Every Office program window, including Word, has a similar look and feel. This helps the programs seem, well, seamless. After you master the basics in one program, you can count on finding the same tools and icons in the same places in the other programs. So after you figure out your way around Word, for example, you can use those same skills to navigate Excel or PowerPoint. The following descriptions give you a look at the basic window elements.

Title bar and menu bar

At the top of the Word window, or the top of any program window for that matter, you'll always find a title bar and menu bar. This bar area lists the name of the program, such as Word, and the main menu categories. To reveal a menu, simply click the menu name and a list of associated or related commands appears. To activate a command, click the command name. Depending on the command, submenus or a dialog box may appear for further input. For example, if a menu command has an arrow icon next to it, a submenu appears when the menu command is selected. If a menu command has ellipses (dots) next to it, a dialog box appears allowing you to give more input before assigning the feature.

What about Keyboard Shortcuts?

When assigning commands from Word's menus, you may prefer to keep your fingers flying on the keyboard to save time and effort. There are plenty of keyboard shortcuts for all the Word commands and for all the other programs in the Office suite. Word even helps you learn the shortcuts by listing them next to menu commands. Almost all keyboard shortcuts involve pressing

1. Choose Tools

   
   Macros.

   The Macros dialog box opens.

2. Scroll down the list, and click ListCommands.

3. Click Run.

   The List Commands dialog box appears.

4. Click Current menu and keyboard settings.

5. Click OK.

   Word creates a table in the document with all the commands and shortcut keys.

6. Click Print or press

   

Depending on your document settings, the printed list is probably about 20 pages long and includes shortcuts for commands you may never use. However, having the list is handy while you're trying to learn shortcut keys for your favorite tasks.

Just below the menu bar, you'll find program window controls and the document name. The program window controls, which are the three colored circle icons located at the far left side, allow you to close, minimize, and zoom the document window, as outlined below:

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The document name at the top of the program window simply lists any assigned name you gave to the saved file. If the document name has not been saved yet, the default name appears, such as Document1, Document2, and so on. You can click and drag the document name icon just like you drag other Mac icons in the Finder. Called the document proxy icon, it works just like the folder proxy icons you use in the Finder. For example, you might drag the current document to another folder or drag it over to the Trash to delete it. You also can

Elements Gallery

If you click a tab, you can view group tabs for specific categories of elements. Figure 5.2 shows the Document Elements tab selected with the Cover Pages group displayed. You can scroll through the list of items and click the one you want to apply.

Figure 5.2. The Elements Gallery offers a library of preset design and formatting features you can apply to documents, such as cover pages, headers and footers, and tables.

You also can click the Gallery button on the Standard toolbar to view the Elements Gallery, or you can choose View

Ruler

Word's Ruler feature is actually two rulers you can use to help position text and objects and set margins, indents, and tabs. The horizontal ruler at the top of the document shows the horizontal positioning of the page, while the vertical ruler on the left side of the document window shows vertical positioning. You can turn the Ruler feature on or off by choosing View

The Word Toolbox consolidates what were formerly separate tool palettes in previous versions of Word into one convenient palette in Word 2008 for Mac. By placing all the common palettes into one easy interface, Word makes accessing commonly used tools and features effortless. Figure 5.4 shows the Toolbox with the Formatting Palette, with the Font and the Alignment and Spacing tools displayed.

Figure 5.4. The Toolbox consolidates seven palettes into one easy interface.

To open or hide the Toolbox, use any of these methods:

The Word Toolbox includes the following palettes: Formatting, Object, Citations, Scrapbook, Reference Tools, Compatibility Report, and Projects Gallery. To view any particular palette, click the associated palette button at the top of the palette box. For example, if you click the Formatting Palette button, the Toolbox displays formatting tools in sections or panes that you can expand or collapse based on your formatting needs. The name of the active palette appears at the top of the Toolbox. The Formatting Palette (refer to Figure 5.11) has panes for controlling fonts, styles, alignment and spacing, bulleted and numbered lists, borders and shading, margins, and themes. You can click a section or pane name to view its associated tools.

Lastly, you can click the Toolbox Settings button, the small gray icon located in the top-right corner of the palette window, to access Toolbox Settings, shown in Figure 5.5. Use the options in this panel to make the Toolbox automatically close or change appearance when not in use or to select which tool panes you want to appear in the palettes. For example, you can instruct the Toolbox to collapse after a set amount of time or close completely. If you make any changes to the settings, click OK, and Word returns you to the Toolbox.

Figure 5.5. The Toolbox Settings panel allows you to control the appearance of the Toolbox.

Starting new documents is incredibly easy in Word, and you can utilize any of these methods to do so:

Any of the above methods opens a blank document. If you want to create a specific kind of document, you can use Word's Project Gallery. The Project Gallery, shown in Figure 5.6, is your one-stop shop for projects you create in the Office suite. For example, you can create newsletters, business cards, flyers, ledger sheets, resumes, and much more. This feature, also available in Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage, includes all kinds of ready-made templates for creating documents. The Project Gallery also keeps track of recent project files.

To create a project with the Project Gallery, follow these steps:

Figure 5.6. The Project Gallery offers a variety of templates you can use to create new Word documents.

When you create a new project, Word displays the document with placeholder, or dummy, text. You can replace the text with your own text. When you finish creating the document, you can save it with a unique filename and reuse it again later.

After you put lots of work into creating a document, you can save it and revisit it again later to make changes or print it. In fact, if you try exiting the document without saving, Word prompts you to save your data. You can use the Save As dialog box, shown in Figure 5.7, to assign a unique filename to a document, as well as specify a location in which to save the file, choose a file format, or check compatibility.

Elements Gallery versus Projects Gallery

You may be wondering "what's the difference between the Elements Gallery and the Projects Gallery?" The Elements Gallery focuses on inserting specific types of items into a document, such as preset headers and footers, cover pages, table of contents pages, and more. The Projects Gallery, on the other hand, offers a library of preset templates for creating entire documents. The Elements Gallery, which is only a quick click away using the Gallery button on the Standard toolbar, offers five distinct categories of elements you can add, including charts, tables, and graphics. In many instances, when you add an item from the Elements Gallery, it ends up adding a new page to the document length. So if you're looking for a quick and easy element to insert, check out the Elements Gallery.

Figure 5.7. When saving a file, you specify a unique name for the document and choose a destination where you want to store the file.

By default, Word documents are saved in the .docx file type. This format is an XML-based format for Word for Mac 2008 and Word 2007 for Windows. You can choose another file type, as needed. For example, if you're sharing the file with someone who uses an older version of Word, you can choose an older file format compatible with the program they're using. Word offers a list of common file formats you can choose from, including plain text (.txt), Web page (.htm), and PDF (.pdf). You can also choose from specialty formats, such as Word macro-enabled document (.docm) or Word 2003 XML document (.xml). Word automatically tacks on the file extension for the format you select, such as .docx. You do not necessarily need the file extension letters, but they do help computers identify the type of file it is, so leaving the Append file extension check box selected in the Save As dialog box is a good idea. Table 5.1 defines the available file formats.

When saving files, you also can choose exactly where to store a document. By default, Word is set up to save documents to the Documents folder. If you want to save the file to another folder or drive, you must specify a location.

Before you start saving files, you should know about the Compatibility Report tool. As soon as you open the Save As dialog box, you'll notice a red warning blurb recommending a compatibility check. This feature is helpful if you're sharing documents with people who are using different versions of Word. If you activate the Compatibility Report feature, Word runs a compatibility test and notifies you if it encounters any issues that might cause a problem or not print properly in another version of Word. This same feature is available on the Compatibility tab of the Toolbox. If you're not sharing files, you do not need to run the tool.

Now that you've had a brief overview of the file-saving process, you're ready to save your files. You can utilize any of the following methods to save a document.

Creating a backup file

In addition to saving your document the regular way, you also can set up Word to create a backup copy of the file when saving. When you activate this option, Word creates two files during the Save process; one is the original and one is a backup file with the name "Backup of" in front of the filename. Both copies are saved in the designated folder or dive. When opting to use the backup feature, consider placing the backup file on a USB drive, an external hard drive, or an iDisk for extra safety. To create automatic backups, follow these steps:

1. Choose File

   
   Save As.

   The Save As dialog box opens.

2. Type a name for the file.

3. Choose a destination folder or drive on which to store the file.

4. Click the Options button.

   The Save options dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 5.9.

5. Click the Always create backup copy check box.

6. Click OK.

7. Click Save.

   Word saves the document and the backup copy to the same folder or drive.

Figure 5.9. Turn on the backup feature to instruct Word to always make backup copies of a document.

Using AutoRecover

You can use Word's AutoRecover feature to create automatic saves of your document. In case a power glitch of some sort or a computer failure strikes, you'll have a recently saved copy of your work to reopen. AutoRecover saves the current file as a separate AutoRecover file you can open and save under a new name and keep working on the document. You can set AutoRecover to automatically save every 10 minutes, every 15 minutes, or a time specification based on your needs. You don't want to save too often, like every minute, because the AutoRecover feature slows down your computer for a second or two when it kicks into gear.

To create automatic saves, follow these steps:

1. Choose Word

   
   Preferences.

   The Word Preferences dialog box opens.

2. Under the Output and Sharing group, click the Save icon.

   The Save preferences appear, as shown in Figure 5.10.

3. Specify how often you want to save the document in the Save AutoRecover info every box.

   You can type in a number or click the arrow buttons to arrive at the number you want.

4. Click OK.

   Word is now set up to automatically save your file.

Note

You also can access the Save preferences through the Save As dialog box. Simply click the Options button in the dialog box while saving a file, and the Save preferences appear.

Figure 5.10. Turn on the AutoRecover feature to create automatic saves of your documents.

The Compatibility Report feature is a helpful tool for users who share their document files with people using older versions of Word. Although you're obviously cooler and more hip for having the latest, greatest version of Word, other users you share files with may be using ancient versions of the program, so sending them a copy of the whiz bang company newsletter you created in Word 2008 may result in lots of frustration on their end if they can't open or view the file properly. That's where the Compatibility Report feature comes in. It checks your document and makes it backward compatible. For example, if your document uses features not available in older versions of Word, the report tool warns you and offers you a way to correct any compatibility issues.

One way to check a document for compatibility is to do so when you first save the file. You can activate a Compatibility Report button in the Save As dialog box. This method is covered in "Saving files,", earlier in this chapter. Another way to use the feature is to visit the Compatibility Report Palette in the Toolbox. Here you'll find detailed results of a check, explanations about the issues, and tools for making any fixes or ignoring any problems. Follow these steps to use the Compatibility Report feature:

After you start creating and saving files, Word makes it easy to open them again. The Open dialog box allows you to open documents stored in various folders and drives on your computer, while the Open Recent submenu on the File menu lists recent files you worked with in Word. You also can use the Project Gallery to open recent Word files.

Compatibility Preferences

You can control what items are compared in the Compatibility Report using the Preferences dialog box. Choose Word

Opening a document based on a template

You can attach a template to any document in Word using the Templates and Add-ins dialog box. Follow these steps:

1. Choose Tools

   
   Templates and Add-ins.

   The Templates and Add-ins dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 5.13.

2. Click the Attach button.

   The Choose File dialog box opens.

3. Navigate to the template file you want to use, and click the filename.

4. Click Open.

5. Click OK.

   Word attaches the template to the document.

You also can create a new file based on a preset template found in Word's Project Gallery. See "Creating New Files" earlier in this chapter to learn more.

Figure 5.13. Use the Templates and Add-ins dialog box to attach a template to the current document.

You can find five view mode buttons located in the bottom-left corner of the program window on the Status bar. These buttons include Draft, Outline, Publishing Layout, Print Layout, and Notebook Layout views. The View menu offers one more view: Web Layout view. Depending on the view you select, certain onscreen elements, such as toolbars or scrollbars, may or may not appear by default. To change views at any time, simply click the view button you want to use. Word immediately switches views. You also can display the View menu and select a view.

Draft view

Outline view

Figure 5.16. Draft view displays the document with as few onscreen distractions as possible.

Figure 5.17. Outline view displays the document in outline format, along with the Outlining toolbar.

Publishing Layout view

Figure 5.18. The first time you use Publishing Layout view, a prompt box appears.

After the document is open in Publishing Layout view, as shown in Figure 5.19, it appears on a drawing table, along with a customized toolbar for the view mode, called the Publishing Layout View Standard toolbar. You can assign a new publication template from the Elements Gallery or create your own custom document from scratch. Like a true page layout program, every element in the document is a moveable box, and you literally lay out your document using these boxes; text appears in a text box, graphics appear in object boxes, shapes appear in boxes, and so on. Learn more about using this feature in Chapter 6.

Print Layout view

Notebook Layout view

Figure 5.19. Publishing Layout view displays the document on a drawing board, along with specialized tools for creating and editing the document.

Figure 5.20. Notebook Layout view displays the document as a collegiate notebook binder.

You can zoom your document to change its magnification setting. The default setting is 100 percent, but you can choose another percentage to zoom in for a closer look at the document or zoom out for a bird's-eye view. You can use the Zoom button on the Standard toolbar to zoom your view, or you can use the Zoom dialog box. The following sections show you how.

Using the Zoom tool

Figure 5.21. Web Layout view displays the document as a Web page.

Figure 5.22. Using the Zoom tool, you can magnify or zoom out your view of a document.

Using the Zoom dialog box

You can use the Zoom dialog box to specify a zoom setting. Follow these steps to open the dialog box:

1. Choose View

   
   Zoom.

   The Zoom dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 5.23.

2. Click the zoom setting you want to apply.

   • You can type a zoom percentage directly into the Percent field.

   • Optionally, you can click the Many pages radio button and choose how many pages you want to view at once with the Page menu.

     

     Figure 5.23. You can use the Zoom dialog box to set a zoom setting for a document.

3. Click OK.

   Word applies the zoom percentage you specified.

Tip

If you need to quickly view your document without all the onscreen window elements, choose View

To allow others to open and view a document, but not make any changes to the original text or formatting, you can set the document to read-only status. If a user makes changes, Word does not allow them to save the changes. They can, however, save the changes as an entirely new document. This leaves your original document intact. To assign read-only status to a document, follow these steps:

After you assign read-only status, you can no longer change the file yourself until you make the security option inactive again. To do so, simply repeat the steps above and deselect the check box.

The other two security levels Word offers have to do with passwords. You can assign a password to a file so that no one can open it except with a password; this is called the Password to Open option. This is the highest level of security you can assign. You also can assign a password to a document that you can share with others to allow edits to the file, but the file remains read-only to anyone without the password.

Passwords you assign in Word are case-sensitive, which means you can use uppercase and lowercase letters, but remember that you must re-enter the letters in the same fashion. Passwords can contain up to 15 characters, and you can use letters, numbers, and symbols. As with any password situation you come across, though, be sure to write the password down and keep it in a safe place. If you lose it, you lose access to your file, too, and no one, not even Microsoft, can help you gain access to the document again.

To assign a password to a document, follow these steps:

To remove a password, repeat the steps, except delete the text you entered in the password field. When you exit the dialog box, Word saves the changes and removes the associated password.

When sharing a document with others for the purposes of editing and tracking changes, you can activate the Protect Document feature and specify which changes are allowed during the process. To do so, click the Protect Document button in the Security options window (refer to Figure 5.28) and choose whether you want to protect tracked changes, comments, or forms. You can then assign a password to the file.