Introduction to Word 2003

In this introductory lesson on Word 2003 we will explore the layout and components of  Word 2003 to help you find your way about.  If you are familiar with earlier versions of Word, much of what is demonstrated in this series will be applicable to those earlier versions, except for a few new features that are specific to Word 2003.  If you are using Word 2007, we recommend you go through our Word 2007 series instead.

In this lesson we’ll discuss:

• Menus
• Commands
• Dialog Boxes
• Tool bars
• Minimizing, maximizing, and closing documents

Opening Documents

Files in Word 2003 are called documents, and their file name ends with .doc.  This lesson will demonstrate how to create a new file, open a file you’ve already created, and save your work.   These steps can each be accomplished by three different methods:

• Using the icons in the primary toolbar
• Using the File Menu commands
• Using keyboard shortcuts

Reading Documents

This lesson demonstrates the different option for viewing your documents.  Topics include:

• Full Screen Viewing
• Reading Layout
• Print Layout

Each view option provides different tools and options for working with your document, allowing you flexibility in reviewing your document without having to print it.

Document Views

This lesson demonstrates three additional document views and their options and tools.  Views covered:

• Web Layout
• Outline Layout
• Print Preview

These Word 2003 views allow you to see your document as if it were a web page, check the headings and subheadings, and go into more detail about how it will look when it is printed.

Customizing Your View

This lesson will demonstrate commands on the view menu that will allow you to customize how Word 2003 looks to you.  You can increase or decrease the display size, and add or remove some of the many tools that are presented on your Word desktop.

Topics include:

• Zoom command
• Hide or display the Ruler
• Hide or display Toolbars

Toolbars

This lesson will demonstrate how to change the appearance of your toolbars by moving them around and by adding and removing buttons from the toolbars.

Toolbars can be moved and reordered by clicking and dragging the toolbar handles on the left side of each tool bar. 

Buttons can be added to a toolbar by clicking on the dropdown arrow on the right side of a toolbar, and selecting different options to place on the toolbar.

Getting Help

Word 2003 contains a comprehensive help section.  Type F1 to open help, and type your question in the "Assistance" box.  You can also type your question in the Help Box in the top right hand corner of the application.  Alternatively, you can go under the Help Menu and choose either Microsoft Office Word Help, or Microsoft Office Online.  Microsoft Office Online contains help files for all Microsoft Office Programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  This lesson will demonstrate how to use both the local and online help tools.

If you are new to Word 2003 and may need help on a regular basis, you may want to use the Office Assistant.  To activate the Office Assistant, click the Help Menu and choose "Show the Office Assistant", and then choose a character for your assistant.  The assistant will provide suggested help as you work, as demonstrated in this lesson.

Simple Text Editing

In this video, you'll see how to create and select text in a document.   You'll also see how to modify font size and style, to make your text look different.  And finally, you'll see what to do if you make a mistake, to go back to where you were.  Topics include:

• The Formatting toolbar
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Undo/Redo buttons

Finding and Replacing Text

Correcting Spelling and Grammar

Word 2003 can help identify and correct spelling and grammar errors.  We'll explain how word flags possible problems  in your text.

You can use the Spelling and Grammar tools located under the Tools Menu to avoid errors and improve your writing.  We'll also cover adding words to your dictionary, and discuss when the spell-check will not work for you.

Move, Cut, Copy and Paste

In this lesson you will see how to quickly move text around in a Word 2003 document.  We'll discuss the Office Clipboard, and how to use the cut, copy, and paste functions.

Printing Documents

In this video, you'll see how to print your documents.  We'll cover tools and options available, including:

• Print preview
• Page setup
• Changing margins
• Portrait vs. landscape
• The print dialog box

Themes and Styles

In this lesson, you'll see how to quickly change the look and feel of an entire document by using Themes and Styles.  Word 2003 comes equipped with a library of themes and styles to allow you to easily create professional looking documents.

Click the Format Menu and choose Themes.  Click on any of the available themes to preview what it will look like.  You can see how all the different headings, lines, bullet points and text will look like with that theme.  A theme automatically applies to the entire document, letting you radically alter how your document looks with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Word 2003 also has a collection of set styles to help you create specific document types.  For example, a professional fax or resume are available.  To open the Style Gallery, click the Format Menu and choose Theme and Style Gallery.  At the bottom of the style Gallery dialogue box is a preview option that will allow you to see a sample document in the chosen style.

Font Options

Paragraph and Line Spacing and Alignment

Special Formatting and Format Painter

In this lesson we will demonstrate some of the special formatting options available in Word 2003.  We'll discuss:

• The Font dialog box
• Strikethrough
• Drop Shadow
• Superscript/Subscript
• Capitalization
• Character Spacing
• Text Animation
• Using the Format Painter

Line and Art Border

In this video, you'll see how to add a border around the edge of each page of your document.  This can be either a line border, or a border made up of lots of small pictures, which is called an art border.

You'll also see how to quickly add a horizontal line into your document.

To add a border around the edge of each page, click on the Format menu, choose Borders and Shading, and go to the Page Border tab.  Here you'll also see how to add or Art Border or a horizontal line to your document.

Adding a Border or Shading to a Paragraph

This lesson will demonstrate how to add a border or shading to a paragraph, instead of your whole document.

From the Format Menu, choose Borders and Shading, and then choose the Borders tab.

Creating a Multilevel, Bulleted or Numbered List

In this lesson you will learn how to format your text into bulleted or numbered lists.  You'll also see how to add multiple levels to your lists to allow each topic to have subtopics.  Other topics include:

• Restarting number sequences
• Changing the indents
• Modifying your bullets and numbers

Creating a Drop Cap and Special Characters

In this lesson you will see how to make a dropped capital letter, also known as a drop cap.  A Drop cap is a very large capital letter at the start of a paragraph.  To create a drop cap, place your cursor at the beginning of a paragraph, then go to the Format menu and choose Drop cap.

You'll also see how to insert symbols and special characters into your text: for example, you may need to insert a copyright or trademark symbol into a document.  To insert a symbol go to the Insert menu and choose Symbol.

Creating Custom Text Boxes

In this video you'll see how to add a text box to your document.  A text box is a shape that can contain text with its own formatting.  We'll also demonstrate how to make formatting changes to the text.  The following items are also covered:

• Adding color
• Text box borders
• Sizing the text box
• Text wrapping

Footnotes and Endnotes

In this video, you'll see how to create footnotes and endnotes.  These are used when you're quoting a reference or a source in your document.  Footnotes go a the bottom of a page, and endnotes go at the end of a document.

You'll also see how to convert a footnote to an endnote, and some modification options for both of them.

Page Setup

In this lesson we will look more closely at the many options available in the Page Setup dialogue box.  We'll touch on:

• Customizing the margins tab
• Customizing the paper tab
• Page orientation
• Paper size
• Print preview

Creating and Styling Tables

n this lesson, you'll see how to quickly create a table, add content to it, or put existing text into a table.

Tables are an efficient, easy way to present your data.  A table is made up of lots of little boxes called cells organized into rows and columns.  A cell can contain text, numbers, and even pictures.  We'll cover:

• Creating a table
• Using Table AutoFormat
• Converting Text into a Table

Rows, Columns and Positioning in a Table

In this video, you’ll see how to change your table by adding rows and columns, or removing them.  To do this, we'll explore some of the options under Tables menu.

You’ll also see how to position objects in a table by using Cell Alignment.

Sizing, Aligning and Moving a Table

In this lesson you will see how to change the width of a column, or the height of a row, in a table.  You’ll also see how to align a table in a document, and how to move a table within a document.

Adding Pictures, Clip Art and Shapes

In this lesson you will see how to add a picture to a document.  Import your own images, use clip art, or simply create your own shapes.

Topic will include:

• Inserting a picture
• Using the Clip Art Library
• Adding and Modifying a shape

Editing Pictures

This video will demonstrate how to edit pictures that you've added to your document.

• Resizing pictures
• Changing the color with the Picture Toolbar
• Adding a border to a picture

Formatting Shapes

In this video, you’ll see how to insert a shape into your document, and how to make it look different by changing the fill and the outline.  You'll also see some of the available effects in Word 2003 for shapes.

• Using the Drawing toolbar
• AutoShapes
• The Drawing Canvas
• Format AutoShape
• Using the color Fill and Gradient effects
• Shadow and 3D styles

Text Wrapping

In this lesson will discuss how to combine text and graphics, like a picture or text box. 

• Placing a graphic behind text, like a watermark
• Aligning the text around a graphic
• Wrapping text around your graphic

Arranging and Positioning Graphics

In this video, you’ll see how to align graphics on a page of your document.

You’ll also see what happens when you work with multiple graphics, and how to combine graphics together.

WordArt

In this video you'll learn how to use WordArt to add special effects to your text.  This can be useful when you need a large dramatic effect that leaps off the page.

To use WordArt with a word, sentence or paragraph, select the text in question, and on the Drawing toolbar, click the WordArt button,  which looks like a big blue A, for Art.  Select from one of the many available formats, and the choose your font and size.  Once your text is transferred into WordArt, you can also add special effects to it as you would with a graphic or picture.  You can even use the WordArt Shape function to make your text follow a certain shape outline

Page Number and Table of Contents

In this video, you’ll see how to number your document’s pages, and how to create a table of contents for your document.

Page Numbers can be added from within the Insert Menu, under Page Numbers, where your provided with options for style and location of page numbers.

In order to create an automatic Table of Contents, you need create or use headings or subheadings from Word 2003's pre-set Heading Styles.  Use headings and sub-headings for each section that you want to include in your Table of Contents.  Once all your sections are identified, place your cursor where you want your Table of Contents to appear.  The go under the Insert Menu, choose Reference, then Index and Tables.  Go to the Table of Contents tab, and choose a style for your Table of Contents.

AutoText

This video will demonstrate how to use AutoText to save you time and effort.  If you find you have to type the same sentences or complicated phrases over and over again, you can use AutoText to simply the process.

We'll demonstrate how to create auto text blocks and cue phrases.  When you then type a cue phrase, Word 2003 brings up a callout with the rest of your autotext.  You can then either choose not to use the autotext by simply continuing to type, or if you do want to include the words of the autotext at this point, press Enter to place the autotext into your document.

Inserting Microsoft Excel Data

In this video, you’ll see how to insert Excel data into a Word 2003 document.

Then you’ll see how to link the two so that any changes you make on the Excel spreadsheet will be automatically incorporated into the Word 2003 document.

Restricting Access to a Document

In this video, you'll see how Word 2003 allows you to control access to your documents - even when you have distributed or made them available to others. 

• Preventing anyone from editing all or part of a document
• Setting different permission levels for different users.

Document Encryption

In this video you'll learn how to encrypt your documents with a password to prevent others from opening or modifying them.  Word 2003 allows you to assign a password to a document so that a use must know the password to open the document, and it also allows a secondary password to restrict others from modifing the document.  You can choose to use one or both of the passwords. 

Word also gives you the option to check the "read only" box on a document's properties.  When the document is opened, it will ask the user if they want to open in "read only" mode to prevent unwanted changes to your document.

Mail Merge

Mail merge is a simple way of automating a task by taking a set of information and attaching it to a template.  For example, you can create a set of addresses, attach them to a letter, label or envelope template, and then send standard letters to your clients, address labels for a newsletter mailing, the list is endless.

 In this video, you’ll see how to use mail merge for a very simple task, creating a set of address labels.

Tracking Changes

Word’s track changes feature marks the changes that you and your co-workers have made to a document, such as changing the font or other formatting, deletions, and moves.  Also, comments can be added to these changes.  It then lets you see a “before” and “after” view of the changes.  In this video we'll cover:

• The Track Changes button
• Using the Review Pane
• Adding a comment to a tracked change
• Viewing the original document with and without changes

Comparing and Merging Documents

Does this scenario sound familiar:  you've made changes to a document, and then saved it with a new name or in a new place.  Later you make more changes to the document and save it, but your' not sure if you are working on the original or your new copy.  It looks like you've got changes in both places, and you need to compare both versions and pull all the changes together.

In this video you'll learn how to use the Compare and Merge functions in Windows 2003 to solve that problem, and save you from a tedious manual comparison and editing job.

Word Options

In this video, you'll learn about some of Word's default option settings, and how to change them.  Topics include:

• Automatic spelling and grammar corrections
• Changing the default location for saved documents
• Text selection options

Word Options

In this video, you’ll see where to find the Show/Hide Button and how it can help you.  The Show/Hide Button is on the Standard toolbar, and looks like a paragraph sign. When you toggle it on you will be able to see all the invisible commands and characters in you documents, like paragraph marks and space marks between words.  This can help you to easily spot hidden formatting problems and errors in your documents.

We'll also cover inserting a column break into your document,  how this type of break is also visible with the Show/Hide Button.

Creating a 3-Fold Brochure

A 3-fold brochure is easy to read, easy to carry, and easy to put together on Word 2003.  In this lesson, you'll learn how to create one.  We'll walk through the step by step process, and learn more about columns and column breaks.

We'll also discuss how to take advantage of brochure templates available in Microsoft Office 2003.

Translation Tool

In this video, you’ll see how to set the language for all or part of your document, and how to translate text from one language to another.  Translate from German to English, for example, or write to a friend in France and start with a paragraph in French.

Window Settings

In this video, you’ll see a final way to change your view of the screen to help you edit your work.  We'll cover:

• Splitting a window
• Opening a new window of the same document
• Compare Side by Side
• Synchronous Scrolling
• Arrange All

Reading a File Created in Word 2007

As you’re probably aware, Word 2003 is no longer the latest version of Microsoft Word on the market.  There’s a newer version called Word 2007.

What if you still have Word 2003, and a colleague or friend sends you a document created in Word 2007, which ends in .docx instead of .doc?  Will you have to buy Word 2007 in order to read it?

The answer is no.  Microsoft has provided compatibility pack for Office 2003 users, and this video will show you how to get it and use it so that you can reach any document created in Word 2007.