Project 1: Word Basics
Word Interface

The window for Microsoft Word, or any other word processor, has all the standard window parts, discussed in Working with Windows: Basics - The Window,- title bar, menus, toolbars, control menu, buttons to minimize, maximize & restore window size, status bar, scrollbars.

There is an opportunity for confusion when you have multiple documents open at the same time, so let's look at the possibilities.

Multiple Documents Open

Separate Word window for each document

The default for Word 2000 and later is to show each document in a separate Word window. Each window shows on the Task Bar with its own button.

The Word window has buttons to minimize, maximize and close the window on the Title Bar. The document's title is on the Word window's Title bar.

In Word 2002/2003, the Menu Bar has a Close button for the current document.

One Word window with document windows inside

Older versions of Word can only show a document in a window that is inside the Word window. There will be only one Taskbar icon for Word. You use the Window menu to switch between documents.

Word 2002/2003 can also use this behavior. The setting is in the Tools | Options  dialog on the View tab.

A document window is a regular window except that all the actions are restricted to within the Word window itself. So when you maximize a document, it enlarges to fill the Word window only. When you minimize a document, its icon is at the bottom of the Word window and not on the Taskbar.

When the document is not maximized, it has its own control buttons and the document's title is on the Title bar of the document window.

Word 97 - Multiple documents are inside the Word window.
When a document is maximized, other open docs are hidden.

Below is a Word 97 window with a maximized document. Compare this to the document window in the previous illustration. A maximized document has its control buttons on the Menu Bar and its title on the Word window's Title Bar. Not quite logical but it works.

You can see two sets of window control buttons on the right. The ones on the menu bar control the document. The ones on the title bar control the parent window (the Word window). The control icon for the document is on the left of the menu underneath the control icon for the Word window. The document's title is now on the main window's title bar. Just a bit confusing at first.

If you have a small screen or use a low resolution, you will probably want to have your documents maximized so you can see more of what you are doing. If you are blessed with a large monitor or use a large resolution, you may feel that maximizing a document wastes screen space.

 Office Assistant: Word 97 and later versions include a Help feature called the Office Assistant. This animated paperclip (other characters are available) can make suggestions, provide context-sensitive help, and will let you search the Help topics. This little character stays on top by default, so you may need to move it around. Once you become familiar with Word, you can turn this feature off until you need to ask for Help again. (Some folks find the Assistant too annoying to stand.) Of course you can open the regular Word Help window by using the menu, as usual, if you prefer.

When the yellow light bulb shows, the Office Assistant would like to give you a tip about what you are doing.

~~  1 Cor. 10:31 ...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  ~~

Last updated: 30 Apr 2012