WD6X: What's New in Word 6.0?

• Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0

SUMMARY

This article contains questions and answers about what's new in Word 6.0.

MORE INFORMATION

This article assumes you are familiar with a previous version of Word for Windows and that you want more information to help you decide whether to upgrade to Word 6.0. If you have already upgraded to Word 6.0, the information below is contained in Chapter 2, "What's New in Word 6.0?," in the "Microsoft Word Quick Results" guide.

If you do not own a previous version of Word for Windows and want general information about the product, call Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. If you are outside the United States, contact your local subsidiary. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/default.htm

1. Q. Why did Word for Windows suddenly jump from version 2.0 to 6.0?
   
   
   1. This is the first version of Word in which we use the same core code for both Word for Windows and Word for the Macintosh(R). This means both products share the same file format, features, appearance, and documentation. To reflect this similarity, we decided to give both products the same version number. The current version of Word for the Macintosh is 5.1, so we couldn't use version 3.0. Therefore, version 6.0 was the logical choice.
   
   
   



2. Wizards and "Auto" Formatting Features
   
   Word includes the following features to automate and simplify the creation, formatting, and production of documents:
   
   
   1. Wizards: A "wizard" is an interactive Word feature that asks questions and then uses your answers to automatically lay out and format a certain type of document. A wizard is often the fastest way to create a letter, memo, resume, newsletter, or insert a table in a document.
   
   
   
   2. AutoCorrect: The AutoCorrect feature automatically corrects common typing mistakes as you work. For example, if you type "t- e-h", AutoCorrect replaces it with "the" as soon as you press the SPACEBAR. You can also use AutoCorrect to quickly insert words or phrases that are long or difficult to type. For example, use AutoCorrect to automatically replace "ASAP" with "as soon as possible".
   
   
   
   3. AutoFormat: The AutoFormat command formats document elements such as headings, tables, and bulleted lists by applying styles to each paragraph in the document. Once AutoFormat has applied styles to your table or text, you can quickly change the "look and feel" of your document using the Style Gallery command. Using AutoFormat, you can produce professional-looking letters, memos, and reports even when you're in a hurry.
   
   
   
   4. Heading Numbering and Bullets and Numbering: You can create numbered headings that Word automatically updates whenever you move, add, or delete a heading. You can create bulleted and numbered lists - even multiple-level lists for legal and technical documents. As you edit your list, Word renumbers the items automatically.
   
   
   
   5. AutoCaption and Cross-Reference: The AutoCaption feature automatically adds a caption label and number (such as "Table 1") to a series of tables, graphics, or other items in a document. If you add, move, or delete items in a series of items, Word automatically updates the caption numbers. Use the Cross-Reference command to easily create cross-references to captions, headings, tables, and other items.
   
   
   



3. New Editing Features
   
   
   1. Multiple-Level Undo and Redo keeps track of your last 100 editing and formatting changes. You can select one or more actions to undo using the Undo button on the Standard toolbar. If you decide that you'd like to keep one or more changes after you undo them, use the Redo button. For example, if you apply the wrong style to your document, you can undo it; then, if you change your mind, you can reapply the style using Redo. Of course, there are certain actions you cannot undo, such as saving or printing your document.
   
   
   
   2. You can now drag and drop text and graphics across windows. You can also drag items between applications.
   
   
   
   3. The Find and Replace commands are now both more flexible and more straightforward.
   
   
   



4. New Formatting and Style Options
   
   
   1. Format Painter: Using the Format Painter button, you can copy formatting. Just "pick up" the formatting that you want to copy and then "paint it" onto the text you want to format.
   
   
   
   2. Drop Cap: Automatically add a dropped capital letter, word, or graphic to a paragraph.
   
   
   
   3. Character Styles: Save character formatting as a character style and apply it in one step.
   
   
   
   4. Character Spacing and Automatic Kerning: Use character spacing to adjust the spacing that follows a letter or symbol. Use the new kerning capabilities of Word to control the spacing between certain letter pairs.
   
   
   
   5. Organizer Feature Helps You Copy and Manage Styles: You can now copy individual styles, macros, AutoText entries, and toolbars between documents and templates.
   
   
   
   6. Reveal Formats: You can use the Help button to display all the formatting information about selected text.
   
   
   



5. New Page Layout Choices
   
   
   1. Columns: Create newspaper-style columns of unequal width. You can now set the width of each column individually.
   
   
   
   2. Print Preview: Print preview can now show you more than two pages so you can get an overview of your entire document. In addition, you can drag text and graphics from one page to another and zoom in to edit text.
   
   
   
   3. Display Multiple Pages in Page Layout View: Using the Zoom command, you can display and edit multiple pages in page layout view.
   
   
   
   4. Table Headings: If a table spans more than one page, you can use the Table Headings command to automatically repeat the table headings on each page.
   
   
   



6. Mail Merge, Step by Step
   
   The Mail Merge Helper simplifies the creation of form letters by taking you through the basic steps for creating any type of mail merge document. You can create a letter and mailing list from "scratch," or use an existing document and data from Microsoft Access(R), Microsoft Excel, or another application.
   
   Print Envelopes and Labels Easily: Word walks you through the formerly time-consuming process of creating envelopes or mailing labels. You don't have to measure labels and change page setups anymore. Word can even add U.S. postal bar codes and Facing Identification Marks (FIM) to your envelopes.



7. Easier-to-Use Interface
   
   The following features make Word 6.0 easier and quicker for you to use:
   
   
   1. Toolbars: Word now has specialized toolbars that you can use for tasks that range from applying formatting to adding line drawings. You can display or hide toolbars individually, and you can move them around on the screen so they're accessible, yet out of the way as you work. You can also add, remove, and rearrange toolbar buttons. You can even create custom buttons (and create graphics for them) to run macros, apply formatting, or carry out commands that you use often. Word provides more than 300 built-in button faces that you can use to customize your toolbars.
   
   
   
   2. ToolTips help you identify toolbar buttons by displaying the name of the button when you point to the button and pause.
   
   
   
   3. Context-sensitive shortcut menus and an improved status bar help you work quickly.
   
   
   
   4. Full Screen View hides menus, toolbars, rulers, and other elements to maximize the text area on your screen.
   
   
   
   5. Drawing Layer: By using the tools on the Drawing toolbar, you can create drawing objects such as squares and polygons that you can use to create organization charts, flow charts, maps, and other line drawings. You can also add callouts to graphics. You can move a drawing object behind text and behind or in front of other drawing objects, and you can align objects by "snapping" them to a grid.
   
   
   



8. Customize Word with New Options
   
   The following new options make Word even more flexible than ever:
   
   
   1. You can add top-level menus to the menu bar, and you can place items on a menu in any order or position.
   
   
   
   2. You can create your own custom toolbars, and you can drag toolbar buttons from one toolbar to another.
   
   
   
   3. You can delete toolbar buttons or menu commands you don't use and add or regroup those you use most.
   
   
   



9. Workgroup Features
   
   Word includes the following new features to help you create, distribute, and produce documents in a workgroup:
   
   
   1. Master documents organize large, complex documents. Use a master document as a "container" to manage a long document that includes many subdocuments.
   
   
   
   2. Send documents to reviewers through electronic mail with the Add Routing Slip command. You can send a document to several reviewers simultaneously or route a single copy from one reviewer to another in the sequence that you specify.
   
   
   
   3. New Annotation features speed up reviews. You can now mark text for annotations so you don't have to retype it or describe it in your annotation. When you consider comments from others, you can view all annotations at once or only those from a single reviewer.
   
   
   
   4. Revision Tracking shows you who did what when. Revision marking now shows you who made a change and when the change was entered. You can display or hide revision marks as you edit a document and select the color and character formatting used to mark changes.
   
   
   
   5. Create Forms to fill in on-screen. The new Forms toolbar makes it easy to create a complex form with text fields, check boxes, and drop-down lists. You can even produce customized help text for each part of a form, and you can protect the form so users can only type in the designated spaces.
   
   
   



10. Getting Help and Learning Word
    
    Online Help is more accessible, context sensitive, and useful than ever before - just double-click the Help button and there it is! You can even keep step-by-step procedures in a separate How To window that remains visible as you work. Each command dialog box includes a context-sensitive Help button that takes you directly to Help for that command. Help includes examples and on-screen demonstrations, and it also contains extensive troubleshooting steps you can follow when you have a problem.
    
    Each time you start Word, you'll see a "Tip of the Day" about how to use Word more effectively. Tips tell you about new features, shortcuts, and new ways to use familiar features.



11. System Requirements
    
    If your computer can run Windows version 3.1, it can run Word 6.0. The hard disk and memory requirements vary, depending on how you install Word and how many Windows-based applications you run simultaneously. The following are the minimum requirements for installing and running Word:
    
    
    • An industry-standard computer with at least an 80286 or compatible microprocessor.
    
    
    
    • Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or later.
    
    
    
    • A hard disk and a 1.2 megabyte (MB) or greater capacity floppy disk drive.
    
    
    
    • To install Word, you need at least 5 MB of space available on your hard disk. To install the complete Word package, you need at least 24 MB of disk space.
    
    
    
    • To run Word, you need at least 4 MB of RAM.
    
    
    
    • EGA or better resolution monitor.
    
    
    
    • A Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device is recommended, but not required.
    
    
    
    • A printer is optional.
    
    
    

Additional query words: voice script msav q & a Q&A 6.0 b_waccess kbappnote

Keywords : kbdta winword macword word6
Version : WINDOWS:6.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo