The Key
Like in previous versions of Office, the 2007 version lets you create custom keyboard-based shortcuts. Click on the Office Button at the top left-hand corner of the screen, then select Word Options. Choose Customize from the left-hand menu, then click the Customize button next to "Keyboard shortcuts." The Customize Keyboard window opens, allowing you to create your shortcuts.
Quote Us on This
Microsoft has never made it easy to turn off "smart" quotation marks (as opposed to ones without curlicues) in Word before, and 2007 is no exception. To do so, click the Office button > Word Options > Proofing. Click the AutoCorrect Options button, then select the AutoFormat tab. Under Replace, you can then uncheck the box next to the "'Straight quotes' with 'smart quotes'" entry.
Blog-Worthy
Microsoft gets up-to-date by allowing you to write your blog posts and then publish them from Word. You can create a post by clicking on the Office button > New and selecting "New blog post." Word will ask you to provide your blog administrative information—after you enter it, it will allow you to send posts simply by clicking the Publish icon at the top left-hand corner.
Much To-Do
Outlook's new To-Do bar makes it easier to see your daily tasks and appointments than in previous editions. You can customize it to your liking by right-clicking on the header bar, then selecting Options. You can then customize the number of months you see in the date navigator, the number of appointments you see, and whether or not you want to view the task list.
Web of Intrigue
Want to put one-click access to a Web page in Outlook? First, click File > New > Folder. Then name your folder, select its location, and click OK. Next, right-click on the folder under All Mail Folders, select Properties, and click the Home Page tab. Enter the URL you've selected, check the box next to "Show home page by default for this folder," and click OK. Now when you click on the folder, the Web page should appear in the reading pane.
Getting Graphic
The latest version of Office beefs up the graphics capabilities exponentially. In PowerPoint, for example, you can jazz up a simple text box by right-clicking it and selecting Format Shape. You can then add a gradient fill and give it a 3D bevel effect and 3D rotation, as well as click on Format Text Effects and give your text a gradient fill and a shadow.
Look Deep Inside
Anyone who has tried to use the search function in previous iterations of Outlook knows it's slow and limited. Outlook 2007 makes it fast to find files, and its search capability enables you to dig down across all types of Outlook items—mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks—as well as search within attachments. Simply click the drop-down menu in the Search box and select Search All Mail Items.
Seeing Numbers
Microsoft has simplified and improved the Conditional Formatting tool in Excel, which gives you a color-coded way to visualize data without affecting the readability of the numbers in cells. Simply highlight the cells to which you want to apply conditional formatting, then click Conditional Formatting on the Home tab. Select Data Bars, then pick your color. You'll get shader bars within each cell that represent numbers. For instance, the shader bar for 20 would be twice as long as the bar for 10.
Chart Art
When you're working in Excel, numbers don't always tell the story--and now they don't have to. Office's new SmartArt feature enables you to insert templates to create graphics within the Excel document. Simply click the Insert tab, select SmartArt, then choose among more than 80 templates for slick-looking lists, relationship diagrams, flow charts, pyramids, and more. SmartArt also comes in handy in Word and PowerPoint.
Task Master
If you're like most people, you've probably never found much use for Outlook's Tasks feature, but the new version just might change your mind. Tasks is now better integrated with the other features of Outlook. For instance, if you flag an e-mail for follow-up, right-click it, and the item will automatically be sent to the Tasks list. The item also appears in your calendar, and lets you schedule a time to complete the action. Your to-do items just might get done now.
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