Category Archives: BPCA

Post related to the Broward Personal Computer Association.

Styles and Word Processing

Posted on by
A Manual Word Processor (A typewriter)

Manual Word Processor

At the January 2010 Broward Personal Computer Association, Inc. (BPCA) general meeting Q&A session the subject of using styles in word processing came up.

The actual question was: In Microsoft Word, how do I stop it from capitalizing the beginning of each line?

In answer to the question, it was suggested that the reason for capitalization of the first letter of the new line is that she is using the Enter key as a carriage return, just like she would if using a typewriter. Upon opening a session of Microsoft Word on one laptop, and one of OpenOffice.org on another laptop, a few lines were typed in each using the Enter key as a carriage return, and another few paragraphs only pressing the Enter key as a carriage return at the end of the paragraph. Sure enough, once we turned on Show/Hide Paragraph Marks it showed that was exactly what was happening.

Now the thing is how to get her to stop using her word processor (it doesn’t really matter which one, as long as it supports styles) like a typewriter, and use it as it is intended, a way to process words.

Suggestion

Here is a suggestion, as well as some links to information regarding using styles.

Instead of worrying about what the document looks like, try using a plain text editor, such as Notepad, to just put down all your thoughts. Just write until you have everything out of your head and into the document. Once you have all this, I call it my very rough draft, copy and paste it into your word processor, and now apply your formatting (bold, italic, etc.), rearrange and edit your sentences and paragraphs, and apply your styles to make it look pretty.

Links

Some Links to check out regarding styles (mostly for Microsoft Word, but with minor adjustments should work with any word processor or desktop publisher that supports styles):

delicious.com search for microsoft word styles result:
Delicious has been shut down, as of June 15, 2017.

Results for style search at Tips.net:
http://www.tips.net/results.html?cx=003792548944738135704%3Am_k9gka3qx0&cof=FORID%3A11&q=styles&sa.x=0&sa.y=0&sa=Search&siteurl=www.tips.net%2F#722

**********

Photo courtesy of: http://www.imageafter.com/image.php?image=b12objects052.jpg

BPCA News January 2010 and Links for Other BPCA Items for 2010

Posted on by

I have just posted the January 2010 issue of the Broward Personal Computer Association’s C:BPCA News, as well as the notes from Lew Aron’s December 2009 presentation on Sandboxie.

The January, and subsequent issues of C:BPCA News for 2010 when they are posted, can be viewed at:

http://www.box.net/bpca-newsletters in the 2010 folder. Use the following link to go directly to the 2010 folder:
http://www.box.net/shared/vlsh1u01d7

The Sandboxie notes, and any subsequent presentations or handouts when they are posted, can be viewed at:

http://www.box.net/bpca-newsletters in the 2010>Presentation or Handouts folder. Use the following link to go directly to the 2010>Presentations or Handouts folder:
http://www.box.net/shared/lijse51eve

I hope you enjoy them, and if so that you will let me know.

C:BPCA News and Recovering Missing Toolbars

Posted on by

First of all the May 2006 edition of C:BPCA News has been sent out.

It is also available in PDF format at http://snipurl.com/BPCA_News (Note: link no longer valid)

Hurricane Wilma

Secondly, as I was writing this entry, the man from the shutter company arrived to make the final measurements for the hurricane shutters I have ordered.

The day of Hurricane Wilma is when they were first supposed to come out and give me an estimate. Of course, that did not happen. It was November before they could take the initial measurements and then it took until late December to get the architectural approval from the condo association.

Luckily, the price has stayed the same, but with the shortage of materials and labor, the last time I talked to the company they thought we were looking at sometime in the late fall for installation.

Hopefully, with the final measurements now taken so that they can be manufactured, my shutters can be installed prior or right at the beginning of this year’s hurricane season. Hurray!!!!

Tip

Lastly, my wife called me all in a panic yesterday because she could not see the toolbar in Outlook that has the icons for creating a new message, printing a message, etc.

She thought she had totally messed up the company computer.

I calmed her down and told her it is not a big deal, she must have just slipped with the mouse and turned off the toolbar.

Sure enough, I told her to look at the menu bar, find where it says View, left click on it, then left click on Toolbars, and then make sure that the Standard toolbar has a check next to it. Mission accomplished.

In most cases, if a toolbar is missing, visiting the View menu and experimenting with turning various toolbars on and off should recover it for you. You might even run across a useful toolbar you didn’t even know existed because it wasn’t turned on by default.

Most of the newer software has a lot of optional toolbars, that can be helpful, once you know about them.