Date: April 21st, 2008

Author: Susan Harkins

Columns, or specifically, newspaper-style columns, are common in newsletters and reports. The good news is that they’re easy to implement and you don’t have to apply the column format to your entire document; you can columnize any text with just two clicks.

In version 2003 and earlier, select the text you want to display in column format and click the Columns tool on the Standard toolbar. Doing so displays a palette-type drop-down list of columns. Highlight the appropriate number of columns (watch the bottom text update as you select columns to keep up with how many columns you’re creating) and then click. It couldn’t be simpler.

In viagra affiliate Word 2007, select the text and click Columns in the Page Setup group on the Page Layout tab. To remove columns, select the text and chose one column from the Columns drop-down list.

Date: June 4th, 2007

Author: Debra Littlejohn Shinder

This information is also available as a PDF download.

Microsoft Office 2007 provides a lot of new features and functionality, but what about compatibility? Here are 10 tips for dealing with compatibility issues when you upgrade to the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

#1: Understanding and using new file formats

All the Office 2007 programs use new default file formats based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML). The new formats are indicated by an “x” in the file extension. For example:

XML is an open standard, and the change makes it easier to move files between different applications. It also makes file sizes smaller than those saved in the old binary formats. However, some users with previous versions of Office may not be able to open files in the new formats.

You can still save files in Office 2007 programs in Office 2003 file formats. Just select Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc) from the Save As Type drop-down list in the Save As dialog box, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A: You can easily save individual files in the old Office 2003 formats.

#2: Changing the default format

If you want to always save files in the old format by default, click the Office button, then the <program name> Options button, and select Save in the left pane. Choose Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc) from the Save Files In This Format drop-down list, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B: You can set the default to always save files in the old Office 2003 format.

When you save a file in the old format that was originally created in the new format, you may get a message advising that some of the formatting and features that are only supported by Office 2007 programs will be lost.

#3: Using Office 2007 compatibility mode

Office 2007 programs introduce a new feature called compatibility mode. If you frequently share files with others who haven’t upgraded or you need to work on your files on another computer (for example, a laptop) that doesn’t have Office 2007 installed, you can ensure that the files you create in Office 2007 don’t contain any features that aren’t supported by the previous version of the Office program.

If you place your Office 2007 applications in compatibility mode, incompatible features, such as the SmartArt diagramming tool, won’t be available to you. Instead, you’ll use the diagramming tool from Office 2003 so that the diagrams you create can be edited in the older version of the program.

Compatibility mode is automatically on when you open a file that was saved in the old file formats, when you convert a file from the XML-based format to the older format, or when you configure the program to save to the old format by default. In viagra 25 Word, compatibility mode also kicks in if you create a new document from an old-format template (.dot).

When the Office 2007 program is in compatibility mode, it will be indicated in the document title bar, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C: Office Compatibility Mode is indicated in the title bar of the document.

Some features can be returned to the document if you reopen it in an Office 2007 program; others can’t. For a full list of the features that are lost when you work in compatibility mode and which ones can be refreshed, see the article “Compatibility Mode in the 2007 Office System“ on the Microsoft TechNet site.

#4: Installing the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack

If someone with whom you exchange files is still running an older version of Office and you want to be able to send them files in the new XML formats (for instance, so they can see the formatting features that are unique to Office 2007), they can install the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack.

The Compatibility Pack allows users of Office XP or Office 2003 to open, edit, save and even create files in the new XML-based formats. The pack is available as a free 27.1 MB download from the Microsoft Web site. It can be installed on machines running Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP1, and Windows Server 2003.

#5: Using the OMPM File Converter

If you have a large number of Office files saved in the old format that you want to change to the new XML-based format, you don’t have to open and save them one at a time in the Office 2007 program. Instead, you can perform a bulk conversion using the Office File Converter that’s included in the Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM).

The OMPM is a free 2.7 MB download available from the Microsoft Web site. It can also be used by administrators in organizations to scan and generate reports about the Office files on the network. You can install it on computers running XP SP2, Vista, or Server 2003.

Once the OMPM is installed, to perform bulk file conversions you use the OFC.EXE tool at the command line. You’ll need to create an ofc.ini file with settings defining what you want to convert. Microsoft provides a template for the ofc.ini file that you can edit to indicate the path for the folders you want to convert. For more information on the contents of the ofc.ini file and how to invoke it programmatically, see “Converting Office documents to Open XML.”

#6: Viewing PowerPoint presentations with PP Viewer 2007

PowerPoint 2007 provides many cool new graphical features that aren’t supported by older versions of PowerPoint. These presentations can be viewed by Office XP/2003 users with the Compatibility Pack installed, but what if you want to see a presentation on a computer that doesn’t have any version of Office installed?

You can use the PowerPoint Viewer 2007 to view these presentations will all the new features intact. It also supports opening presentations that have been password-protected in PowerPoint 2007 — however, it does not support viewing presentations that have been protected using Microsoft Information Rights Management technology.

The Viewer is a free 25.8 MB download available from the Microsoft Web site. It can be installed on computers running Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP1, Vista, and Server 2003.

At the time of this writing, viewers for Word and Excel 2007 were not yet available. But you can use the Word and Excel 2003 viewers to view Word and Excel 2007 files if you install the Compatibility Pack. For details, see KB article 925180, “How to view Word 2007 and Excel 2007 files by using Word Viewer 2003 and Excel Viewer 2003.”

#7: Using the Compatibility Checker

Before you send a document that was created with an Office 2007 program to someone who’s using a previous version of Office, you can run the Compatibility Checker, which is built into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. It will identify any features or formatting you’ve used that won’t be recognized by older versions of Office.

A list of the incompatible content will be displayed, and you’ll be advised that such content may not be fully editable in the previous version. The Compatibility Checker runs automatically when you save a file in the old format. You can also run it manually from the Office | Prepare menu, as shown in Figure D.

Figure D: You can run the Compatibility Checker from the Office Logo | Prepare menu.

#8: Outlook 2007 and Exchange 5.5

Outlook 2007 works only with Exchange 2000 or later. Users who attempt to connect to an Exchange 5.5 Server will get a message that Outlook is unable to log onto the Exchange server. Extended lifecycle support for Exchange 5.5 ended in January 2006, and Microsoft intentionally designed Outlook 2007 to prevent it from connecting to Exchange 5.5 servers to avoid data loss and other problems that were anticipated with this combination.

Be sure you know what version of Exchange server your organization is running before you update to Outlook 2007.

#9: Office 2007 file formats and mobile devices

The new XML-based file formats can’t be opened with current Pocket Office programs on Windows mobile devices running Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5.0. The newest version, Windows Mobile 6, supports the XML-based file formats.

Microsoft is expected to release an update for Windows Mobile 5 in mid- or late 2007 that will allow it to open Office 2007 documents, but those still using WM2003 devices are apparently just out of luck.

#10: Adding on a “classic” user interface

Although not exactly a compatibility issue, many users find Office 2007’s new user interface incompatible with their way of doing things. The Ribbon replaces the old-style menus, and while this new tabbed Ribbon seems to be easier to learn for new users (who haven’t used previous versions of Office), many longtime Office users have complained that they miss the old menus.

If you want, you can install a third-party add-on that gives you back the old menu bar without sacrificing the new Ribbon. Classic Menu for Office 2007 installs easily and costs $29; it’s available from www.addintools.com. After it’s installed, an extra tab appears on the Ribbon called Menus, as shown in Figure E.

Figure E: If the new Ribbon interface is incompatible with the way you like to work, you can add back the Classic Menu.

Yesterday's topic of formulas linked one workbook to another and as you may recall, in the end, MS Excel kept asking if you wanted to update the information. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you control both workbooks and you know there's no security problem, it can get somewhat annoying.

So, you must be asking, "Can I get Excel to stop asking and just go ahead with the update automatically?"

That's definitely a good question, so let's get right down to it. Should you decide that updating is always the right thing to do and you want Excel to stop asking and just do it, simply follow these easy steps.

If you're using Excel 2003 or older:

• Go to the Tools menu, Options choice.

• Under the Edit tab, uncheck the "Ask to Update Automatic Links" checkbox.

  

• Click OK.

• You need to start with the Office Button and then click on the Excel Options button found there.

• Once you're in the Excel Options dialogue window, you need to go to the Advanced Options, "When calculating this workbook" section.

  

• Uncheck the "Update links to other documents" choice.
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• Click OK.

April 8th, 2008

Posted by Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft is set to begin a pilot of a new Genuine Advantage anti-piracy mechanism for Office that will add a “nag-like” feature, akin to what is now part of Windows Vista, to Office.

Office ordering viagra already currently includes an Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) validation mechanism (for Office XP and Office 2007), but Microsoft doesn’t do a whole lot to “punish” those it deems to be running non-Genuine versions of Office. However, as part of a new OGA notifications pilot program — which Microsoft is launching in Chile, Italy, Spain and Turkey, according to an April 8 announcement buried in a Q&A on Microsoft’s Web site — Microsoft is set to turn up the unpleasantness a notch.

I asked Microsoft to explain what will happen in the new pilot. According to Cori Hartje, Director Genuine Software Initiative:

“Today, in current OGA validation process, there is no visual & persistent representation within the experience of being a non-genuine Office user. The outcome for being non-genuine today is that the user does not gain access to Office templates and other downloads. In the pilot the non-genuine copy of Office will also have an icon on the toolbar or ribbon indicating that it is non-genuine.

“Specifically, users of non-genuine Office in the pilot areas will receive a pop-up dialog box alerting them their Microsoft Office software is not genuine. The customer will receive this dialog box the first time they open an Office application each day, and again two hours later for a period of 30 days. They will also receive information on how to learn more about the issue, and how to acquire genuine Microsoft Office. After receiving these dialog box notifications for 30 days, Office applications will be marked with a visual reminder that the copy of Office is not genuine. Both the dialog box and/or the visual reminder will disappear once the customer gets genuine Office and/or uninstalls the non-genuine Office products. None of the visual cues presented will impair a customer from accessing their data or preparing documents.”

In other words, the new OGA nagging won’t be like the old Windows kill switch. Instead it will be the kinder and gentler nagging which Microsoft adopted with Vista Service Pack (SP) 1.

There’s no exact timeframe I can find for how long the pilot will last or when Microsoft will broaden it to other countries. Microsoft says it will be delivering the new OGA notification mechanism via a “voluntary Microsoft update.” More fine print on the new OGA notification pilot:

“There will be no personal data collected or shared with Microsoft as customers implement the OGA notifications update. These notifications are designed to help alert customers who have acquired and are using non-genuine Office. Once notified, customers can take action to reduce the risk of running counterfeit software by getting genuine Office through the online purchase programs or by going to a local authorized Microsoft reseller.”

Bottom line: Get ready for more nagging if you’re either an Office pirate or deemed to be one by Microsoft.

Yesterday, we discussed how to write MS Excel formulas that reference cells located on a different worksheet within your workbook. Well, the next logical thing to do is go one step further and ask: how do we write formulas that reference cells from a completely different workbook?

That's a very good question and it's exactly what we're going to go over today!

The order viagra online uk easiest way to tackle this one is to let Excel do the referencing for you. So, begin by opening both the workbook with the data cells and the one that will contain the formula.

Now, go to the cell that contains the formula and begin as usual. That is, start with your equal sign and/or function and pause at the first place in the formula where you're looking to pull data from a different workbook.

For example:

=sum(

Next, you need to switch to the workbook that contains the data. (For all you keyboard people out there, Ctrl + F6 will rotate you through the open workbooks).

Once you're switched over to the data workbook, highlight the cell(s) that contain the needed information.

Now, you'll need to switch back to the formula workbook (Ctrl + F6 works here too).

When you return, you should see that Excel has automatically put in the reference you were looking for from the other workbook.

• If both workbooks are open, the data changes will immediately be reflected.

• If the data workbook is open when you open the formula workbook, the updates will be reflected upon opening the file.

• Now, here's the most involved situation:

  • If you're using Excel 2003 or older and you're opening the formula workbook without the data workbook being open, you will be asked if you want to update your formulas, like this:

    

    If you choose to update, Excel will then go into the data file and get the information it needs, without actually opening the workbook.

  • If you're using Excel 2007 and you're opening the formula workbook without the data workbook being open, you will see a security warning above the formula bar, like this:

    

    Clicking on the Options button will open this dialogue window:

    

    Choose "Enable this content" and click OK.

    Again, as with the other versions of Excel, if you choose to update, Excel will go into the data file and get the information it needs, without actually opening the workbook.