First, the good news: Microsoft Word is magnificently malleable. If you don't like the way a certain part of Word works, nine times out of ten all it takes is a little gumption and a bit of reading, and you can probably change things around so they work the way you want them to. Word is one of the most complex, most sophisticated, and most useful pieces of software ever created. It's there for you to mold to your way of working. You don't have to settle for the built-in stuff.
Now the bad news: There's a lot of built-in stuff, and a lot of it is annoying. Part of the problem is that everyone works differently, and expects their word processor to work differently also; one user's favorite feature is another's annoyance. But there are other reasons that Word can be annoying: a difficulty (both for users and for the software developers who created Word) to make the transition from the typewriter to the computer; compatibility and the legacy of previous versions; and out-and-out poor design, to name just a few.
You may be annoyed that something (it's called Find Fast) takes over your machine every so often to scan and index your files. Or that it's so difficult to select a block of text that begins in the middle of a word. Or that, when you want to select a new style for some text, a visually attractive drop-down list takes forever to appear. But whatever the immediate cause of the annoyance, what's most annoying is that it's taking you longer than you think it should to perform simple tasks.
Word 97 Annoyances takes a look at many of these annoyances and shows you how to get rid of them so that you can get your work done more easily and efficiently. For instance, the book will show you how to:
Customize the toolbar so it works the way you want it to. You can create toolbars that reflect the way you work, instead of catering to the needs of Microsoft's marketing staff.
Reduce your stress level by taking an in-depth look at what makes Word tick. By understanding how Word defines sections or formats paragraphs, you can begin to understand and accept some apparent annoyances that are built into Word.
Write simple VBA programs to eliminate your own personal annoyances. For example, short VBA programs show how to disable the "Float over text" box that is always checked whenever you try to insert an image into your document.
And while making Word a more productive and easier tool to use, you'll also be enjoying a well-written, extremely humorous computer book.
The problem with Word 97 is that Microsoft designed it to be all things to all people. And everyone knows what results when you try to do that--you end up pleasing no one. Fortunately, the company also made Word reasonably customizable. Word users with the proper information can tweak the application so it looks and behaves to their liking. Word 97 Annoyances shows you how to make the necessary adjustments.
Say you're annoyed with the fact that there's a File Open button on the Word toolbar, but no corresponding File Close button. Word 97 Annoyances shows you how to remedy that shortcoming. Or say you've had it with Word's tendency to hide filename extensions. The book shows you how to fix that, too. Ditto for getting formatting to look right, incorporating nonstandard characters, and dealing with macro viruses. What's more, this book's tutorial on Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)--the tool you use to customize Word in many cases--ranks among the best out there. You'll learn a lot from it and will soon be writing automation routines to beat the band.
There's good news for Word 98 and Word 2000 users, too: Many of the tips in this book apply to your programs. Read it, implement its suggestions, and watch your Word time become more enjoyable and productive. --David Wall
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Must-Have Book:
Great book about learning Word 97 annoyances. Complete coverage of these annoyances is followed by using VBA/Word as a solution to Word 97 annoyances. Very good introduction to VBA/Word. This book belongs on your bookshelf! My only complaint is that the book should be bigger.
Fantastic Book; wish author would update it:
This is a fantastic book, and I would consider it essential to anyone who gets fustrated by Word's tendency to try to help you when you least want any help. Unfortunately the book is now about 3 years old, so some of the information in it no longer applies to Word 2000. You more or less have to determine which portions of the book are out-of-date and skip them. If Woody updates the book, I would buy it immediately.
Words, words, words...:
...Why can't the decisions, rules and controls be mine? Having read this book, I now understand that defaults and standards aren't necessarily the last word. Helpful hints and shortcuts will make life easier for everyone. whether you only ever use word to dash off a letter or you regularly produce complex documants and tables. With a writing style of amiable sarcasm, Woody Leonhard has obviously learned his lessons the hard way. Don't make the same mistake - buy this book!
Word 97 Explained:
This book gives a good explanation on Word 97 and how to use it. Ranging from general windows settings to visual basic for applications (VBA) users from almost any level can find useful advise in this book. Written in an enjoyable style it is an easy read for anyone with interest for word 97. Together with Bill Camarda's 'Using Microsoft Word 97' from QUE for reference/addition you should be able to create some fancy documents.
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