2. Working with Office Applications

Spending some time mastering the basics of Microsoft Office pays off in the long run, particularly if you’re new to Office or could use a refresher.

First, explore how to perform Office’s most common tasks: opening, saving, renaming, closing, deleting, and printing files. Next, explore the Backstage view options for sharing and exporting files. Finally, spend a few minutes customizing Office defaults to suit your own work style and preferences.

Although these tools and options should be familiar if you’re upgrading, Office 2013 does include some changes and new features.

• On the Start screen, select one of the files in the Recent list or click the Open Other [file type] link to open the Open dialog box (see Figure 2.2). The exact wording of the Open Other link varies by application, such as Open Other Documents, Open Other Workbooks, or Open Other Presentations. This option isn’t available for OneNote or Outlook.

• Press Ctrl+O to open the Open dialog box.

• Click the File tab and select Open to display the Open window where you can open recent files or open files stored on SkyDrive or your computer.

• Double-click the name of an Office file in Windows Explorer.

If you choose a method that displays the Open dialog box, select the file you want and then click the Open button.

• Press F2.

• Right-click and select Rename from the shortcut menu.

• Click the Organize button and select Rename from the shortcut menu.

• Click the filename, wait a second, and then click it again.

Office converts the filename to an edit box in which you can overwrite the existing name.

1. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Save button. Alternatively, press Ctrl+S. If this is the first time you’ve saved the file, the Save As window opens, as shown in Figure 2.3.

2. On the left side of the window, specify where you want to save your file, such as on your computer or on SkyDrive.

3. Click the Browse button to open the Save As dialog box (see Figure 2.4).

4. Select the folder in which to save your file. Office automatically selects your default folder, but you can change this if you want. You can customize the default folder on the Save tab in the Options dialog box. (Choose Tools, Save Options from the Save As dialog box.)

5. In the File Name field, type a name.

6. Choose the file format from the Save as Type drop-down list. If you want to save as a PDF or XPS document, see “Saving as a PDF or XPS Document,” later in this chapter.

7. Click the Save button to save the file.

To close an open file, you can do one of the following:

• Click the File tab and select Close. If you haven’t saved your file, Office prompts you to do so. If your file has been saved, Office closes it immediately.

• Click the Close (x) button in the upper-right corner of the screen to close an open file. Note, however, that if this is the only file you have open, this action also closes the application itself.

• Use the shortcut key Ctrl+W.

Before you print, apply any special print settings. The Settings section includes several boxes with drop-down lists where you can specify these options. The text that displays in each box varies depending on the last selection you made.

Select your printer (if it doesn’t display in the Printer section by default), specify the number of copies, and click the Print button.

The Info window in Backstage view enables you to accomplish all these tasks in one place. To open the Info window, click the File tab.

On this window, you can do the following:

• Protect files—Click the Protect button to open a menu of options, shown in Figure 2.6, for protecting a file. For example, you can apply a password, make it read-only, or apply a digital signature to control access. Whether you choose to protect your Office files depends on the group of people you work with, your need for security, and your audience. Obviously, if you post a document in a public location directed at a wide audience of viewers, you wouldn’t want to protect with a password or otherwise limit access.

• Check your file for issues—Click the Check for Issues button to open a menu of options that enables you to inspect files, check file accessibility, and check file compatibility. For example, you can:

• Inspect a file for hidden data and personal information such as comments, notes, author name, or document properties (see Figure 2.7).

• Review and fix potential accessibility issues based on the comments in the Accessibility Checker pane. For example, the Checker might identify missing alt text or find issues with the reading order of your content, problems that would cause difficulty for someone with a visual impairment who uses a screen reader.

• Check for compatibility issues if you want others to be able to open your files in a previous version of Office. You could lose features that weren’t yet available in that version.

To share a file with others, follow these steps:

1. Click the File tab and select Share.

2. In the Share window, select Invite People to display the Invite People section on the right side of the window (see Figure 2.8).

3. Enter the names or email addresses of the people you want to share with.

4. By default, Office enables the people you share with to edit your files. Select Can View from the drop-down list if you want to restrict this to viewing only.

5. Optionally, select the Require User to Sign In Before Accessing Document if you want to require a sign-in.

6. Click the Share button.

7. Click the Proceed button in the warning dialog box to confirm that you want to share. Office notifies the people about the file you want to share with them.

1. Click the File tab and select Share.

2. In the Share window, select Get a Sharing Link to display the Get a Sharing Link section on the right side of the window (see Figure 2.9).

3. Click the Create Link button next to either View Link or Edit Link, depending on the rights you want to provide.

4. Copy the link provided and share with the appropriate people.

To disable a link, click the Disable Link button next to the link you no longer want.

1. Click the File tab and select Share.

2. In the Share window, select Post to Social Networks to display the Post to Social Networks section on the right side of the window (see Figure 2.10).

3. Select the check box next to each social site on which you want to share.

4. By default, Office enables the people you share with to view your file, but you can choose Can Edit from the drop-down list if you want to provide editing functionality.

5. Optionally, add a personal message about the file you’re sharing.

6. Click the Post button to post on your selected social sites.

1. Click the File tab and select Share.

2. In the Share window, select Email to display the Email section on the right side of the window (see Figure 2.11).

3. Choose from one of the following options: Send as Attachment, Send a Link, Send as PDF, Send as XPS, or Send as Internet Fax. See “Saving as a PDF or XPS Document” later in this chapter for more information about saving in PDF or XPS format.

To save as a PDF or XPS, follow these steps:

1. Click the File tab and then click Export to open the Export window (see Figure 2.12).

2. On the left side of the window, select Create PDF/XPS Document.

3. Click the Create PDF/XPS button to open the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box (see Figure 2.13).

4. Select the folder in which to save your document.

5. In the File Name field, type a name.

6. In the Save as Type drop-down list, select either PDF or XPS Document.

7. Select the Open File After Publishing check box if you want to open your PDF or XPS document after saving.

8. If you want to create a document that’s suitable for both online viewing and printing, select the Standard option button. If you just want people to view it online, select the Minimum Size option button.

9. Optionally, click the Options button if you want to customize your document, such as specifying a specific page range.

10. Click the OK button to return to the Save As dialog box.

11. Click the Publish button to publish your document based on your specifications.

To change file type, follow these steps:

1. Click the File tab and select Export to open the Export window (refer to Figure 2.12).

2. On the left side of the window, select Change File Type.

3. On the right side of the window, select one of the available file types, which vary by application (see Figure 2.14).

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and click the Save As button to open the Save As dialog box (refer to Figure 2.4).

5. Enter a new filename, if desired.

6. Click the Save button. Office saves your file in the format you specified.

A check mark is placed before each active command on the toolbar, such as the default commands Save, Undo, and Repeat. To add another command from this menu to the toolbar, click it. To remove one of these commands from the toolbar, click it again and the check mark disappears.

To add a command button from another tab to the toolbar, right-click it on the Ribbon tab and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar from the menu that displays. For example, let’s say you want to add the New Slide button to the Quick Access Toolbar. To do so, go to the Home tab, right-click the New Slide button, and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar. The New Slide button is placed on the Quick Access Toolbar to the right of the Repeat button.

To remove a button, right-click it on the toolbar and choose Remove from Quick Access Toolbar from the menu that displays.

To access the Options dialog box, click the File tab and choose Options. Figure 2.16 shows the Word Options dialog box.

The Options dialog box includes seveal tabs. The tabs cmmon to all Office applications are:

• General—Customize the most popular Office options, including the mini toolbar, Live Preview, ScreenTip styles, the default Ofice background and theme, startup options, and your user name.

• Proofing—Specify AutoCorrect and spelling options. AutoCorrect is a useful feature that can help save time and automatically correct mistakes you frequently make. By default, Office includes AutoCorrect substitutions for common misspellings, such as correcting “teh to “the,” but you can also add your own.

• Save—Specify save options including automatic saves and backups, default file format, default local file location, and more. This tab is called Save & Backup in OneNote.

• Language—Select languages for editing, display, help, and ScreenTips. These options are most useful if you plan to create documents in a language other than English or want to enable a different version of English, such as English for the UK or Canada if your default is the United States.

• Advanced—Specify advanced options for editing, printing, and formatting.

• Customize Ribbon—Customize the Ribbon by adding and removing tab commands. Figure 2.17 shows the Customize Ribbon tab.

• Quick Access Toolbar—Perform advanced customizations to the Quick Access Toolbar, such as adding commands not accessible from the toolbar and rearranging the order of toolbar buttons.

• Add-Ins—View and manage Office add-ins, which offer supplemental features that enhance your Office experience. You can also download add-ins from the Microsoft Download Center (www.microsoft.com/downloads). Go to the Add-Ins tab on the Ribbon to access the features of the add-ins you’ve activated.

• Trust Center—Specify security and privacy settings.

In this dialog box, the name of the file author displays by default. (Change this by clicking the File tab, selecting Options, and entering a new user name.) You can also optionally enter a title, subject, keywords, category, status, and comments.

For more options, click the down arrow to the right of Properties and choose Advanced Properties from the menu. A dialog box with the name of your file appears. This dialog box enables you to specify file details, enter a custom summary, display detailed statistics, and create custom properties.