Tips on Using Microsoft Office 2000
Basics | Word
| Excel | PowerPoint
| Access | Links
Basics
- Compatibility with previous versions of Office
With the exception of Access, Office 97 applications can open Office 2000 files without a
converter. Formatting that Office 97 doesn’t recognize won’t be retained, but
these features generally downgrade gracefully. Unlike Access 97, Access 2000 supports the
Unicode file format. So Access 2000 files have to be saved as Access 97 files in order to
be compatible.
Word 2000 automatically saves files in a format that can be read by Word 97, but any new
features from 2000 will not be available in Word 97. If you frequently switch between Word
2000 and 97, you can disable all features in Word 2000 that are not available in Word 97.
Select the menu item Tools > Options, click the Save tab,
select Disable features not supported by Word 97, and then click OK.
To save Excel files in a compatible format, select File > Save As
then choose Microsoft Excel 97-2000 & 5.0/95 Workbook (.xls). As noted above
for Word, any 2000-exclusive features will not be available in previous versions.
PowerPoint also saves in a compatible format: File > Save As then
choose PowerPoint 97-2000 & 95 Presentation (.ppt).
Access 2000 can open Access 97 databases for viewing and data entry, but using this
procedure disables new Access 2000 features and prevents you from modifying the database's
design. To do so, you must first convert the database to Access 2000's new file format.
Although a new export feature lets you convert an Access 2000 database for use in Access
97, the feature requires that you have both versions installed.
- Compatibility with Microsoft Works
If you have Microsoft Works on your personal computer, you may be able to share files
between Works and Office. Consult the Works FAQ on Microsoft's web site for more
information.
- Customizing the interface
A major change in Office 2000 is the appearance of Personalized Toolbars and Menus. Here
are some tips on using the new interface:
Click the double chevron (see figure below), also called an "unfold button," at
the right end of a toolbar or the bottom of a menu to see commands and buttons that are
not currently visible. Frequently used items are automatically promoted to the primary
menu or toolbar as you work. Another option is to leave a menu open for a few seconds and
it will expand automatically (be sure you've selected Tools > Customize
> Options > Show full menus after a short delay).
If you would like the Office 2000 menus to work just like those in Office 97, select Tools
> Customize > Options and uncheck the box next to Menus show
recently used commands first. Then clear the box next to Standard and formatting
toolbars share one row.
- Collect and Paste feature
Office 2000 offers an improved clipboard. The Collect and Paste feature enables you to
collect 12 clippings from any Office application and then paste them in any order into a
document or worksheet. To collect, select the text, data or object, choose Edit
> Copy or Edit > Cut, and repeat for up to 12 selections.
To paste, position the cursor where you want the selection pasted. If the clipboard
palette is not visible, right-click any toolbar and select Clipboard. Place the
mouse pointer over a clipboard item to preview it. Click the desired item to insert.
- How to turn off the universally irritating Office Assistant
To turn off Office Assistant for your current editing session, right-click
the Office Assistant icon, select Options from the pop-up menu, and clear
the Use Office Assistant check box. To permanently remove Office
Assistant, use Office 2000's Add/Remove Components option (do this only on
your personal workstation - please do not modify program configuration on
shared computers on campus).
Word 2000
- A new editing option displays synonyms for common words. Right-click a
word and select synonyms from the pop-up menu.
- Word 2000 allows nested tables - that is, a table can be inserted within a cell of
an existing table.
- To remove a hyperlink, right-click the hyperlink text and select Hyperlink >
Remove Hyperlink. To prevent internet addresses from being automatically
formatted as hyperlinks, choose Tools > AutoCorrect..., click the AutoFormat
As You Type tab, and clear the box next to Internet and Network Paths with
Hyperlinks.
Excel 2000