WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE - WEEK FIVE and SIX

WEEK FIVE

WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE

Word processing software is a software that allows users to create, edit, update, save, and print document. Documents processed by word processors are letters, memos, term papers, reports, research work, business transaction documents, agreements and so on. Common word processing software includes WordPerfect, WordPad, Notepad, and Microsoft Word.

 

Advantages of word processing software application over conventional typewriter:

1. Text can be produced on screen and edited before printing.
2. Documents can be saved and stored for future use.
3. Multiple copies can be made from a single copy during printing.
4. The ability to check and correct spelling in a document using spell-checker
5. Word processors like Microsoft word allow the user to draw lines and boxes on that screen and to create flow diagrams and charts.
6. Most word processors allow the user to incorporate graphics, graphs and spread sheet to the document.

Starting Word Processor

 

Features of a word processing software

Fonts:

One major advantage a word processor has over a typewriter is that the character size called the font can easily be altered.

Cut and Paste:

You can quickly reorganize a document by selecting a section of text, cutting it, and then pasting it in a new location.

 

Find and Replace:

This feature hunts down all occurrences of a given word or phrase and replaces them with a new word or phrase.

Spell Checker:

This tool checks the spelling of each word in your document against the spellings in its dictionary. If it finds a questionable word, it marks it and displays a list of possible corrections.

Grammar Checker:

They point out any overuse of the passive voice.

Thesaurus:

This allows you to check some words for possible synonyms i. e. words similar in meaning

Page Numbering:

Word processors are great at numbering pages and renumbering after you’ve entered your changes.

Graphics:

You usually get a collection of small electronic art clips that you can use to give documents a professional touch.

Man Merge;

This feature enables you to combine two documents (say an address list and a form letter) and to create letters addressed to all the people on your mailing list. You can use mail merge to create mailing labels.

DIAGRAM

Across the top of the Word window is the Title Bar which displays the name of the current document as well as the application.

• In the upper right corner are the three standard Windows buttons for minimizing, maximizing/restoring the window, and closing the program.
• The second line is referred to as the Menu Bar. It contains all of the commands required to be used in this application.

It contains nine options - File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Table, Window and Help. Each of these menu bar items has drop-down sub-menus

The Standard Tool Bar is located on the left side of the third line and can be used to quickly perform functions without having to access the menu. If you point to a tool without clicking the mouse button, a brief description of the tool will appear.

The Format Bar is combined with the tool bar arid is placed along the right side of the third line. This bar offers a variety of shortcuts for changing the appearance of text. The formatting toolbar contains tools that are common to many Windows programs and related to formatting text in documents. This includes changing document types, fonts, font styles type styles, paragraphs, indenting and a lot of other functions.

The actual typing section is the large interior portion of the window that the program uses to display its data and special symbols. In Word, this working area is referred to as the Text Area.

Within the text area you should see a small blinking vertical line, referred to as the Insertion Point or cursor. It marks the spot where your next character will appear.

Below the vertical scroll bar are three icons which are used to quickly

The Status Bar is located along the bottom of the window. This line indicates the current typing position as well as program status notes (e.g J spelling status, mode indicators).

To make working with multiple documents less confusing, Word displays al opened documents along the taskbar. Rather than having to access the menu labeled Windows to switch between opened documents, you carl simply use your mouse to click on the name of the file you wish to access directly on the taskbar. Once selected, that document becomes the active window.

Formatting Toolbar

The names and functions of the various tools are listed in formatting toolbar and displayed below

Standard toolbar Buttons

Working with Microsoft word

 

Task 1             Typing text

Objectives: To key in a sample of an unformatted text

Activity: Get      to the Microsoft Blank Screen and type ‘My first day in school.

Task 2             Saving a document

Activity:          Giving a typed document a name

When you type a document, the document is stored in the internal memory of the computer. In order to preserve the document for future use you have to save it on disk. This property of saving your work makes a computer different from other electronic devices.

Step 1              Select the Save option from the File menu

 

Diagram showing saving document in Microsoft word.

 

Saving a document in a flash disk

Insert the diskette in drive A and then type D: filename.

Saving a document in a Compact disk Insert the compact disk in the compact disk then type E: filename.

However, if the file you are working with already has a file name, you only need to click the save button in the standard toolbar to continue to save your work.

Task 3             Opening a document

Objective:         To   retrieve   a    previously  saved document from disk on to the screen. Activity             (a) Retrieving a document using the Open Button

(b) Retrieving a document using the File menu

(a)      Retrieving a document using the Open Button

Step 1 Click the Open button on the standard toolbar

Step 2 A dialogue box which resembles the one below will come up. This dialogue box consists of the name, size, type, and the date the file was last modified.

Diagram showing how to open saved document

Highlighting text

Highlighting means selecting a particular portion of the text. A simple scenario is where you have a hundred page document, and there is need for you to move  delete some sections of the document. Highlighting the section you want to delete or move makes the task easier to accomplish. We have two methods of highlighting text using the mouse

Diagram showing words being highlighted

 

 

1. Method one

When using the mouse to highlight text, you place the mouse pointer on the 1 first letter of the text, Left click and hold the mouse button then drag the mouse down to the end of the section you want to highlight and release the mouse button. The text remains highlighted

Copying text

Objective:       To copy text

Microsoft word allows you to copy text from a document to another in the same application package or to another application package. When a text is copied, the original section remains in the same position and may be copied a number of times whenever required.

The steps to copy text and paste in a document are as follows:

Step 1              Highlight the text to be copied

Step 2              Click on the Edit Menu from the standard toolbar

                                        Diagram showing how to copy Text

Spell checking

How to use spell-checking facilities.

Microsoft Word can help to check for spelling mistakes. When Microsoft Word comes across miss-spelt word, it underlines it (red for spelling errors and green for grammatical errors). Microsoft word checks your documents for spelling errors by using its main dictionary, which contains the most commonly used words.

Activity:          Type a paragraph on any topic of your choice and spell check it

Diagram

Step 3              Click on the correct word in the suggestion box (If the word correct). In our activity we will click on academic

Step 4               Click on change.

Step 5              Click on ignore/ignore all (if the word is correct)

After spell checking, a message spell checking is complete will be shown in a dialogue box click the Ok button

 

Diagram

Task 4             Formatting a Document

Objective:          Changing Font Style

A font refers to a set of characters of the same typeface (design) and type size. It is measured in points. Different fonts contain different collection of characters and symbols. Word offers many ways to change fonts and font styles.

 

Step 1                             First highlight the text to be formatted.

 

Step 2                Click on Format Menu, Select Font a drop down font box will be displayed.

 

DIAGRAM SHOWING FONT STYLE SELECTION

 

Step 3              Choose the size, type, style and effect of the font you desire and then click on the OK button

Task 5             Closing and quitting Microsoft word program

Objective:        (a)        To close a Microsoft document file

2. To quit Microsoft application program.

(a)           Closing and quitting Microsoft word

When you have finished working on a document, it is advisable to close th document to free up memory.

Step 1              Click on File Menu

Diagram

Step 2              Select the Close

Diagram showing how to quit Microsoft

 

 

Answer to the question on the dialogue box window “Do you want to save the changes to Document? if you click Yes, it will prompt you to type in the file name, if you say No it will not save it, and the program will exit to the windows environment

Task 9          Printing a document

A document is said to be a soft copy if it can only be displayed on the screen, monitor or display unit. However when it is printed on paper or any other material, it becomes a hard copy.

WYSIWYG

Most windows based systems (word-processors and drawing packages in particular use What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) technology. This simply means that what you type or draw on the screen is what you get when you print. It is good practice to check using Print Preview options to make sure that the layout is correct before you print. This avoids paper and ink wastage.

Previewing a document

Previewing a document means viewing a screen representation of one or more pages of the document before you print them. When you preview a document, it shows you how it is going to be when it is printed. The following steps are used to print preview a document.

Step 1           Select the Print Preview option from the File menu or you can Click on the Print Preview button on the standard toolbar.

A screen that resembles the one below will appear.

 

Diagram

Step 2               Use the Magnifier button or select the Zoom option from the view menu to enlarge the document. You can then adjust your margins with the ruler bar before printing

PRINTING A DOCUMENT

Printing is the final stage to get out a document. After typing, formatting, editing, the end product is the printed or hard copy of the document. The steps to print a document are:

Step 1               Select the Print option from the File Menu or Print toolbar button on the standard toolbar

Step 2              Use the magnifying button or select the zoom option from the view menu to enlarge the document. You can then margins with ruler bar before printing.

CLASSROOM EXERCISE

1. Define the term Word Processing.
2. State two advantages word processing has over typewriters.
3. How would you accomplish the following tasks?

• Save a document
• Preview a Document
• Spell check a document