Technology q&a.How to suppress cells that calculate zero ... E-mail just a portion of a spreadsheet ... Stretch and squeeze type to fit ... Use a code word to instantly generate a word, sentence, paragraph, graphic or table ... Fast way to highlight words, sentences, lines and more in Word ... Erase an e-mail in just one step ... Create and keep tabs on projects assigned to others ... A fast way to evoke e·voke tr.v. e·voked, e·vok·ing, e·vokes 1. To summon or call forth: actions that evoked our mistrust. 2. Web sites inside Excel, Word or PowerPoint. Key to Instructions To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we use two different typefaces This is a list of typefaces. Serif Here you can find a graphical version of this table.
Boldface See boldface font. type identifies the names of icons, agendas, URLs and application commands. Sans serif Short horizontal lines added to the tops and bottoms of traditional typefaces, such as Times Roman. Contrast with sans-serif.  type indicates instructions and commands that users
should type and file names.EXCEL Q. When I create a spreadsheet in Excel, I usually want to suppress any cell that calculates to 0 (zero). Is there a way to do this? A. Yes, and it takes just a few steps. Go to Tools, Options, and click on the View tab. Near the bottom of the Options screen (see below) uncheck the Zero values box. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Q. I regularly e-mail an Excel worksheet that includes a monthly sales report to a staff member in another city. I would rather not send her the entire worksheet, just the monthly sales portion. Is there some way I can do that? A. If you're using a version later than Excel 2000 and running the Office Suite with Outlook, the answer is yes and the process is easy. Begin by highlighting the portion of the worksheet you want to send and then click on the Mail Recipient button. If that button is not available on your toolbar A row or column of on-screen buttons used to activate functions in the application. Many toolbars are customizable, letting you add and delete buttons as required. Toolbars may be fixed in position or may float, which means they can be dragged to a more convenient location in the , go to File and Send To, prompting this screen: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Click on Mail Recipient to bring up this Outlook e-mail screen: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fill in the e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address information and a short note, if you wish, and send. WORD Q. When I prepare a memo for a client presentation, I give each section a headline. But sometimes the headlines don't easily fit on one line. I don't want to reduce the size of my type any more. Is there some way to squeeze or shrink the text into the available space? A. Word has a function for compressing--or expanding--text. Let's take the following phrase and see how it works: Expanding or Shrinking Text Begin by highlighting the text and then go to Format, Font, and click on the Character Spacing tab. Click on the arrow next to the Spacing box and choose Condensed con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. . Now move over to the By box and adjust the amount of condensing con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. you want. You can make the text look like this: Expanding or Shrinking Text or this: Expanding or Shrinking Text or something in between. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Q. Each month I create a table that shows our monthly sales figures sales figures npl → cifras fpl de ventas . Except for the dollar amounts, the table format is unchanged from month to month. Is there an easy way to duplicate it? A. You can make a template of the box. To do that, click on File, Save As, give it a name and save it as a Document Template (*.dot). Then, the next time you want to access the box, click on File, New, and your list of templates will be displayed. Click on it, and presto, your box appears ready to be filled in. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Another way is to use the AutoText feature of Word: It's a powerful tool. As the name implies, AutoText automatically reproduces any saved text, but it also will do the same for graphics and tables. The reproduction is evoked e·voke tr.v. e·voked, e·vok·ing, e·vokes 1. To summon or call forth: actions that evoked our mistrust. 2. by the use of a code word you create. To illustrate, begin by preparing your table. Month January February March April Sales Now highlight the table and click on Insert, AutoText and New, which generates this screen: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AutoText suggests a code name, but you can override An arrangement whereby commissions are made by sales managers based upon the sales made by their subordinate sales representatives. A term found in an agreement between a real estate agent and a property owner whereby the agent keeps the right to receive a commission for the sale of it with a word of your choice. Let's use sales and click on OK. Now, every time you type the word sales, you will be alerted with this pop-up message on the screen: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you press Enter, the table will appear. But, if you just keep typing, the message will disappear and the table won't come up. You can leave the AutoText entry in your memory for future use or easily erase it by returning to Insert, AutoText, clicking on AutoText again, highlighting the code word sales and clicking on Delete To remove an item of data from a file or to remove a file from the disk. See file wipe, trash and undelete. 1. (operating system) delete - (Or "erase") To make a file inaccessible. . Likewise, you can leave your entry in AutoText for as long as you like. Q. I read there is a host of ways to highlight words, sentences, lines, paragraphs and even whole documents by clicking on certain places on the screen. Try as I might, I can't do it. Is it like a secret handshake A secret handshake is a series of hand gestures that indicate loyalty to a club, clique, or subculture. The purpose of the secret handshake is to identify exclusive group members, and consequently to prevent inclusion of outsiders. known only to insiders, or am I doing something wrong? A. While it's true there are undocumented processes in many Microsoft applications--as in other tools as well--your inability to make them work is not because you lack some secret information. Instead, perhaps you haven't done the right thing yet. For example, before those clicking "tricks" can work, you have to inform Word of your preferences. To do that, go to Tools, Options and click on the Edit tab. Notice in the middle of the screen, on the right side, a box marked When selecting, automatically select entire word. Place a check in it. Without that box marked, none of the screen clicking will work. Here are the clicking tricks. To select * A single word, double-click on it. * An entire paragraph, triple-click anywhere inside the paragraph or double-click on the left margin. * A sentence, hold down Ctrl and click on the sentence. * A line (all text in one line from left to right margin), single-click on the left margin. * An entire document, triple-click on the left margin or press Ctrl+A. Another useful trick: To easily move an entire paragraph up or down, highlight it, press Alt+Shift and then either click on the up arrow (to move the paragraph up) or the down key (to move it down). And if you use automatic numbering, it even will adjust any existing numbers. OUTLOOK Q. Whenever I delete an e-mail in Outlook, the message goes into my Deleted Deleted A security that is no longer included on a specified market. Sometimes referred to as "delisted". Notes: Reasons for delisting include violating regulations, failing to meet financial specifications set out by the stock exchange and going bankrupt. Items folder In a graphical user interface (GUI), a simulated file folder that holds data, applications and other folders. Folders were introduced on the Xerox Star, then popularized on the Macintosh and later adapted to Windows and Unix. In Unix and Linux, as well as DOS and Windows 3. . I guess that's a good idea because it provides a second chance before an item can be permanently deleted. But frankly some messages don't need a second chance. How can I bypass the Deleted Items folder and wipe out the files I want to get rid of? A. If, when you highlight the item, you just press Shift-Delete, you will bypass the Deleted Items folder and permanently wipe the item out. Q. I have a Tasks function in Outlook; it creates a to-do list with due dates and priorities. I like that, but I'd like it even better if I could assign tasks to my staff using this function. A. You can. In fact, not only can you assign a task by e-mail to a colleague whose Outlook is network-connected, you can add a deadline, keep an updated copy of the task on your Task List and customize your Tasks so you receive status reports. Begin by clicking on Tasks on your Folder List and then click on New, opening this screen: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After filling in all the details, click on Actions on the toolbar, generating the screen at right. Now click on Assign Task, and you'll get the screen below. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Notice you can set the due date, start date, status, priority and the percent completed. In addition, you have two options: * Keep an updated copy of this task on my task list. * Send me a status report when it is complete. HYPERLINKS Q. Clients often send documents, and even spreadsheets, that contain hyperlinks for me to examine. It's really handy: When I click on one, a Web page opens up. How can I do that, too? A. Welcome to the world of high technology. You'll be happy to discover that this feature is very easy to use. Open either a document, spreadsheet or PowerPoint file you want to add a Web site link to. Click on Insert and Hyperlink A predefined linkage between one object and another. See hypertext. hyperlink - anchor (shortcut (1) In Windows, a shortcut is an icon that points to a program or data file. Shortcuts can be placed on the desktop or stored in other folders, and double clicking a shortcut is the same as double clicking the original file. : Ctrl+K), evoking the Insert Hyperlink screen. Either type in the URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. of the site, or better yet, open your browser browser Software that allows a computer user to find and view information on the Internet. The first text-based browser for the World Wide Web became available in 1991; Web use expanded rapidly after the release in 1993 of a browser called Mosaic, which used and go to the target site and then return to the Insert Hyperlink screen and you'll find the address automatically inserted. Click on OK and your link gets added to what you're working on. It's that simple. Do you have technology questions for this column? Or, after reading an answer, do you have a better solution? Send them to Senior Editor Stanley Zarowin via e-mail at zarowin@mindspring.com. Because of the volume of mail, we regret we cannot individually answer submitted questions. However, if a reader's question has broad interest, we will answer it in a forthcoming Technology Q&A column. On occasion you may find that you cannot implement a function I describe in this column. More often than not it's because not all functions work in every operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. or application. I try to test everything in the 2000 and XP editions of Windows and Office. It's virtually impossible to test them in all editions and it's equally difficult to find out which editions are incompatible with a function. I apologize a·pol·o·gize intr.v. a·pol·o·gized, a·pol·o·giz·ing, a·pol·o·giz·es 1. To make excuse for or regretful acknowledgment of a fault or offense. 2. To make a formal defense or justification in speech or writing. for the inconvenience. |
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