Word 6 Advanced
Is this course for you?
This course is intended for anyone wishing to learn advanced and productivity skills with Word 6.
It covers a range of features for producing tables, performing mailshots, using graphics and charts and for tracking changes in a document as it is edited.
The course assumes you are familiar with basic Word 6 and with Windows. The course includes the following elements:
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Create a table from existing text with Table, Convert
Hide and display table gridlines
Enter text and figures directly onto a table
Select and delete rows and columns
Insert blank rows in a table
Quickly enhance a table with Table, AutoFormat
Change column width
Change the position of a table on the page
Convert a table to ordinary text
Start a new table
| Word has some very useful features for producing tables, which are much easier to manage than conventional tables created with a tab layout. More than that, tables are the key to more advanced features such as handling data for mail merge operations and so on.
In this lesson we'll look at the basics of creating and using tables.
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Change the format of text in a table using the toolbars
Use the border button to enhance selected cells
Delete the contents of a cell
Use the Cell Height and Width option to change the row height
Use Table Sort to change the order of the rows in a table
| Although Word has a range of pre-set formats for tables which will do for many tasks, often you'll want to create your own format . or at least modify one of the standard ones.
This lesson looks at the basic techniques for controlling a table format and sorting the information it contains. |
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Use Table, Split to add text before a table at the beginning of a document
Fix the width of a column with the Cell Height and Width option
Insert a blank column in the table
Use formulas to calculate row and column totals
| So far we've been concentrating of tables containing simple text and figures, but one of the benefits of a table is that you can use it to perform calculations. In this lesson, we'll look at this and some of the other techniques for making good use of tables.
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Create new documents with the Template Wizards
Use Fax Wizard to create a Fax document layout
Use Table Wizard to create a customised table layout
| Many of Word's more complex procedures have been simplified by using a system knows as Wizards, which take you step by step through the procedure. Typically a Wizard asks questions and uses your answers to help you through the process. For example, you can let one of Word's Wizards help you through the process of creating common types of documents. There's another Wizard for creating tables and others for different tasks. |
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Use Tools, Mail Merge to display the Mail Merge Helper
Edit an existing data file
Add field codes to a form letter
Check the query options set for a merge
Merge a form letter with its data file in a new document
Use print preview to check the merge results before printing them
| Often you'll want to send the same letter to a number of people or use a regular mailing list. Typically you might have a master document that you want to personalise and send to a list of customers or contacts.
In this lesson we'll be looking at using Word's Mail Merge features for automating your work, and unlike more traditional approaches to merging, Word does help make the process as easy as possible, without sacrificing the ability to do more complex merges.. |
| Lesson 6: Creating Merge Files |
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Use the Mail Merge Helper to create merge files
Associate a merge document with a data file
Create a customised data file
Restore a merge document to a normal Word document format
| Files for Mail Merging do need to be in a consistent format for good results. Word makes it easy to create and manage files in the correct format so that you get good results from your merges.
Word stores data in an ordinary table . but gives you an easy-to-use form for creating and managing your information. |
| Lesson 7: Envelopes and Labels |
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Use the Tools, Envelopes and Labels option to create an envelope for a letter
Create a name and address label from a letter
Print name and address labels from text stored in a data file
| Traditionally, producing labels or envelopes from a word processor has been a chore, but Word has greatly simplified the whole process, to take advantage of laser labels and generally better paper handling an the current generation of printers.
And of course, this is a great help if you are using Word for mailshots. |
| Lesson 8: Sort and select data |
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Understand how Word stores records in table format
Use the toolbar to sort records
Use the Table menu to sort records
Sort records using more than one fields
Select specific records to be merged with a form letter
Use the comparason query options to select or reject records
| We've seen how to use a table as a source of addresses for merging. Sometimes though you will want to be selective, and only send mail to some of the people or organisations on the list.
Word allows you to sort the table and select records which match particular criteria so that you can choose who to mail to. |
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Use the Tools, Macros option to run a Word pre-set macro
How to record, run and edit your own macros
How to assign a macro to a menu when you create it
How to delete a macro you no longer need
| Macros can automate word processing activities. They can be as simple as automating a few keystrokes or as sophisticated as a full-blown program. But unless you are working on very sophisticated applications, the most useful macros are often the most simple ones, especially where you have a repetitive task.
At a basic level, Word will record your keystroke sequences . or you can use any of the macros supplied with Word. |
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Use a frame to position text or graphics on a page
Use Insert, Frame to create a frame
Select and move a frame by clicking and dragging on it
Use the grab handles to resize the frame
Add text to a frame
Add a picture to a document
Insert a frame round a picture
How to scale and size a picture with the Format Picture dialogue box
Add a customised border to a frame
Use the SHIFT key with the mouse to crop a picture
| Word is able to create very complex page layouts, mixing text, tables, pictures or other objects. If you want to be able to move any of these around the page, the answer is to use a frame.
Once an object has a frame, you can move it anywhere on a page and you can re-size and re-shape it as well as add borders or shading. |
| Lesson 11: Mixing text and graphics |
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Use Format, Frame to position the frame on the page
Control how text is wrapped round a frame
Use Tools, Options to display and hide the text boundaries
Insert a frame around selected text
How to remove a frame from an item
Use Format, Borders and Shading to customise the frame's background
Display the frame anchors using the Show/Hide button
Anchor a frame to specific text
Mix text and pictures in one frame
| In this lesson we'll look in more detail at frames, and how to use them to mix text and graphics on the page; how to control the position of the frame, how to control how text flows around the frame - and how to anchor a frame to a fixed point on the page - or move it with the text. |
| Lesson 12: Drawing and Pictures |
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Display the drawing toolbar
Create simple drawing objects
Use different line and fill colours
Move and re-shape drawing objects
Group objects together and un-group them
Flip and rotate objects
Convert objects to a picture format
Edit picture objects
| Many documents can be greatly enhanced with simple pictures and diagrams. Word has some very useful features for drawing . and while lacking the advanced features of proper graphics programs, can nevertheless produce useful results.
This lesson look s at the basics of creating and editing drawing objects. |
| Lesson 13: Text boxes and callouts |
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Create and edit a text box
Create and edit callout boxes
Copy text boxes
| Drawings, pictures and diagrams can often be made easier to understand with additional text. One way to do this is with a text box; and if you want the text to point to a specific item, you use a callout. |
| Lesson 14: Graphs and Charts |
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How to select information to be included in a chart
Load Microsoft Graph from the toolbar button
Create, edit and update a chart
Add and position a legend
Change the data series from rows to columns
Select different chart types
Create a chart from data from non-Word files
| If you are presenting a document with tables of figures, you can often enhance it by producing a chart which will make the figures easier to understand. And the Microsoft Graph application supplied with Word means you can create a chart without leaving the document.
In this lesson we look at Graph, how to create different styles of graphs and charts and how to import data from other sources. |
| Lesson 15: WordArt and symbols |
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Use Insert, Object to create a WordArt object
Change the typeface and insert symbols
Alter the overall shape of the text
Control the way the text appears using Best Fit
Change the alignment and character spacing
Use the Special Effects button to control shape and rotation
Add shading, shadows and borders
Use Insert, Symbol to add a symbol to ordinary text
| This lesson looks at the WordArt program which is supplied with Word, which is used for creating special effects with text; the sort of thing you might use for creating a company logo for example. It also shows you how to insert special symbols (such as a Trademark or the typesetter's Em-dash) into ordinary text. |
| Lesson 16: Embedding objects |
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Use Insert, Object to create an object from a whole file
Edit an object
Frame an object to move it freely on a page
| Word offers a range of different ways that you can incorporate information from different sources into your documents. In this lesson we'll see how you can insert information, such as a spreadsheet, into a Word document.
This process in called embedding. Once embedded the information - or object - becomes part of the Word document (and increases its size accordingly). This is useful when you want to include information from a source file which may not always be available to you.
To edit an embedded object simply double click on it and the application it was created with opens. |
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Use Insert, Object to create a linked object from a whole file
Use Insert, Paste Special to copy text to be linked to the clipboard
Use the Paste Link option to link the original document with the new one
| Linking files is a similar to embedding; and the two techniques are often referred to as OLE . object linking and embedding. Linked objects retain a link to the original file . and any changes to the original are then updated in your document. This is a powerful technique for keeping documents up to date and for using one central source for many documents. |
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Use the View option to switch to Outline view
Reposition sections of text with the Move button
Promote and demote text to different heading levels
Control the outline information displayed on your screen
Create master documents
| Outlining is gives you a very powerful facility for organising your documents. For example, if you've created a document and you want to re-arrange the sequence of paragraphs - or if you've made rough notes and want to quickly organise them into a logical sequence. In this lesson we deal with the essentials of outlining, and take a look at the related topic of Master Documents, which you can use to create and manage documents from a number of different sources. |
| Lesson 19: Table of Contents |
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Use heading level styles to insert a table of contents
Different table of contents pre-set formats
How to recompile a table of contents
| When you've completed a document like a business report for example, one of the last jobs you'll need to do is to develop a table of contents. And normally that's a very tedious procedure. But once you've assigned headings, Word can recognise those headings and create the table automatically. |
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Use Insert, Index and Tables to generate an index
How to insert index entry codes
Add see references
Update an index
| Creating an index by hand is a tedious job, particularly if more text is added and it too has to be revised. As with tables of contents you can get Word to generate an index for you. However, you need to do a little work first, by defining what you want to appear in the index. |
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How to go to a pre-set bookmark in a document
Set a bookmark on a page
Set a bookmark for selected text
View the current bookmarks for a document
How to edit marked text
Use the Edit, Go To option to go to a bookmark
Delete unwanted bookmarks
| Word has a range of features which enable you to jump to different parts of the document, by moving the insertion point by predefined amounts or using Go To or Find to go to a specific page or text. But you can add your own Bookmarks as well. For example, if you are in the middle of editing a document and need to close the file before you've finished you can set a bookmark to mark exactly where you were. |
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How to insert annotations in a document
Reopen and edit an annotation
Delete an annotation
Use annotations with multiple reviewers
| Annotations are a feature which allows you or other reviewers to add comments to the document without changing the body text. They're stored in a separate annotation pane. Each annotation is marked by an Annotation Mark which consists of the reviewers initials and a number so you can identify which reviewer has added which comment.. |
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Add captions to a document so that they will always be numbered sequentially.
Add captions inside a frame so that the caption stays with the figure.
Generate a list of captions with Insert, Index and Tables
| If you create a long document with a mixture of text, pictures and perhaps other graphics, you will often want to add explanatory text. You could do this by typing the text directly onto the page, or with a callout but there's another way which also allows you to automatically number captions as you go along.
This method means that captions will always be numbered sequentially, no matter how many edits are made to the document. |
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How to edit a document with revision marking set on
Double click on the MRK panel to control the revision marking options
Review the revisions to a document
Compare the current document with another one
Merge two versions of a document
| Often when you are editing a document, it is useful to have the changes clearly marked, so that you can review them or discuss them with other people. Word can do this for you automatically as you edit; and if you have documents which are being passed from one person to another and each will be making changes, you can track the revisions made by each person. |
| Lesson 25: Protect document |
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Control the types of changes that can be made to a document with Tools, Protect Document
Prevent selected paragraphs being split over two pages with Format, Paragraph, Text Flow
| There are occasions when you'll want to protect text against changes that you don't want. If you are working on a document as part of a team, you may want to allow some people to edit it, while controlling what changes can be made to it.
Another example is preventing page breaks from occuring in the middle of a paragraph. We'll look at both of these techniques in this lesson. |
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How to create a form template
Insert different types of form fields
Protect a form
Use a form template to create a document
| Word's forms feature enables you to set up a document template which contains 'blanks' . These blanks are stored as form fields. When you create a new document using the template you fill in the blank form fields as you go along. You can protect the text contained in the template so only the blank fields can be filled in by the user. |
Pre-defined curricula
Like all courses at the Reeltime College this course comes supplied with a number of predefined curricula designed
to help you go straight to the subjects you're most interested in. Curricula supplied with this course include:
- Standard curriculum (all lessons)
- Tables
- Productivity tools
- Mailshots & Mail Merging
- Graphics
- Graphs and charts
- Linking and embedding
- Organising documents
- Creating and using forms
- Personal curriculum (designed by you)
What will I need to enrol?
This is what you need to get the most from the course:
- A Pentium-class PC with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 or XP.
- Sound card and loudspeakers or headphones
- A CD-ROM drive (or DVD drive) either on the PC or accessible over a
local network.
- Approximately 10 Mb spare disk capacity. If you have another 30 Mb
spare, you can choose to copy introduction movies onto the hard disk.
- If you download the course handbook, you'll need approximately 2 Mb
spare for the download.
- The course assumes you have a copy of the target software (Word 6)
correctly installed on your computer. If not, you'll be able to watch
the movie segments, but not complete the hands-on segments.
You can enrol on the course by using the Reeltime software, which also
allows you to preview the course content off-line. For more information,
go to the How to join Reeltime College
page.
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