Insert A "Drop Cap"

Inserting a Drop Cap is easy. Just select the letter you want to format as a "drop cap" and click on Format-->Drop Cap... in the Menu Bar, like so:

A dialog box opens up with 3 drop cap designs. Select the one you like. I've selected the middle one:

This is what it will look like without any further formatting:

You can adjust the font, how many lines to "drop" the cap, and how much distance from the text you want. I've only adjusted the distance to 0.3":

Quick Multiple Selections (Highlight Text)

Most users know how to select individual characters, words, groups of words, and even entire lines. Here are a few tips that can help you quickly select an entire paragraph or the entire document with just a few mouse clicks.

First, to select the entire line of a paragraph, you COULD do so in various ways. For example, you could click to the left of the first letter in the line you want to select, then click and drag your cursor until you reached the end of the line.

Or, you could click to the left of the first letter in the line, move your cursor to the right of the last letter of the line, hold your Shift key down on your keyboard, and click again.

However, here's a 1-click version: Point your cursor to the left of the line, so that you get a white arrow pointing toward the line. Then, click once, and the entire line will be selected (my example doesn't show the arrow, unfortunately).


To select the entire paragraph, click twice when the arrow is pointing toward that same first line:


If you wanted to select the entire page (or document), just click 3 times while your cursor is in the same location!

The "Rand" Function in MS Word

The Rand Function in MS Word is a quick way to insert "test" text into a document. Here's how to do it:

Type =Rand(2) and hit your Enter key on your keyboard. The number between the parenthesis can be any number; I've chosen the number 2 just for example. See the image below (click on image to view larger).

When you type =rand(2), that text disappears and is replaced with the sample text shown.

Inserting Page Numbers Into More Than One Section

During a class demonstration the other day, we seemed to stumble in our attempt to insert page numbers into a Microsoft Word document when we made a document containing more than one section. Hopefully, this will clear things up.

Note: Click any image to enlarge it for a better view!

First, let me go over the method to do a typical page number insert:


“Insert Page Numbers When There Is Only One Section”

On the Insert menu, click Page Numbers.



This is the dialog box that will open up:



In the Position box, specify whether to print page numbers in the header at the top of the page or in the footer at the bottom of the page.

In the Alignment box, specify whether to align page numbers left, center, or right relative to the left and right margins, or inside or outside relative to the inside and outside edges of pages that will be bound.

If you don't want a number on the first page, clear the Show number on first page check box.

Select any other options you want.


Section Breaks

If your document contains multiple chapters, you may want to restart page numbering for each chapter. You can even include the chapter number as part of the page number— for example, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and 2-1, 2-2, 2-3.
To do so, you must make each chapter a different "section". Here's how:

Click where you want to insert a section break.

On the Insert menu, click Break... (See Figure 1)

See that this box has different types of break types. Under Section break types, click the option that describes where you want the new section to begin. Select Next Page if you want your new section to be a new blank page. Select Continuous if you want your new section to be the same page you’ve already selected as a break location. Then, click OK.



Notice your Status Bar. This is an image of Section 1:




This is an image of the newly inserted section 2:



ALWAYS pay attention to your status bar when making such breaks, especially for page numbers. This helps you decide where you want to insert page numbers or section breaks.

If you have already inserted a page break to cause the chapter to start on a new page, delete the page break and replace it with a section break that starts on a new page.

Insert Page Numbers When There Is More Than One Section

Click in a section or select multiple sections in which you want to restart page numbering.

On the Insert menu, click Page Numbers. See Figure 1.

In the dialog box, click on Format. See Figure 2.

Now, this new box will come up. Click Start at and enter 1:



In Page numbering, if you are in section 2, the question is, “Do you want to continue page numbering from the previous section?” This means that, even if you delete the page numbers (I’ll show how in a bit) from the previous section, then THIS section will start with the consecutive number of pages depending on how many pages the previous section had. So, if Section 1 had 2 pages, and you selected Continue from previous section, Section 2 will begin with page 3—even if you end up deleting the page numbers from Section 1.

But if you select Start at: , then no matter how many pages were in the previous section, and no matter whether those page numbers are showing or not, THIS section will begin with the number you type in the white box…say, “1”, or “5”.

I elected to start at page number 1. So if my Section 2 is the 3rd or 4th or 20th page in my document, it is page number 1, and the previous section(s) will be formatted the way I chose to do so.

I might have chosen to DELETE the page numbers from section 1 so that my readers don’t see a page number on say, a cover page, a table of contents page, personal pages, etc., but when they begin on the first page of the material that I want them to view as the beginning, THAT page is shown as Page 1.

To DELETE the pages from the previous section, you have to do these steps:

On the View menu, click Header and Footer.



Here's a picture of the Header and Footer Toolbar:



If you positioned the page numbers at the bottom of the page, click Switch Between Header and Footer on the Header and Footer toolbar.
Select a page number.
If you inserted page numbers by using the Page Numbers command on the Insert menu, make sure to select the frame around the page number.

How?

Click the page number to make its frame appear.

Move the pointer over the frame's border until the pointer becomes a four-headed arrow, and then click to see the frame's sizing handles.

If the handles are not visible, you might have clicked the contents of the frame, not the frame itself.

Press DELETE.


Microsoft Word automatically removes the page numbers throughout the document. To remove page numbers for part of a document, divide the document into sections and break the connection between them.

If you created different first-page or odd and even headers or footers, make sure to remove the page numbers from each different header or footer.


Here are the MS Word instructions complete on one page:


Insert headers and footers

Do one of the following:

Create the same header or footer for each page

On the View menu, click Header and Footer to open the header or footer area on a page.
To create a header, enter text or graphics in the header area.
To create a footer, click Switch Between Header and Footer on the Header and Footer toolbar to move to the footer area, and then enter text or graphics.
If necessary, format text by using buttons on the Formatting toolbar.
When you finish, click Close on the Header and Footer toolbar.

Tips
The text or graphic you enter in a header or footer is automatically left aligned. You may want to center the item instead or include multiple items (for example, a left-aligned date and a right-aligned page number). To center an item, press TAB; to right align an item, press TAB twice.

You can also use buttons on the Header and Footer toolbar to enter text into the header and footer area.

Create a different first page header or footer

You can leave the header or footer off the first page or create a unique first page header or footer for the first page in a document or the first page of each section within a document.

If your document is divided into sections, click in a section or select multiple sections you want to change. Click anywhere if your document is not divided into sections.
On the View menu, click Header and Footer.
On the Header and Footer toolbar, click Page Setup .
Click the Layout tab.
Select the Different first page check box, and then click OK.
If necessary, click Show Previous or Show Next on the Header and Footer toolbar to move into the First Page Header area or First Page Footer area.
Create the header or footer for the first page of the document or section.
If you don't want a header or footer on the first page, leave the header and footer areas blank.

To move to the header or footer for the rest of the document or section, click Show Next on the Header and Footer toolbar. Then create the header or footer you want.
Create different headers or footers for odd and even pages

On the View menu, click Header and Footer.
On the Header and Footer toolbar, click Page Setup .
Click the Layout tab.
Select the Different odd and even check box, and then click OK.
If necessary, click Show Previous or Show Next on the Header and Footer toolbar to move into the odd or even header or footer areas.
Create the header or footer for odd-numbered pages in the Odd Page Header or Odd Page Footer area and create the header or footer for even-numbered pages in the Even Page Header or Even Page Footer area.

Create a different header or footer for part of a document

A document must first be divided into sections in order to create a different header or footer for part of a document.

If you haven't done so already, insert a section break where you want to start a new section that contains a different header or footer.

How?

Click where you want to insert a section break.
On the Insert menu, click Break.
Under Section break types, click the option that describes where you want the new section to begin.
Click in the section for which you want to create a different header or footer.
On the View menu, click Header and Footer.
On the Header and Footer toolbar, click Link to Previous to break the connection between the header and footer in the current section and the previous section.
Microsoft Word no longer displays "Same as Previous" in the upper-right corner of the header or footer.

Change the existing header or footer, or create a new one for this section.

Mail Merge Easy Steps

First step: Have your recipient list ready. A recipient list is a table you can make right in Word that contains the information you need to send your letters to. For example, if you are going to send a flyer or letter to several people, make a list of the people containing the information you'll need. You can click on the image to view it larger. Here's mine:



After creating this table, save the table as MailList.doc.
Next, For a mail merge to happen, you have to have a letter to merge with your list. Here is my letter:

We're going to have a benefit BBQ to help the victims of the Katrina Hurricane. All proceeds will go to the Katrina Hurricane Relief Fund!

WHERE: Main Square
WHEN: This Saturday

BB King will be there to provide the entertainment!

See you there!

After writing this letter, save it as MailLetter.doc

This is all you need. A list of your recipients, and a letter to send them. Mail merge will help you send the same letter to each one, and will even create a third document: the actual Mail merge letters.

Now, all you have to do is go to Tools, Letters and Mailings... and select Mail Merge...it will guide you step by step the rest of the way.