Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Word Tips Express! My goal with this, and every issue, is to bring you great Microsoft Word tips and shortcuts to help you work faster and be more productive.

And we might even have some fun along the way!

In this Issue:

• New on Word-tips.com
• Word 2007 Shortcuts: Minimize and Expand the Ribbon
• Featured Tutorial: Speed up Workflow with Word 2007 Building Blocks

I love to hear from my subscribers, so please reply to this e-zine with your comments, suggestions, and ideas for future issues!

All the best,

P. S. Since this is the first issue, I have a lot to tell you. So let's get started!

New on Word-tips.com

If you have visited Word-tips.com recently, you probably noticed some BIG changes! First, Word-tips has a brand new look. Second, you may have noticed the addition of my Technical Writing Business Center.

Now that my remodeling project is finished, I plan to add lots of new content. If you want to know about new pages right away, make sure you subscribe to my blog. I'll also feature my new pages in each issue of the Word Tips Express.

Newest additions:

• Microsoft Technical Support - Sometimes you need help directly from the source! This article explains how to navigate the maze of support options. Go there now...
• Small Business Forms...tips for start-up businesses - (in the Writing Center) Starting a new business? Find out what forms and documents need to be included in your start-up plans! Go there now...

Word 2007 Shortcuts:

Minimize and Expand the Ribbon

Have you ever worked on a small laptop and found that the Word 2007 ribbon takes up half the screen? If so, try this shortcut: CTRL + F1.

This key combination is a toggle that minimizes and expands the ribbon.

Did you know that you can also double-click the active tab to show and hide the ribbon? These two options work a bit differently, but I'll let you explore and figure out the difference on your own!

Tech Note: If the ribbon suddenly disappears, you either accidentally pressed this key combination or double-clicked a tab. Just double-click the active tab to restore the ribbon.

Featured Tutorial:

Speed up Workflow with
Word 2007 Building Blocks

If you are a long-time user of Microsoft Word, you may be familiar with using AutoText to easily add boilerplate text to your documents.

Word 2007 takes this concept miles further!

With building blocks, almost any type of text or graphic can be saved as a building block—formatted text, form fields, clip art, WordArt, cover pages, and more—then inserted into your documents using a shortcut.

Tutorial: Creating a Building Block

Open Word 2007 and follow along as we create a building block together!

Let's assume that your company's name is, "Lindberger, Humperdink, Schnitzelgruber and Moore Consulting, Inc." Not only that, your company style guide requires that every time the company name is used, it has to be formatted in green, bold font.

How to Create a Building Block

1. Copy and paste the company name into a new Word document.
2. Add green, bold formatting to the text.
3. Highlight the text. (Be careful not to highlight anything you don't want included in the building block.)
   
   
4. On the Insert tab, click Quick Parts to expand the menu, then select Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. The Create New Building Block dialog box opens.
   
   
5. Type a name for the building block. Choose something short, because this will be the text you type to insert this building block into your document.
   
   
6. Select the gallery where you want the building block to be saved. If you select Quick Parts, it will be available from the Quick Parts menu. (For this tutorial, select Quick Parts.)
7. Select the template. (If you save it to any template except Building Blocks.dotx, the building block will only be available in that template.)
8. Click OK.
9. Close the file. Click Yes to save the building block to the template.

Congratulations! You just created a building block. Now, let's use it!

How to Use a Building Block

Instead of using the ribbon to insert the building block from the Quick Parts menu, here is a faster way to do it:

1. For this tutorial, create a new document.
2. Type coname (or the name of your building block).
3. Press F3. Your formatted company name is inserted into the document.

To speed up your workflow, create building blocks for any text or graphics that you use often.

Next issue: Going Retro with the Quick Access Toolbar!

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