Special Edition Using Microsoft Office XP The Nuts and Bolts D. E. Levine
Organized into eight parts the book can seem overwhelming. My first impulse was to read only those parts relevant to my own needs. The authors suggest an initial read through of sections that cover techniques common to all applications.
Part I Common Tasks and Features covers the essentials of Office. In addition to teaching readers how to customize Office XP so that you can find your working files with the lowest number of keystrokes, the section covers XP graphics and doucument-scanning tools. Readers may be dismayed to find Clippart, the automated Office Assistant is still part of Office, but the authors teach you how to send him packing later in the book.
Part II Using Outlook covers the most improved Office application - Outlook. Although Office now has a different interface, the authors aim to teach readers how to use the interface to their advantage for handling e-mail, banishing spam, updating their address books, and setting up appointment reminders.
Part III Using Word walks you through customization options. This part of the book is also meant to enhance your text-editing and formatting skills.
Part IV Using Excel gives you an in-depth look at not only enhancing your formatting, but also mastering the more than 300 Excel functions and creating worksheets and data-entry forms that can safely be shared over a network.
Part V Using PowerPoint explains how the PowerPoint program works and how to create presentations for delivery in front of both live audiences and across the Web.
Part VI Other Office Applications focuses on Access and FrontPage. Found in selected Office versions, Access is a data base management program while FrontPage is a tool used for Web site design. In Office XP FrontPage is integrated with the rest of the Office suite.
Part VII Automating Office with Macros and VBA explains core concepts of VBA and helps readers build a library of macros and mini-programs.
Part VIII Apendices is divided into two parts. Part A Advanced Setup Options shows you how to install Office regardless of the number of PCs involved. Part B What's On Que's WOPR XP/2002 Pack explains how to use utilities found in the Pack. The Pack software can be downloaded free from the Web by owners of this book, and although free, it does have a license agreement associated with it. The software is said to be a powerful tool for the creation of envelope templates, directions via online maps with associated driving directions to airports, contact lists, graphic images and tools for managing files.
