pane shows up to three versions (Recovered, AutoSaved, and Original) of each Word file that was open at the time of the crash. The most current version (usually the recovered version) is shown at the top of the group of related files. You can select which files you want to save from among the recovered versions of documents that appear in the Document Recovery task pane.
To open a recovered document, click the entry in the Document Recovery task pane or click the arrow next to the item then click Open. In addition, you can save or delete a recovered file or view repairs made to a recovered file by clicking the item’s arrow and then selecting the desired command.
After you’ve made your recovery decisions, click Close in the lower-right corner of the Document Recovery task pane to close the pane. If you determine that you want to use a different recovered document after you’ve closed the Document Recover task pane, click the Recovered button on the status bar to reopen the task pane.
When you close a recovery file without saving it, the recovery file is deleted—you can’t recover a deleted recovery file. Furthermore, when you close Word after recovering documents, you will not be able to re-access the various saved versions whether you deleted them or not. If you are not sure which file to save, consider saving all of the recovered files with different names so you can compare and review the files without losing any of them. After you are sure which file you want to keep, you can delete the files you don’t need in the same manner you delete any other Word file.
Although Word’s ability to recover files after a lockup can help you avoid losing important content you’ve created, what is there to help you if you forget to save a file and the power goes out? Now Word 2010 provides a way to recover documents that you didn’t have a chance to save. Gathered from those background saves you barely notice, the Recover Unsaved Documents feature gives you access to those versions of the file you didn’t think to keep. You can then open, save, and work with the content as you like.
You’ll find this feature on the Info tab of Backstage view. To access the content in unsaved versions of your file, follow these steps:
Click the Manage Versions button and choose Recover Draft Versions from the list that appears (see Figure 2-16).
In the Open dialog box, Word displays the folder containing the unsaved drafts. Select the file you want and click Open.
The message bar alerts you that the file is a draft version and prompts you to click Save As if you want to save the file and use the content (see Figure 2-17).
Click Save As to display the Save As dialog box then choose the folder and file name for the saved file.
Click Save to complete the process.
Use the Recent tab in Backstage view to choose your most recent documents—and identify your favorite most recent documents—from a nice, long list (see Figure 2-18). The scrollable list provides access to a maximum of 22 of your most recent documents; you can click the pushpin to “pin” the document to the list so that it does not scroll off as you continue to open and work with files.
The number of files that appear beneath the fast commands area in the Backstage tabs column is determined by the value set in Quickly Access This Number of Recent Documents, located at the bottom of the Recent files list. If you want to increase the number of documents displayed there, increase the value in the box. The documents displayed in that area of the Recent tab will show pinned documents first, followed by the most recent documents in your Recent files list.
Tip
You can change the number of files displayed in the Recent Documents list by clicking Options, choosing the Advanced tab, and then in the Display area, entering a new value in the Show This Number of Recent Documents field.
Figure 2-18. The Recent tab in Backstage view gives you one-click access to a long list of recent files.
You can also click the Recover Unsaved Documents link at the bottom of the list to display the Open dialog box and access the content of any files you closed without saving. This link gives you another way to access the Recover Draft Versions functionality available through the Manage Versions selection on the Info tab.
Tip
If you find that you regularly return to the document you were using most recently, you can streamline the task of opening that recent file by adding Open Recent File to the Quick Access Toolbar in the top-left corner of the Word window. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar arrow at the right end of the toolbar and choose Open Recent File from the list. Now you can simply click the tool to open the document you worked with most recently.
The New tab in Backstage view provides everything you need to start a new document, blog post, or template in Word 2010 (see Figure 2-19). The three-column format enables you to find the type of file or template you want to create and preview the document template in the panel on the right. When you’ve selected the item you want to create, click the Create button.
Note
You learn more about creating and working with new documents in Chapter 3.
Printing and previewing have become easier than ever before, thanks to the redesign and reorganization of the Print and Preview tools in Office 2010. Now Print is available to you through Backstage view, and you can easily set print options, preview your document, and browse through the file all within a single window (see Figure 2-20). And when you’re ready to print the file, just click the Print button. Nice.
Figure 2-20. With the Print tab, you can set print options, preview, and print your file within one easy-to-use window.
Note
For the ins and outs of setting print options, preparing to print different types of documents, and optimizing your printing, see Chapter 14.
Sharing is a big story in Word 2010. Because the nature of the way we work on documents has been changing over recent years, Word now includes features that enable you to save and send your files to others easily while still ensuring they are as secure as possible.
On the Save & Send tab in Backstage view, you can specify where and how you want to share the files you create. As you see in Figure 2-21, you can opt to share your document by e-mail, save it to the Web, post it to your SharePoint server space, or publish it as a blog post.
Tip
Wondering where you’ll save your file on the Web? Windows Live SkyDrive is a free file-sharing utility available at www.skydrive.live.com and is often used by home and small business users. Microsoft SharePoint is a server technology that is typically used by larger businesses at the enterprise level. Microsoft Office Professional Plus includes SharePoint Workspace 2010, so users who have access to Microsoft SharePoint can take their files offline and share them easily with others in a collaborative workspace.
Figure 2-21. You will use the Save & Send tab to choose how you want to share the documents you create in Word 2010.
The Save & Send tab provides you with various options for sharing your files; you can also set up the necessary accounts (for example, when you click Save To Web, you are given the option to sign in to your Windows Live account or sign up for one if you don’t already have one). After you sign in to Windows Live, you can save your file to Windows Live SkyDrive by clicking the Save To Web tool and prepare to share the files from that online point.
If you currently work with SharePoint, clicking Save to SharePoint will display a list of your current SharePoint locations; simply click the folder where you want to store the file.
Note
You learn more about saving and sharing documents and working with co-authoring in Chapter 21.
You’ll also find what you need to save your document as a PDF or XPS file, send the file as an Internet fax, and change the file type for the current document so that you can save the file in other formats. Table 2-1 lists the other file formats in which you can save your Word 2010 file.
Table 2-1. Alternate File Formats in Word 2010
Format | Description | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
*.doc | Word 97-2003 | *.odt | OpenDocument Text |
*.dotx | Template | *.txt | Plain Text |
*.rtf | Rich Text Format | *.mht, *.mhtml | Single File Web Page |
*.dotm | Word Macro-Enabled Template | *.dot | Word 97-2003 Template |
PDF format | *.xps | XPS Document | |
*.xml | Word XML Document | *.XML | Word 2003 XML Document |
*.wps | Works 4.x Document | *.wps | Works 6 – 9 Document |
You can easily get help from any point in Word 2010 by clicking the small Help button on the right side of the Ribbon, as shown in the following image:
This displays the Word Help dialog box shown in Figure 2-22. You can search for a specific word or phrase related to the information you’d like to see, click a link to display an article or dive deeper into a specific category, or display the table of contents so that you can browse all Help topics.
Figure 2-22. You can find specific information related to the tasks you want to accomplish with Word.
On the Info tab, you can click the Help tab to display a variety of different links that can assist you in learning more about Word and getting software support (see Figure 2-23). At the top of the Support column in the center of the Backstage view, you see the Microsoft Office Help selection. Clicking this link displays the Word Help dialog box shown in Figure 2-20. The Getting Started selection takes you online to a page that provides a number of articles covering the basics in Word.
If you have specific questions that you haven’t been able to answer using Microsoft Office Help or the Getting Started articles, you can click Contact Us to enter your question in Microsoft support. You can find answers to common problems here and access product centers with more information about specific techniques in the different Office 2010 programs.
In the Tools For Working With Office group, you can change your preferences for the way Word operates by clicking the Options link on the Help tab. Clicking this item displays the Word Options dialog box (something you can also do using the Options selection at the bottom of the Backstage tabs column). Finally, choosing Check For Updates takes you to the Microsoft Update page, which enables you to search for the latest updates for your version of Office 2010 and downloads any new changes (with your permission, of course) to your computer.
Your last stop in the tabs column of Backstage view (before the Exit command, anyway) is Options. You use Word Options to set your preferences for the way Word 2010 behaves as you work with the various aspects of the program (see Figure 2-24). The Word Options dialog box includes 10 tabs, each organized to help you set preferences for a different set of program features. Table 2-2 introduces you to the different types of settings you can change in Word Options.
Table 2-2. Setting Word Options
To Do This | |
|---|---|
General | Set options related to Word 2010 startup options, your own user account, and general items about the user interface |
Display | Control page display, formatting marks, print options |
Proofing | Choose options for correcting and formatting text and setting spelling and grammar options, dictionaries, languages, and exceptions |
Save | Indicate file locations, choose whether to save fonts in the file or not), and choose save options for saving to the server |
Language | Choose an editing language, display and help language, and ScreenTips language |
Advanced | Set more specialized options for editing, AutoComplete, image size and quality, display considerations, charts, sound options, units of measurement, and layout options |
Customize Ribbon | Add new tabs and tab groups to tailor the Ribbon to include the tools you want to display |
Quick Access Toolbar | Set the tools—and the arrangement of tools—in the Quick Access Toolbar |
Add-Ins | Manage program add-ins, custom templates, and more |
Trust Center | Set levels of privacy and protection for the Word 2010 documents you create and share |
The options available on the General tab of the Word Options dialog box enable you to select your choices about some of the big-picture items in Word 2010, such as the following:
Whether you want the Mini Translator tool to appear when selected
Whether you want Live Preview to be used when you hover the mouse over selections in a gallery
Which color scheme you want to apply to Word 2010 (Blue, Silver, or Black)
Whether you want ScreenTips to provide feature descriptions (or be displayed at all)
Whether the program includes your name and initials in the file
Whether you want e-mail attachments to be opened in Word’s Full Screen Reading view
Simply select your options and click OK to save your changes. The preferences you choose will be applied to all documents you create or edit in Word.
Tip
You will see Word Options mentioned throughout this book at points related to specific content. For example, you learn about setting your preferences for editing and proofing in Chapter 10.
Although user reactions to the Ribbon were mixed after the launch of Word 2007, the Ribbon does a great job of organizing tools and groups as long as you can tweak it to work the way you want it to. With Word 2010, you can easily add your own tabs and tab groups to the Ribbon, streamlining tasks you do regularly and making it easy for you to find the tools you need and use most often. To customize the Ribbon, follow these steps:
On the File tab, choose Options, and then click the Customize Ribbon tab in the Word Options dialog box.
In the Customize The Ribbon column on the right, click New Tab. A new tab and new tab group is added to the diagram on the right.
Click to select the new tab and click Rename. The Rename dialog box appears (see Figure 2-25).
Type a name for the tab then click OK. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to rename the tab group as well.
In the list on the left, click one of the tools you want to include in the new tab group then click Add. The tool is added to the tab group on the right.
Continue adding tools as desired until your new tab group includes all the tools you want to display.
Click OK to save the changes you made to the Ribbon.
The Microsoft Word Trust Center provides enhanced privacy and security options when you are working with files from other sources or sharing the files you create. To display the Trust Center, on the File tab, click Options from Backstage view. In the Word Options dialog box, click Trust Center.
The opening screen of the Trust Center provides you with a series of links concerning privacy and security. Click the Trust Center Settings button on this first screen to see the full range of choices available to you (see Figure 2-26). The following list describes the types of items you can set up in each of the Trust Center categories:
Figure 2-26. The Trust Center provides you with a number of categories you can use to protect your files and your computer system.
Trusted Publishers. With this option, you can specify which publishers of information, add-ins, and more you deem to be trustworthy. Only add people and organizations you know to be secure (it’s better to be prompted each time you open a file if there’s any chance that a file might be corrupt or have a virus attached). When you specify a publisher as a Trusted Publisher, Word automatically trusts macros in any files from that source.
Trusted Locations. This is a list of acceptable locations and sites you trust. The locations might store documents or templates that include macros. You can add new locations, modify existing locations, and remove locations by using this setting. When you open a document or template from a trusted location, the macros will be enabled automatically; you won’t be prompted to enable or disable them.
Trusted Documents. With this option, you can create a list of files that you have determined are safe, from trustworthy sources. You can instruct Word 2010 that all files from a particular server are to be trusted or add individual documents to your Trusted Documents list.
Add-Ins. This option controls the way in which Word treats all third-party add-in utilities. There are three options in this setting: You can insist that all add-ins be digitally signed by the publisher; be prompted when an add-in is unsigned (the code will be blocked); or disallow all add-ins.
ActiveX Settings. You can control how you want Word to handle all Microsoft ActiveX controls that are not recognized as being from a trusted source. Options range from disallowing the ActiveX controls to running in Safe Mode with restrictions.
Macro Settings. This gives you options to control whether the macros you run in a document must be from a trusted source and digitally signed. You also have the option of enabling all macros (which isn’t recommended) or disabling all macros.
Protected View. This is a new setting in Word 2010 with which you can open a file in safe mode so that you can see the file contents but not edit what’s there. The Protected View message bar enables you to make the call by clicking Enable Editing once you determine that the file is from a trustworthy source.
Message Bar. The Message Bar is where you can specify when you want the Trust Center to display alerts in the Message Bar that appears just below the Ribbon. When you are opening a file from a questionable source, the Message Bar tells you that the source is not trusted and gives you options for proceeding. The Message Bar settings in the Trust Center give you the option of turning this notification off (it is turned on by default). Additionally, the Enable Trust Center Logging check box at the bottom of this screen gives you the choice of logging all notifications you receive in the Message Bar.
File Block. Use these settings to choose which files Word 2010 will open automatically and which you want to block and prompt you for further action. Word developers have found that the file opening process—especially for files opened from the Web or from unrecognized sources—often represent a vulnerability for Word files. To safeguard the files that are opened, Word 2010 blocks the opening of any suspicious files and then prompts you before enabling editing in the file.
Privacy Options. Provides you with settings with which you to choose whether Word connects to the Internet when you search for help, whether files can be periodically downloaded to log problems with the software, and whether you are signed up for the Customer Experience Improvement Program. Additionally, you can choose document-specific settings (such as whether you are alerted before you send or print a document that has comments and tracking turned on) and translation and research options.
In this chapter, you learned all about the approach and function of Backstage view, which gives you the tools you need to work with the files you create in Word 2010. You learned how you can display and work with document properties; create, protect, and share files; get help; and set your preferences for the way you want Word 2010 to operate. The next chapter moves into the document creation part of the process by showing you how to design professional-looking documents in Word 2010.