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In a law office setting the word processor is probably
the most commonly used type of software program. Unfortunately,
with word processors, and indeed all software, the majority
of computer users take advantage of only the most basic
features. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or
even advance user, there are always little tips and
tricks you can learn to help you create the documents
you need for your practice. This article highlights
several helpful tips for Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect.
Grab text with F8
If you need to select an entire sentence in Word,
hit F8 three times in quick succession. Nothing will
grab an entire sentence faster.
Pressing F8 a fourth time will select the entire current
paragraph; and pressing it a fifth time will select
the entire document.
Pressing Ctrl+A is a simpler way to select the
entire document.
These F8 shortcuts do not work in WordPerfect , The
Ctrl+A to select the entire document does.
In WordPerfect, you can use a mouse to select text
by word, sentence, and paragraph and entire document
by right clicking in the left margin and selecting your
choice.
As an alternative, in WordPerfect you can use a mouse
to select text by word, sentence or paragraph, respectively,
by double-clicking, triple-clicking, or quadruple-clicking
with your left mouse button anywhere within the text
you want to select.
In Word you can use a mouse to select text by word
and paragraph by respectively by double-clicking and
triple-clicking with your left mouse button anywhere
within the text you want to select.
Keep your text on one line
Every once and awhile you need to keep related text
from splitting awkwardly at the end of a line. A common
example of this keeping phone numbers and their area
codes together on the same line.
The trick is putting in a special kind of space so
your word processor will recognize that it is not start
a new line. If you are a WordPerfect user this special
space is called a "hard space". If you are
a Word user it is called a "nonbreaking space".
Word Perfect users must press Ctrl+Spacebar
to enter a hard space after the area code (to use the
telephone number example). Visually, this inserts a
space at the proper point, but it is in fact a hard
space. WordPerfect interprets a hard space as a text
character and keeps the entire string together.
Word users must press Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar to
enter a nonbreaking space. Again visually it appears
the same, but is treated differently if that space ends
up at the end of a line.
Dodging Bullets
Both Word and WordPerfect allow you to automatically
number or bullet a list of items. That is, each time
you hit enter you get a new number or bullet. Just click
on the Numbered List or Bullet buttons to start such
a list.
Sometimes you find yourself wanting to enter an unnumbered
item within a numbered item list, or two points under
the same bullet.
To do this simply press Shift+Enter instead
of just Enter. Shift+Enter is recognized
as a line break and not a paragraph break, and it won't
insert a new automatic number or bullet. When you want
to move on to your next numbered item or bullet, just
press Enter as you would normally.
Text Selection Made Easy
In certain situations selecting passages of text precisely
with the mouse can be difficult. Probably the best examples
of these situations are when you are working with information
in a tightly packed table, or trying to select a large
piece of a very long document or Web page.
Here is a handy trick to help you select text in these
situations. First you must place the insertion point
where you want the selection to start. Do this with
a single left click of your mouse in this exact location.
Next, you need to get to the screen that displays the
end of the passage you want. Use your scroll bars or
other appropriate keys to move to where you want the
selection to end. While moving to the end point be careful
not to click anywhere in the document you are working
with as this will move the initial insertion point.
When you get to the screen that displays the end point,
while holding down your Shift key, do a single left
click of your mouse in this exact location. All text
in between the two insertion points will be selected.
You can cut or copy the selected passage as you desire.
This trick should work in most Windows applications.
Follow the Leaders
Leaders are the dots or dashes that stretch from one
section of text to another. They are most commonly used
in table of contents. For example:
Chapter 1.............Introduction
Chapter 2.............Background
You can create leaders manually by pressing the period
button repeatedly. However, if you do this you will
find that not all items in the list will line up properly.
The result will be sloppy and unprofessional looking.
The solution is to use the Leaders feature when setting
tab stops. Leaders are really tabs with a twist. Both
Word and WordPerfect have this feature.
Word users should follow these steps: When you're ready
to enter a list that contains leaders choose Format,
and then select Tabs to open the Tabs dialog
box. Set the first tab stop where the left side of your
list will be positioned, and the second where your right
side will be positioned. Then click the button under
Leader that corresponds to the kind of leader line you
like and click OK. You can now type your table
of contents. Press tab to insert a leader between the
items on the left and right.
WordPerfect users are presented with a slightly different
set of options that accomplish the same thing. They
should select Format, then Tab Set. This opens the Tab
Set dialog box. Within this box you will find all the
same options in terms of type of leader, the leader
character etc.
In both Word and WordPerfect working with tabs and
leaders is easier if you have your rulers turned on.
In both Word and WordPerfect select View, and click
on Ruler to turn them on. You can move tabs that appear
on the ruler by dragging and dropping them. Double clicking
individual tab marks will open the dialog box so you
can change its settings. You can delete a tab by dragging
it off the ruler.
Once you are done your table of contents, you can easily
set your tabs back to the default setting by selecting
this option in the Tabs or Tab Set dialog box.
Easy Instant Lines
In Word you can easily create a variety of horizontal
lines by typing the following characters three times,
followed by Return or Enter:
- Minus (-) produces a thin line;
- Underscore (_) produces a thicker line;
- Equal sign (=) produces a double line;
- Asterisk (*) produces a thick dotted line;
- Tilde (~) produces a zigzag line;
- Number (#) produces three lines, a thicker middle
line between two thin lines.
The lines will be the width of your page, or if you
are using columns, the width of your column.
In WordPerfect the first three shortcuts work in all
versions after and including Version 7.
Top
Dan Pinnington is Director,
practicePRO, at Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company.
practicePRO (www.practicepro.ca)
is LawPRO's (www.lawpro.ca)
innovative risk management initiative - its goal is
the prevention of malpractice claims. Dan is a frequently
writes and speaks on the topics of claims prevention
and legal technology. He is on the Web Core and Practice
Management Advisors Committees of the ABA LPM Section,
and is Chair of the Ontario Bar Association Law Practice
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