Word processing
Completion requirements
- Word processing: This is the process of manipulating text, characters, words, and sentences in
such a manners as to make the final document free of errors and attractive to look at.
2. Word processor: An application software that enables the user to create, save, edit, format
and print text-rich documents. Microsoft word is one of the products in the Microsoft office
programs suit. There several versions of Microsoft word determined by every release of the
Microsoft office programs suite e.g. Ms Word 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007.
Advantages of Electronic Word Processor programs
Easier to use due to automated features such as Word-wrap, autocorrect and auto complete.
They have superior editing tools such as spelling checker, the Thesaurus etc. hence making
editing easier.
Can store documents for future retrieval - They have superior formatting features that make a document more appealing to the reader.
The user can produce multiple copies more easily
Copy and move (cut) operation make it easier to manipulate a document.
a) Concepts of word processing
i) File
Any collection of related information that is given a name and stored on a disk so that it
can be retrieved when needed. Can be a data file, system file or application program file
ii) Save
To save a word processor document follow the procedure below;
i) From the File menu, click the Save As command to save the document the first
time or with a new name (Save command is used when you want to save changes
in the document)
ii) In the Save As dialog box that appears, select the location (drive/folder) from the
―Save in‖ list box
iii) Type in the name of the file in the File name box
iv) Click the save button or press the Enter key
PASSWORD PROTECTING A DOCUMENT
• To protect a document from unauthorized access or modification, use password. Since
password is case sensitive, avoid mixed case, preferably use lower case. To create a
password:
a) On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Security tab.
b) Type in a password in the Password to open box or the Password to modify box
c) Set other security options
d) Click OK.
iii) Word wrap
A word processor provides the user with a blank screen in which he/she can enter text
or pictorial objects such as a pictures and drawings.
As you type, the cursor flows automatically to the next line when it reaches the right
end of the page. This is referred to as word wrap.
At the end of the page, Word automatically inserts a new page and scrolls up the
screen.
iv) Delete
To delete a character, a word or a block of text:
1. Highlight the text to delete
2. Press the Delete or the backspace key.
NB: Delete key erases characters to the right of the cursor while the backspace deletes
characters to the left of the cursor.
NB: Use the type over mode to replace characters to the right of text or insert mode to
insert a character(s) by pushing the rest of the characters to the right.
b) Functions of word processing
Features of a word window
i) Title bar - Title bar indicates the name of the application program in use the currently open file,
minimizes, and restore and the close buttons.
ii) Menu bar - The menu bar provides the user with group of commands in drop down list used to
create and manipulate a document.
iii) Standard Toolbar – this comprises many buttons of commands that provide shortcut to the same
commands available in the menu bar. These buttons relate to frequently performed activities,
which are performed while typing the text. To know which button perform which activity, rest
the mouse pointer on the button for a while. When you do so, a message, called tool tip will get
displayed. For example, when the ―save‖ button is clicked, typed text will be saved. - iv) Document window/Work Area - This is the work area where you create your document. It
resembles an ordinary piece of paper.
v) Status bar - The status bar is the communication point between the user and the application
program. For example in Microsoft Word, when saving a document the status bar may indicate
“Word is saving ……”
vi) Vertical and horizontal scroll bars/Arrows - Used to view the hidden parts of the document.
E.g. one can view text hidden at the top of the page by scrolling down and view hidden at the
bottom by scrolling down the document using the scroll bars or the arrows.
vii)View buttons - Used to switch between different document views e.g. normal view.
viii) Cursor/Insertion pointer – Shows where the next character will appear as you type.
Document Views
• Microsoft word provides different views for viewing the document that include;
a) Normal
b) Web layout
c) Print layout
d) Outline
To change from one view to another, follow the steps below;
1) Click on view menu
2) Click on the type of view that you want to display
QS: What is the difference between the different views of the Microsoft word document?
c) Document creation and manipulation (Editing)
Editing refers to the making of necessary changes or modification to an existing document
Create a document
Save a document
Format a document – character formatting, bold, italics, underlining, fonts (size, style, colour)
a. Fonts
To format text font:
1. Highlight the text
2. From the Format menu, click Font
3. In the font dialog box, select the font type, style, size and colour and any other attribute.
4. Click OK.
Paragraph formatting
A paragraph is a separate block of text dealing with a single theme and starting on a new line
or indent. Some of the formatting features you can apply onto a paragraph include
Alignment
Alignment is the arrangement of text relative to the left margin, centre of page or the
right margin. The five major alignment options available are the left, centre, right and
justified and force justified.
To align text:
1. Highlight the text
2. From the Format menu, click Paragraph.
3. In the paragraph dialog box, select the alignment option from the alignment list
box then click the OK.
NB: You can apply alignment by simply clicking any of the five alignment buttons on
the formatting toolbar
Setting tabs and Indentation. - • Tabs refer to definite stops when the tab key is pressed while indenting is moving a line
or a block of text away from the margin using the tab key.
To set tabs:
1. From the Format menu, click Tabs
2. In the Tab dialog box, set the tab stop positions, alignment and leading then click the
onset.
2. Repeat the same steps for all other tab stops then lastly click ok.
3. Select the paragraph that you want to indent
4. Click on the format menu
5. Click on paragraph from the pull down menu. The paragraph dialog box appears
6. Select the indent option to use e.g. left, right or special indent such as first line indent or
hanging indent.
Spacing
You can set the space between lines, paragraphs or blocks text.
To space lines:
1) Highlight the lines of text
2) From the Format menu, click Paragraph
3) In the paragraph dialog box, select the line spacing option from the line spacing list box
4) Click the OK button.
Superscript and Subscript
• A superscript appears just above the rest of the characters as in cm
2 while a subscript
appears just below other characters as in H2O.
a) To make text superscript or subscript:
b) Highlight the character(s)
c) From the Format menu, click font
d) From the font dialog box check superscript or subscript
e) Click Ok to close the font dialog box
Drop caps
• A drop cap is a large character in a paragraph that occupies more than one line down.
• To create a dropped cap:
1) Highlight the paragraph you want to begin with drop cap
2) Click on format menu
3) Click Drop Cap. Drop cap dialog box appears
4) Click Dropped or In Margin.
5) Specify the number of lines and other options
6) Click OK.
Bullets and numbers are used to create ordered lists.
To add bullets or numbers to a list:
Highlight the text
Click on the format menu
Click on bullets and numbering from the pull down menu
From dialog box displayed, click Bullets or Numbered tab.
Click the bullet or numbering thumbnail you want to apply.
Click Ok.
Page setup
• Page set up options let you define the paper size, margins and operations. - • To set up a page:
1. Click on File menu
2. Click Page Setup from the pull down menu
In the page setup dialog box, click either of the following:
– Margins tab to set up page margins
– Paper tab to specify the paper type and orientation
– Layout tab to specify the page content layout relative to the margins
3. Click OK to apply the settings.
Page breaks
• Page, section and column breaks are used to force the cursor to move from a new
page, section or column even before the end of the current.
• To insert a break:
1. Position the insertion pointer where you want to break
2. Click on the insert menu
3. Click on Break from the pull down menu
4. In the break dialog box, set the break type
E.g. page break, column break etc
5. Click OK.
Creating multi-columns and column widths
a) Inserting columns
• Columns subdivide a page into several vertical sections.
• To set columns:
a) Highlight the text or click at the point from where to set the columns
b) Click on format menu
c) Click columns from the pull down menu. The columns dialog box appears
d) In the columns dialog box enter the number of columns, set the column width, a line
between if need be and any other option to apply
e) Specify where to apply the columns e.g. the whole document, this section, selected
text or this point forward
f) Click OK.
Change case
The cases applied to text are; lowercase, UPPERCASE, Sentence case, Title Case and
tOGGLE cASE. To change case:
1. Highlight the text
2. From the Format menu, click Change Case
3. From change case dialog box, select the case option you want to apply.
4. Click OK.
NB: The use of case in this sentence is deliberate.
Page numbering
i) Page numbers are used to organize a large document for ease of reference.
ii) To insert page numbers:
iii) Click Insert menu
iv) Click on page numbers the insert page numbers dialog box appears
v) In the position box, specify whether to place the page numbers at the top of page
(header) or at the bottom of the page (footer).
vi) In the Alignment box, specify whether to align page numbers to the left, centre or
right of page.
vii) If you don‘t want a number on the first page, clear the ―Show number on first page check box.
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