atw: Re: Advice on upgrading to Word 2007
- From: "Christine Kent" <christine_kent@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:56:04 +1100
>
> 1. I'm aware that there are major UI changes in Word 2007. I hear the
> new UI is actually pretty good but takes some getting used to. How
> long is it likely to take to get back up to speed--couple of days?
> weeks?
It's REALLY good, and really fast once you are used to it. Took me a couple
of days to get used to it, but recommend that people do the online training.
It WILL save a lot of time. Download the Get Started toolbar from
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102146851033.aspx for
distribution with Word. I have never used this kind of Help before but I
find it very useful in 2007. There are a few old functions that seem to be
lost, and it is the quickest way of finding them.
> 2. Are the changes mainly in the upfront stuff such as toolbars? I
> spend most of my time in Styles and Formatting, Table Properties,
> etc. Are these behind-the-scenes dialog boxes much the same?
Most of the dialog boxes are the same. However, they sit behind an overlay
of automatic formatting functions that you eventually end up using most of
the time, and novices will definitely use.
Toolbars are gone, and replaced with the Ribbon which is comprised of tabs,
groups and commands - very easy, and the Quick Access Toolbar. The Ribbon
displays differently depending on screen resolution, so watch this if you
are taking screen captures.
You cannot customise the Ribbon but will want to customise the Quick Access
Toolbar, and maybe want to distribute an expanded one with Word - although I
don't know if that is possible. You can add your Styles selection box to
the Quick Access Toolbar. However, the best policy is to work with the
Styles panel open (Home tab, Styles group, dialog box launcher button on
bottom right). I have put the button for this on my Quick Access Toolbar.
Take some time to explore the 6 different options at the bottom of the
Styles pane as there is some VERY useful stuff there
The Tasks pane is gone. When you select a dialog box launcher button you
may get a panel on the right, a panel on the left or a dialog box. These
are pre-determined.
> 3. I believe the file format has changed. How much of a headache
> would it be for me to work in Word 2007 and distribute the documents
> and templates in 2003 format? Do I just have to remember to Save As
> every time, or can I make the 2003-compatible format the default?
You can set 2007 to offer .docx or .docm as the default (depending on
whether you have macros or not) - so no difficulty converting over time.
> 4. Anything else I need to be aware of?
Yep. Bullets and numbering. Best of luck. Try if at all possible to stick
to built in styles.
If they corrupt when you change them, look at Styles pane, Manage Styles,
Set defaults. The change you have just made to your style you will see in
here, and you can fix from here. If you change the style in a table, the
change will reflect back into the table style, which is harder to get at and
fix. If your changes to bulleted styles don't do this, please let me know.
If they do, I can give you more detailed instructions for sorting the
problem out. My solution has been to change Set defaults to something
outlandish, identify any style that has changed to the outlandish font and
attach it to a base style created specifically for the purpose. If you
already have base styles in your templates, and tidy "based on" hierarchies,
you are in luck.
Also, if you are a control freak, there is lots of stuff you can lock down
and control how others may or may not use it.
Overall verdict - a lovely product EXCEPT bullets and numbering!
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