Daily Tips and Tricks Special Delivery - Microsoft

Save and Reuse Tables Do you frequently create the same type of complex table, such as a financial table or tables to use for custom page layouts? If so, you can save that table for easy insertion into any document by storing it in the Quick Tables gallery. Here’s how: Select the table, and then press ALT+F3 to open the Create New Building Block dialog box. Type a name for your table, click the Gallery drop-down arrow, and then choose Tables from the list. You can set other options as well, such as choosing or creating a category for your table, which affects where in the Quick Tables gallery it is stored. By clicking the Save in drop-down arrow, you can indicate the template in which you want to store the table. However, if you leave the default Building Blocks.dotx as the Save in location, your table will be available to you for use in any document. To access your saved table, on the Insert tab, click Table, and then point to Quick Tables. Use the Floating Toolbar for Formatting You can use a floating toolbar to quickly change document formatting in Microsoft Office. When you use the mouse to select text that you want to change, a floating toolbar appears automatically, giving you easy access to basic formatting commands.

Change the Default File Location Many users find that they tend to open workbooks from the same folder on their computer. If that Windows Vista folder isn't Documents (My Documents in Windows XP), you can change the folder that Microsoft Office Excel 2007 displays when you want to open or save a workbook. Here’s how: 1. Click the Office button. 2. Click Excel Options. 3. In the left column, click Save. 4. Type the desired location in the Default file location box. See More in the To-Do Bar The To-Do Bar is extremely flexible; you can customize it to your needs. Click View, click To-Do Bar, and then click Options. From here you can turn elements of the To-Do Bar on or off, and also select how many appointments you want to see. This is useful on busy days with multiple appointments, because you can see them all at a glance.

Print an Entire Worksheet Even If You Defined a Print Area 1. Click the Office button. 2. Click Print. 3. In the Print what section, select the Ignore print areas check box. Set the Order of Your Tasks and To-Dos You can prioritize your Microsoft Office Outlook tasks and to-dos. To create a task or to-do from an Outlook item, either flag it or simply drag it to the task list or To-Do Bar. Then set the order in which you want items to appear by dragging them up and down the list.

Task Updates and Timesheet Submittal and Approval Team members update project work in the Tasks, My Work section of Microsoft Office Project Web Access. After they submit their task updates, the project manager approves or rejects their time on tasks in the Approvals, Task Updates section of Project Web Access. At the end of each timesheet period, team members use Import Task Progress to show progress on their timesheets along with any other administrative time spent during the period. Resource managers can review, approve, and reconcile timesheets against reported project work, nonproject work, and nonworking time. Use the following steps to review and approve timesheets: 1. In Project Web Access, click the Action pane. 2. In the Approvals section, click Timesheet. 3. In Review My Timesheet Summary, click My Timesheet. 4. Click the Review Timesheet Detail page. 5. Click Approve to complete the approval process. 6. In the Approvals section, click Admin Time. 7. Click the Review Admin Time Detail page. 8. Click Approve to complete the approval process.

Answering Routine E-Mail Quickly via IM Instant messaging is the quick way of replying to non-essential e-mail. You can save valuable time by answering routine messages with instant messages instead of e-mail. Click Reply on the toolbar, and then select Reply with Instant Message from the drop-down menu. This will start Microsoft Office Communicator, which you can then use to send an instant message in less time than a conventional e-mail message.

Print Page Backgrounds with Your Document By default, page backgrounds created with the Page Color option in the Page Background section on the Page Layout tab in Microsoft Office Word 2007 do not print. However, you can print them with the document if needed. To include the page background when printing, click the Office button and then click Word Options. On the Display tab of the Word Options dialog box, select the printing option Print background colors and images, and then click OK. (Note that this setting is not document-specific and will apply to all documents that you print from Word 2007 while the setting is active.) Let Your Audience Drill Down to Excel Data 1. Select the Microsoft Office Excel table that you want to import to your Microsoft Office Visio diagram. On the Ribbon, under Export, click Create Diagram. 2. In the Add Total area of the PivotDiagram panel, select the number of columns that you want to include in your Visio diagram. 3. Select the diagram in your Visio presentation for which you want to create a drill-down facility, and then select the category for your drill-down levels. 4. Add shapes to the categories. a. Select your diagram, and then click the Apply Shape button in the PivotDiagram panel. b. Select the shape you require, and then click OK. 5. Filter the data by clicking Configure Column on the Category menu, and then clicking the arrow next to the category name.

Convert a Bulleted List to a SmartArt Diagram Right-click anywhere in the bulleted list, point to Convert to SmartArt, and then click the diagram layout that you want to use. If you don’t see your preferred diagram layout, click More SmartArt Graphics to choose a layout from the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box. After your list converts to a diagram, the SmartArt Tools Design and Format tabs appear when the diagram is active. Use those tabs to apply formatting or even change the diagram layout. Set Up the Calendar Quickly You can customize your Microsoft Office Outlook calendar quickly. When viewing the calendar, press ALT and the number of days that you want to show (for example, ALT+3). Outlook will redraw the calendar to show the selected number of days.

2003 to 2007 Structured References Working with formulas and functions has not always been the most intuitive process. In Microsoft Office Excel 2003, multiplying gross revenue by the profit margin might mean typing something like =B7*E14. In Microsoft Office Excel 2007, structured referencing enables you to use the column headers in table data to build your formulas. Instead of cryptic cell locations, you can simply multiply =[Gross Revenue]*[Margin]. To use structured referencing, you first need to format your data as a table. 1. Click Format as Table in the Styles section of the Home tab. 2. Select the My table has headers check box. 3. After you have a table, click the cell where you want to insert the formula, and then type the left bracket ([). 4. Select the column that you want to use from the list that appears, press the TAB key, and then close it with the right bracket (]). 5. Repeat as you build out your formula.

To Change the Color of a Sheet Tab 1. Right-click the sheet tab. 2. Click Tab Color. 3. Click the color from the palette that appears. Integrate All Your Types of Communication from Outlook Suppose you are working in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and want to call the person who sent you an e-mail message. Or perhaps you want to send the person an instant message but don’t know whether he or she is online. By using the integrated presence information provided by Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2007, you can easily initiate a phone call or even an instant messaging conversation.

Identify Duplicate Values in an Excel Table In Microsoft Office Excel 2007, you can easily highlight duplicate values with conditional formatting. 1. Select the list in which you want to identify duplicates. 2. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon. 3. In the Styles section, click Conditional Formatting, point to Highlight Cells Rules, and then click Duplicate Values. Pairs of duplicates will then be highlighted, and you can choose which of each pair to delete.

Apply Formatting from Any 2007 Office Release Document to Any Other You may already know that you can use Document Themes to apply consistent fonts, colors, and graphic effects all at once throughout your 2007 Microsoft Office release Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document. But did you know that you can apply the theme formatting from any 2007 release Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file to any other? To do this, on the Page Layout tab (in Word or Excel) or the Design tab (in PowerPoint), click to expand the Themes gallery, and then click Browse for Themes. You can then choose any 2007 release Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file (or any theme file) and apply its theme formatting to your active document. Create a Project Proposal By using proposals, you can define high-level project plans to provide key project information, milestones, and resource demands. 1. In Microsoft Office Project Web Access, click Proposals and Activity Plans in the left Action pane. 2. On the New menu, click Proposal. 3. In the New and Import section, click New. 4. Enter the name of the project, description, start date, finish date, and plan owner. You can also add details about tasks or resources with a resource plan or build team. 5. Click Publish. You have now created a complete Project proposal, pending approval.

To Enter a Carriage Return in a Cell Press ALT+ENTER. Create an Electronic Business Card for Your Signature In Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, you can create and share customized electronic business cards, giving you a personalized way to communicate your information. You can customize your contact information by using electronic business cards that include logos and photos, making contacts more personally relevant and easier to locate. 1. Click the arrow next to New, and then click Contact. 2. Type your personal contact information, such as name, title, company, work phone, and work fax number. Note: As you type, a preview of your business card appears in the business card box in the upper-right corner. 3. Click the Business Card button on the Ribbon to open the Edit Business Card dialog box. 4. In the Card Design section, click the Change button next to Image to add your photograph, company logo, or other pictures. Click the Background Color button to change the background color of your business card. In the Edit section, you can change the size, justification, or color of your text. 5. To use your customized electronic business card as your signature, click the Business Card button on the Message tab of the Ribbon.

Publish Your Calendar to Microsoft Office Online Sharing your calendar information is even easier through the new publishing capabilities that Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 provides. Through this free Microsoft Office Online service, you can create dynamic Web calendars that your coworkers, friends, or family can subscribe to and that remain up to date. 1. Click the calendar. 2. Right-click the name of the calendar that you want to publish. 3. From the list, select Publish to Internet, and then click Publish to Office Online. 4. Follow the steps in the wizard to register for the service by using your Windows Live ID credentials. 5. When you’ve registered for the service, you can simply choose the calendar, time frame, and other settings. Outlook creates a sharing invitation that you can use to invite people to subscribe to your calendar.

To Enter a Series of Data Using Fill Series 1. Type the first value in the series into a cell. 2. Type the second value into a cell below or to the right of the first cell. 3. Select the cells. 4. Drag the Fill Handle (a black square that appears at the bottom right corner of the last selected cell) over the cells into which you want to extend the series.

Customize Your Pictures You can apply style, shadow, and crop effects to the pictures that you add to your presentations. You can create great-looking effects with just a few clicks. 1. On the Insert tab, click the Picture icon to browse for a picture to add to your slide. 2. After selecting your picture, go to the Picture Tools Format tab to see the available formatting options. 3. Pause on the items in the Picture Styles gallery to preview each of the prebuilt options. If you find a style you like, click it to apply the formatting to your picture. 4. If you want to apply custom formatting, select options from the Picture Shape, Picture Border, and Picture Effects galleries.

Automatically Update Data (Such as User Information) Throughout Your Document Content controls, a new feature in Microsoft Office Word 2007, provide the ability to structure content in a document—similar to, but with more flexibility than, traditional form controls. Among other uses, content controls enable you to bind text in your document to data sources, such as file properties or Windows SharePoint Services properties. In fact, some built-in content controls called Document Property Quick Parts are set to automatically bind to your information. As a result, if you insert a Document Property Quick Part—such as the author name or the document title—into your document, that information will automatically update in the document when it changes in file properties. To insert a Document Property Quick Part into your document, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Quick Parts, point to Document Property, and then click to insert the type of property you need from the options listed. Note that if you insert several of the same type of control (such as Title) in the same document, the text in all of those controls will update to match if any one of them is changed. Also note that some types of document building blocks (such as a cover page or a header that you can insert from applicable galleries on the Insert tab) contain Document Property Quick Parts.

Sorting and Filtering New options for sorting and filtering make Microsoft Office Excel 2007 the ideal tool for working with large amounts of complex data. The sorting and filtering menu is sensitive to the type of data you’re working with. To sort and filter: 1. To enable filter and sort options, do one of the following: a. Format your data range as a table. b. Select the headings of the columns that you want to sort or filter. c. On the Ribbon, on the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Sort and Filter. 2. To sort, click the AutoFilter arrow in the column heading, and then select the filter mode (in Office Excel 2007, you can also filter by cell color). 3. To filter, click the AutoFilter arrow in the column heading. a. Select individual values, and then select the filter mode. b. Select Number Filters, Text Filters, or Date Filters for more advanced filter options.

Subscribe to a Web Calendar and View in Overlay Mode You can use Web calendars to add and subscribe to calendars that cover a wide array of topics, such as industry conferences, sports schedules, or movie releases. 1. Click the calendar. 2. Click the Browse Calendars Online link. 3. On the Web page that appears, click a calendar from the list. 4. Microsoft Office Outlook asks whether you want to add the calendar to the list. Click OK. 5. The calendar will appear in Outlook, and you can view this calendar in overlay mode. To enable this view, ensure that both calendars are checked and visible side by side. Then, click the arrow on the title tab of the calendar on the right.