Create your own custom AutoFill list in Excel 2007 or 2010

Do you need to type the same list of departments, names, regions, etc. over and over again in Excel? Create a custom list and use AutoFill to do the job!

Excel 2007

1. Click the round Microsoft Office button in the top left corner of the Excel Window.

2. Click the Excel Options button at the bottom of the menu. The Excel Options dialog box will open.

3. In the Popular group, click the button to Edit Custom Lists…

4. In the Custom List dialog box, NEW LIST is already selected. Type the list entries you would like, touching ENTER after each entry.

5. When you are done typing the list items, click the Add button. Your new Custom List will appear below the built-in lists.

6. Click OK to close the Custom Lists dialog box and return to the Excel Options dialog box.

7. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

8. Try it out! Type a list entry into a cell. Select the AutoFill handle in the bottom right corner of the cell. The mouse pointer will change to a skinny plus sign (+); click and drag down or over to complete the list.

Note: Although you cannot change or delete the built-in Custom Lists, you can delete any list you create or add other lists at any time.

Excel 2010

1. Click the File tab in the top left corner of the Excel Window to enter the Backstage view.

2. Click the Excel Options button near the bottom of the menu. The Excel Options dialog box will open.

3. In the Advanced group, click the button to Edit Custom Lists…

4. In the Custom List dialog box, NEW LIST is already selected. Type the list entries you would like, touching ENTER after each entry.

5. When you are done typing the list items, click the Add button. Your new Custom List will appear below the built-in lists.

6. Click OK to close the Custom Lists dialog box and return to the Excel Options dialog box.

7. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

8. Try it out! Type a list entry into a cell. Select the AutoFill handle in the bottom right corner of the cell. The mouse pointer will change to a skinny plus sign (+); click and drag down or over to complete the list.

Note: Although you cannot change or delete the built-in Custom Lists, you can delete any list you create or add other lists at any time.

Outlook 2010: Improve your efficiency using Quick Steps!

There is a wonderful tool in Outlook 2010 called Quick Steps that will help you to manage your email messages. These are one-click buttons that you customize to perform multiple actions. For example, perhaps you often create messages to your team. You can set up a Quick Step that will create a new message already addressed to the appropriate recipients.

To get started, click any of the default Quick Steps found on the Home tab of the ribbon, or check out all the options available with “Create New”. A dialog box will open with options for what actions will occur when the button is selected. You can even specify a keyboard shortcut and set a tool tip reminder that will appear when you point at the button!

Check out http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/27827/create-and-customize-quick-steps-in-outlook-2010 for more detailed, easy-to-follow instructions on how to use this new tool.

Delay sending that message!

If you want to delay the delivery of an Outlook 2007 or 2010 message
(Note: this only works when using an Exchange server):

1.  Create the message as usual.
2. In message window, on the ribbon, click the Options tab.
3. Click the button to Delay Delivery.
4. The message Properties dialog box will open and you can choose options for Delivery date and time. 

The easiest way to align text using tabs in Word

This is an example of a right tab with a dot leader set at the 3” mark.

1.      If necessary, show the ruler below by clicking the check box on the View tab of the ribbon in the Show/Hide group. Verify that your document is in Print Layout view.

 

2.       It is also helpful to turn on the Show/Hide button in the Paragraph group on the ribbon. This will allow you to see the non-printing arrows that will appear when you touch the tab key on your keyboard.

 

3.       Use the button on the left end of the ruler below the ribbon to select the basic tab type (left, center, right, decimal, etc.).  Click the button several times to cycle through the different tab types. This shows a right tab type selected.

 4. Use your mouse to left click on the ruler where you want the tab to be. This shows a right tab set on the ruler at the 6” mark.

5.      To see all tab options (position,  type, dot leaders, etc.) you must open the Tab options dialog box. The easiest way to do this is to point your mouse at the tab you have set on the ruler. When the tool tip appears, double click the selected tab.

The Tabs dialog box will appear displaying all tab options.

This shows a tab set at the ½” mark and at the 6” mark.

The 6” tab is selected and is a right tab with a stye 2 dot Leader.

You can make changes to tabs you have already set, set additional tabs, or clear extra tabs here.  Select the tab from the list and change the Alignment, set the Leader, change the position, or clear the tab.

Click the OK button when you are done.

Alternate instructions: The tabs dialog box can also be accessed by clicking the dialog box launcher at the bottom right corner of the Paragraph group on the ribbon. When the Paragraph  dialog box appears, click the Tabs button on the bottom left corner.

Research? Go back to school with a cool tool!

To quickly create a bibliography using the Word 2007 or 2010 Reference tools:

1. Choose the tab on the ribbon for References to find the Citations and Bibliography tools.
2. The Style you choose from the list (i.e. APA, MLA, etc.) will determine the format for citations in the document.
3. Click the button to Insert Citation.  
4. Choose Add a new source, and then choose the Type of Source (i.e. book, journal article, etc.) from the drop down list.
5. Fill in the blanks , click OK when you are done, and let Word do the rest! Continue to add citations as necessary - Word will remember them for you. 
6.  When you are done with your research, click the button for Bibliography, choose a style, and Word will automatically create the bibliography for you from the Citations you entered. Slick!!

Automatically create new appointments using Auto-create in Outlook

Click and drag to automatically create new objects in Outlook. For example, an email message can be turned into a new appointment on the calendar:

1. Click on a message to select it - the message will appear to be highlighted.
2. Hold down your mouse button and drag the selected message to the Calendar button in the navigation pane on the left side of the Window. When you release the button, a new appointment will appear already including the information from the body of the email message in the subject line and body of the appointment.

Make modifications as necessary, and then click the Save & Close button. The appointment will appear on your calendar!

 

This works with all folders; i.e. auto-create an email based on an appointment on your calendar, or add a detailed task to your list from an email or appointment.

Compatibility Mode?

Update your documents to the newest file type!

If you see the words "Compatibility Mode" in the title bar next to your document's name, you are working in a older file format. This happens in both the 2007 and 2010 Office Suites. Although it is fine - and sometimes necessary - to stay in that mode, you might discover that some of the tools you want to use are not available. When that happens, you will need to convert your files to the newer file type. If you have concerns that something in the document might not appear the way you planned or work correctly, use the option to "save as", give the document a new name, and save. This way you can review your work in the new file yet still have the ability to revert back to the older file if you discover any issues .

For those of you that fearlessly forge ahead, another option is to use "Convert", which will actually replace the original file with the newest type:

• In Office 2007, "Convert" will appear as the third option of the Office Button menu.
• In Office 2010, "Convert" will be the top item in the Info category which appears in the backstage view when you click the File tab.

By the way, you will find that even if the file was created in the 2007  XML file format, you will still need to convert files when you upgrade to 2010 due to the enhancements available in the newest software!

Help yourself!

Next time you get stuck on how to do a specific task in Microsoft Office (or any other software), try one of the following web sites:

Microsoft training site with step by step “how to” guides: 

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/training-FX101782702.aspx?CTT=97x

Training videos on a multitude of software topics:

http://www.lynda.com/

http://www.woopid.com/

http://www.techtutor.tv/

Google and YouTube have lots of other good web sites and videos that will step you through whatever you  are stuck on!

Excel: Right the wrong range!

When you begin a function, sometimes Excel does not automatically select the appropriate range of cells, as in the example below. The moving border indicates the range of cells included in the selection.

  

In this case, the range selected includes the Team Total in cell B15, which should not be included in the results when trying to calculate the average!

How to quickly fix it?? If you have not already completed the function, using your mouse, click and drag to select the appropriate cells. A moving border will indicate the newly selected range. Touch the Enter key to complete the function and view your answer!

  

But what if you have already completed the function before you notice the error?

 

Click into the formula bar next to the function. This will show a solid blue border that indicates the range of cells included in the result.

The range can be adjusted by using your mouse. Hover over any corner of the range box to find the sizing handle which appears as a double headed arrow (↔). Now click and drag to adjust the range border and correct the selection.

By the way, if you see a 4 way arrow, you will be moving the selection box instead of re-sizing. This also comes in handy at times! 

Touch the Enter key to complete the function and see your adjusted (and hopefully correct) result!

When editing any formula or function, if you run into trouble selecting the appropriate range, use the Esc key to avoid reference errors and start over. Keep in mind when working in Excel: just because you get an answer doesn't always mean it is the correct answer. Examine the results to be sure!

Give your SmartArt "bounce" with PowerPoint 2010!

You can add a lot of pizazz to your presentation by applying custom animations to SmartArt.

After creating the desired SmartArt, select the object by clicking on it. The object will appear in a frame.

 

From the Animations tab on the ribbon, select an animation for the SmartArt. By clicking on the More button you can see the entire library! As you slide your mouse over a selection, you will see a live preview of the way the animation will appear.

Once you have chosen an animation, a number will appear to the left of the frame indicating that the object is animated.

Click the Effect Options button on the Animations tab to build the slide one piece of the object at a time.  Click the Preview button on the left end of the Animations tab to review the effects you have chosen. 

For even more control over the effects, click the Animation Pane button and a task pane will open on the right side of the Window. Each part of the animation will be listed, and by clicking on the drop down menus, you can select even more options! (The numbers in the task pane correspond to the numbers that appear to the left of the SmartArt object.)

Excel: Use AutoCalculate to get a quick total!

Do you need a total in a hurry but don’t want to bother with a function? Click and drag to select (highlight) the cells you wish to include in the total. Look at the status bar (bottom Window frame) to see the Sum, Average, Count, etc.

 

If the cells are not adjacent to one another, hold down the CTRL key while you select the cells.

Need other functions instead? Right click on the status bar to see a menu of other commands available.