Office XP Tips
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Other AutoShapes in Office XP
In all Office programs that support AutoShapes, there are many to choose from. If you don't see what you need, you can look for others. To see all of the shapes available, click AutoShapes on the Drawing toolbar and then click More AutoShapes. Then make your selections from the Insert Clip Art task pane.

Select Nonconsecutive Items in Word XP
Now Word XP users can select multiple items that aren't next to each other. For example, you can select a word in the first paragraph, and a word in the fifth paragraph, but not all the words in between. This is helpful if you want to perform the same task on multiple items, such as delete them or change their formatting. To select multiple items that aren't next to each other, select the first item you want, hold down Ctrl and select any additional items you want.

Add Watermarks to Your Word XP Documents
Watermarks are text or pictures that appear behind the text. They can add interest or identify the document's status, marking a document as a draft, for example. You can use graphics or text as watermarks and, with Word 2002, adding a watermark to a document is easier than ever. To add a watermark to a printed document:

1. On the Format menu, go to Background, Printed Watermark. Do one of the following:
2. To insert a picture as a watermark, click Picture watermark, and then click Select Picture. Select the picture you want, and then click Insert.
3. To insert a text watermark, click Text watermark, and then select or enter the text you want.
4. Select any additional options you want, and then click Apply.

To view a watermark as it will appear on the printed page, click Print Layout on the View menu or go to Print Preview.

Resume Numbering Using Word XP Smart Tags
Sometimes you need to interrupt a numbered list to insert a paragraph of regular text. To quickly resume numbering on the next paragraph, click the Numbering button on the Formatting toolbar. Then, when the AutoCorrect Options smart tag appears, select the option to Continue Numbering. The numbering will pick up right where you left off.

Add Pictures to Charts in Excel XP
You can dress up your Excel charts by adding picures to them. You can add pictures to the chart area, data markers, and more. Click the area of the chart that you want to add the picture to (e.g. bar, column, chart background, etc.). Then, right-click on the area you selected and choose Format Chart Area (or Format whatever section of the chart you selected). Then, on the Patterns tab, select the Fill Effects button and click the Picture tab. To choose a picture, click Select Picture, and browse to the picture you want. On the Picture Tab select the options you want. Then click OK twice.

Use the Floating Task Pane in Office XP Programs
To make the task pane float, double-click its title bar. You can then move it to any position on the page by dragging the title bar. To return the task pane to its docked position, double-click the title bar again. To adjust the size of a floating task pane, move the pointer over any edge or corner until the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow. Then click and drag to the desired size. When you close and reopen the programs, the task pane will be in the position you left it.

Copy Multiple Items to the Clipboard and Paste All
This feature is called Collect and Paste. Copy up to 12 blocks of text (24 blocks in Word XP), then, when you're ready to paste use the Clipboard toolbar in Word 2000 or the task pane on the right side of the screen in Word XP. You can paste everything at once, or individual items in different locations. Hover the mouse over the icons on the Clipboard toolbar or on the task pane on the right side of the screen to get a preview of the contents.

Quickly Open Customize Window
If you spend time customizing your toolbars in the various Microsoft Office programs, there is an easy way to open the Customize window. Just double-click on the gray area where the toolbars are located at the top of your screen.

Change the Font Size by Typing the Point Number
If you know the font point size you want to use, click on the Font Size point number on the Text Formatting toolbar. This will select the number. Then type in the new point size. This saves clicking the down arrow to choose a new number. This works in most programs.

Bypass the Drawing Canvas in Word XP
When you are trying to draw an AutoShape and you click on the AutoShape button you wish to create, a "Create your Drawing here" canvas appears. If you would rather not use the canvas area, just click the Esc button on your keyboard. Then continue to draw as usual.