Word Processing

Common Features Type, cut, copy, paste, move text Automatic line-breaks Change font type, face, size, color Change number of columns Adjust margins and line, word, letter spacing Have running headers, footers, page nos. Insert tables, charts, graphics, drawings

Word Processing Application Features Word processing typically implies the presence of text manipulation functions that extend beyond a basic ability to enter and change text.

Word Processing Application Features TEXT MANIPULATION Describe how to change the appearance of a document by text manipulation Text manipulation usually refers to the ability to change words, sentences and paragraphs which have been typed. The manipulation can involve the changing of the characters (letters and symbols), adding line breaks, direction of the text and changing the case(CAPITAL letter or small letter) of the characters.

Word Processing Application Features DOCUMENT FORMATTING Describe document formatting. The text within a document can be formatted in terms of how the actual text appears. Formatting improves the readability of documents. A useful function with Word is that of the Styles which allow text to be automatically formatted allowing consistent formatting of text within body, titles, subtitles, etc. of a document . The most common formatting which are applied in Word are Bold, Italic, Underline, font styles, font size and colored font. So much so, that all of these formatting tools have their own buttons.

Word Processing Application Features GRAPHICS Describe the uses of graphics in a word document. Pictures, images or graphics are a very useful way of brightening up a document and making it more appealing and interesting for the end user. Graphics can be added to Word in a variety of ways, including inserting; Pictures, Clip Art, Shapes and SmartArt. When images are added to a document, it is important to consider the graphic formatting options available, such as cropping, wrapping, styles, effects and position.

Word Processing Application Features TABS Understand the uses of tabs e.g. decimal tabs etc. Tabs allow the setup of text on a page in the exact position it should appear in, by allowing the cursor to advance to the next stop or set position. This is achieved by setting up tabs and using the tab key (to the left of the Q key) on the keyboard, to jump from one position to the next, instead of having to use the space bar again and again and again! Tabs are a very useful tool which is often left unused by most word processing users.

Word Processing Application Features TABLES Describe the uses of tables. A table is a grid of cells arranged in rows and columns. It can be useful to present data in a table inside a word processing document because it is displayed in an organized and easy to read format. Tables can be sorted, formatted, merged, aligned, shaded, colored, etc.

Word Processing Application Features MAIL MERGE AND LABEL PRINTING Describe the uses of mail merge and the benefits of label printing. Mail merge is the batch mailing of letters-using a letter template and a data file or address database. Instead of a business or college creating multiple copies of the same letter to send out in the post, one letter and one data file is created. The letter and data file are merged together –which means the names and address are automatically added to each of the letters and envelopes from the database or data. Mail merge can automatically create a batch of labels for the data file and print the labels to labels stickers or directly to envelopes depending on the capacity of a printer.

Word Processing Application Features OTHER FEATURES Other word processing functions include: Spell checking (actually checks against wordlists), Grammar Checking (checks for what seem to be simple grammar errors. Thesaurus function (finds words with similar or opposite meanings Shift F7). Collaborative editing, which allows two people to work on one document, automatically leaving each other notes to show where editing has taken place.

SUMMARY A word processor is an application that allows the user to compose and edit simple documents ADVANTAGES: Corrections and revisions are easy Many formatting details handled automatically What are defaults? Customized forms, form letters, and mail-merge Can be stored and reused Structural templates can be defined by the user do it once, use it over and over without affecting original

Standard Features of Word Processors Wordwrap: automatic arrangement of text in lines of specified length without the necessity of touching the return key. Discretionary Hyphenation: option of inserting a hyphen to break a word that ends a line: the hyphen does not print if later editing moves the word to the middle of a line. Justification: automatic alignment of text to both the left and right margins. Adjustment: realignment of text to new margin and tab settings. Alignment: positioning text or numbers to specified margin and tab settings. Decimal Alignment: positioning columns of numbers with the decimal points vertically aligned. Indents: the setting of temporary margins within a document differing from the primary margins used. Centering text on a line. Insertion: the entry of new text within previously typed material without erasing the existing material. Overstriking: the substitution of new text for old by typing over the old text. Deletion: erasure of text from the screen, or of whole documents from the disk. Search and Replace: moving directly to specified words or parts of words within a document and replacing them with different words or word portions. Copying or Cutting: the duplication or moving of blocks of text within a document. Boilerplate: the separate storage and retrieval of blocks of text from which standard documents can be built. Pagination: automatic division of a document into pages of specified numbers of lines. Page Numbering: automatic sequential numbering of pages. Headers and Footers: option of creating standard blocks of text that will automatically appear at the top or bottom of each page in a document. Footnoting: automatic sequential numbering of footnotes and positioning of the footnotes at the bottom of their appropriate pages during pagination. Table of Contents and Index Generators. Programs that create these based on the text of a document. Form Letter Merging: automatic combining of a form letter with a mailing list to generate multiple copies of the letter with the different addresses and other variable information filled in. Automatic Spelling Checker and Corrector. Program that compares words in the text against an on-line dictionary, flagging items not found in the dictionary and offering alternative spellings and a means of correcting the errors. References: Word Processing - http://wordprocessing.about.com/ Microsoft Word 2010 - http://www.gcflearnfree.org/word2010 Advanced formatting tips for Word Users- http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-plus-advanced-formatting-tips-for-word-users/