Save time with these Word 2007 edit options

By Mary Ann Richardson, Special to ZDNet Asia

Microsoft Word
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Save time with these Word 2007 edit options
If your Word documents need reformatting every time you paste an item, you can save time by having Word 2007 take over some of those formatting chores. For example, after you delete a single word, does Word leave an extra space behind? Or, when you cut and paste a paragraph, does an extra blank line remain where you cut it, or is all formatting lost after you paste it? To prevent extra spacing or reformatting from occurring, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office button.

2. Click the Word Options button.


3. Click Advanced.

4. Under Editing Options, select the When Selecting, Automatically Select Entire Word check box.

5. Select the Use Smart Paragraph Selection check box.

6. Click OK.

Microsoft Excel


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Illustrate data tables using Excel charts
When you want to show the data represented by your Excel chart, you could add a data table to the chart by selecting the Data Table tab in the Chart Options dialog box. However, you cannot use data tables with XY charts, pie charts, doughnut charts, radar charts, bubble charts, or surface charts. In addition, data tables’ formatting options are limited compared to actual data cells.

To overcome these limitations, you can include a picture of the actual data cells in your chart. Follow these steps to insert a picture:

1. Select the data range you want to include with your chart.

2. Go to Edit | Copy.

3. Click outside the Plot Area in the Chart Area where you want to place the picture.

4. Press [Shift] and click Edit.

5. Click Paste Picture.

Note: The pasted picture is static; that is, it does not update if a change occurs in the original data range.

Microsoft Access


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Use the Access 2007 Ribbon to design professional-looking forms
Access 2007's predefined layout features can eliminate much of the manual work involved in designing forms. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can group, align, and format your controls all from the Forms Design Tools Ribbon.

For example, you want to design a customer contact form from your Customer Records table. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Customer database and click the Customer Records table in the Navigation pane.

2. Click the Create tab.

3. Click the Form Design command in the Forms group.

4. Click the Add Existing Fields button in the Tools group.

5. Click a field in the Field list and drag it to your form. Do this for each field you want on the form.

6. Press [Ctrl]A to select all the fields on the form.

7. Click the Arrange tab.

8. Click the Stacked icon in the Control Layout group.

9. Click the Control Padding command in the Control Layout group and select Medium.

10. Click the AutoFormat button in the AutoFormat group and select the format of your choice.