Advanced Microsoft Word 2016: Word Essentials Book 2 (MSword)

by George Wempen

  Select the Insert tab from the Home tab, and then click the Text Box command in the Text group.

  On the drop-down menu that will appear, select Draw Text Box as seen below.

  Click and drag anywhere on the document to create the text box as seen in below document.

  The insertion point or mouse pointer will appear inside the text box enabling you to type or create text inside the text box.

  You can further customize the texts by selecting any of the desired fonts, and then change the font, color, and size by using the commands on the Format and Home tabs. See our Formatting Text lesson to learn moreaboutusing these formatting commands.

  You can click anywhere outside the text box to return to your document or exit from the menu.

  Alternatively, you can also select one of the built-in text boxes that have predefined colors, fonts, positions, and sizes. If you choose this option, the text box will appear automatically, so you will not need to draw it.

  To move a text box:

  Click the text box you want to move, to move or re-position a text box.

  Take the mouse pointer over one of the edges of the text box. The mouse will change into a cross with arrows as seen in below illustration.

  Click and drag the text box to the desired location.

  To resize a text box:

  To resize a text box, click the text box you want to resize.

  Then, click and drag any of the sizing handles on the corners or sides of the text box until it is the desired size as seen in below screenshot.

  Modifying text boxes

  Microsoft Word offers several options for changing the way text boxes appear in your document. You can further customize or change the shape, style, and color of text boxes or add various effects.

  To change the shape style:

  Choosing a shape style allows you to apply preset colors and effects to quickly change the appearance of your text box in your working document.

  To change the style, select the text box you want to change.

  On the Format tab that will appear, click the More drop-down arrow in the Shape Styles group as seen below.

  A drop-down menu of styles will appear as seen below. Select the style you want to use.

  The text box will appear in the selected style as shown below.

  You can have more control over the text box formatting. This can be achieved by the use of shape formatting options, such as Shape and Shape Outline

  To change the text box shape:

  Changing the shape of a text box can be a useful option for creating an interesting look in your Microsoft word document or project.

  Select the text box you want to change. The Format tab will appear as seen below.

  From the Format tab on the Home tab, click the Edit Shape command.

  Hover or point the mouse over Change Shapeas seen below, then select the desired shape from the menu that appears.

  The text box will be formatted as the shape as seen below.

  Practical Exercise

  Open our practice document.

  Insert a Simple Text Box.

  In the text box, type Get an additional 25% off when you mention this ad!

  Change the font to Gadugi, 20 pt, Center Align.

  Change the shape of the text box to Double Wave from the Stars and Banners group.

  Change the text box style by selecting any style in the Intense Effect row.

  Drag the text box to the space below Buy 1, Get 1 Free* and Formalwear.

  When you're finished, your document should look something like this:

  Aligning, Ordering, and Grouping Objects

  Some official documents or projects due to requirements may contain multiple objects, such as pictures, shapes, and text boxes. These objects can be arranged in any way depending on the type or document requirements. Such objects can be aligned, grouped, ordered and also rotated in various styles.

  To align two or more objects:

  To align an object, hold the Shift (or Ctrl) key and click the objects you want to align. In our below illustration, we'll select the four shapes on the right.

  From the Format tab on the Home menu, click the Align command, and then select one of the alignment options. In our below illustration, we'll choose Align Right.

  The selected objects will be aligned based on the selected option. In our below illustration, the shapes are now aligned with each other.

  Note that the Align Selected Objects option is selected by default in Microsoft word, which allows you to align objects without moving them to a different part of the page. However, the objects can be moved to the top or bottom of the page, select Align to Page or Align to Margin before choosing an alignment option.

  To distribute objects evenly:

  You may need to further customize the objects inserted into your word document of projects. If you have arranged your objects in a row or column, you may want to have an equal distance between each object for a neater appearance. You can do this by distributing the objects horizontally or vertically.

  Hold the Shift (or Ctrl) key on your keyboard and click the objects you want to distribute.

  On the Format tab on your home menu, click the Align command, and then select Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically as seen below.

  The objects will be evenly spaced from one another as seen in the screenshots below.

  Grouping objects

  You may sometimes want to group multiple objects inserted into a document or project into one object so they will stay together. This is better than an individual selection of each object, and it also allows you to resize and move all of the objects at the same time.

  To group objects:

  Hold the Shift (or Ctrl) key on your keyboard and click the objects you want to group.

  Click the Group command on the Format tab that will appear, and then select Group as seen below.

  All selected objects will now be grouped. You can move or resize all of the objects at the same time witha single box with sizing handles around the entire group. This will give you better control over the formatting and arrangement of the objects.

  To ungroup objects:

  Select the grouped object. From the Format tab on the home menu, then click the Group command and select Ungroup as seen below.

  The objects will be ungrouped as seen in below screenshot.

  Ordering objects

  In addition to aligning objects in Microsoft word documents, Word gives you the ability and freedom to arrange objects in a specific order. When two or more objects overlap, the ordering is very important because Microsoft word will determine which of the two objects will be in Front or the Back.

  Understanding levels

  In a Microsoft word document, Objects are placed on different levels according to the order in which they were inserted into a document. In the illustration below, if we move the wave’s image to the beginning of the document, it will cover up several or many of the text boxes. That is because the image is currently on the highest—or top—level. We can also change its level to put it behind the other objects.

  To change an object's level:

  Select the object you want to move. In our illustration above, we'll select the image of the waves.

  From the Format tab on the Home menu, click the Bring Forward or Send Backward command to change the object's ordering by one level. In our illustration below, we'll select Send Backward.

  The selected objects will be reordered according to our selection. In our illustration below, the image is now behind the text on the left, but can be seen to still covering the shapes on the right.

  If you need to move an inserted object to front or behind of another or several objects in a document or project, a faster way of achieving or doing this is the use of Bring Forward or Send Backward instead of clicking the order command multiple times.

  In our below illustration, all of the other text and shapes are visible because the image has been moved behind ever
ything else on the page.

  If you have several objects placed on top of each other, it may be difficult to select an individual object. Microsoft word has a selection pane for object selection. The Selection Pane of Microsoft word allows you to easily drag an object to a different level in the document or project. To view the Selection Pane, click Selection Pane on the Format tab as seen in below screenshot.

  To rotate or flip an object:

  If you need to turn an object so it faces a different direction in your working document, word provides you with some options. These options are rotate it to the left or right, or you can flip it horizontally or vertically.

  Click the Rotate command on the Format tab while the desired object is selected, then choose the desired rotation option. In our illustration below, we'll choose Flip Horizontal as seen below.

  The object will be rotated. In the below illustration, we can now see the bubbles on the left that were previously hidden behind the text boxes.

  Practical Exercise

  Open our practice document.

  Scroll to page 2 and select the picture of the waves at the top of the page.

  Use the Rotate command to flip the waves vertically.

  Use the Send to Back command to move the waves image behind the Martinique text box.

  Move the Martinique text box so it is near the bottom of the waves image.

  Make sure the waves picture and Martinique text box are no longer selected. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and then select the text boxes containing Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, and Restoration.

  Click the Align command, and make sure the Align Selected Objects option is selected. Select Align Right and Distribute Vertically.

  With the text boxes still selected, group them.

  Your page should look something like below screenshot when you're finished.

  CHAPTER

  MSWord 2016: Tables

  A table is a grid of cells arranged in rows and columns. In Microsoft word, you can insert a blank table or existing table into your working document or project. Tables in Microsoft word can be used to organize any type of content, whether you're working with text or numerical data. You can also customize your table using different styles and layouts.

  To insert a blank table:

  Place the insertion point or mouse console where you want the table to appear.

  Navigate to the Insert tab, and then click the Table command.

  This will open a drop-down menu in your opened document that contains a grid. Hover over or point to the grid to select the number of columns and rows you want.

  Click on the table grid to confirm your selection, and a table with the number of selected columns will appear.

  To enter text, place the insertion point or mouse consol in any cell, and start typing.

  To navigate between cells in the table, use the Tab key or arrow keys on your keyboard. You can also point and click on a required cell with your mouse. If the insertion point or mouse console is in the last cell, press the Tab key and word will automatically create a new row.

  To convert existing text to a table:

  In the illustration below, each line of text contains part of a checklist, including chores and days of the week. The items are separated by tabs. Microsoft Word can automatically convert this information or text into a table, using the tabs to separate the data into columns as illustrated below.

  Selecting the text you want to convert to a table. Use our provided practice fields.

  Go to the Insert tab on the home screen of the practice document, and then click the Table command.

  Select Convert Text to Table from the drop-down menu that will appear as seen below.

  A new dialog box will appear. Choose one of the options under Separate text at. This is how Microsoft Word knows what to put into each column as illustrated below.

  Click OK to complete and exit the menu. The text will appear in a table.

  Modifying tables

  You can easily change the appearance of your table once you've added one to your document. There are many options in Microsoft word for customization of tables, including adding rows or columns and changing the table style.

  To add a row or column:

  Point or place your mouse outside the table where you want to add a row or column. Click the plus sign that appears.

  A new row or column will be added to the table.

  You can also right-click the table, then point at Insert to see various row and column options as seen in below screenshot.

  To delete a row or column:

  Place the insertion point or mouse consol in the row or column you want to delete.

  Right-click, then select Delete Cells from the menu that will appear.

  A dialog box will appear as shown in the below illustration. Choose Delete entire row or Delete entire column as the case may be, then click OK.

  The selected row or column will be deleted.

  To apply a table style:

  Table styles let you change the look and feel of your table instantly. They are used to further customize several features, these includes control several design elements, including color, borders, and fonts.

  Click anywhere in your table to select it, then click the Design tab on the far right of the Ribbon.

  Locate the Table Styles group, and then click the More drop-down arrow to see the full list of styles.

  Select the table style you want from the list as shown below.

  The table style will appear.

  To modify table style options:

  Once you've chosen a table style to insert into your Microsoft word document, you can turn various options on or off to change its appearance. There are six options: Header Row, Total Row, Banded Rows, First Column, Last Column, and Banded Columns.

  Click anywhere in the table you inserted, and then go to the Design tab.

  Navigate and locate the Table Style Options group, and then check or uncheck the desired options as seen below.

  The table style will be modified.

  Depending on the Table Style you've chosen, some Table Style Options may have a different effect. You might need to experiment to get the look you want.

  To apply borders to a table:

  Select the cells you want to apply a border to as show or illustrated below.

  Use the commands on the Design tab to choose the desired Line Style, Line Weight, and Pen Color.

  On the menu, click the drop-down arrow below the Borders command as shown in below image.

  Choose a preferred border type from the menu as shown below.

  The border will be applied to the selected cells as shown in below image.

  Modifying a table using the Layout tab

  In Microsoft Word, the Layout tab appears whenever you select your table in your working document or project. A variety of changes or customization can be made to a table in a document using this option.

  MSWord 2016: Charts

  Microsoft word has an inbuilt chat which can be used in communicating information graphically. Adding or inserting a chart in your document can help you illustrate numerical data, such as comparisons and trends, which gives the reader a better understanding of the subject matter.

  Types of charts

  In Microsoft word, there are many types of charts to choose from. Each type of chats in Microsoft word has its peculiar or specialized features which make it unique and different from each other.

  Types of chats and reports below.

  Parts of a chart

  In addition to chart types in Microsoft word, you'll need to understand how to read a chart. Charts contain several different elements or parts that can help you interpret data presented in a document or project.

  Inserting charts

  In Microsoft word, a special or separate window or module called Spreadsheet Window is always used for entering and editing data. This spreadsheet has same look as an Excel worksheet.

  The process or steps of enterin
g data is also simplified, and has same principle as Microsoft Excel. You may consider consulting our Basic Cell section of this book for help.