Tips and Tricks
Getting Started and Basic Usage
Obtaining Help and Learning PowerPoint
•You can get Help about an item in the PowerPoint window. Click the Help button on the Standard toolbar, and then click the item. Or, press SHIFT+F1 and then click the item. (Windows™)You can get Help about an item in the PowerPoint window. Click the Help button on the Standard toolbar, and then click the item. Or, press COMMAND+? and then click the item. (Macintosh®)
•You can learn about the basic features and capabilities of PowerPoint through an automatic show. From the Help menu, choose Quick Preview.
•In a Help topic, when you click text that has a dotted underline, PowerPoint displays a definition.
•You can print a Help topic. From the File menu in the Help window, choose Print Topic.
•You can search for Help information by double-clicking the Help button on the Standard toolbar. In the Search box, type a word that describes what you are looking for.
•PowerPoint provides Cue Cards to give you step-by-step instructions for common yet sophisticated tasks - for example, adding a logo to every slide. From the Help menu, choose Cue Cards.
•You can press F1 during a slide show to view a list of shortcut keys. (Windows)
•You can press Help during a slide show to view a list of shortcut keys. (Macintosh)
•You can obtain a list of PowerPoint support services. From the Help menu, choose Technical support.
•PowerPoint provides Cue Cards to give you step-by-step instructions for common yet sophisticated tasks - for example, adding a logo to every slide. From the Help menu, choose Cue Cards.
Making Suggestions
•You can call the Microsoft Wish Line to make suggestions about features you would like to see in PowerPoint. Call (206) 936-WISH or contact your local subsidiary.
Context Sensitive Shortcut Keys
•You can display shortcut menus by clicking the right mouse button. (Windows)You can display shortcut menus by pressing CONTROL and clicking the mouse button. (Macintosh)
Toolbars and Toolbar Buttons
•You can specify which toolbars you want displayed in the PowerPoint window. From the View menu, choose Toolbars, and then select the toolbars you want.
•You can add buttons to any toolbar. From the Tools menu, choose Customize. Drag any button or command onto a toolbar.
•When you remove a button from a toolbar, you are not deleting it. You can find the button by choosing Customize from the Tools menu.
•You can remove a button from a toolbar by holding down ALT and dragging the button away from the toolbar. (Windows)You can remove a button from a toolbar by holding down COMMAND and dragging the button away from the toolbar. (Macintosh)
•You can display a menu of toolbars by pointing to a toolbar and clicking the right mouse button. (Windows)You can display a menu of toolbars by pointing to a toolbar, pressing CONTROL, and clicking the mouse button. (Macintosh)
•You can drag toolbar buttons to a new position on a toolbar or to a different toolbar. Hold down ALT and drag the button. To copy buttons, press ALT+CTRL. (Windows)You can drag toolbar buttons to a new position on a toolbar or to a different toolbar. Hold down COMMAND and drag the button. To copy buttons, press COMMAND+OPTION. (Macintosh)
•You can display multiple toolbars in the PowerPoint window. From the View menu, choose Toolbars, and then select the toolbars you want.
•You can move a toolbar by clicking between the toolbar buttons and dragging. Return the toolbar to its original position by double-clicking its title bar.
•PowerPoint displays the name of a toolbar button when you point to the button. If you do not want to see these ToolTips, choose Toolbars from the View menu, and then clear the Show ToolTips check box.
Status Bar
•You can learn about any command on a menu by highlighting the command and reading the text in the status bar at the bottom of the PowerPoint window.
•The status bar at the bottom of the window displays the current slide number.
•You can switch views by clicking the view buttons at the bottom of the PowerPoint window. Pressing SHIFT as you click a view button takes you to the corresponding master view.
Undoing Edits
•You can undo most changes to a presentation by clicking the Undo button on the Standard toolbar. Press the button a second time to redo the action.
•You can undo most changes by pressing ALT+BACKSPACE or CTRL+Z. (Windows)
•You can undo most changes by pressing COMMAND+Z. (Macintosh)
Dialog Boxes
•You can close a dialog box by pressing ESC.
•You can cancel a dialog box by pressing ESC.
Navigating between Multiple Applications
•You can quickly switch to other open applications by pressing CTRL+ESC to open the Windows Task List dialog box. Or press ALT+TAB until the application you want appears on the screen. (Windows)
•You can quickly switch to other open applications by using the Finder. (Macintosh)
•If you are a user of Office 4.0 for Windows, you can use the Microsoft Office Manager (MOM) to launch, close, and switch between applications. (Windows).
Navigating in PowerPoint and Using Various Views
•You can go to the previous slide by pressing PAGE UP or to the next slide by pressing PAGE DOWN.You can go to the beginning of the previous slide by pressing ALT+CTRL+PAGE UP. To go to the beginning of the next slide, press ALT+CTRL+PAGE DOWN.
•You can move from typing slide text to the title of the next slide by pressing CTRL+ENTER. If you are at the end of the presentation, a new slide will be created automatically. (Windows)You can move from typing slide text to the title of the next slide by pressing OPTION+RETURN. If you are at the end of the presentation, a new slide will be created automatically. (Macintosh)
•If you are working on a long presentation, you can use outline view to rearrange slides, move quickly to a particular slide, and get an overview of the entire presentation.
•In Outline view, select the Show Formatting button on the outline toolbar to toggle between showing and not showing formatting. By not showing formatting, you may see more of your PowerPoint outline on the screen.
•You can select the entire presentation in outline view by choosing Select All from the Edit menu, or by pressing COMMAND+A. (Macintosh)
•You can use the ARROW keys to navigate through your slides in Slide Sorter view.
•You can double-click a slide miniature in Slide Sorter view to go directly to that slide.
•You do not have to wait until all of the slides are drawn in Slide Sorter view to start working in PowerPoint. Just click to begin working.
•You can view the title of a slide in Slide Sorter view by pressing ALT and clicking the slide. (Windows)You can view the title of a slide in Slide Sorter view by pressing COMMAND and clicking the slide. (Macintosh)
Moving Within a Slide
•You can go to the beginning of a line of text by pressing HOME. You can go to the end of a line of text by pressing END.
•You can move from the title to text by pressing CTRL+ENTER. (Windows)You can move from the title to text by pressing OPTION+RETURN. (Macintosh)
•You can move the insertion point to the previous word by pressing CTRL+LEFT ARROW. To move to the next word, press CTRL+RIGHT ARROW. (Windows)You can move the insertion point to the previous word by pressing COMMAND+LEFT ARROW. To move to the next word, press COMMAND+RIGHT ARROW. (Macintosh)
•You can move the insertion point to the previous paragraph by pressing CTRL+UP ARROW. To move to the next paragraph, press CTRL+DOWN ARROW. (Windows)You can move the insertion point to the previous paragraph by pressing COMMAND+UP ARROW. To move to the next paragraph, press COMMAND+DOWN ARROW. (Macintosh)
•You can start a new line without starting a new paragraph. Press SHIFT+ENTER. (Windows)You can start a new line without starting a new paragraph. Press SHIFT+RETURN. (Macintosh)
Selecting Text and Graphics
•You can select a word by double-clicking it. You can select a sentence by holding down CTRL and clicking the sentence. You can select an entire paragraph by triple-clicking any word in the paragraph. (Windows)You can select a word by double-clicking it. You can select a sentence by holding down OPTION and clicking the sentence. You can select an entire paragraph by triple-clicking any word in the paragraph. (Macintosh)
•PowerPoint selects an entire word as you drag across it. To select text one letter at a time, choose Options from the Tools menu. Clear the Automatic Word Selection check box.
•You can select text by holding down SHIFT and pressing an arrow key.
•You can quickly select a large block of text with the mouse. Click at the beginning of the text, press SHIFT, and then click at the end of the text.
•You can quickly replace text by selecting it and typing.
•If you are having trouble selecting an object, use TAB to successively select all the objects until you reach the one you want SHIFT+TAB cycles backward. This can be used to determine if there are any hidden or invisible objects in a given slide.
•When working with text, you can press F2 to switch back and forth between a text selection and corresponding graphic object.
•You can select a text object without getting an insertion point by pressing SHIFT as you click the text.
Copying and Moving Text and Graphics
•You can create a copy of any object by holding down CTRL and then selecting and dragging the object. (Windows)You can create a copy of any object by holding down OPTION and then selecting and dragging the object. (Macintosh)
•You can rearrange bullets on your slides by clicking the bullet and dragging.
Developing and organizing Content
AutoContent Wizard
•You can use the AutoContent wizard to help you create a presentation. From the File menu, choose New, and then select the AutoContent wizard.
•You can create your own customized presentations and replace the existing AutoContent Wizard presentations. Every AutoContent Wizard presentation is associated with a file name in the wizard subdirectory, for example selling.ppt, general.ppt. Rename the presentation that you wish to use as the "master presentations" to one of the corresponding names and place this file in the wizard directory.
Note: You may want to save the original presentations for backup purposes. Your presentation will now become part of the AutoContent Wizard. Since you cannot alter the names of the presentations in the Wizard's dialog box, it is recommended that you use General as the one you modify.
Organizing Presentation Content
•If you are working on a long presentation, you can use outline view to rearrange slides, move quickly to a particular slide, and get an overview of the entire presentation.
•PowerPoint provides and Outlining Toolbar to make it easy to adjust and view your environment while in the outliner.
•You can promote and demote bulleted text in Slide view by positioning the cursor at the beginning of the text and pressing TAB and SHIFT+TAB.
•You can collapse or expand individual slides in Outline view by selecting the slides and then clicking the Collapse Selection or Expand Selection button.
•PowerPoint allows you to rearrange your ideas easily. Click the bullet on your slide which you want to move and drag.
•You can display or hide text in Outline view. Click the Show Titles button to display titles only for your presentation. Click the Show All button to display all text.
Using existing information
Opening Presentations
•You can quickly open one of the last presentations you worked on by choosing it from the bottom of the File menu.
•You can customize the number of Most Recently Used files displayed in the File menu in the Tools Options menu.
•You can drag and drop files from the File Manager onto your PowerPoint slide in Slide view.
•You can open files from Harvard Graphics® for DOS 2.3 and 3.0, and Freelance Graphics® for DOS 4.0 and save them as PowerPoint presentations. From the File menu, choose Open. (Windows)
Finding Slides in a Presentation
•You can search a presentation for all slides that refer to a particular topic in Slide Sorter view. From the Edit menu, choose Find.
Working with Multiple Presentations
•You can quickly arrange all open presentations on the screen. Choose Arrange All from the Window menu. To display a particular presentation, choose it from the Window menu.
•You can have several presentations open at the same time. The total number depends on the amount of memory (RAM) your computer has available.
•You can easily use information from other presentations. Simply arrange presentations in slide sorter view, select the slides you wish to move in the old presentation, and then drag and drop those slides to the new presentation.You may copy a slide by holding down CTRL and then selecting and dragging the slide to the new presentation. (Windows)You may copy a slide by holding down OPTION and then selecting and dragging the slide to the new presentation. (Macintosh)
Leveraging Existing Spreadsheet data or Word Processor documents
•You can automatically create a PowerPoint presentation from your Microsoft Word outline. Click the "Present It" toolbar button in Microsoft Word.
•To add the Present It button to your Word 6.0 toolbar, perform the following steps:Go to the Word directory (by default this is Winword).Go to the Macros subdirectory which is located from the Word directory.Copy the file convert.dot template from the Macros directory into the Word startup directory.Start Word 6.0.Right mouse click on the toolbar in Word.Present It will be listed as one of the toolbars.Turn the toolbar on so it appears by clicking next to the title. A check mark will appear next to the name.Copy the icon onto the standard toolbar by pressing ALT+CTRL while dragging the icon.(Windows)
•You can insert a Microsoft Word outline into a PowerPoint presentation and PowerPoint will automatically create slides. From the Insert menu, choose Slides From Outline.
•You can create a Microsoft Word document from your presentation. Click the Report It button on the Standard toolbar in PowerPoint.
•You can drag and drop text across Microsoft applications. For example, you can drag text from Microsoft Word into PowerPoint.
•You can drag and drop objects from other applications onto your PowerPoint slide in Slide view.
•You can insert a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or Microsoft Word document into your presentation to display detailed information during a slide show. For more information, choose Cue Cards from the Help menu.
Leveraging Other Graphic Packages
•You can open files from Harvard Graphics for DOS 2.3 and 3.0, and Freelance Graphics for DOS 4.0 and save them as PowerPoint presentations. From the File menu, choose Open. (Windows)
Leveraging Existing Pictures, Graphics, Video Clips
•You can insert pictures and graphic images from other programs into PowerPoint. From the Insert menu, choose Picture.
•You can create and play sound and video files in PowerPoint using MediaPlayer. From the Insert menu, choose Object, and then select Media Clip. (Windows)
•You can create and play sound and video files in PowerPoint using QuickTime. From the Insert menu, choose Movie, and then select QuickTime™ movie. (Macintosh)
Performing Drag and Drop
•When dragging & dropping PowerPoint slides between presentations or from PowerPoint into other applications, it normally will remove the slides from the source presentation. If you want to copy the slides instead, hold down the CTRL key while drag & dropping. (Windows)When dragging & dropping PowerPoint slides between presentations or from PowerPoint into other applications, it normally will remove the slides from the source presentation. If you want to copy the slides instead, hold down the OPTION key while drag & dropping. (Macintosh)
•You can use drag & drop to create "Linked" objects. Use the CTRL key during the drag operation until you are over the target. Hold down both the CTRL and the SHIFT keys when you drop the object on the target. (Windows)You can use drag & drop to create "Linked" objects. Use the CTRL key during the drag operation until you are over the target. Hold down both the CTRL and the SHIFT keys when you drop the object on the target. (Macintosh)
Creating and modifying information
Creating New Slides
•You can type text into any AutoLayout placeholder. Click the placeholder and begin typing.
•You can start typing on a new slide and the text will automatically go into the title placeholder.
•If you delete the contents of a placeholder, it reverts to the empty placeholder with the original placeholder instruction text in place.
•You can use the Layout button on the status bar to change your slide's AutoLayout at any time without losing your existing work.
•You can skip the New Slide dialog by pressing SHIFT when choosing New Slide. PowerPoint will create a new slide using the same layout as the current slide.
•You can create new slides without using the New Slide dialog. From the Tools menu, choose Options. You can still access the dialog by pressing SHIFT as you create a new slide.
•You can navigate through the slide layouts in the New Slide dialog by using the ARROW keys, or by typing the number (1-21) of the desired layout.
•You can create a new slide using the Most Recently Used AutoLayouts by clicking the shift key when pressing the New Slide button. This does not apply to Title Slides.
Drawing Objects in PowerPoint
•You can rotate AutoShapes for more shape options. If text is attached to the shape, it rotates as well.
•PowerPoint has a Drawing+ toolbar with more advanced drawing tools to complement the Drawing toolbar. From the View menu, choose Toolbars.
•You can double-click a button on the Drawing or AutoShapes toolbar, and the tool remains in effect until you click another button or start typing.
•The margins around text in AutoShapes can be adjusted by choosing Text Anchor from the Format menu.
•You can create an arc that's greater than 45 degrees. Create an arc by selecting the arc tool. Then from the Edit menu choose Edit Arc Object and drag one of the arc handles.
•You can customize many of the AutoShapes by dragging the diamond shaped adjustment handle.
•You can add text to AutoShapes by simply selecting the shape and typing.
•You can resize a line while maintaining its position by pressing SHIFT as you drag.
Working with Graphs
•You can rotate your 3-D graphs by clicking an axis and then dragging the axis handle.
•The colors in your graphs do not have to be the same colors you use in your presentation. Select the object. From the Tools menu, choose Recolor, and select Only Text and Background Colors.
•You can include trend lines in your charts in Microsoft Graph. From the Insert menu, choose Trendline.
•You can save custom chart formatting as a user-defined default chart by choosing AutoFormat from the Chart menu in Microsoft Graph.
.You can create a combination chart in Microsoft Graph by selecting a series and changing the chart type on that series.
•You can highlight a range in your Graph data sheet and tab through only those cells. Press TAB to move through the selection.
•You can drag a 2-D column or pie slice of your graph to the size you want. The data sheet will change automatically.
•You can drag a pie slice away from the rest of the chart in Microsoft Graph. It's a good way of focusing attention on that particular slice.
Working with Organizational Charts
•You can add organization charts to your presentation. Click the Insert Org Chart button on the Standard toolbar.
•The colors in your organizational charts do not have to be the same colors you use in your presentation. Select the object. From the Tools menu, choose Recolor, and select Only Text and Background Colors.
Working with Equations
•You can insert mathematical equations using Equation Editor. From the Insert menu, choose Object. Select "Microsoft Equation 2.0".
Working With Clip Art and Pictures
•You can edit and customize your clip art. For more information, from the Help menu, choose Cue Cards.
•You can use ClipArt Gallery to insert clip art, and to organize and retrieve pictures that already exist on your machine. Click the Insert Clip Art button on the Standard toolbar.
•When you insert a picture, you can retain the link to its original graphic file. From the Insert menu, choose Picture, and then select the Link to File check box.
Formatting Text
•Before you can edit text, you must first select the item you want to modify.
•You can quickly apply bold, italic, and other character formatting. Select the text you want to format, and then click the appropriate buttons on the Formatting toolbar.
•You can apply or remove bold, italic, or underline formats to selected text by pressing CTRL+B, CTRL+I, or CTRL+U. (Windows)
•You can apply or remove bold, italic, or underline formats to selected text by pressing COMMAND+B, COMMAND+I, or COMMAND+U. (Macintosh)
•You can copy formatting. Select the text that has the formatting you want to copy. Click the Format Painter button on the Standard toolbar, and then click the text you want to format
•You can copy the formatting of selected text multiple times. Double-click the Format Painter button on the Standard toolbar, and then drag over the text you want to format. To turn off the paintbrush pointer, click the button again.
•You can change the word-wrap behavior of text by choosing Text Anchor from the Format menu.
•You can change the case of selected text. Press SHIFT+F3 until the text is capitalized the way you want.
•You can change the case of selected text. Select the Change Case... command from the Format menu
•You can slant, stretch, and shape words with WordArt. From the Insert menu, choose Object, and select Microsoft WordArt 2.0.
Formatting Objects
•Before you can edit graphics, you must first select the item you want to modify.
•You can copy formatting of a selected object. Select the object that has the formatting you want to copy. Click the Format Painter button on the Standard toolbar, and then click the object you want to format
•You can copy the formatting of a selected object multiple times. Double-click the Format Painter button, then click each object you want to format. When you are finished, press ESC.
Working with Multiple Objects
•If you have grouped a set of objects and then ungrouped them, you can regroup them without reselecting the objects. From the Draw menu, choose Regroup.
•You can group objects together and then move or edit them as one object. Select the objects to group, then from the Draw menu, choose Group.
Aligning Objects
•Text can be aligned from the top, middle, or bottom of an object. From the Format menu, choose Text Anchor.
•You can center a paragraph by pressing CTRL+E. Press CTRL+J, CTRL+L, or CTRL+R to justify, left-align, or right-align a paragraph. (Windows)
•You can center a paragraph by pressing COMMAND+E. Press COMMAND+J, COMMAND+L, or COMMAND+R to justify, left-align, or right-align a paragraph. (Macintosh)
•You can temporarily override the Snap to Grid feature by holding down ALT as you draw. (Windows)
•You can temporarily override the Snap to Grid feature by holding down OPTION as you draw. (Macintosh)
•You can add or delete tab stops by using the ruler. To add a tab stop, click the ruler where you want to set a tab stop. To delete a tab stop, drag it off the ruler.
•To line up columns of text or numbers, use tables or tabs. If you align text on-screen by pressing the SPACEBAR, it may not line up when you print.
•You can create evenly spaced objects using the Duplicate command. Select an object, then from the Edit menu choose Duplicate. Move the duplicated object to the desired distance, and then choose Duplicate again.
•You can adjust the evenly spaced default tabs on the ruler. Just drag one of the default tab markers to its desired location and PowerPoint will adjust the rest.
•You can move an object in small increments by selecting the object and pressing an ARROW key. For even finer movements, you can turn off the grid by pressing ALT as you use an ARROW key. This adjustment can be accomplished in high percentage views as well.
•You can use a guide to measure the distance from an arbitrary point by holding down CTRL as you drag the guide. To activate the guides, from the View menu, choose Guides. (Windows)
•You can use a guide to measure the distance from an arbitrary point by holding down OPTION as you drag the guide. To activate the guides, from the View menu, choose Guides. (Macintosh).
Sizing Objects
•You can paste a graphic or OLE object of any kind onto an empty placeholder and that graphic/object will be scaled proportionally to be constrained within the placeholder frame.
•You can restore the original size of a resized or reshaped picture by pressing SHIFT and double-clicking a resize handle. This is especially useful when working with imported pictures or with clip art.
•To resize an imported graphic and keep its original proportions, drag a corner handle. To resize the graphic and change its proportions, drag a middle handle.
•You can crop an imported graphic by selecting Tools crop picture.
Formatting and Embellishing presentations
Presentation Tips
•When planning a presentation, allow two to three minutes per slide.
•When giving a presentation using overheads, hand movements near the slide are magnified. It's better to place the pointer on the projector than to keep the pointer in your hand.
•If you are using overheads, on-screen slide shows or 35mm slides, most audiences cannot read text smaller than 18 points.
•Light background colors should be used when producing overhead transparencies.
•If you will be producing 35mm slides from your presentation, dark background colors work best on slides.
•You can create a graceful finish to your presentation by adding a blank, black slide to the end.
Modifying Presentation Layout and Defaults
•You can change the PowerPoint defaults for new objects or text. For more information, choose Cue Cards from the Help menu.
•You can put your name, company logo, date, or whatever you want on every slide by placing those objects on the Slide Master. From the View menu, choose Master and then select Slide Master.
•You can hide objects from the Slide Master on individual slides. From the Format menu, choose Slide Background, and clear the Display Objects on This Slide check box.
•You can change the format for the title and/or text for your entire presentation by changing the title or text format on the Slide Master. From the View menu, choose Master and then select Slide Master.
•You can change the type of object in your AutoLayout placeholder. Select the placeholder. From the Insert menu, choose Object.
•You can increase or decrease the AutoLayout placeholder area for every slide in your presentation. From the Slide Master, click the Object Area for AutoLayouts and adjust accordingly.
Modifying a Presentation's Look Through Templates
•You can apply a new template to a presentation even if you have already applied another template or created slides. From the Format menu, choose Presentation Template. Or choose the Template button on the status bar.
•You can apply any PowerPoint presentation as a template. From the Format menu, choose Presentation Template.
Working with Color
•You can change the color scheme of a presentation, even after you have applied a template. From the Format menu, choose Slide Color Scheme.
•You can apply different color schemes to groups of slides to create color-coded sections in your presentation. From the Format menu, choose Slide Color Scheme.
•You can change the color scheme of multiple slides in Slide Sorter view.
•You can add shading to the slide background. From the Format menu, choose Slide Background.
•You can use a color scheme for your speaker's notes that's different from your slide color scheme. From the View menu, choose Notes. Then from the Format menu, choose Notes Color Scheme.
•Use the format painter in slide sorter to automatically pick up color schemes of slides and paint them to other slides.
Applying Transition Effects
•You can apply transitions and build effects to multiple slides in Slide Sorter view.
•You can click the picture in the Transition dialog to preview the selected transition. From the Tools menu, choose Transition.
•You can preview all of your transitions in Slide Sorter view by clicking the transition icon beneath each slide.
•You can adjust the speed of your transition. From the Tools menu, choose Transition.
Proofing Text in a Presentation
•You can quickly check the spelling of a selected word. Press F7 or click the Spelling button on the Standard toolbar.
•You can speed up spell checking by turning off the Always Suggest option. From the Tools menu, choose Options.
•You can change the selected text to all caps, lower case, sentence case, or initial caps so you can create a consistent look with bulleted text or titles. Select Change Case... from the Format menu.
•You can automatically add or remove periods to bullet point to maintain a consistent look. Select Periods... from the format menu.
Finding and Replacing Text
•You can repeat the last Find command by pressing SHIFT+F4. (Windows)
•You can repeat the last Find command by pressing COMMAND+F4. (Macintosh)
•You can edit a presentation while the Find or Replace dialogs are visible. Click in the presentation window and change the text. To continue the search, choose a button in the dialog box.
Working with others
Maintaining Slide Information
•You can display the Summary Info dialog box whenever you save a new document. From the Tools menu, choose Options, and then select Prompt for Summary Info.
•You can change a presentation's summary information at any time. From the File menu, choose Summary Info. You can change the title, subject, author, keywords, and comments.
•Summary information is extremely helpful when using the File Find File command.
Saving Files
•You can save your presentation in PowerPoint 3.0 format. From the File menu, choose Save As. Select PowerPoint 3.0 from the list of available file types.
•You can save your TrueType fonts with your presentation to make sure that wherever you go, you have the fonts you need. From the File menu, choose Save As and select the Embed TrueType Fonts check box.
Finding Files
•Search the contents of a presentation or use the summary information index to find files from past presentations and those created by others.
Routing and Mailing Presentations for Review
•If you have Microsoft mail or a compatible mail program, you can send a presentation to reviewers. From the File menu, choose Add Routing Slip.
•If you have Microsoft Mail or a compatible mail program, you can send a PowerPoint presentation to another person. From the File menu, choose Send
Accessing slides on a different platform
•Files can be shared seamlessly between PowerPoint versions for Windows operating system and the Macintosh.
•You can use the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows to view Macintosh PowerPoint presentations, and the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view Windows PowerPoint presentations.
Practicing and Preparing
Rehearsing
•You can find out how long your presentation will take to deliver using the rehearsal feature in PowerPoint. From the View menu, choose Slide Show and select Rehearse New Timings.
Creating Backup Slides and Drilling Down to Another Application
•You can create hidden slides to use as backup in your slide show. From the Tools menu, choose Hide Slide.
•You can insert a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or Microsoft Word document into your presentation to display detailed information during a slide show. For more information, choose Cue Cards from the Help menu.
Presenting Multiple Presentations
•You can branch to different PowerPoint presentations during a slide show. For more information, from the Help menu choose Cue Cards. (Windows)
•You can embed a PowerPoint slide or presentation into another presentation. Simply drag the selected slide miniature(s) from Slide Sorter view of the source presentation into the Slide view of destination presentation. When dragging and dropping, it will normally remove the slides from the source.
•If you want a copy, hold down the CTRL key while dragging and dropping.. (Windows)
•If you want a copy, hold down the OPTION key while dragging and dropping.. (Macintosh)
•If you are combining several presentations into a single presentation, you can number the slides beginning with a number other than one. From the File menu, choose Slide Setup and use the Number Slides option.
•You can view multiple presentations in your slide show by creating a PowerPoint play list. For more information, choose Cue Cards from the Help menu.
Printing and presenting
Page Formatting
•You can insert the date, time, or page number in a presentation by choosing Date, Time, or Page Number from the Insert menu.
Printing
•You can print slides in reverse order. From the File menu, choose Print. In the Slides box, enter the slides to print in reverse order. Ranges can also be entered in reverse order.
•You can see what PowerPoint colors will look like on your printer. Simply open PRINTME.PPT and print. (Windows)
•You can see what PowerPoint colors will look like on your printer. Simply open Print Me and print. (Macintosh)
Handouts and Notes Pages
•You can easily specify options such as page numbering and company logo by using the Pick-A-Look wizard.
Delivering Presentations Electronically
•You can erase any on-screen annotations in slide show by pressing E.
•You can blank the screen during a slide show by pressing B.
•You can activate any OLE object with a mouse click during a slide show. Select the OLE object and from the Tools menu, choose Play Settings.
•You can control when sounds and movies launch during a slide show. From the Tools menu, choose Play Settings.
•You can view multiple presentations in your slide show by creating a PowerPoint play list. For more information, choose Cue Cards from the Help menu.
•You can move to any slide during a slide show by pressing the slide number and then pressing ENTER. (Windows)
•You can move to any slide during a slide show by pressing the slide number and then pressing RETURN. (Macintosh)
•You can branch to different PowerPoint presentations during a slide show. For more information, from the Help menu choose Cue Cards. (Windows)
•You can create a graceful finish to your presentation by adding a blank, black slide to the end.
•You can draw horizontal and vertical lines during slide show by pressing SHIFT while you drag the mouse or pen.
•You can press F1 during a slide show to view a list of shortcut keys.
•You can press Help during a slide show to view a list of shortcut keys. (Macintosh)
•Press the H key to show the hidden slide without brining up the asterisk button on the screen.
Viewing Presentations without PowerPoint
•You can view PowerPoint presentations on a business trip without installing PowerPoint. Take a copy of the PowerPoint Viewer disk with you to view your presentations.
•You can use the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows to view Macintosh-based PowerPoint presentations, and the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view Windows-based PowerPoint presentations. The viewer may be distributed freely.
Adode Acrobat Tips & Tricks
In order to display and print some of the materials on the VCCS website, Adobe Acrobat Reader software must be present on your system. Using Acrobat Reader is relatively easy, once you become familiar with a few tips and tricks.
Acrobat Reader as a Web Browser Plug-in
Adobe Acrobat Reader software, if properly installed, works as a "plug-in" within your web browser, i.e., . you will see Acrobat load as a plug-in while you are still inside your browser window. If Acrobat loads as an "external viewer," (and then asks permission to download the document/file to your computer), then the software is not properly installed as a browser plug-in and hyperlinks within VCCS .PDF documents may not work as intended. You can fix this problem by re-installing Acrobat Reader software (or, for the adventurous, by copying the nppdf32.dll file from inside the acrobat\reader\browser sub-directory into the Netscape\communicator\program\plugins sub-directory, and then re-starting your browser). You will know if Acrobat Reader is installed as a plug-in if you see a new (acrobat) toolbar appear within your browser window when you click on a .pdf file. One of the tricks to using the reader is to know what to do with the new buttons on the Acrobat toolbar...
Acrobat Reader Toolbar Buttons
The Acrobat Reader toolbar appears below, shown under the "address" box of the Internet Explorer screen, i.e., inside your existing browser window. Using Acrobat Reader version 4.0 as an example, from left to right on the Acrobat toolbar, you will see:
(1) a "save file" icon button,
(2) a "printer" icon button,
(3) "show/hide" icon --- a toggle button that changes whether you see index and/or page views together in the Acrobat window,
(4) a "copy" icon -- a de-emphasized button that shows two pages side-by-side,
(5) an icon that shows a "hand," to grab and move the acrobat page around
(6) a button that show a magnifying glass --- to change the size of the Acrobat image in the window,
(7) a "text tool" icon --- a button with "T,"
(8) several buttons with triangles that control page location within a document (i.e., forward, backward),
(9) three buttons that control page size,
(10) an icon of a pair of binoculars, and several other buttons toward the right-hand side of the page.
(1) The "save" button allows you save the Acrobat document to your local computer files, if you want to do so.
(2) The Acrobat printer icon button is very important. This is the button you use to print from within Adobe Acrobat reader. A common mistake in using Acrobat (inside of a browser) is to attempt to use the other (Netscape) "print" button on your browser toolbar. Using the browser print button will cause an error. Always print using the Acrobat printer icon button.
(3) The "show/hide" icon controls whether you see just the document, or the document with an "index" to the left side. It is a toggle button --- just click on it to change back and forth to different views. Typically, most .pdf documents will open the way the document author intended for you to see them, i.e., with an index, or without. But it is nice to know that you can change the view, if you want to get rid of an index.
(4) The button with two side-by-side pages is intended as a "copy" button. It is used in conjunction with the (7) "text tool" icon. Click on the "T" (text tool) button in order to select text within an acrobat document. Scroll your cursor onto the selected text (it will show as high-lighted text). Once text is highlighted in this manner, you can then click on the button with two pages side-by-side in order to copy the selected text. You can paste this selected text to any other application on your computer (e.g., in an e-mail note, in a word processed document, etc.).
(5) The "hand" icon button is normally activated when you open a document. You will see a hand, as a cursor, when you move around on an Acrobat document page. Left clicking will cause the hand to "grab" the page, and you can actually move the page up, down, right, left, simply by dragging the page with the closed hand.
(6) The magnifying glass button may be clicked to increase or decrease the size of a page (and size of text). When you click the button, the hand cursor changes to a magnifying glass cursor inside the window, and by right-clicking this new magnifying glass cursor anywhere on the Acrobat document page, you will see a menu that will allow you to re-size the page. To stop changing page size, click back on the "hand" button. (The "text tool" icon will also stop the change page size process.)
(7) The "text tool" (T) button allows you to select text. Just click on the button, and your "hand" cursor changes to another cursor, which if you hold down (drag) the left mouse button, will highlight text as you scroll down the page. Once you have selected text, if you click on the "copy" button (4), it will be stored in your computer's clipboard --- you can then paste this text into any other (e-mail, word processing, etc.) document that is open.
(8) Once you are in an Acrobat document, you can move from page to page in several ways. The triangle buttons on the toolbar will move you forward or backward, a page at a time, to the beginning of a document, or to the end of a document. Experiment with the buttons to see how they work. If the document appears with an index on the left side, you can click on the various sections of the index to move to certain pages within a document (and then turn off the index, if you want). Also notice that at the bottom right of the Acrobat screen/window is a little section that says "Page 1 of 5" (or however many pages the document may be). If you click on 0this section, you will see a pop-up window that will allow you to enter a specific page number to go to in a document. This is especially helpful if the document has many pages and you know what page you want to use.
(9) The three page size buttons show icons of pages (with a corner bent down) as various sizes. Clicking on a button will change the size of page, similar to the magnifying glass icons, but also allows you to do a "full page" view (last page size button) that is somewhat different than just making the page bigger or smaller.
(10) Finally, the binoculars icon is the "find" button. If you click on this button, a pop-up window will appear and allow you to specify a text search within an Acrobat document. It is similar to "find/search" functions in word processing software.
A word of caution --- Acrobat Reader is sensitive to interactions among different browser types/versions and different versions of Acrobat Reader itself, i.e., Netscape 4.0 may work fine with Acrobat Reader 3.1, but Netscape 4.6 may not work well with Acrobat Reader 4.0; Internet Explorer 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 4.0 work fine together, but Internet Explorer 3.0 and Acrobat Reader 3.0 don't do well together. It is sometimes difficult to predict which versions may be (in)compatible with each other. If one browser (e.g., Netscape) doesn't seem to work with your version of Acrobat Reader, try another browser (e.g., Internet Explorer). In any event, you should at least be working with Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or higher.
Microsoft access tips and tricks
Administering a Database
Change the Default Working Folder
Whenever you create a new Microsoft Access database (.mdb) file or open an existing one, Access saves it to or opens it from the default working folder. You can change the default working folder for Access database files to any folder on your computer by typing the path for the new folder in the Default database folder box on the General tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu).
Customizing Access
Add Descriptions for Your Database Objects
In Microsoft Access, you can give each of your database objects a description. An object's description appears next to the object's name in the Database window when you click Details on the View menu. Although descriptions can be up to 255 characters, you may want to keep them short so that you can view the entire description in the Database window. To add a description for a database object, right-click the object in the Database window, click Properties on the shortcut menu, and then type your description in the Description box.
Databases and Tables
Avoid Multiple Fields That Contain Similar Data
When you design a table in Microsoft Access, avoid creating multiple fields that repeat the same kind of data. If a table stores the same kind of data in more than one field, it's hard to search for a particular piece of data because it could be in any of the fields that store that kind of data. In addition, this type of table design makes it difficult to sort data and do calculations because you might need to include data from several fields to get accurate results. For example, if you are designing a questionnaire database, you might eventually find that this table design difficult to use:
RespondentID Question1 Question2 Question3
100 Yes Yes No
101 No Yes No
102 Yes No Yes
It's difficult to create a query that returns only Yes responses, because that data could be in any of three fields. However, it's easy to create a query that returns this information if you use the following table design:
RespondentID QuestionID Response
100 1 Yes
100 2 Yes
100 3 No
101 1 No
101 2 Yes
101 3 No
102 1 Yes
102 2 No
102 3 Yes
Because each type of information is contained in only one field, searching, sorting, and calculating data is much easier.
Formatting
Apply Text and Graphics Formatting Multiple Times in Office 2000
Have you ever wanted to make several non-sequential words stand out by using a special font in your document? Or have you ever wanted to change certain solid lines to dotted lines in graphics created with the drawing tools? If you've ever wanted to apply the same format to items in different locations in a file, you might not realize how easy it is. Instead of clicking the Format Painter button on the Standard toolbar every time that you want to apply the new format, you can take advantage of the button's "sticky" feature.
1.Select the item whose format you would like to copy.
2.To copy the selected format to several items, double-click the Format Painter button. The button stays selected, or "sticky."
3.Select the text or graphic where you want to apply the new format.
4.When you're finished applying the format, click the Format Painter button again or press ESC.
Note: Applying text and graphics formatting multiple times does not work between programs. For example, you cannot apply formatting from Word to PowerPoint®.
More Information
For more information, type format painter or copy formats in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the program's Help window, and then click Search. For related information, see Quickly Copy Formatting with the Format Painter in Office 2000 at http://yahoo.com/http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/2000/OFormatPaint.aspx and Insert a Drawing Object Multiple Times in Office 2000 at http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/2000/StickyDraw.aspx.
Forms and Reports
Add the Database Name to a Report
You might find it useful to display the name of the database on the report so you can better track the source of the report and its data.
Note: The following procedure uses the Northwind sample database. The default location of the Northwind sample database is the Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples folder. If you don't see Northwind.mdb in your Samples folder, or if you need more information about opening Northwind, type open the northwind sample database in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window, and then click Search.
To add the database name to a report
1.Open the Northwind database.
2.In the Database window, right-click the Invoice report, and then click Design View.
3.Click the Text Box tool in the toolbox, and then click to the left of the Date field in the report header.
4.In the label for the unbound text box you just added, type Database:
5.Right-click the text box, and then click Properties.
6.Click the Data tab, and then type the following text in the ControlSource property box:=Left(CurrentProject.Name,Len(CurrentProject.Name)-4)
7.On the View menu, click Print Preview to see the results.
Adding Vertical and Horizontal Lines to a Report
In Microsoft Access, you can add lines between rows or columns on a report by using the line control. The following illustration shows a report that displays vertical lines between the columns in the detail section. It also displays a horizontal line between the header and detail sections.
To add a vertical line between columns in a detail section
1.Open the report in Design view.
2.Click the Line tool in the toolbox.
3.Draw a line between the first and second controls in the detail section. The height of the line must be the same as the height of the detail section.
4.Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each pair of controls in the detail section.
5.On the View menu, click Print Preview.
If you see discontinued lines when you preview your report, increase the length of each vertical line in Design view until you see a single line.
To add a horizontal line to a report
1.Open the report in Design view.
2.Click the Line tool in the toolbox.
3.Draw a horizontal line from left to right in the section in which you want display a line.
Note: If you add a line at the top or bottom of the detail section, you will see a line either before or after every detail record. In the preceding illustration, the line is at the bottom of the header section.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Useful Shortcut Keys in Access 2000
Do you find that using the keyboard is sometimes quicker than using your mouse? Shortcut keys can help you bypass menus and carry out commands directly. You can use shortcut keys in many ways with Access, from accessing commands and toolbar buttons to inserting today's date. Shortcut keys are sometimes listed next to the command name on Access menus. For example, on the File menu, the Print command lists the shortcut CTRL+P.
For a comprehensive list of shortcuts, ask the Office Assistant for help. In Access
2000 or any of the other Office 2000 applications, press F1 to display the Assistant, and then type shortcut keys in the text box. Here are some of the most useful Access shortcut keys:
Activity Shortcut Keys
Insert today's date CTRL+;
Insert the current time CTRL+:
Insert a carriage return in a memo or text field CTRL+ENTER
Insert the data from the same field in the previous record CTRL+'
Undo the changes you have made to the current field ESC
Undo the changes you have made to the current record ESC ESC (press ESC twice)
Display the database window F11
Open a new database CTRL+N
Open an existing database CTRL+O
Switch between the Visual Basic® Editor and the previous active window ALT+F11
Find and replace CTRL+F
Copy CTRL+C
Paste CTRL+V
Undo CTRL+Z
Save CTRL+S
Print CTRL+P
