Business Computing Tips

By K&K Fainges kfainges@...

The next command in the FORMAT menu is FORMAT => PARAGRAPH. This
command lets you control where the words are on the page.

PARAGRAPH has two tabs, or pages of options, when the box comes up.
One the is indents and spacing tab, where the first option is
alignment.

This can make text line up evenly along the left of the page, centred
down the middle, to the right, or justified, which means spread out
so both sides of the text look straight. Just click on the drop down
arrow, and then click on the one you want. Remember to highlight the
text you want formatted before you begin.

Beside alignment, there is Outline. When making a Table of Contents
for example (covered in Ktip Insert P5), you use the Outline to work
out which are Heading, subheadings etc. Normally you can add these
using the Style format button on the toolbar, but this way you can
add them without changing what your page looks like.

Below that is Indentation. This is a fancy way of saying 'move it in
from the edge'. You can control the left and right edge, how far in
it goes, and whether you do just the first line (Special => First
Line) or the whole area you highlighted (Special => Hanging).

Next is the Spacing. This means the spacing before, and after, the
bit you have highlighted. To change how far apart the lines are, you
can click on the down arrow, to take it from single to double spaced
or customise it to suit.

At the bottom left hand side, there is a tab button. This lets you
set how far in the first tab is, and the distance between tabs, so
whenever you hit the tab key on your keyboard, it goes the same
distance, without you having to count. You can set this to start from
the left, middle right, or even put a bar down the writing rather
than move it. If you want to be really fancy, you can even
add 'leaders' or an automatic number of dots or lines at the start.

The Line/Page Breaks tab allows you to control how the lines of text
look as they go over pages. You can make sure you aren't left with
just one line at the bottom of a page, or top of a page, click in the
box to put a tick on Widow/Orphan Control.

Keeping the lines together in the one paragraph, or on the page works
the same way. If you are not sure which one will work, it can be
tricky sometimes. The good thing about it, is you can just add them
all and see what works without stuffing up your text, and it only
takes moments.

Below that, you can Suppress line numbers and/or make sure it doesn't
hyphenate. This comes in very handy if you are writing something with
lots of numbers or equations and word keeps getting confused and
reformatting stuff on you.

**********************************************************************

Please feel free to pass it on to your friends, just let them know I
wrote it.

Karen Fainges holds a Bachelor of Business, and a Grad. Cert of
Vocational and Educational Training. All this is nice but it's the 14
years of having to make sales or starve that makes her think she has
really learnt what does and doesn't work. A tutor for all ages, she
specialises in helping people get started on the long road to
technology.

"It has to be practical, it has to be cheap, and it has to work."