Administrative Assistant / Secretary: Common Microsoft Office Features

Microsoft Office is a suite of programs that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, and OneNote. All of these programs share common features, such as the ribbon bar, command tabs, smart tags, screen tips, and help.

The Ribbon Bar and Command Tabs
The ribbon is a bar across the top of Microsoft Office programs that displays most of the functions you’ll need as icons (Figure 19-1). There are several customizable ribbon bars available. Across the top of the ribbon bar are command tabs that allow you access different ribbon bars. For example in Microsoft Word, there are command tabs for File, Home, Insert, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review, and View.
The tools on each ribbon bar are divided into groups. For example, in Microsoft Word on the Home tab, the ribbon bar has groups for Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles, and Editing. In the lower left corner of each ribbon bar group is an icon for accessing a dialog box with additional functions.

Smart Tags
Smart tags are small icons for a function that appears within your document after you perform a certain action. For example, after pasting text into a document, a smart tag icon will display with options for formatting the newly pasted text. If you continue typing, the smart tag icon disappears.

Screen Tips
If you are unsure what a particular icon on a ribbon bar does, hover your mouse over the icon without clicking and a screen tip will display. The screen tip gives you a brief description of the function.

Ribbon bar in Microsoft Word.


Help
Help is available in all Microsoft Office programs by clicking the question mark icon in the top right corner of the ribbon.

Customizing the Ribbon Bar
You can customize any of the ribbon bars with additional functions that you commonly use. To customize a ribbon bar, right-click on the ribbon bar and select CUSTOMIZE THE RIBBON. The Word Options dialog box will display (Figure 19-2). You can then select a particular ribbon bar from the list on the right, and then select functions from the list on the left. The ADD button will add a function to the ribbon bar that is selected. You can remove functions from a particular ribbon bar by selecting the function from the list on the right, and then clicking the REMOVE button.

Quick Access Toolbar
A small toolbar called the Quick Access Toolbar is available in Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. It is visible on every ribbon bar regardless of which command tab you’ve selected. You can view the Quick Access Toolbar by right-clicking on the ribbon bar and then select SHOW QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR.
The Quick Access Toolbar can be customized by right-clicking the toolbar, and from the Word Options dialog, selecting the functions you would like to display on the toolbar.

Cut, Copy, and Paste
The cut, copy, and paste functions are the same within all Microsoft Office applications. In fact, you can copy text from one program and paste it into another program.
To cut text from a document, select the text with your mouse and then on the Home tab, click CUT. You can also press the keyboard command CTRL + X to cut text.
To copy text, select the text with your mouse. Then on the Home tab, click COPY. You can also press the keyboard command CTRL + C. To paste copied text, click your mouse where you want the text to appear, and then on the Home tab, click PASTE. You can also press CTRL + V on your keyboard as an alternative.
All of the Microsoft Office applications have a clipboard that will temporarily store the last 24 selections that you have copied. You can access the clipboard by clicking the icon in the bottom right corner of the Clipboard group on the Home tab. The clipboard will be displayed with a list of files that have been copied.

Word Options for customizing the ribbon bar.



Spelling and Grammar Checking
Spell checking is turned on by default in Microsoft Office applications. The software will check for misspelled words as you type and highlight them for you with a squiggly red underline.
If you find it distracting for the software to check spelling and grammar while you type and would rather check your documents when you are finished, you can turn off the automatic checking by accessing the FILE tab, click the OPTIONS button, the Word Options dialog box displays and you can change the setting for CHECK SPELLING AS YOU TYPE.
To manually check the spelling of your finished document, click the Review tab, and then click SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. The Spelling and Grammar dialog box will display words or sentences that it questions. Alternatives are suggested that you can select, or you can ignore the questioned text if you are sure it is correct. Some technical terms and phrases may be picked up by the software as being incorrect even though they are correct and commonplace in your particular business.

Using Clip Art
You can use clip art in most of the Microsoft Office applications to add images to your documents to make them more attractive. Microsoft Office includes some clip art when the program is installed on your computer; however, additional clip art is available online and can be easily downloaded from within your Microsoft Office application.
To insert clip art in Office 2010 and earlier versions, click the Insert tab and then select CLIP ART. In Office 2013, on the Insert tab click ONLINE PICTURES and then click OFFICE.COM CLIP ART. In the Search box, enter a keyword or two that describes the kind of clip art you want. A list of images displays.

Smart Art in PowerPoint.



Using Smart Art
Smart Art is a function in Microsoft Office applications that allows you to create diagrams and charts. To insert Smart Art into your document, click the Insert tab, and then click SMART ART. You can then select a diagram or chart from the list.
After inserting Smart Art into your document, you can format it using the Smartart Tools tab. Here you will find a variety of functions for enhancing the look and feel of the chart. If you click the inserted Smart Art itself, you can add text and change the size (Figure 19-3).

Using WordArt
Word Art is a function that allows you to display text in a more creative way in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
To access Word Art, select the Insert Menu and then select WORD ART. A list of styles is displayed from which you can select. The Edit WordArt Text dialog box displays and allows you to enter your text, select a font, font size, font color, and style. When you click the OK button, the WordArt is inserted like a piece of clip art into your document.

Drawing
You can draw shapes to create diagrams or flowcharts using the Shapes function, which is available on the Insert menu within Microsoft Office applications.
To create a frame in a Microsoft Word document that contains several drawing objects, click the Shapes function and select NEW DRAWING CANVAS.
To draw a particular shape, click the Shapes function and then select the desired shape. Then, click and hold the mouse on the document where you want the shape to start. Drag the mouse to create the desired shape. When you release the mouse button, the shape appears in your document.
You can also use the Shapes function to create text boxes. Text boxes can be useful to highlight headlines and key points in reports and newsletters. Just select the Text Box shape from the list of Shapes. After clicking your mouse and dragging to create the text box, clicking within the textbox will allow you to enter the desired text.

Converting Documents
Files from older versions of Microsoft Office programs will open automatically in Office 2013 in “compatibility view.” When viewing an older file in compatibility view, you’ll find that there is some limited functionality, especially when using drawing tools like SmartArt. You can quickly convert an older file to a newer file format by clicking the File Tab, and then clicking SAVE AS. On the Save dialog box, click the SAVE AS TYPE box and select the native format for the particular Office application. As an example, the native format for Word 2007 or 2010 is “Word Document.”
Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010 files must be converted in order to be used in older versions of Microsoft Office. You can install updates in some earlier versions of Microsoft Office that allow them to automatically convert the newer file formats for viewing and editing in older versions. To convert a newer format file for use in older versions, just follow the same save-as procedure as above, and, on the Save dialog box, click the SAVE AS TYPE box and select WORD 97-2003 DOCUMENT.

Adobe Acrobat PDF Files
When you want to send a file to someone but don’t want any changes made to the document, the best file format is Adobe Acrobat PDF. Adobe Acrobat PDF files are files that can be viewed by anyone using a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available at http://www.adobe.com. Adobe Acrobat files are also known as PDF files, which stands for “Portable Document Format.” PDF files cannot be easily edited without a professional version of Adobe Acrobat.
To create a PDF version of one of your documents, all you have to do is use the Save As function and select PDF from the Save As Type box.

Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are available for accessing most Microsoft Office functions instead of having to use a mouse to navigate to the various tabs and ribbon bars. Table 19-1 is a list of keyboard shortcuts.
 

Microsoft Office Keyboard Shortcuts
 

Office 365 On Demand
An Office 365 subscription includes the ability to use several applications over the Internet without having to install them on your computer. These apps are streamed over the Internet. Unlike the Office Web Apps, which are free scaled-down browser-based versions of the Office applications, the Office On Demand applications are the full versions. Office On Demand includes streaming versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Publisher.
When you have an Office 365 subscription and you sign into Microsoft account, you’ll see My Office. Here, you can access files stored in your OneDrive, and you can launch Office On Demand applications. When you click to launch an application, the application streams to your computer and opens. This is the full featured version of the Microsoft Office application and can be accessed from any computer.