Create a Form in Word

by rhyttinen on March 18, 2010

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A Form is a prearranged document with spaces reserved for entering information. It is a means of collecting information. You are most likely already familiar with paper forms, such as customer surveys, employment applications, etc. Microsoft Word allows you to create electronic forms that you can distribute to those from whom you need information. These electronic forms can contain drop-down lists or check-boxes, making the gathering of data more accurate.

Sample Form in Word

Electronic forms are usually based upon templates. This allows the user to enter data into the form, without changing the formatting of the form or the form text. It’s a good idea to lay out your form on paper first as this will make designing your form in Word much easier.

When you’re ready to create your form, you may wish to consider using a table. Tables allow you to easily align your text and form fields.

Note that the form tools are located on the Developer Ribbon. If the Developer tab is not visible, click the Microsoft Office button, click Word Options, click the Popular category and then click the Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon checkbox.

To Create a New Form

  1. Create a new blank document.
  2. Save the document as a template.
  3. Enter the form text (i.e. title, form instructions, etc.)
  4. Insert a table with the necessary number of rows and columns.
  5. Click the Developer tab on the Ribbon to access form tools.

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Creating Custom Filters in Excel

by rhyttinen on March 16, 2010

The AutoFilter feature in Excel allows you to select only one specific value. However, you may at times want to search for records that meet multiple criteria. For instance, you may want to list products that are greater than $20 or display only dates that fall between a specific date range. Using the Custom AutoFilter dialog box, you can create complex criteria using comparison operators such as:

  • Equals/does not equal
  • Is greater than/is less than
  • Is greater than or equal to
  • Is less than or equal to
  • Begins with/does not begin with
  • Ends with/does not end with
  • Contains/does not contain

Custom AutoFilter Dialog Box

You can also combine multiple criteria for a single column by using the logical operator AND or the logical operator OR. For example, you may wish to display products that are greater than $20 and less and $50.

To Create a Custom Filter

  1. Activate any cell in your list area.
  2. Click the arrow next to the field name to which you want to apply a filter.
  3. Point to the Filter type (Text Filters, Number Filters, Date Filters) to display a menu of comparison operators
    Or
    Point to the Filter type and choose Custom Filter.
  4. Click the leftmost combo box and choose the desired comparison operator from the list.
  5. Click the rightmost combo box and type in your criteria.
  6. To enter multiple criteria, click the AND or the OR radio button and repeat steps 4 and 5 for the next row.
  7. Click OK when finished.

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Making Text All Caps in Word

March 12, 2010

Just a quick shortcut for Friday – if you wish to make selected text all caps, press the Ctrl + Shift + A keystroke combination. This saves having to retype your text should you forget to change the case.
Pressing the Ctrl + Shift + A again will toggle the case to what it was before.

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Apply Heading Styles in Word using the Keyboard

March 11, 2010

Rather than using the Ribbon to apply a heading style to your text, you can accomplish the same thing using keyboard shortcuts. This can be a time-saver if you work with multiple styles. Plus you can apply heading styles to your text regardless of what Ribbon is active.
To apply a Normal Style, press the Ctrl [...]

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Change Ruler Preferences in Word 2007

March 10, 2010

By default, Word displays ruler measurement in inches. This may not be what you want however – or, you may need change ruler measurement depending on the type of document on which you are working. Other options include: inches, centimeters, millimeters, points and picas.
If your ruler is not visible, click the Ruler checkbox in the [...]

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Quickly Resize Columns in Excel

March 9, 2010

Many people don’t know that you can quickly resize columns in Excel with just a click of the mouse to accommodate the largest cell entry. Just position your mouse pointer over the right border of the column header and double-click.
This trick also works with multiple columns. Select the columns you wish to resize and double-click [...]

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Adding space between right-aligned text and border in Excel

March 8, 2010

When applying a right-aligned format to column labels in Excel, the text ends up being squeezed right against the borders, which does not make for easy reading. To fix this problem, you can add easily add some space between the border and your text.
To add a space between right-aligned text and border:

Click the Home tab [...]

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Sorting Data in an Excel Table

February 25, 2010

Once you have entered data into a table, you can reorganize it in alphabetical or numerical order. For example, you may want to sort a list of customers alphabetically by last name or numerically by sales. Excel allows you to sort by in either ascending (A to Z for alphabetical data, smallest to largest for [...]

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Totaling Data in an Excel Table

February 24, 2010

You can quickly total data in a table using the new Total Row feature on the Table Styles Options group of the contextual Design Ribbon. Clicking the Total Row check box will add a new row at the end of the table, with the word Total in the leftmost cell. Clicking in any of the [...]

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Creating a Table in Excel

February 23, 2010

In Excel, an organized, related consecutive collection of data in rows and columns is called a Table (referred to in previous versions of Excel as “Lists”). Entering your data in table format allows you to easily sort, analyze, format and manage your data later.
Excel uses column labels in the first row of your table. If [...]

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