2007 Microsoft Office System Plain & Simple
By Jerry Joyce and Marianne Moon

Jerry Joyce has been the technical editor on numerous books published by Microsoft Press, and he has written manuals, help files, and specifications for various Microsoft products. As a developer, he has created numerous programs and tools to simplify data collection and analysis.

Marianne Moon has worked in the publishing world for many years as proofreader, editor, and writer. She has been editing and proofreading Microsoft Press books since 1984 and has written and edited documentation for Microsoft products such as Microsoft Works, Flight Simulator, Space Simulator, Golf, Publisher, the Microsoft Mouse, and Greetings Workshop.

Jerry and Marianne are the authors of 15 books about the many different versions of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, including the best-selling Microsoft Windows XP Plain & Simple, Windows Vista Plain & Simple, and 2007 Microsoft Office System Plain & Simple.

To learn more about other books on the 2007 Microsoft Office system, visit Microsoft Press.

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Don’t have the 2007 Office release? You can download a free trial or buy it now.

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• What's new in the 2007 Office release?

• Improved safety and security

• Using the Ribbon

• Using menus and toolbars

• Office's file formats

• Working with old documents

• Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar

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Once you have installed the 2007 Microsoft Office system on your computer, this article provides the information you need to jump in and begin using the new features in the most popular Office programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and Publisher.

What's new in the 2007 Office release?

Much of the 2007 Office release has been built on an entirely new structure, and you'll find that some of its features look different from those of earlier versions and work quite a bit differently too.

The Ribbon

The first conspicuously new feature you'll encounter when you start Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, or create a new message in the Outlook Editor, will undoubtedly be the Ribbon. And where are the menus and toolbars? That's the beauty of the Ribbon. No longer do you have to wander through the maze of menus, submenus, and toolbars searching for what you want — they're all right there, in plain sight, at a glance. On the Ribbon are all the commands, styles, and resources you need, arranged on task-oriented tabs. Click the Page Layout tab to see the tools and resources you need to lay out your document's pages. Click the Insert tab to insert something into your file — how simple, and how sensible! The one and only menu remaining from earlier versions of the programs is the Microsoft Office Button — hidden until you click the big, round Microsoft Office Button — which gives you access to most of your file-management commands. The one remaining toolbar is the Quick Access Toolbar, where you can place your most frequently used commands and resources for easy access, regardless of which tab of the Ribbon is active.

The appearance of the 2007 Office release is extremely dynamic, so be aware that the look of the Ribbon will change depending on the screen resolution you're using. That is, with a high resolution, you'll see many more individual items on the Ribbon than you will if you're using a low resolution. With a low resolution, you'll find that items are contained under a button, and only when you click the button are the items then displayed. To see this effect, resize the width of a window in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or in an Outlook message, and note that items are hidden when you decrease the size of the window and that they appear when you increase the size of the window. The programs in the 2007 Office release were designed using a screen resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels, so this is the resolution we've used in the graphics you'll see throughout this book.

The galleries

Another aspect of replacing the menus was the development of the galleries. These are the graphical equivalents of drop-down menus, except that they show you samples of all the choices that are available for you to "try on." There are many different galleries — for styles, for themes, for page numbers, and so on. The galleries provide you with the ability to look before you leap, so to speak. With Live Preview, you can see how the formatting you choose will change your text, pictures, or other content; or how the overall look of your document will change when you switch the theme simply by pointing to the different items in the galleries.

New file structure

So what else is new in these programs other than the entire interface? Plenty! Some of the biggest changes you'll encounter are the new file types. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access use a whole new file structure that, unfortunately, isn't directly compatible with earlier versions of these programs. Of course, you can open and use files from earlier versions, but people who are using any earlier version of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint will need to download and install a converter so that they can open the files you create using the 2007 Office release file format. However, the good news is that the new file format is what enables many of the improvements in the 2007 Office programs.

SmartArt graphics

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the Outlook Editor also include an entirely new graphics tool, SmartArt graphics, designed to help you create diagrams and lists that not only present your information graphically but take the finished product to a new level of professionalism. However, even if you don't use SmartArt graphics, you'll find that the formatting and special effects you can apply so easily to shapes, text boxes, and pictures can produce some amazing results. And it's not only all the new stuff that expands your capabilities; some existing features have been greatly enhanced too. In Word and PowerPoint, and in the Outlook Editor, the ability to check your spelling has become much more accurate and comprehensive. Now you can check the contextual use of words: for example, should it be "to" or "too," "there" or "their"? You get the picture. If you're involved in mathematics, science, or engineering, you'll appreciate the enhanced Equations feature, which not only supplies some predesigned equations that you can edit but also makes it easy to create your own equations and save them for future use.

Changes in Outlook and Publisher

In Outlook and Publisher — two of the programs that don't use the Ribbon — you'll find some changes that are less dramatic than those in the Ribbon-based programs but that substantially improve the programs nevertheless. In Outlook, for example, you'll see the new To-Do Bar that helps you keep track of your appointments and tasks but stays out of the way when you don't need it. In Publisher, creating attractive publications is easier than ever with the simple switching of designs and easy-to-apply layouts. A really useful addition to Publisher is the Content Library, where you can keep all sorts of content that you can use over and over again.

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Improved safety and security

Despite the differences among the programs that we've pointed out, what all the 2007 Office programs have in common is greatly improved file safety and security. You'll be better able to control access to your files — for example, you can indicate when a file is completed and specify that no further changes may be made to it. You can easily check for and remove any sensitive or personal information in your files that you don't want other people to have access to. You can digitally sign a file to provide verification in the electronic file that it really was you who signed it. With Office's improved file-recovery system, your files are now not only more secure from loss than ever before, but the new file system also assists you in being able to recover files if they've become corrupted. And, if you end up with any system problems involving the Office programs and your computer, you can easily run a series of diagnostics that can determine the problem and either fix it or get you the help you need to get it fixed.

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Using the Ribbon

Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, and some parts of Outlook, use the Ribbon and its different tabs instead of the standard menu structure to access the programs' commands and features. With the Ribbon, you can switch among the task-oriented tabs and see all the available options. Additionally, many items provide a live preview: You point to something on the Ribbon — a style or a font, for example — and see immediately how it affects the content of your document.

Explore the Ribbon

1. Open one of the programs that uses the Ribbon.
2. If you see the command tabs but no commands, click a command tab to display the Ribbon temporarily.

   

3. Do any of the following:
• Click a button to execute a command.
• Click a down arrow to open a gallery, a drop-down menu, or a drop-down list.
• Point to an item in a gallery to see its effect on the content of your document.
4. Click another tab and explore those items.
5. Click the Microsoft Office Button to see the commands for opening, saving, printing, or otherwise managing your document.

   

 Tip   The Ribbon is composed of tabs and commands. When the Ribbon is minimized, you see only the tabs.

Set the Ribbon display

1. With the Ribbon displayed, click the down arrow at the right of the Quick Access Toolbar, and, on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu, click Minimize The Ribbon.

   

2. When you want to display the Ribbon, click the tab you want to use, and the Ribbon will appear and will remain displayed until you click a command on the Ribbon or click in your document.

   

3. To have the Ribbon constantly displayed, click the down arrow at the right of the Quick Access Toolbar, and click Minimize The Ribbon again.

   

Try This! With the Ribbon in its displayed state, double-click the active tab to minimize the Ribbon, and then click any tab to display the Ribbon temporarily. Click in your document to minimize the Ribbon again. Double-click the active tab to have the Ribbon always displayed. Press CTRL+F1 to hide the Ribbon, and press CTRL+F1 again to have the Ribbon always displayed.

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Using menus and toolbars

If menus are gateways to the power of your programs, toolbars are shortcuts to the most frequently used features that you access from the menus. Stored within the menus are keyboard shortcuts that speed up your work. And there are even special context-sensitive shortcut menus that pop up right in the middle of your work when you right-click the mouse button. To make your work quick and easy in Publisher and in parts of Outlook, the menus and toolbars all use the same basic structure, with customizations for each program.

Explore the menus

1. In an Office program that uses the standard menu structure, click to open the File menu.
2. In an Office program that uses the standard menu structure, click to open the File menu.
3. Click a command that has a right-pointing arrow to see the contents of the submenu.

   

4. Click a menu name to open another menu, and take a look at the items listed. The icon at the left of a menu item is the toolbar button you can use to execute that command. The text at the right of the command is the keyboard shortcut for the command.
5. Continue exploring the different menus in this and other Office programs.
6. To execute any command, click it.
7. To close a menu without executing a command, click outside the menu.

   

    Tip   To open a menu without using the mouse, press and release the ALT key, and then press the underlined letter in the menu name. Then, to execute a command, press the underlined letter in the command name.

Use the toolbars

1. Point to a button on the toolbar and wait for a ScreenTip, showing the button's name, to appear. Click the button to execute that action.
2. If a button looks "pressed," click it again if you want to turn off that feature.
3. If the toolbar shares a single line with another toolbar and is truncated — that is, part of it isn't visible — click the right-pointing arrows to display the hidden buttons.

   

Use the shortcut menus

1. Right-click any content or location in your program where you want to execute an action.
2. Choose the action you want from the context-sensitive shortcut menu that appears.

   

    Tip   Items that are grayed on menus or toolbars are items that aren't available at the moment. For example, if you haven't copied anything, the Paste button is grayed because there's nothing to paste.

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Office's file formats

Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access use some file formats that are different from those of previous versions, but whether or not to use them is your choice. If you decide not to use the new formats, however, be aware that you won't be able to use some of the programs' very cool new features. Review the descriptions of the formats used in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to see which formats work best for you. To see the list of all available formats, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Save As, and, in the Save As dialog box, scroll through the Save As Type list.

• Document, Workbook, or Presentation: This is the new format that enables all of the programs' new features. Files in this format can't be opened in earlier versions of their respective programs unless you've downloaded and installed a special translating filter program. The new format has the standard file extension with an added "x” (for example, .docx, .xlsx, .pptx).
• Macro-Enabled Document, Workbook, or Presentation: This is the same format as the Document, Workbook, or Presentation format, except that it contains macros.
• XML Document or Presentation: This is a plain Text file that includes all the text and the XML coding. This format is used primarily in a corporate setting where transforms are created to extract and/or reformat information that will be stored for reuse.
• Word, Excel, or PowerPoint Template: This new form of template also enables the new features of the program.
• Word, Excel, or PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Template: This is the same format as the Template format, except that it can contain macros.

Other file formats for Office programs

• Word, Excel, or PowerPoint 97–2003 format: This is the binary file format used in previous versions of these programs. Although it provides compatibility with earlier versions, saving in this format disables some of the advanced features of the 2007 programs.
• Word, Excel, or PowerPoint 97–2003 Template: This is the binary file format for templates used in previous versions of Word.
• Single File Web Page: This format creates a Web page and stores all the graphics in the same file.
• Web Page: This format creates a standard HTML-format Web page whose graphics are stored in a separate folder.
• Rich Text Format: This is a binary file that contains the text and formatting information but little else. It provides compatibility with many programs.
• Plain Text: This text file contains only the text of the document and no formatting.

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Working with old documents

When you open a file that was created in an earlier version of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access, you're working in Compatibility mode, which means that some of the new features of your program won't be available. To use these features, you'll need to convert the file to the program's 2007 format.

Convert the document

1. With your Office 97–2003 format file open, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Convert.
2. If you see a dialog box asking you whether you want to convert the file, click OK. The original file won't be overwritten because its file extension is different from that of the updated file.

   

3. Work on the file, using all the features of your program.

   

    Caution   When you upgrade the file format of the document, the file won't be usable by people who have earlier versions of the program unless they've installed the Office Compatibility pack, which enables them to read and save this type of file. In Access, databases saved in the 2007 format can't be opened or accessed from previous versions of Access.

    Tip   If you need to send an upgraded file to someone who has an earlier version of the Office program but doesn't have the Office Compatibility pack, point to the arrow at the right of the Save As command after clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and choose the Office program's 97–2003 Format from the gallery that appears. You might lose some advanced features in your file, but at least the other person will be able to read it.

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Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar

In Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, and in the Outlook Editor, the Quick Access Toolbar is the place to keep the items that you not only need to access quickly but want to be immediately available regardless of which of the Ribbon's tabs you're working on. If you put so many items on the Quick Access Toolbar that it becomes too big to fit on the title bar, you can move it onto its own line.

Add or remove items common to the Quick Access Toolbar

1. Click the down arrow at the right of the Quick Access Toolbar.
2. On the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu, click to select any unchecked items that you want to add to the toolbar.
3. Click any checked items that you want to remove from the toolbar.
4. Right-click any item anywhere on the Ribbon that you want to add to the toolbar, and choose Add To Quick Access Toolbar from the shortcut menu.
5. If the toolbar becomes too large to fit on the title bar or if you want easier access to it, click the down arrow at the right of the toolbar, and click Show Below The Ribbon on the menu.

   

   

   

Control the customization

1. Click the down arrow at the right of the Quick Access Toolbar, and, on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu, click More Commands to display the program's Options dialog box with the Customize category selected in the left pane.
2. Specify where you want to save the changes to the toolbar.
3. Specify the category of commands you want to select from.
4. Click a command that you want to add to the toolbar.
5. Click Add.
6. To remove a command you don't use, select it, and click Remove.
7. To change the order in which commands will appear on the toolbar, click a command, and use the up or down arrow to move the command.
8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 to make any further customizations to the Quick Access Toolbar. Click OK when you've finished.

   

    Tip   You're not limited to standard commands on the Quick Access Toolbar. You can include styles, fonts, macros, and many items that aren't available from the Ribbon.

    Tip   When you add or delete items using the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu or the shortcut menu on the Ribbon, you'll see that version of the toolbar in all your documents. If you want to see that version of the toolbar in the current document only, use the program's Options dialog box to specify that you want to save these changes in the current document only.

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