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Mac Forum / Applications / Word / November 2005Guide to Word 2004 with good index?
In my quest to get comfortable with Word/Office 2004, I'm looking for a good manual, the sort of guide where one can look up the answer to a specific question or problem (in fact, a manual just like the wonderful printed manual that Microsoft included with Word 5.1a, which offered a clear and straightforward solution to every question one could throw at it, and an extensive index so that one could FIND that answer -- but I digress). I've had good luck in the past with the Missing Manual series, and bought a copy of the Missing Manual for Office 2004. The text is decent, but let down badly by the totally inadequate index. "Bend Word to Your Will" is very useful in other respects, but not really designed to work as a guide where one can look up how to do one specific arcane (or not so arcane) thing. I'm leery about getting one of the Windows guides, since I know nothing about Windows and Murphy's law suggests that my questions will inevitably touch on those aspects of Word which differ cross-platform. Any other suggestions? Thanks! Zack Hi Zack, Believe it or not, I think you will find exactly what you're looking for by accessing Word's Help! It includes both an index and a decent search mechanism. For anything not included there, your best bet is to ask here. You'll also find great information at <www.word.mvps.org>. While many of the articles there are written for WinWord, the vast majority apply equally (with a few tweaks for different keyboard shortcuts, etc.) to MacWord. You will have some problems with the site if you're using Safari as your browser: you'll have to hit Refresh once or twice to load each page. Firefox and Explorer will work fine, however. Also, check the TidBits series of ebooks called "Take Control" (<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/?@777.Xkvfa4T2aPk@>) I'm sure others will recommend various printed manuals as well, but if I were you I'd start with Word's Help and this newsgroup! Beth Rosengard Mac MVP > In my quest to get comfortable with Word/Office 2004, I'm looking for a > good manual, the sort of guide where one can look up the answer to a [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Thanks! > Zack Unfortunately, I've found Word Help to be pretty useless. Possibly I'm using it incorrectly, but I find its search rules confusing (adding search terms to narrow down the results doesn't seem to work consistently), and I don't seem to be able to find answers to my specific questions. For instance, How can one change the keyboard shortcut to show/hide the formatting palette? (the default seems to be command+F14, but my laptop doesn't have an F14 key). How does one set defaults so that new documents open with 'page numbering' turned on? (I think I figured this out on my own -- change the 'normal template' so that page numbers are on, then save the normal template -- but I couldn't find this info in Help). Is there any way to adjust the spacing of items in the 'Status bar', or remove items from that bar so as to make visible other items on the right end of it which are hidden if the window is fairly narrow? Zack Hi Zack, > For instance, > How can one change the keyboard shortcut to show/hide the formatting > palette? (the default seems to be command+F14, but my laptop doesn't > have an F14 key). In Tools | Customize Keyboard, click All Commands in the left column, then look for ViewFormattingPalette in the right column (alphabetical). You should be able to assign your own. (I don't see any default on my machine. This command does not appear to be listed under View, in typical Tools | Customize frustrating fashion). Help is very bad at keyboard shortcuts, yes--scouring the Tools | Customize dialog seems to be the best option. http://daiya.mvps.org/toolscustomize.htm > How does one set defaults so that new documents open with 'page > numbering' turned on? (I think I figured this out on my own -- change > the 'normal template' so that page numbers are on, then save the normal > template -- but I couldn't find this info in Help). Cause you don't want to do that--or rather, if you ever use Word for labels or envelopes, that page number in the Normal template is going to screw them up. If you intend to leave it there, please go back into Normal and delete the gray frame around the number that appears when using Insert | Page Numbers. The frame tends to wander occasionally. Just remember to generate a new Normal whenever you need to do labels or envelopes, especially labels. By the way, there is no such thing as page numbers being "on." There is a field, in the document, which is there or not there--but it's just like having any other text in the document or the template, not an on/off switch. > Is there any way to adjust the spacing of items in the 'Status bar', or > remove items from that bar so as to make visible other items on the > right end of it which are hidden if the window is fairly narrow? The Status bar is not customizable, sadly--it also bugs me that it doesn't adjust itself. I mostly keep it off, as I keep narrow windows. Just discovered there is a ViewStatusBar command you can assign a keyboard shortcut to for toggling it--glad I already took the trouble to set up a macro for that. :( Ditto to Beth's recommendations.  SignatureDaiya Mitchell, MVP Mac/Word Word FAQ: http://www.word.mvps.org/ MacWord Tips: <http://www.word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/> What's an MVP? A volunteer! Read the FAQ: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/ >>>Cause you don't want to do that--or rather, if you ever use Word for labels or envelopes, that page number in the Normal template is going to screw them up. If you intend to leave it there, please go back into Normal and delete the gray frame around the number that appears when using Insert | Page Numbers. The frame tends to wander occasionally. Just remember to generate a new Normal whenever you need to do labels or envelopes, especially labels.<<<< AHHHH HA. Hmmm. Ok. I can see why changing the Normal template was a bad idea. (Although I think I avoided the Frame issue by inserting page numbers directly into the header, rather than using 'page insert'.) So what is the correct way to set up Word 2004 so that by default a new document will open with page numbering automatically set to go, first page different (ie no page number on the first page)? It's a bother having to remember to open up a head and insert a page number every time I create a new document. > AHHHH HA. Hmmm. Ok. I can see why changing the Normal template was a > bad idea. (Although I think I avoided the Frame issue by inserting page [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > having to remember to open up a head and insert a page number every > time I create a new document. Make a template for documents with numbered pages. ..and a few more for other purposes. Templates are a Good Thing. SignatureTo de-mung my e-mail address:- fsnospam$elliott$$ PGP Fingerprint: 1A96 3CF7 637F 896B C810 E199 7E5C A9E4 8E59 E248 > Unfortunately, I've found Word Help to be pretty useless. Possibly I'm > using it incorrectly, but I find its search rules confusing (adding > search terms to narrow down the results doesn't seem to work > consistently), and I don't seem to be able to find answers to my > specific questions. I'm somewhere between you and Beth on that topic. A lot closer to you. If you don't know whatever silly name Microsoft has assigned to a particular topic, it is a pain. Don't you just love it when the only advice is some unrelated malarkey about Microsoft's EULA? The help search is *hopeless*^h^h^h not as good as it could be. If I could find a way to print the... wait a cotton pickin' minute... Nah! I thought I might be able to trick a couple of toys into believing it was a .chm file, turn it into a pdf then use Preview.app and spotlight. It looks a bit like .chm when viewed with emacs, but they both barfed on it. C'mon Microsoft, a properly written PDF won't cost too many of your spare billions. If there is any useful advice I could give, it's go for suggested help articles that begin with the word "About". They appear to be more general and written by someone for whom English is their first language. > For instance, > How can one change the keyboard shortcut to show/hide the formatting > palette? (the default seems to be command+F14, but my laptop doesn't > have an F14 key). I might not have the best technique, but this is how I do it. Tools->customize->customize keyboard->categories->all commands (Don't bother with any other category. It is utterly unbelievable how badly the categories have been assigned) Then put the focus on commands. Then rummage about in there till you find something useful. It helps to type the first character of anything you might think the poor muppets may have called the command, then up and down arrow till you find something promising. Scrolling through that mess on a trackpad is impossible. Do be creative. Command names follow no logic whatever. They show every sign of being created by a Polish random name generator. For your particular instance, it behaves more or less sanely. ViewFormattingPalette is what you want, even though the command acts as ToggleFormattingPalette and does not appear in the View category (of course). Once there, bravely assign a key combinatioin. Word will yelp if something else already has it. Strangely, my copy of Word did not have cmd-f14 as a default as yours did, so I went for ctrl-opt-f. How *anybody* could claim that mess as being fit for purpose is utterly beyond me. If I were American, it would be my patriotic duty to sue Microsoft for the trauma I suffer every time I use help search. > How does one set defaults so that new documents open with 'page > numbering' turned on? (I think I figured this out on my own -- change > the 'normal template' so that page numbers are on, then save the normal > template -- but I couldn't find this info in Help). Not bad. You might try creating templates for different classes of document. That way, as Daiya just said, in not so many words, it won't screw up your envelopes. > Is there any way to adjust the spacing of items in the 'Status bar', or > remove items from that bar so as to make visible other items on the > right end of it which are hidden if the window is fairly narrow? You mean that nonsense at the bottom of the window? Turn it all off. Word will be far more responsive if it is not trying to update the useless stats and stuff in there. In more direct reply to the subject of this topic, I'd *strongly* recommend Clive's "Bend Word to Your WIll" He wrote it to ease the pain as he went from Word 5. You are setting out on the same journey. You can read it like a book, but it is even better as a reference. Read it in Word and use find.... SignatureTo de-mung my e-mail address:- fsnospam$elliott$$ PGP Fingerprint: 1A96 3CF7 637F 896B C810 E199 7E5C A9E4 8E59 E248 Hello Zack, Books on Word for Windows are more comprehensive than Word for Mac books. There are not many major differences beyond the appearance of the interfaces, and capabilities, when all is said and done. I use Wiley's "Word [year] Bible" series. It has the detail that I need if I really want in-depth information. The best for anyone with Word 2004 is the Word 2000 book. I also use Que Corporation¹s Using "Word [year]" series they are good too. The subtle differences often give better clues in difficult subject areas. In both cases, the Word 2000 versions are better for Word 2004 users than the Word 2003 books. Cheers, Clive Huggan Canberra, Australia (My time zone is at least 5 hours different from the US and Europe, so my follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed) ============================================================ On 29/11/05 2:19 AM, in article 1133191167.231660.298520@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "Zack" <asdfi23453@yahoo.com> wrote: > In my quest to get comfortable with Word/Office 2004, I'm looking for a > good manual, the sort of guide where one can look up the answer to a [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Thanks! > Zack |
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