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To customize the Start menu;
• Click the Start buttonClick on Control PanelDouble click Taskbar and Start Menu. The
Taskbar Properties dialog box appears.
• Click the Start Menu Program tab.
• Click on Start menu or Classic Start menu radio button, and modify General and Advanced
tab settings as per your preference on the dialog box that appears.
• We can rearrange items on the Start menu by dragging them to another location on the Start
menu.
We can also customize the taskbar to suit our needs. The taskbar is located at the bottom of the
desktop by default, but we can drag it to any side of the desktop. We can also hide the taskbar until
we want to use it, or we can always display the taskbar on top of other windows.
Figure: 3.17 Customizing the Start Menu and the Taskbar
To customize the taskbar
• Click the Start buttonClick on Control PanelDouble click Taskbar and Start Menu. The
Taskbar Properties dialog box appears.
• Click the Taskbar Program tab.
• Make necessary adjustments including locking/unlocking the taskbar, showing/hiding clock,
quick launch etc.
• Click Apply and then OK.
To set the date and time, double click the clock on the right end of taskbar, and change date and time.
Install and Remove the devices
When you connect any hardware or peripheral to a Windows PC, the system will always try to install and
configure the device automatically using built-in drivers or Windows Update.
Although the system usually does a pretty good job detecting new devices, there will be times when
particular hardware or peripheral won't be detected automatically, or you'll need to configure a wireless
device, in which case, you'll have to add the hardware manually.
In this Windows guide, we'll walk you through the steps to use the Settings app to quickly add devices
(such as mice, keyboards, and printers) to your computer. In addition, we'll also outline the steps to
remove a device, if it's causing problems or you no longer need it.
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Adding (installing) devices
To add new devices, make sure the device is turned on and connected, and do the following:
1. Click start and Open Control Panel (Settings).
2. Click on Device Manager (Devices).
3. Click on device that needs to be installed (Added).
4. Click the Add button.
Figure: 3.18 Adding (Installing) Devices (Process I)
5. Select the device from the list, and click the Add device button.
Figure: 3.19 Add Device
After completing the steps, the device (printer) will install automatically, and you should be able to use
(print) from any application.
Removing devices
If you need to remove a device, the steps are slightly different:
1. Click start and Open (Control Panel) Settings.
2. Click on Device manager (Devices).
3. Click on device.
4. Select the device that you no longer need.
5. Click the Remove device button.
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Figure: 3.20 Remote Device
6. Click the Yes button to confirm.
After completing the steps, it will remove the device (printer) completely from your computer.
Manage password and privacy
Initially when you first set up a new computer, Windows prompts you to set a password for your account.
You may have missed or skipped that step, or previously removed the password. Windows does allow
you to add a password to your account later through the User Accounts feature in the Control Panel
(Settings). Once set, Windows displays a password text bar when it boots up. If a user enters an incorrect
password, he cannot gain access to the account. This security feature prevents curious employees or
malicious hackers from accessing sensitive business data on your computer.
Luckily, there are many ways that you can password protect your computer from being accessed by
people that you don't want to have access to it. Here it will teach you how to Password Protect your
Windows Computer differently.
1. Through Control Panel
a. Go to start and click Control panel
b. Clicks User Accounts
c. Make a new user account or if the existing one is yours then skip this step.
d. Click on your account
e. Click on change password
f. Enter the password and confirm it
g. Click on create password. New password is created.
2. Through Settings
a. Got to start and Click Settings
b. Click the Accounts
c. Click the sign-in options tab
d. Under password, click on change
e. Choose a strong password
f. Click next
g. Select and click finish button
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3. Through BIOS
a. Understand what a BIOS password is: A BIOS password is the extremely strong password that
locks up the hardware and makes the computer completely unusable. There are two different
kinds of BIOS passwords, a User password, and a Supervisor password, their differences are
listed below:
• Supervisor password: This is a password that only locks the BIOS configuration menu. You
might want to at least set this password and make sure that your hard drive is the first boot
device since it will prevent someone from removing your Windows password with a
password reset disk.
• User password: This password locks down your whole computer. When you start up your
computer the first thing that will come up will be a box asking you to enter this password.
You have to enter this password before the computer will start.
b. Open the BIOS: You have to press a button when you see the computer logo at startup to enter
the BIOS. The button you press varies by computer manufactures, below are some of the more
common ones:
• Dell: F2
• HP: F10
• Lenovo: F1
• Asus: Del
• If these buttons don't work, or if you have a different model, then you can try to search online
for the correct way to access your BIOS.
c. Navigate to the Security tab: The tabs will be show near the top and you will typically use the
left and right arrow keys to change the tab selection.
d. Decide what password you want to use: Review the differences between the two passwords
above and decide which one you want to set, or if you want to set both of them.
e. Enter the password that you want to set: Make sure that you remember this password as it can
be difficult to reset it if you forget.
You might want to write the password down on a piece of paper, and then lock the paper in a
safe so that if you ever do forget it, you can still get access to your computer.
f. Head over the Exit tab: Once there, select the option that allows you to save your changes and
exit or reset. Once you do that, the BIOS password will be set.
Customizing Windows
There are many ways you can customize Windows to make your computer more accessible. Accessibility
features have been built into Windows since the introduction of Windows 95. These features are useful for
individuals who have difficulty typing or using a mouse, have moderately impaired vision, or are deaf or
hard-of-hearing. The features can be installed during Setup, or you can add them later from your
Windows installation disks.
• Some of the accessibility features in Windows can be added to earlier versions of those products, and
to MS-DOS, through Access Packs. You can download these files from Microsoft.
• You also can use Control Panel and other built-in features to adjust the appearance and behavior of
Windows to suit varying vision and motor abilities. These include adjusting colors and sizes, sound
volume, and the behavior of the mouse and keyboard.
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• The Accessibility Wizard helps you configure Windows for your vision, hearing, and mobility needs.
• Dvorak keyboard layouts make the most frequently typed characters more accessible if you have
difficulty using the standard keyboard layout. There are three Dvorak layouts: one if you are a two-
handed user, one if you type with your left hand only, and one if you type with your right hand only.
You do not need to purchase any special equipment to use these features.
The specific features available, and whether they are built-in or must be obtained separately, depend
on the operating system you are using.
Step by step guides
Microsoft offers a series of step by step guides that introduce you to some of the most commonly used
accessibility features and show you how to use them to customize your computer. The guides provide
detailed procedures on how to accomplish the customization, generally by selecting options or changing
settings. This information is presented in a side-by-side format so that you can see at a glance how to use
the mouse, the keyboard, or a combination of both.
Figure: 3.21 Step by Step Guides
To set up accessibility options available in Control Panel, open the Accessibility Wizard.
Use control panel, system tools and accessories
Use of control panel
It is an administrative place where all the management function of the computer system remains in.
Control Panel is the centralized configuration area in Windows. It changes nearly every aspect of
the operating system, including keyboard and mouse function, passwords and users, network settings,
power management, desktop backgrounds, sounds, hardware, program installation and removal, speech
recognition, and parental control etc. Think of Control Panel as the place to go in Windows if you want to
change something about how it looks or works.
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Figure: 3.2 Control Panel
1. Appearance and Personalization: The Appearance and Personalization category allows you to change
the look and feel of Windows, which includes adjusting the theme, screen saver, and taskbar. It has a
number of lists of each of the subcategories of Appearance and Personalization in Windows 10.
2. Clock, Language, and Region: The Clock, Language, and Region category is seen when viewing the
Control Panel as categories and allows you to change the date, time, language, and region settings in
Windows. It has a number of lists of each of the subcategories of Clock, Language, and Region in
Windows 10.
3. Ease of Access: The Ease of Access is a category shown when viewing the Control Panel as categories
that adjust the vision, hearing, speech recognition, and mobility settings. It has a number of lists of
each of the subcategories of System and Security in Windows 10.
4. Hardware and Sound: The Hardware and Sound category allows you to add and
remove printers and other hardware, change system sounds, update drivers and more. It has a
number of lists of each of the subcategories of Hardware and Sound in Windows 10.
5. Network and Internet: The Network and Internet category is shown when viewing the Control Panel
as categories and allows you to view your network status and configure other network settings and
preferences. It has a number of lists of each of the subcategories of Network and Internet in Windows
10.
6. Programs: The Programs category is shown when viewing the Control Panel as categories and allows
you to get new programs and uninstall programs on your computer. It has a number of lists of each
of the subcategories of Programs in Windows 10.
7. System and Security: The System and Security category allows you to view computer system
information and settings and view and change the computer security settings. It has a number of lists
of each of the subcategories of System and Security in Windows 10.
8. User Accounts: The User Accounts category is shown when viewing the Control Panel as categories
and allows you to view user accounts, adjust user settings (e.g., passwords), and adjust other user
settings. It has a number of lists of each of the subcategories of the User Accounts in Windows 10.
Use of accessories
Windows provides the tools you need to work and play in today's high-speed communications
environment. Your toolbox includes system tools that help you set and adjust system resources, users and
user groups, and scheduled system tasks. Accessories help you get the job done, no matter what the job is.
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You can create documents and images, calculate figures, schedule your time, and have online meetings
with co-workers. When it's time to enjoy some music, browse the Internet, or play a few games. Your
communications and entertainment tools will help you relax. Some of the tools and accessories that are
included with windows OS are:
Calculator, Wordpad, Notepad, Command Prompt, Accessibility (Magnifier, Narrator, On-screen
keyboard, Utility manager etc), Entertainment (sound recorder, volume control), communications
(network set up wizard, remote desktop connection, network connection etc.), system tools (back up, disk
defragmenter, disk clean up, system restore, character map etc.), and more.
We can access all these tools and accessories by clicking on Start buttonAll ProgramsAccessories.
1. Using Calculator: You can use Calculator in Standard view to do simple calculations, or in Scientific
view to do advanced scientific and statistical calculations.
• To open Calculator, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click
Calculator.
2. Using Character Map : You can use Character Map to copy and paste special characters into your
documents, such as the trademark symbol, special mathematical characters, or a character from the
character set of another language.
• To open Character Map, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System
Tools, and then click Character Map.
3. Using Notepad: Notepad is a basic text editor you can use for simple documents or for creating Web
pages. To create or edit files that require formatting, use WordPad.
• To open Notepad, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click
Notepad.
4. Using Windows Media Player: You can play many types of audio and video files by using Windows
Media Player. You can also play and make copies of your CDs, play DVDs, listen to Internet radio
stations, play clips from a movie, or view a music video on a Web site. You can also use Windows
Media Player to make your own music CDs.
• To open Windows Media Player, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to
Entertainment, and then click Windows Media Player.
• To use Windows Media Player to play audio files, you need a sound card and speakers.
5. MS-DOS Prompt: MS-DOS, the acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, is an operating
system with a command-line interface used on personal computers. You type MS-DOS commands
using a command prompt window. To end your MS-DOS session, type exit in the command prompt
window at the blinking cursor.
• To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then
click Command Prompt.
6. Using Backup: The Backup utility helps you create a copy of the information on your hard disk. In
the event that the original data on your hard disk is accidentally erased or overwritten, or becomes
inaccessible because of a hard disk malfunction, you can use the copy to restore your lost or damaged
data.
• To start Backup, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools,
and then click Backup.
• The Removable Storage service must be started for Backup to work properly.
• You can also use the Automated System Recovery Wizard in the Backup utility to help you repair
your system.
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7. Accessibility Wizard: The Accessibility Wizard guides you through the process of customizing your
computer with tools designed to help meet your vision, hearing, or mobility needs. Accessibility
options (such as StickyKeys, ShowSounds, and Mousekeys) help users with disabilities to make full
use of the computer. Some of the options, such as MouseKeys, may be of interest to all users. Once
the Accessibility tools are set up, they can be accessed through Control Panel and the Accessibility
menu.
• To open the Accessibility Wizard, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to
Accessibility, and then click Accessibility Wizard. The accessibility tools that ship with
Windows are intended to provide a minimum level of functionality for users with special needs.
Most users with disabilities will need utility programs with more advanced functionality for daily
use.
8. Using Disk Defragmenter: Disk Defragmenter consolidates fragmented files and folders on your
computer's hard disk, so that each occupies a single, contiguous space on the volume. As a result,
your system can gain access to your files and folders and save new ones more efficiently. By
consolidating your files and folders, Disk Defragmenter also consolidates the volume's free space,
making it less likely that new files will be fragmented.
• To open Disk Defragmenter, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to
System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
• You can also de-fragment disks from a command line using the defrag command.
9. Using Disk Cleanup: Disk Cleanup helps free up space on your hard drive. Disk Cleanup searches
your drive, and then shows you temporary files, Internet cache files, and unnecessary program files
that you can safely delete. You can direct Disk Cleanup to delete some or all of those files.
• To open Disk Cleanup, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System
Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
Concepts of Open Sources Software
Open source software (OSS) is computer software for which the underlying source code and certain other
rights as granted by software license, which would otherwise reserved for copyright holders, has been
made available for users. Users are then able to read it or change and improve it as they wish. According
to Bruce Perens, "open source is a broad general type of software license that makes source code available
to the general public with relaxed or non-existent copyright restrictions". In the OSS, the source code is
included with the compiled version and modification or customization is actually allowed and
encouraged. Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner The open
source movement believes that allowing modification of the source code will make the software more
applicable, wide spread, useful, error-free over the long term, and encourage state of the art software
development.
The Open Source Initiative, which was established by Raymond and Perens in 1998, determines whether a
software license can be considered open source based on the Open Source Definition.
To be considered as open source software, following criteria must be met:
• The program must be freely distributed (It can be part of a package that is sold though, such as Red
Hat has done with Linux).
• Source code must be included.
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• The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed
under the same terms as the license of the original software.
• Modified versions can be redistributed.
• The license must not require the exclusion of other software or interfere with the operation of other
software.
• The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.
• The license must not discriminate anyone person from making use of the program in a specific field
of endeavor (eg. business or education).
• The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original
software to maintain the Integrity of author's source code.
• License must be technology neutral.
Besides Linux, Mozilla (Netscape browser core), Apache (Web server), PERL (Web scripting language)
and PNG (graphics file format) are all examples of very popular software that is based on open source.
Some examples of open source software are; Apache (Web Server), GNU/Linux operating system, Mozilla
Firefox, Netscape browser, PERL(Web scripting language), PNG (graphics file format).
Advantages and Disadvantages of OSS
The software experts, programmers, researchers and scholars have pointed out some pros and cons of
OSS, and some of them are listed here.
Pros of OSS are
1. Help achieving greater penetration of the market. It helps establish an industry standard and, thus,
gain competitive advantage.
2. Less costs of marketing. It is a good tool to promote a company's image, including its commercial
products.
3. Helps companies to keep abreast of all technology developments.
4. The OSS development approach has helped produce reliable, high quality software quickly and
inexpensively.
5. Provides potential for a more flexible technology and quicker innovation.
6. More reliable due to more independent programmers testing and fixing bugs of the software.
7. It is flexible and easy to build custom interfaces, or add new abilities due to modular structure, and
collaborative work.
Cons of OSS are:
1. OSS development process may not be well defined because many stages of software development
such as testing, documentation etc may be ignored.
2. Unable to produce quality systems due to the unclear processes, the late defect discovery and the
lack of any empirical evidence or data.
3. Only technical requirements may be satisfied and not of the market due to difficulty in designing a
commercially sound business model around the open source paradigm.
4. Security problems, as it may allow hackers to find out the weaknesses or loopholes of the software
more easily.
5. A common concern for end-users who wish to use open source software is the lack of a warranty and
technical support. Because the software's license encourages modification and customization, it is
nearly impossible to support.
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Concept of open sources operating systems
There are mainly two types of software’s, namely proprietary and commercial software’s like Windows
XP, Solaris, and non-commercial and freely available such as FreeBSD, Linux etc. Most software we buy or
download is commercial and only available in the compiled ready-to-run version. It is almost impossible
to modify the compiled version of any software and to see exactly how the different parts of the program
were developed. This could be an advantage for most commercial software developers because it keeps
other developers from copying their code and using it in a competing product. This also helps them to
maintain control over the quality and features found in a particular product.
Free software may include those software which are available free of cost or we can down load without
any registration and charge from the internet. But, they may not include the source code and we can't
modify them as per our requirement. There is some other software which are available free of cost or with
cost, along with their source code and we can modify them. This later category of software is called open
source software, and they are gaining popularity. Linux is an example of operating system available as
open source software.
Introduction to UNIX and Linux
In this lesson we will provide short introduction of two widely used operating systems; Unix and Linux.
Unix is a proprietary software, while Linux falls under open source software.
Unix
Like DOS, UNIX is also an operating system. It is one of the popular OS developed at Bell Labs in 1969 by
Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie. It was based on an earlier system called Multics; the name "Unix" was
a pun on "Multics" because Unix was a cut down version of the earlier system. Multics (Multiplexed
Information and Computing Service) is a mainframe timesharing operating system begun in 1965.
Unix is a powerful, stable, multi-user, multi-tasking operating system that can be used in servers, desktops
and laptops or on a variety of platforms. UNIX system is available both in CUI format and GUI format.
Unix was one of the first operating systems developed in a high-level programming language C, which
allowed it to be easily ported between different hardware platforms. This resulted in greater popularity,
and installed on virtually any computer for which a C compiler existed. Therefore, it was widely accepted
by universities for experiments, and eventually in commercial organizations. Now, Unix runs on
everything from small PCs and embedded processors to huge mainframes and supercomputers, and is
used for tasks ranging from desktop computing and word processing to scientific and financial number-
crunching.
UNIX is not just a single operating system, but it is also a standard upon which organizations and
companies develop their own systems. For examples Mac OS X/Darwin (Apple), GNU/Linux, AIX (IBM),
Solaris (Sun), IRIX (SGI), and FreeBSD are based on UNIX implementation. They have different graphical
interfaces, but they are very similar to each other due to the UNIX shell, and a command line feature
common to all versions. There are both commercial variants of Unix. For example; Sun's Solaris, IBM's
AIX, and Hewlett-Packard's HP/UX; and non-commercial variants such as Linux and FreeBSD, NetBSD
and OpenBSD.
UNIX was first developed as a solution for the software problems, and to address the compatibility issues
existed during it's inception due to the existing customized software. UNIX was;
• Simple and elegant.
• Written in the high level programming language C instead of in assembly code.
• Compatible and able to recycle code.
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Main Features of UNIX
Unix exhibits the following major features;
a. Multi-user OS: Unix is a multi-user operating system which allows more than one user to share the
same computer system at the same time. Different users share the processor hardware and main
memory on a time basis. This switching between user programs is done by part of the kernel. Main
system memory is divided into two portions; one for the operating system and other for user
programs.
Each user who logs in is presented with a shell, and can have an environment distinct from that of
any other user.
b. Multi-tasking OS: It allows to run more than one program at a time. It does this in the same way as a
multi-user system, by rapidly switching the processor between the various programs. OS/2 and
Windows XP are examples of multi-tasking single-user operating system. UNIX is an example of a
multi-tasking multi-user operating system.
A multi-user system is also a multi-tasking system. This means that a user can run more than one
program at once using key selection to switch between them. Multi-tasking systems support
foreground and background tasks. A foreground task is one that the user interacts directly with
using the keyboard and screen. A background task is one that runs in the background (it does not
have access to the keyboard). Background tasks are usually used for printing or backups.
c. Hierarchical Directory Structure: It supports hierarchical file system to hold user data organized and
maintained in the form of directories and files. Similar to DOS, all the files are grouped together in
the hierarchical directory structure like an inverted tree. The top of the hierarchy is called root
directory.
d. Portability: Only the kernel ( <10%) is written in assembler, and rest of the Unix supports a large
number of tools, libraries and utilities such as debuggers, compilers etc. to aid software development
by the programmers who can develop software suitable for varieties of systems.
e. Multiprogramming - Support more than one program, in memory, at a time. It amounts to multiple
user processes on the system at the same time.
Virtual Memory: Unix supports virtual memory. This means, programs larger than the physical
RAM of the system, can be executed.
f. Better System Security: Security refers to preventing users from interfering with each other or data,
programs and operating system. Unix provides security in several ways; using user name and
password for logging in, working according to the permissions such as read or write files, run or stop
programs etc. Unix identifies a user with a userid and groupid and allows access permissions to
resources to be specified using these ids.
g. Network Capabilities: Unix is widely used in servers for network services such as electronic mail,
World Wide Web, file and printer sharing, and security etc. Unix servers provide these services
through an interface called "sockets".
h. Code Recycling: Before the inception of UNIX, all commercially available systems were written in a
code specifically developed for one system. Code recycling features made UNIX compatible with
every system having C compiler, and run on many different types of hardware. This feature helped
different vendors communicate with each other in the same network, and users work on different
systems without the need for extra education to use another computer.
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Components of Unix
The UNIX operating system comprises three parts: The kernel, the standard utility programs, and the
system configuration files.
1. The kernel: The kernel is the core of the UNIX operating system. It is a large program that is loaded
into memory when the machine is turned on, and it controls the allocation of hardware resources
from that point forward. The kernel recognizes all the available hardware resources; like the
processor, RAM, disk drives, NICs, etc. and it has the necessary programs to talk to all the devices
connected to it. Moreover, kernel schedules tasks, manages file access and storage, enforces security
mechanisms, and performs all hardware access and communications in response to system calls.
2. The standard utility programs: These programs include simple utilities like file management (cp, rm,
cat, ls, rmdir, mkdir), user management (passwd, chmod, chgrp), process management (kill, ps),
printing (lpr), and complex utilities, like the shell that allows you to issue commands to the operating
system.
3. The system configuration files: The system configuration files are read by the kernel, and some of
the standard utilities. The UNIX kernel and the utilities are flexible programs, and certain aspects of
their behavior can be controlled by changing the standard configuration files. One example of a
system configuration file is the filesystem table "fstab", which tells the kernel where to find all the
files on the disk drives. Another example is the system log configuration file "syslog.conf", which
tells the kernel how to record the various kinds of events and errors it may encounter.
The Shell
The shell acts as an interface between the user and the kernel. When a user logs in, the login program
checks the username and password, and then starts another program called the shell. The shell is a
command line interpreter (CLI). It interprets the commands the user types in and arranges for them to be
carried out. The shell keeps a list of the commands user has typed in. By typing part of the name of a
command, filename or directory and pressing the [Tab] key, the tcsh shell will complete the rest of the
name automatically. If the shell finds more than one name beginning with those letters user has typed, it
will beep, prompting to type a few more letters before pressing the tab key again, and this is called history.
The UNIX Shell
• enables users to run application programs
• runs when a user logs into a UNIX host
• presents each user with a prompt
• supports a custom environment for each user and stores this information for re-use
• interprets and executes entered commands, handles user input and displays output
Unix Command Syntax
Like DOS, Unix commands also follow certain syntax. A short note of which is provided here;
• All commands have a similar format
• Commands are generally two to five characters long
• Commands are case sensitive
• Options always precede filenames, and prefixed using a - symbol
For example; consider a Unix command syntax ls –al /class --- where ls is a command, al is an option,
and class is a file or directory.
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Advantages of Unix
1. More flexible and can be used on different types of machines, such as main-frame computers,
supercomputers and PCs.
2. More stable and error rate is less than Windows. Therefore requires less administration and
maintenance.
3. Greater built-in security and permissions features than Windows.
4. Much greater processing power than Windows.
5. Highly preferred for the Web. About 90% of the Internet relies on Unix operating systems running
Apache, the world's most widely used Web server.
6. Software upgrades for windows often require the user to purchase new or more hardware or
prerequisite software. That is not the case with Unix.
7. The mostly free or inexpensive open-source operating systems, such as Linux and BSD are based on
Unix. The state-of-the-art software are being developed free of charge for the fast growing "open-
source movement”.
Linux
Linux is, simply, one of the popular operating system. It is an open source version of the Unix, and is
freely distributed. The first version, version 0.02, was first released in 1991 under the GNU General Public
License by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Many people around
the world worked with it, made modifications to the source code, and provided these modified codes to
Linus, who incorporated many of the changes into the baseline version and released Linux version 1.0 in
1994.
Actually, Linux, is only the kernel of the operating system, the part that controls hardware, manages files,
separates processes, and so forth. A kernel is a one small portion of Linux, which forms the base around
which a Linux operating system is developed. But, common use of Linux refers to an entire operating
system built around the kernel. Developers need special tools like the developer environments, editors,
compilers and command lines found in GNU to write applications that can talk to the kernel. They also
need tools and applications to make it easy for outside applications to access the kernel after the
application is written and installed. The collective set of utility tools and applications, combined with a
kernel, is known as the operating system.
After kernel, another important component of Linux is its graphical user interface, known as the X
windows system. X windows is a unique graphical user interface in two major asspects. First, X integrates
with a computer network, allowing users access local and remote applications. Second, X lets you
configure its look and feel as required by using a window manager - on top of X.
Since, the Linux is freely re-distributed, we can obtain it in variety of ways. Various individuals and
organizations package Linux, often combining it with free or proprietary applications. Such a package that
includes all the software you need to install and run Linux as a complete operating system is called a
Linux distribution.
After it's inception hundreds of developers from different countries are contributing to the every kernel
release. Therefore, Linux is developed collaboratively, and no one particular person or company is
responsible for the development or support of Linux. Now a day, Linux is widely used in computing,
mobile phones, OLPC, digital video recorders, servers, PCs and laptops, consumer electronic devices, and
wrist watch to supercomputers etc. Moreover, Linux can also be incorporated directly into microchips in
home appliances and devices as well by means of embedding.
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Therefore, Linux is gaining popularity as a substitute to the proprietary OSs such as Unix, Windows etc.
due to it's flexibility, functionality, adaptability and robustness. It is emerging as a multi-billion dollar
industry, with companies and governments around the world taking advantage of the it's security and
flexibility. Different institutions and companies use Linux for day-to-day use, attracted by the lower
licensing and support costs.
Advantages of Linux
A lot of the advantages of Linux are a consequence of Linux' origins, deeply rooted in UNIX, except for the
first advantage, of course:
1. Very wide range of compatible hardware. It runs on a wider range of hardware platforms and runs
adequately on less costly and powerful systems.
2. Excellent Multi-processing capabilities.
3. Very low Average downtime.
4. Linux source code is readily available.
5. Linux provides more reliable data storage than competing desktop operating systems.
6. Linux is free: Linux is available freely along with its source code. We can even download from the
internet, without paying any registration fee or cost of use. Since it is an OSS we can modify Linux
and redistribute a changed version along with its source code.
7. Linux is Portable: Linux is portable to any hardware platform: A vendor developing a new system
can use Linux. The vendor can use Linux kernel and modify according to his need.
8. Linux is diligent: As with UNIX, a Linux system can run, without rebooting, all the time. Therefore,
many tasks can be scheduled automatically for other free moments, resulting in a more balanced and
maximum use of the hardware.
9. Linux is secure and versatile: The security model used in Linux is based on the UNIX idea of
security, which is known to be robust and of high standard. Linux provides both the network
security against viruses, hacking; and machine level security of documents, files, users and system.
10. Linux is scalable: Linux can be modified to use on small devices like palmtop, house appliances, and
embedded systems or on huge machines like mainframe computers by adding or removing the
appropriate packages.
Disadvantages of Linux
Though the use and popularity of Linux is increasing, there are few disadvantages that may create some
restrictions on its use. The major disadvantages are;
1. Availability of too many different distributions: There are many versions and distributions of
Linux, such as basic Linux, special third party packages like TurboLinux (suitable for the small and
medium enterprise), RedHat (for servers) and SuSE (for workstation), Debian, Slackware etc. So, it is
very difficult to choose the right one from different distributions.
2. Less user friendly and confusing for beginners: Linux core system is less user-friendly to use than
Windows and certainly more difficult than MacOS. But, this gap is being narrowed down day by day
adding new improvements on Linux.
Since Linux is an OSS, the disadvantages of OSS can be discussed as the disadvantages of Linux, as well.
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Computer Software and Operating System Unit 3 … 147.
LINUX DISTRIBUTION
A Linux distribution often shortened to "Linux distro" is a version of the open source Linux operating
system that is packaged with other components, such as an installation programs, management tools and
additional software such as the KVM hypervisor.
Linux distributions, which are based on the Linux kernel, are often easier for users to deploy than the
traditional open source version of Linux. This is because most distributions eliminate the need for users to
manually compile a complete Linux operating system from source code, and because they are often
supported by a specific vendor.
Linux distribution types
Hundreds of Linux distributions are available today, and each targets specific users or systems such as
desktops, servers, mobile devices or embedded devices. Most distributions come ready to use, while
others are packaged as source code that a user must compile during installation.
Some distributions, such as Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux from Red Hat, openSUSE
fromSUSE, Ubuntu from Canonical, and Oracle Linux from Oracle, are commercial, while others, such as
Debian and Slackware, are community-developed. Some commercial distributions, for example those from
Red Hat and Oracle, charge users for services, such as support or custom development, although open
source licensing prohibits charging for the open source software itself.
Linux distro packages
Generally, Linux distributions consist of what are called software packages. These packages contain
specific files, applications or services. For example, a package could be a collection of fonts, web browsers
or development environments. A single Linux distribution could contain thousands of software packages.
In practical terms, however, Linux distros tend to minimize the number of components and modules to
tailor the distro and shrink the operating system's total footprint, especially if the distro will be deployed
in a virtualized environment where many concurrent instances put compute resources at a premium.
A Linux distribution also includes a package management system, or packet manager, which is used to
install, uninstall and manage software packages. These systems also allow for package searches, automatic
software upgrades and verification that all package dependencies are fulfilled. Examples of package
managers include Red Hat Package Manager, Yellowdog Updater, Modified and Advanced Packaging Tool.
Open source development
Linux is founded upon open source software development. Linux distributions emerged under the copy
left stipulations of the Free Software Foundation, which originated the GNU General Public License (GPL).
Copy left dictates that any software taken for free and altered must be consequently distributed for free. So
if a developer uses Linux, or GNU components, to create a new version of Linux, the new version must be
free. Commercial Linux vendors such as Red Hat typically generate revenue from services and tools rather
than the Linux package itself.
Best linux distros
The best Linux distros offer the easiest and simplest way to use Linux, though a lot depends on whether
you are a beginner or advanced user. Each distro offers main path to using Linux, with each distro coming
in many flavors that aim to appeal to different user bases. The examples of most usable distros are:
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Ubuntu
One of the most popular distros because of:
• Very accessible for novices
• Security and stability of Long Term Support version
• Lubuntu spin is great for underpowered PCs
• GUI based Gnome desktop environment
• Ease for beginners
Elementary OS
Probably the best looking distro in the world because of:
• Smart designed and looks great
• Excellent desktop environment is known as Pantheon, and is based on Gnome.
• Not many preinstalled apps
Linux Mint
A strong option for those new to Linux because of:
• Good for beginners
• Good media support
• Impressive customization options
• Elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable GNU/Linux desktop distribution.
openSUSE
Primarily targeted at developers and system administrator because of:
• Very polished distro
• Nicely secure
• Can create your own version of the OS
CentOS
Offshoot of Enterprise version of Red Hat Linux because of:
• Built for stability
• Ideal for a server
• Not so great for daily desktop usage
Arch Linux
Arch Linux or Antergos are sterling Linux options because of:
• Massive potential for customization
• For advanced users
• User-friendly flavors
• A lightweight and flexible
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Mobile Operating Systems (Mobile OS)
Much like the Linux or Windows or Mac operating system controls your desktop or laptop computer, a
mobile operating system is the software platform on top of which other programs can run on mobile
devices.
A mobile operating system, also called a mobile OS, is an operating system that is specifically designed to
run on mobile devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, tablet computers and other handheld
devices.
The operating system is responsible for determining the functions and features available on your device,
such as thumb wheel, keyboards, WAP, synchronization with applications, email, text messaging and
many more. The mobile OS will also determine which third-party applications (mobile apps) can be used
on your device.
Features of mobile OS
1. An excellent intuitive user interface: A good smart phone OS should boot quickly and allow for a
quick and beautiful user interface that is both fully functional and yet not overwhelming to the users
, windows phone , I believe , is doing a really good job at that , it has a pretty minimal design and yet
gives the users some really powerful features. Android on other hand is still termed as techie’s OS,
which it has improved upon largely over past couple of years.
2. A great App Store / App Ecosystem: This is probably the most important success reasons for a
Mobile OS. Android, though was not very simple to operate has a great App Market as well as great
developer ecosystem and that is the reason for its success.
Smart phones are nothing without good and functional apps , and an app store is where you get the
apps , but the prospect of getting quick cash drives some developers to make irrelevant apps and so a
good and curate app store is vital for the smart phone to function as intended . Apple app store is
winning in this respect both in terms of quantity of apps and relative quality of apps.
3. Personal Information Management: Personal information management includes notes, calendar, to-
do lists, alarms and reminders. A Mobile OS needs to have the right information in the right place, in
the right form, and quality to meet user’s needs. Smart phones can then help us spend less time with
time-consuming and error-prone activities of PIM such as looking for information. We then can be a
lot more productive with our time.
Although most modern smart phone operating systems today have a decent PIM built in ,but the
complex nature of the apps that provide these functionality might be overwhelming to some users.
4. Data usage: One major feature of the smart phone systems is the ability to multitask but with that
ability, comes the need to monitor the data and network usage and in some cases even limit them so
that they do not incur additional cost. Android, for one, has a very good data usage monitoring
system but there is no way to limit access for a single app without root access.
5. Battery Management: As smart phones include more sensors and processor cores and graphics
processing unit (gpu), in general more processing power, the amount of power required by the smart
phone keeps on ever increasing, so smart phones need to have a good battery management which
can help battery to last through the day, with moderate to high usage. Graphene batteries / chargers
may help with that in the future, but currently only a few phones last through an entire day of
average use. This is in part a fault of the processor and wireless radio management systems that are
used in the operating system which are not ‘smart’ enough to turn of the radio when not in use for an
extended period of time.
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Types of mobile operating systems
Generally in case of mobile phone, when you purchase the manufacturer will have chosen the operating
system for that specific device. Often, you will want to learn about the mobile operating system before
you purchase a device to ensure compatibility and support for the mobile applications you want to use.
The mobile OS types are developed on their company products.
Most mobile operating systems -- other than Android -- are tied to specific hardware with little flexibility.
Users can jailbreak or root devices, however, which allow them to install another mobile OS or unlock
restricted applications.
There are several mobile OS that are available in the market. Some of the popular ones are:
1. Android OS (Google Inc.): The Android mobile operating system is Google's open and free software
stack that includes an operating system, middleware and also key applications for use on mobile
devices, including smart phones. Updates for the open source Android mobile operating system have
been developed under "dessert-inspired" version names (Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Gingerbread,
Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich) with each new version arriving in alphabetical order with new
enhancements and improvements.
2. Bada (Samsung Electronics): Bada is a proprietary Samsung mobile OS that was first launched in
2010. The Samsung Wave was the first smart phone to use this mobile OS. Bada provides mobile
features such as multipoint-touch, 3D graphics and of course, application downloads and
installation.
3. BlackBerry OS (Research In Motion): The BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system
developed by Research In Motion for use on the company’s popular BlackBerry handheld devices.
The BlackBerry platform is popular with corporate users as it offers synchronization with Microsoft
Exchange, Lotus Domino, Novell GroupWise email and other business software, when used with the
BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
4. iPhone OS / iOS (Apple): Apple's iPhone OS was originally developed for use on its iPhone devices.
Now, the mobile operating system is referred to as iOS and is supported on a number of Apple
devices including the iPhone, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod Touch. The iOS mobile operating system is
available only on Apple's own manufactured devices as the company does not license the OS for
third-party hardware. Apple iOS is derived from Apple's Mac OS X operating system.
5. MeeGo OS (Nokia and Intel): A joint open source mobile operating system which is the result of
merging two products based on open source technologies: Maemo (Nokia) and Moblin (Intel).
MeeGo is a mobile OS designed to work on a number of devices including smart phones, netbooks,
tablets, in-vehicle information systems and various devices using Intel Atom and ARMv7
architectures.
6. Palm OS (Garnet OS): The Palm OS is a proprietary mobile operating system (PDA operating
system) that was originally released in 1996 on the Pilot 1000 handheld. Newer versions of the Palm
OS have added support for expansion ports, new processors, external memory cards, improved
security and support for ARM processors and smart phones. Palm OS 5 was extended to provide
support for a broad range of screen resolutions, wireless connections and enhanced multimedia
capabilities and is called Garnet OS.
7. Symbian OS (Nokia): Symbian is a mobile operating system (OS) targeted at mobile phones that
offers a high-level of integration with communication and personal information management (PIM)
functionality. Symbian OS combines middleware with wireless communications through an
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Computer Software and Operating System Unit 3 … 151.
integrated mailbox and the integration of Java and PIM functionality (agenda and contacts). Nokia
has made the Symbian platform available under an alternative, open and direct model, to work with
some OEMs and the small community of platform development collaborators. Nokia does not
maintain Symbian as an open source development project.
8. webOS (Palm/HP): WebOS is a mobile operating system that runs on the Linux kernel. WebOS was
initially developed by Palm as the successor to its Palm OS mobile operating system. It is a
proprietary Mobile OS which was eventually acquired by HP and now referred to as webOS (lower-
case w) in HP literature. HP uses webOS in a number of devices including several smart phones and
HP Touchpad. HP has pushed its webOS into the enterprise mobile market by focusing on
improving security features and management with the release of webOS 3.x. HP has also announced
plans for a version of webOS to run within the Microsoft Windows operating system and to be
installed on all HP desktop and notebook computers in 2012.
9. Windows Mobile (Windows Phone): Windows Mobile is Microsoft's mobile operating system used
in smart phones and mobile devices – with or without touch screens. The Mobile OS is based on the
Windows CE 5.2 kernel. In 2010 Microsoft announced a new smart phone platform called Windows
Phone 7.
10. KaiOS: KaiOS technologies flagship product, KaiOS, is the leading mobile operating system for
smart feature phones with more than 110 million devices shipped in over 100 countries. KaiOS is
based on HTML5 and other open web technologies. Devices running on the platform require limited
memory, while still offering a rich user experience through access to apps like the Google Assistant,
WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, and Google Maps.
According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) worldwide smart phone that covers
nearly all of that volume running either the Android or iOS platforms.
Period Android iOS KaiOS Windows Other
Dec, 2019 74.13 % 24.79 % 0.35 % 0.13 % 0.60 %
SUMMARY
Software And Classification System Software
A computer cannot do anything on its own. It must be instructed to System software is a set of one or more programs designed to
control the operation and extend the processing capability of a
do a job desired by user. Hence, it is necessary to specify a computer system. In general, a computer’s system software
performs one or more of the following functions:
sequence of instructions a computer must perform to solve a 1. Supports development of other application software.
problem. Such a sequence of instructions written in a language 2. Supports execution of other application software.
understood by a computer is called a computer program. A 3. Monitors and manages effective use of various hardware
program controls a computer’s processing activity, and the resources such as CPU, memory, peripherals, etc.
computer performs precisely what the program wants it to do. 4. Communicates and controls different peripheral devices such
When a computer is using a program to perform a task, we say, it
as printers, disk, tape, etc.
is running or executing that program. Application Software
Types of Software Application software is a set of one or more programs designed to
solve a specific problem, or do a specific task. Application
Although the range of software available today is vast and varied, programs are for executing the user tasks. For example, payroll
most software can be divided into two major categories: processing software, banking software, computer games etc.
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Similarly, a program written by a scientist to solve a research 9. GNU/Linux 10. Solaris
problem is also an application software. The programs included in
an application software package are called application programs. 11. Microsoft Windows
The programmers who prepare application software are referred to
as application programmers. Functions of an Operating System
While an operating system makes the hardware run properly, • Essential Functions: Storage management and processor
application software make hardware do useful work. Application management are two essential functions of an operating
programs are specially prepared to do certain specific tasks.
Application software can be divided into two categories. The system.
categories of application software are:
• Monitoring Functions: These functions are concerned with
collection of resource utilization and system performance
information.
1. Standard Applications Package (Software) • Service Functions: The functions of operating systems that
enhance facilities provided to users is called service function.
2. Specific or Customized Applications Package (Software) Booting
Difference between Hardware and Software There are two types of booting;
Hardware Software 1. Cold Boot - When the computer is switched on for the first
1.Hardware is a physical 1.Software is a code time, the booting process is called Cold Boot.
device. (instruction). 2. Warm Boot - The process to restart the computer that is
already powered on is called Warm Boot, such as pressing
2. Hardware forms structure of 2. It gives life to hardware Reset switch to restart the computer or press Ctrl + Alt + Del.
a computer component.
3. Hardware is generally multi- 3. Most software is designed Windows (Gui) Based Operating System
purpose, in the sense that a to perform only one task, or
variety of different tasks a few similar tasks. The system which follows WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse and
can be performed on the
same piece of hardware. Pointer) mechanism is known as GUI operating system. GUI uses
windows based environment, graphical pictures and symbols
4. It can be seen and touched. 4. It cannot be seen and called icons and menus as commands.
touched.
Features of GUI
5. Hardware is independent of 5. Software is depends on 1. User friendly 2. Web Integration
software. hardware. 3. Improved Reliability 4. Multiple Displays
6. According to their function, 6. They are system and 5. Power Management 6. More Multimedia Function
they are input, output, application software.
processor, and memory. and Entertainment
7. Built in Networking 8. Windows Explorer
7. For example, Mouse, 7. For example: OS, Word 9. Plug and Play 10. OLE (Object Linking and
Monitor, and Hard disk etc processor, Photoshop etc. Embedding)
Web Based Application 11. WIMP based system 12. Long File Names
Web-based applications are a particular type of application 13. Multitasking 14. Software Compatibility
software that allows users to interact with a remote server through
a web browser interface. They have seen a huge increase in 15. Easy Internet Access and Resource Sharing
popularity in recent years, replacing desktop applications and
becoming a crucial instrument for small and large businesses 16. Hardware Compatibility
around the world.
Desktop Application and Windows Environment
Mobile Apps The major components that are used while working with a window
environment are described here.
A mobile application (also called a mobile app) is a type of 1. Desktop 2. Window
application designed to run on a mobile (portable) device, which
can be a smart phone or tablet computer. Even if apps are usually 3. Pointer 4. Pointing Device
small software units with limited function, they still manage to
provide users with quality services and experiences. This type of 5. Icons 6. Menus
apps is isolated instead of integrated application software system.
7. Taskbar 8. Windows Explorer
9. Right Mouse Button 10. Shortcuts
11. Search Utility 12. Help
Operating System History (Etymology) Windows Desktop Icons
1. Resident monitor 2. Temporary storage • My Computer: It provides direct access to local drives, printers,
Control panel, system tasks, and the Network places etc..
3. Multiprogramming 4. Timeshare
5. Real time 6. Multiprocessor • My network places: provide access to networks, shared
resources on the machine, FTP sites and computers on local
7. MS-DOS 8. Mac OS
and wide area network.
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• My Documents: It provides quicker access to letters, reports, Linux
and other documents and files. Linux is gaining popularity as a substitute to the proprietary OSs
such as Unix, Windows etc. due to it's flexibility, functionality,
• Recycle Bin: Provides drag and drop a facility, deletion of file adaptability and robustness. It is emerging as a multi-billion dollar
from folders in the machine and provides a second chance to industry, with companies and governments around the world taking
advantage of the it's security and flexibility. Different institutions
recover files deleted from the hard disk. and companies use Linux for day-to-day use, attracted by the
lower licensing and support costs.
• Computer: It allows looking at a glance to all the resource
available on the machine such as floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, Linux Distribution
Hard Disk etc. If you have network drives mapped as local
drives they will also show up here. Double clicking on a drive A Linux distribution often shortened to "Linux distro" is a version of
of my computer will open another window containing the main the open source Linux operating system that is packaged with
files and folders on the selected drive. Double clicking on any other components, such as an installation programs, management
of the folders in the drive window will open another window tools and additional software such as the KVM hypervisor.
showing the contents of the folder.
Features of Mobile OS
• Explorer: As the name suggests, Explorer lets us explore the 1. An excellent intuitive user interface
contents of your computer and do file management. 2. A great App Store / App Ecosystem
3. Personal Information Management
Main Features of UNIX 4. Data usage
5. Battery Management
a. Multi-user OS b. Multi-tasking OS Types of Mobile Operating Systems
1. Android OS (Google Inc.)
c. Hierarchical Directory Structure d. Portability 2. Bada (Samsung Electronics)
3. BlackBerry OS (Research In Motion)
e. Multiprogramming f. Better System Security 4. iPhone OS / iOS (Apple)
5. MeeGo OS (Nokia and Intel)
g. Network Capabilities h. Code Recycling 6. Palm OS (Garnet OS)
7. Symbian OS (Nokia)
Components of Unix 8. Web OS (Palm/HP)
9. Windows Mobile (Windows Phone)
1. The kernel 10. Kai OS
2. The standard utility programs
3. The system configuration files
The Shell
The shell acts as an interface between the user and the kernel.
When a user logs in, the login program checks the username and
password, and then starts another program called the shell. The
shell is a command line interpreter (CLI). It interprets the
commands the user types in and arranges for them to be carried
out.
EXERCISE
Short Answer Questions
1. Define software.
2. Define system software.
3. Define application software.
4. Define assembler.
5. Define defragmentation utility.
6. Define hardware.
7. Define etymology.
8. Define resident monitor in OS.
9. Define multiprogramming OS.
10. Define real time OS.
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11. Define multiprocessing OS.
12. Define booting.
13. Define buffering.
14. Define spooling.
15. Define virtual memory.
16. Define GUI OS.
17. Define plug and play.
18. Define desktop.
19. Define open source.
Long Answer Questions
1. Explain types of system software.
2. Explain types of application software.
3. Differentiate between compiler and interpreter.
4. Explain role of operating system.
5. Briefly explain the function of operating system.
6. Briefly explain GUI features.
7. Briefly explain windows environment.
8. Write steps to add and remove programs from the system.
9. Define file and folder. Write steps how they are created.
10. Write steps how to install and remove device.
11. Write steps how to manage password and privacy.
12. Briefly explain the open source software.
13. Briefly explain Unix OS.
14. Briefly explain Linux OS.
15. Define and explain mobile OS.
16. Briefly explain types of mobile OS.
17. Differentiate between CUI and GUI system.
Activities
1. With the guidance of teacher install operating system (Windows OS, Linux)
2. With the presence of teacher install and remove devices.
3. Use defragmentation utility in your hard disk and observe the result.
4. Change new user name and password in your system.
■■■
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Application Package
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, the students will be able to understand to:
Applications are users’ features of the system, it requires individually as their types of jobs they
are working. Basically in home and office day to day operation needs generalize as well as
specific application for automation, means running jobs competently and smoothly. For that
........ we need concepts of word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and database. With this we can ..........
..
create attractive customized documents, huge numerical data manipulation using formula and
functions through datasheet and charts, quality presentable slides presentation using customize
animation and transition and concepts of data storing and managing in such a way whenever
it required will have knowledge at the end of this unit.
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APPLICATION PACKAGE
We have already discussed about different types of software including application software. The computer
couldn't do anything, unless we provide instruction to it in the form of program or software. According to
our program, computer produces the desired result. Therefore, whenever we buy a computer, besides an
operating system, we must buy and install some application software according to our need and purpose.
The software may be required for preparing the documents and reports, making mathematical calculations
or solving science and engineering related problems, drawing and pictures, preparing presentations,
database management. Some of these may be general purpose or may be used by professionals for specific
task. Whatever be the purpose of the software, they are used by the users to process and perform their
usual task. The software that is used by the users for solving their problems is called application software.
The group or suite of general purpose software that are used for user's day to day work are called
application package. The readymade packages can be available in the market on CDs. They can be used by
user who does not know the computer programming. The users solve their problems by using readymade
packages more easily and quickly. Microsoft Office package is one of the examples of application package
suite. Office package generally includes the following application software;
• Word processing software: eg. Microsoft word
• Spreadsheet software: eg. Microsoft excel
• Database Management System software: eg Microsoft Access
• Presentation software: eg. Power Point
• Graphics software: eg Microsoft Paint, Microsoft Office picture manager
• Communication software: eg Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer
This application suite helps us to run our day to day office work, business transactions, and personal work
at home, communication with peoples, teaching and learning or make presentations in seminars and
workshops.
In this unit we will discuss about the most important and useful software such as word processor,
spreadsheet and presentation software as part of application packages.
Concept of Word Processor
There are many ways to communicate and share our ideas and thoughts with others. One of the best and
effective ways is to use written words. Any kind of formal and informal messages can be communicated in
written form. But, mostly in formal communication, the written message should be clearly expressed,
organized into paragraphs and sentences without any grammatical errors. Similarly, the document must
be attractive with neat text, proper margin setting, and indentation. If we use handwritten text or type
writer, it is difficult to make necessary correction and organize the text properly because a small change
may spoil the appearance clarity of the document, and we won't be able to reorganize the document
without retyping whole text.
A document will be neat and clean, formally organized and attractive if we adopt the following procedure;
• A long document broken down into small paragraphs.
• Proper line spacing.
• The words at the end of the line should be complete.
• The important words and headings should be highlighted either by underlining, making bold or by
using different font and size.
• There shouldn't be any grammatical and spelling errors.
• The page should have proper margins.
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In handwritten or type written documents, we can't maintain the above qualities. The application software
can help us in performing the above tasks. Therefore, the software that helps in electronically processing
the text is called 'word processor' or 'word processor package. Word processing is a technique for typing,
editing, storing electronically on disks, formatting, manipulating, displaying and printing documents with
the help of computer and printer. The word processor is a computer program that is used to prepare a
systematic and organized document. In a computer, word processing software such as MS Word, and a
printer and display unit are required to perform word processing.
Word Processing Task Includes
• Typing the text
• Editing the text whenever necessary.
• Moving or copying and pasting any portion of the text from one place to another place within the
document or between files.
• Inserting or deleting the spaces, texts, and paragraphs, page numbers.
• Adjusting line spacing, indentation and paragraphs.
• Word wrapping and justifying the text to right margin.
• Selecting different fonts and size of fonts.
• Adjusting page margins and location of text within page.
• Setting headers, footers, and footnotes.
• Finding and replacing the words or group of words.
• Checking spellings, grammar, and making corrections.
• Storing and printing the document.
• Batch mailing or Mail merging.
• Creating or adding diagrams and flow charts.
• Creating word arts, styles, and inserting pictures, graphs, tables.
• Creating Table of Contents with section, titles and page numbers
• Creating Tables of Figures with caption titles and their page number.
• Cross referencing with section or page numbers
• Calculating various statistics such as character and word count, sentence count, line and paragraph
count etc.
Uses of Word Processing
Normally, word processors are typically used in home, education, and business to accomplish the
following tasks:
• Preparing brochures/legal copies
• Preparing Newsletters
• Preparing Notes/Reports/reference documents
• Making advertisements, memos and Notices
• Resumes and cover letters/applications/resumes
• Preparing Essays/research and publications/books
• Creating directories
• Developing World Wide Web pages, and many more.
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Types of Word Processing
Different types of word processing programs are available in the market free of cost or with price tags.
Some of them are very simple suitable for beginners, while the other are equipped with different tools and
options, and suitable for advanced and professional users. The choice of word processing package may
depend on level of user such as beginner or advanced; purpose of use like learning to use or preparing
professional documents; location of user such as home user or mobile user; and cost of the program etc.
Therefore, word processing is a program, presence of which makes the act of writing and editing
automated to some extent. They are also known as 'document preparation (production) systems', as they
are solely used in composing, editing, formatting and printing. The word processing programs of early
days were simple, crude, and capable of just writing and simple editing, but the recent programs integrate
many different advanced powerful tools and options, allow the user to share the document with others,
design it in different layouts, and customize the documents in relatively sophisticated way. The word
processing packages may be available as a standalone program or as an integrated package with other
programs.
There are mainly two kinds of word processors depending on the type of interface used. They are;
1. Graphical word processor: The word processors that we use today are graphical in nature. When we
type, it types on the page, and we can be able to differentiate between bold, italics etc in real time.
2. Modal word processor: The word processors used earlier were modal and they used markup
languages for text styles and fonts, such as VI for UNIX, and Notepad.
Depending on the purpose and sophistication of the word processing program, the word processor can be
divided into five categories. They are;
1. Text Editor
2. Integrated Packages
3. High-end Word Processor
4. Desktop Publishing
5. Sign/Banners Programs
1. Text Editors: These are the programs that are mostly available as built-in component of an operating
system. Therefore, when we buy a computer, it comes with text editor already installed on it. Text
editors are small, simple and cheap word processing programs. Most of these programs save the file
in ASCII, Unicode, UTF-8 etc format, and they can read and write any ASCII text written on any text
editor. Text editor like Notepad is generally used for creating simple documents, and to view or edit
text (.txt) files, but they do not format them. The programmers, web site designers, computer system
administrators, mathematicians and scientists (eg. LaTeX) generally use text editors.
Since they are mostly free of cost, they are available free on the Internet. They are easy to learn. But,
the major disadvantage of any text editor is that they can't perform advance formatting like changing
layouts, font size, styles, spell checking, creating tables, and making the document more attractive,
fancy and professional. The text editors are suitable for beginners and for storing text information.
The commonly used text editors are;
• 'Notepad' for windows
• 'Edit' for DOS
• 'Simple' Text for Macintosh
• BBEdit
• Kate
• Gedit
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2. Integrated Packages: Integrated packages are large programs that include a word processor, a
spreadsheet, a database tool, and some other application packages in the same program. All the
application packages are integrated part of the same program and are developed by the same
company. The individual applications within the package are small and mostly stripped down or
older versions of larger high-end programs, they are less complicated and relatively easy to use.
Since they are included as integrated package, all the applications use almost same menu structure
and similar commands.
When we buy a computer, the integrated packages are often already installed on it. Therefore, they
are also available almost free of cost. The integrated packages are developed specially for casual
users, and are more powerful than a typical text editor with some advanced formatting features. The
major disadvantage of integrated packages is that they do have fewer features than high-end
software and are fewer users friendly. Moreover, they may have their own special code for storing
textual information. Some of the common integrated packages are;
• Microsoft Works
• Lotus Works
• Claris Works
3. High-End Word Processors: Earlier word processors were intended mostly for beginners, and just to
write and save the text for future reference rather than preparing professional documents. They do
lack the advance formatting tools, options, and sophisticated features. But, along with the
development in hardware and software, the word processing programs have also gone miles ahead.
The real strength of any processor lies not on just writing and making simple edit, but on formatting
capabilities it has. Therefore, a word processor should have WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You
Get) interface. That means, the screen will look almost similar to the finished document. The print
out will be same as the screen.
High-end word processors are full featured and full powered word processing software. Though,
they are highly preferred by the professional users, they are equally simple and useful for beginners
as well. They are used equally in homes, schools and colleges, offices, business and anywhere.
The program saves the document in special proprietary codes rather than ASCII, and can save all
types of formatting. But, due to its special proprietary code, the document prepared in one program
may not be read properly in other program. Another disadvantage, especially for simple casual user,
could be the high cost of word processor.
The formatting features of high-end word processors allow the user to manipulate the individual
character, line, paragraphs, pages and documents in various ways. Moreover, they are more users
friendly, and the editing process is simple and easy. They include additional tools and options like
spell checker and thesaurus, diagrams, drawings and graphics, tables, mathematical formulas,
bookmark and hyperlink, auto correct and mail merge etc.
Since, most of the computer users spend most of their computer time working on word processors,
the software companies are always competitive to make word processors graphics based, include
more and more advance and user friendly features including simple to learn, simple help, tutorials
and on line helps, clear and simple menus etc. Some of the commonly used high-end word
processors are;
• Commercial Word Processing Packages
• Microsoft Word
• WordPerfect
• WordStar
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4. Desktop Publishing: Desktop publishing program is software that allows creating documents other
than plain text and layout for publication. It integrates text and graphics, creating or applying style
sheets to automate consistent formatting of the text, titles, subtitles etc. It imports the text already
created using any text editor or word processor, and applies powerful formatting tools styles to that
text to create pamphlets, cards, signs, and other types of documents that are not possible in simple
word processor.
Though the high-end word processor can be used skillfully to develop the same kind of documents
as of desktop publisher, but the desktop publishers are still more popular in certain fields like
graphic arts, printing and press, and publishing sector such as publishing books, printing news
papers and journals etc. The most widely used desktop publishing program is PageMaker.
5. Signs/Banners: Sign/Banner is also a kind of desktop publishing software which uses specifically
designed printing programs. They are easy to learn and use. They are specially used in creating
signs, banners, greeting and invitation cards, and graphics. They have all the features of desktop
publisher, but are comparatively much cheaper.
The Print Shop, and Print Master+ are examples of signs/banners word processors. Similarly, the
word processors can also be categorized based on the cost and availability of the software. For
example; Free/open source software (AbiWord, Bin, KWord), Proprietary software or Commercial
software (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Work, Lotus Word Pro, WordPad, Notepad, Word Perfect,
Mellel), Freeware (OpenOffice, Madhyam, KingsoftOffice), Online Word Processors (Google Docs,
EtherPad, Adobe Buzzword) etc.
Basic Terms of Word Processing
Every general purpose computer almost always comes with word processor. It helps user to compose, edit
and format letters, business reports, books etc. There are some basic key terms or terminologies which are
unique and common in every word processing program. The knowledge of these key terms helps
understanding the concept and functions of word processor and use it properly. Some of the widely used
terminologies of word processing are described here.
1. Typeface: A typeface indicates the shape of the character or the type of font. The shape (such as
narrow, rounded, thickness etc) of the characters differs from font to font; such as, Times New
Roman, Arial, Tahoma, Courier, Preeti, Kantipur, Himali Bold etc.
2. Font: A collection of letters and numbers in a particular typeface is called font. Font also includes
size, pitch and spacing of characters. Such as Times New Roman font, size 12, style italic etc.
Generally, the document uses default font setting, but the user can change and use any font
according to his requirements.
3. Formatting (Page Layout): Format means layout of a document. Therefore, formatting is the process
of defining how a document will look like on the screen and when printed. User can change the font,
size and style, alignment, margins, header and footer, text direction, columns, border and shading,
bullets etc.
4. Alignment: Alignment determines the distance or position of the line of text relative to a determined
edge. It refers to how the text is lined up between the margins. Almost all the word processors are
left justified. So, the left margin is lined up perfectly, but the right margin is somewhat ragged. The
computer keeps track of right margin, and breaks the line on reaching the right margin. The text may
align left, right or center horizontally. We may soothe the text edges on both sides. That means we
can adjust the horizontal spacing so that the text is aligned evenly along both the left and the right
margins. This is called justification. In Ms Word, select the text and click the Align Left or Align Right
or Center button for alignment; and Justify button for justification. We may use Format
ParagraphAlignment dropdown box.
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5. Tab: Tab is a kind of white space. It works like the tab function on a typewriter. Tab stops can be set
in the ruler at the top of the page. When the tab key is pressed, the cursor will move to the next tab
location. This allows the user to indent lines, paragraphs and lists.
6. Margins: Margins are the blank areas outside the print area on the edges of the document. or the
blank space to the left side, right side; and at the top and bottom of a page. The size of the margins
can be increased or decreased. In Microsoft Word, to change the margin go to FilePage Layout
Page SetupMargin tab, and changing the numbers as needed on the Margin tab.
7. Header/Footer: Headers and footers are special areas at the top and bottom margins respectably, of
the page in a document. The area on the header and footer are not used for regular text, but reserved
for special use like a title at the top, page numbers, document name, author, and footnotes. The
content of header and footer appears on every page of the document. To insert header and footer in
Ms Word, go to Insert Header and Footer. The header and footer will appear as dotted line. But,
both of them will gray out once we return to main document.
8. Line Spacing: Line Spacing is used for paragraph formatting. It refers to the number of blank spaces
or white spaces between lines of type in a paragraph. The standard line spacing are single-spaced,
1.5, and double-spaced etc. But we can change the spacing to any amount of line spacing. To work
with line spacing in Ms Word, go to Page Layout Paragraph, and change the setting in Spacing
Line spacing.
9. Word Wrap: Word wrap is a feature of word processing which allows automatic movement of words
too long to fit in the current line onto a new line without having to tap the enter/return key at the
end of each line.
10. Table: The high-end word processors allow us to create tables and manage data within them. A table
is a combination of rows and columns. We can usually select the number of rows and columns,
change the size and format of rows and columns, and easily copy and paste specific cells. To create
table in Ms Word, go to InsertTable Insert Table, and then type number of columns and rows,
or draw table using InsertTable Draw Table option.
11. Spell Checker: Word processors contain a spell checker which can be used to verify the correct
spelling of words in a document by comparing each word with the electronic dictionary. Good spell
checkers 'guess' which word the user is typing and provide the user some options to choose from.
Spell checkers are particularly valuable for catching typos, but they are not much helpful when
misspelling creates another valid word; such as 'too' instead of 'to'.
Some programs automatically check the spelling and put a squiggly red line under the misspelled
word. We may use ReviewSpelling and Grammar… option to use spell checker. It can be built in
within the word processor or we may need to buy a standalone utility for spell checking.
12. Grammar checkers: High-end word processors are generally equipped with the facility to check
common mistakes or errors in grammar. The common mistakes can be mechanical such as
incomplete sentence, and subject verb agreement, misuse of punctuations etc. Sometimes, grammar
checkers are also available as separate programs. Some programs automatically check the grammar
and puts a squiggly green line under words or sentences that may be grammatically incorrect.
13. Thesaurus: It helps to find the words with similar or opposite meanings, and can be used to replace
the word with another word that is similar.
14. Indent: It refers to the distance or the number of blank spaces that are used to separate a paragraph
or line from the left or right margin. If the paragraph is pulled outside of the left margin, then the
indent is said to be negative, and it is called outdent. Similarly, if all the lines but the first is indented,
it is called hanging indent. We can use standard tool bars or the Page Layout Paragraph option,
and the Indent and spacing tab to change the indent.
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15. Hanging Indent: The hanging indent feature indents the first line of the paragraph from the margin
by the amount specified in the Left field. The amount in the Left field plus the amount specified in
the By field indent all subsequent lines.
16. Ruler: Using space bar and return key to align the text may create problem of consistency in editing
and formatting. So, we can use ruler at the top of the page to set the indent, margin and tab markers.
This allows us to use complex formatting options.
17. Outline Editors: This allows creating, arranging, and manipulating the document in outline format.
In this view, user can choose to see and work with only main headings or titles hiding all the body
text. User can move the main headings around and all the associated body text with the headings
will automatically move appropriately.
18. Template: It specifies how a document will be created. Word processor contains pre-designed built-
in templates that allow users to easily create complex output such as brochures, schedules and
greeting cards by creating initial setting and formats. A word processing program like Microsoft
Word uses the “normal” template as the basis for all documents. A user can modify the “normal”
template, and/or may create other templates.
19. Print Preview and Print: Print preview is a command that gives the picture of what the page will
exactly look like after printing. This is specially used in programs with non-WYSIWYG environment.
This helps ensuring the output as desired.
A print command copies the document to the printer to produce hard copy output. A printer must be
connected to use the print command. We can choose the type of printer, number of copies, page
number or range of pages to be printed etc, while issuing the print command.
We can use the icons on the tool bar or choose menu to issue print preview and print commands. In
Ms Word, menu is available at File (Office Button) Print Preview or Print.
20. Orientation: Orientation is a page formatting command which allows specifying how the
information will be printed on the page. There are two modes Portrait and Landscape for text
orientation. In Portrait mode, the text has 'up and down' orientation like type written document. That
means, the long part of the document is printed vertical, like in portrait painting. Portrait mode is the
default mode. In the landscape mode, the document is printed 'sideways'. This means, the document
is printed with long part of the page horizontal as in landscape painting.
21. Document: Any document is a written account of ownership or obligation. In PC, a document was
originally used to represent a file created by a word processor. Therefore, it was used for a text file.
Text file may contain graphics, charts, pictures, and other objects. But, with the advancements in
software, a word processor may use graphics, and a graphic file may use text. Hence, now a days, a
document generally refers to any kind of file created by any application; for example, Microsoft
Word (.DOC or .DOCX), Microsoft Excel (.XLS or .XLSX), Adobe Acrobat (.PDF), multimedia
(.MPEG, .WAV), executable (.EXE), graphic (.GIF, .JPEG), text (.TXT), and so on. These files reside in
folders.
22. Window: It is an enclosed rectangular area on the screen on which we work. Whenever we open a
program, a window is displayed on the screen. GUI based systems allow to divide display screen
into several windows. Each window can be used to run a different program or display different data.
In multitasking environment, we can execute several programs at once using window. By splitting
the display into windows, we can output from all the programs at the same time. But, only one
window will be active. We can change the active window by clicking to bring it into foreground.
Windows can be arranged in such a way that they do not overlap with each other. This arrangement
is called tiled windows. The other arrangement is called overlaid windows or cascading windows, in
which windows overlap with each other. The windows can be tiled horizontally or vertically or can
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be compared side by side. We can move a window to the top of the overlaid windows by clicking the
mouse pointer at the visible portion of hidden window, and this is known as popping.
23. Desktop: The area displayed in front of the user on the screen when he switches on the computer is
called desktop. Computer desktop is much like the physical desktop. Physical desktop contains pen,
pencil, ruler, books, copies etc at one place, and in the same way the computer desktop also serves
almost the same purpose by gathering all the commonly used components at on place. It is found in
GUI based systems, and is used as a metaphor to portray the file system. A desktop consists of
symbols and pictures called icons. The icons represent various types of documents in the form of
cabinets, files, and folders. We can arrange and rearrange the icons by moving them around, putting
on top of other, reshuffling them, and deleting them.
24. Insert Mode: Word processors use two text entry modes- insert mode, and overwrite or overstrike
mode. In insert mode, all the typed characters are inserted at the cursor position or at the right of the
insertion point. Characters, already inserted on the right side, are pushed over to the right of the
cursor to make room for every new insertion or typing, by the editor. Insert mode is the default mode
for text entry.
If we turn off the insert mode, then it is called overwrite mode. Because, the editor over writes or
deletes the existing characters rather than inserting new character before the existing one. Almost all
types of keyboards have an Insert or Ins key which helps switching between insert and overwrite
modes.
25. Autocorrect: This is a special feature of most of the word processors that automatically detects and
corrects typos, misspelled words, and incorrect capitalization. When the user makes typo while
typing characters in the cell or field, a drop down list appears with suggestions from which the user
can select the correct word.
26. Accent Mark: It is a term used to denote a specific pronunciation of some characters. Accent mark is
also called diacritical, and commonly used in Greek, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Russian
languages. For example;
Greek Capital Letter Omega: Ώ
Latin Capital Letter A with Grave: À
Latin Capital Letter A with Circumflex: Â
Latin Small Letter E with Caron: ě
27. Boilerplates: The text, picture or graphics elements which can be used again and again are called
boilerplates. For example; we can create mail merge boilerplate which contains all the standard mail
information that does not change. The mail merge boilerplate elements can be senders name, address,
email, phone number etc which are used in every mail. When we create a new mail, we can insert the
boilerplate rather than retyping them again and again.
28. Selection Bar: Selection bar is the area to the left of the text on the screen or the page. The mouse
pointer changes to a right pointing arrow as we move the pointer into the selection bar. It can be used
to select the text. If we click on the selection bar once, twice or thrice, a line, paragraph or the whole
text will be selected respectively.
29. Bullets and Numbering: A word processing program can automatically add bullets and/or numbers
to the text.
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30. Toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar,
click Customize on the Tools menu, and then click the Toolbars tab.
Figure: 4.1 Annotated Word Toolbars
31. Drawing Canvas: It is an area on which you can draw multiple shapes. Because the shapes are
contained within the drawing canvas, they can be moved and resized as a unit.
32. Clip Art is a collection of graphic images stored on disk that can be copied and pasted into drawing
programs such as Paints.
In this chapter, we discussed some of the most important and commonly used terminologies of word
processing. There are many more such terminologies which can be learnt while working with word
processing applications.
Working and Editing Text
This is the first chapter for learning and practicing word processing. In this lesson we will deal with
creating and saving a new file or document, opening an existing file and saving it under different name;
and moving around in a document. Similarly, we will discuss about how to cut, copy and paste, how to
undo or remove mistakes; and how to correct spelling errors etc.
Working and editing text means creating a document, saving it, modifying it, adding deleting or moving
the content of the document. Editing may include selecting, copying or cutting a portion of the document,
moving it to the new location by pasting. Doing or undoing a particular action, finding a particular text
and replacing or deleting. Similarly, finding spelling errors and grammar errors; and correcting them
using spell checker and thesaurus also come under editing the text. We can use edit menu to edit the text
in a document.
Objectives
• Opening a document and giving it a different name
• Understanding how to move through a document
• Viewing a document in different modes
• Cutting, copying, and pasting text
• Finding and replacing text
• Using spelling checking, the thesaurus, and word count
• Inserting special characters
• Using undo and redo
• Specifying which pages to print or printing multiple document copies
There are varieties of word processing software available in the market, but one of the commonly used
word processing application in Nepal is Microsoft Word (MS Word) bundled under Microsoft Office
Package. Therefore, we will learn basic concept of word processing using Ms Word.
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1. Starting MS Word
We can use any one of the following methods to start Ms Word.
1. In GUI mode: Click on StartAll ProgramsMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Office Word.
2. In Command prompt mode: Click StartRun, and Enter Winword in the address space in Run
window.
3. We may start Word by double clicking on the short cut icon (if available) on the desktop.
2. Creating a New Document
If you want to create your own document from scratch, then follow the procedures given below;
1. Go to the menu and Click Office Button (File)New or Press <Ctrl + N> keys simultaneously.
2. Click on Blank Document option on the New Document Task Pane on the right side ( if the
blank document doesn't appears) or Click on New Blank Document button on tool bar.
A screen similar to the one shown below should appear:
Figure: 4.2 Creating a New Document
3. Opening an Existing Document
Instead of creating a new file, if you want to work on a file which was already created and saved, you
need to open the document. To open the existing saved file, the steps are;
1. Go to the menu and Click Office Button (File)Open or Press <Ctrl + O> keys simultaneously
or Click on Open button on tool bar or Click on From Existing Document option on the New
Document Task Pane on the right side
2. Then select the file by specifying the file name and its location from the Open window that
appears.
4. Saving the Document
Once we create a file, we must save for future reference. Saving a document means storing it in a
storage device. To save a document we must give it some specific name. In office 2003, the word file
has .doc extension. There are two methods two save a document. If you have created a new file then
use the following procedure to save it;
A> Click Office Button (FileSave As
B> Select the Save in location and give File Name.
If you want to save a already saved document with a different file name or save with the same name
in a different location, then use the following procedure;
A> Click Office Button (File)Save As
B> Specify a different name other than the original name or Specify the Save in location to change
the location, and give new file name if you wish to give new name.
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5. Typing or Inserting Text
A cursor is displayed on the text window. Just start typing your text. New lines are created
automatically on reaching the end of the current line. User needs to press <Enter> key when he
wishes to start a new paragraph or when wants to break the line.
Creating a new page
If you want to create a new page from the current page within the document, Go to menu and Click
Page LayoutBreakSelect Page Break under Break Types.
Deleting Character, Word or Block of Text
While typing if you made mistake, press the <backspace> key if the cursor is at the end of the text. It
will delete the last character typed, one character at a time. You can move the cursor to the start of
the text and press <Delete> which deletes the character to the right of the cursor, one at a time.
Similarly, you can delete a word, a line, a sentence or a paragraph etc at a time by first selecting the
unnecessary text and pressing Delete key. The required text can be selected as follow;
A Word Double Click the word
A sentence Hold down <Ctrl> key and click anywhere in the sentence.
A paragraph Double-click in the selection bar to the left of the paragraph.
A Document Hold down the <Ctrl> key and click the selection bar, or, press Ctrl+A keys
together.
Or we can select the text by following the procedure described below;
1. First position and click the left mouse button at the starting point of the text to be selected to
position the cursor there.
2. Point to the end of the text, and click left mouse button holding the Shift key at the same time,
or Press the left mouse button and drag it upto the end of the text. The selected text will be
highlighted.
6. Unselecting the Text
To unselect the text, click the mouse pointer outside the selected text area.
7. Undoing and Re-doing
Sometimes, we may make mistakes while preparing a document; such as inserting unnecessary word
or character, duplication, pasting at wrong location, cutting or deleting necessary text etc. We can
undo such mistakes or recover to previous state by selecting Home menu and Undo Typing or
Pressing <Ctrl + Z> simultaneously.
8. Copy, Cut and Paste
We can move a copy of text from one location to a new location, or we can also move the text to a
new location removing from the original location.
a. Copy and Paste
It allows making a copy of the selected text or a file, and moving to new location. For this, first
select the text, and go to HomeCopy or Press <Ctrl + C> simultaneously. Then, position the
cursor to the new location where you want to paste the copy of the text, and go to Home
Paste.
b. Cut/Paste: Similarly, if you want to remove the text from its original location and move it to a
new location then use Cut/Paste option instead of copy paste. We may use standard buttons
available on the toolbar to perform copy, cut and paste. These buttons perform the same
functions as of menu options.
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To use these buttons, simply select the required text, and click either of two buttons to copy or
cut as required; and position the cursor for paste, point to the paste button with the mouse and
click the left button.
9. Find and Replace
While creating a document, we may wish to change certain word or phrase. The word or phrase may
be at one place or repeated throughout the document. We can find the word in the document and
replace it with another word using options available in Ms Word. The steps to find and replace are;
1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the document.
2. Go to HomeFind or <Press Ctrl + F >. The Find and Replace window opens.
3. Select the Replace Tab.
4. Type the word or phrase that you want to find in "Find what" box.
5. Type the word or phrase that you want to replace it with in the Replace with" box.
6. Select Find Next or Replace if you want to manually replace each word or phrase.
7. Select All, Up, or Down in the Search drop-down menu to tell Word how much or which part of
the document you want to cover with this search and replace.
8. Select Replace All if you want Word to automatically search for and replace each instance of the
word or phrase without first checking with you.
Similarly, we can use the Home Find menu to simply find a word or go to particular line,
page, section, comment etc.
Formatting Characters and Paragraphs
You've probably seen documents created by several of your friends or work colleagues and envied their
different fonts, italicized and boldfaced type, and fancy paragraph formatting. This chapter explains how
to format both characters and paragraphs. You will learn how to change the appearance, size, and color of
the characters in your documents. You will also learn the ins and outs of formatting paragraphs: aligning
text to the left, right, and center of the page; increasing a paragraphs line spacing; and indenting
paragraphs. This chapter also describes how to add borders to paragraphs and how to create bulleted and
number lists. Knowing how to format characters and paragraphs gives your documents more impact and
makes them easier to read. Let's get started.
Objectives
• Formatting characters
• Changing a paragraphs alignment and spacing
• Indenting paragraphs
• Setting, changing, and removing tab stops
• Creating bulleted and numbered lists
• Adding borders and shading to a paragraph
• Understanding text flow and spacing before and after a paragraph
The appearance of characters, words, lines or sentences, and the format of paragraphs can be changed
from one form to the other in a number of ways, and this is called characters and paragraphs formatting.
Each character can be changed from one font to the other, the size of it can made smaller or larger, or it can
be made bold, italic, underline or combination of all. Similarly, the lines and paragraphs can be aligned
left, center, and right or can be justified. The color of the characters, paragraphs, and background can be
changed, and even we can animate the characters by inserting text effects.
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This process of formatting can be done easily by using Format menu and then selecting either Font or
Paragraph. We can use standard formatting tool bars for the same purpose. Below is a picture of the Word
2003 Standard and Formatting toolbars.
Figure: 4.3 Formatting Toolbars
• The Standard Toolbar is the toolbar just below the list of menus. It includes icons for creating new
documents, saving, opening, and printing your
documents, as well as cutting, pasting, copying, and a
whole host of other options.
• The Formatting Toolbar is the bar below that.
• The Formatting toolbar in Word allows you to change
fonts and font size, to bold and underline and to center
text, as well as change the alignment of your font and
other useful options.
• You can surmise from the symbols on the various buttons
the functions that each performs.
• If you leave the pointer on a button for a few seconds, the
function of that button will appear in a small box below
the pointer.
Word offers a wide range of character formats, including
various fonts, font sizes, and styles such as bold and italic. The quickest and easiest way to apply fonts,
font sizes, bold, italic, and underlining is to use the toolbar buttons. First select the text that you want to
format, and go to HomeFont to display a dialogue Box as shown below;
To change the font name, Size, color effects etc., choose from the list provided by pointing and clicking
with the left-hand mouse button. The changes you make will be illustrated in the Preview box. To apply
them to the document click on OK, or if you decide not to make any changes click Cancel. The
HomeParagraph dialogue box is;
1. Paragraph
This option allows you to format the shape of paragraphs (left or right aligned, centered or justified),
the amount of space before and after the paragraph, the spacing between lines within the paragraph,
any indents required (left, right or hanging). You can check effect of the setting using Preview
window.
2. Working with Fonts
To change the font of the text in your document
• From the formatting toolbar, select the Font box, a drop-down menu list of font names appears.
Click on the arrow to the right of the font name.
• Scroll through the list of fonts until you find the one you want to use.
• Click the name of the font to select it. No matter where your cursor is, you will now begin
typing in the new font from that point on.
To change the font of already typed text
• Highlight and select the text you want to change.
• From the formatting toolbar, select the Font box.
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• Click on the arrow to the right of the font name.
• Scroll through the list of fonts until you find the one you want to use.
• Click the name of the font to select it.
The highlighted text will change to the newly selected font.
Bold, Italics, and Underline (B, I, U)
These are the buttons useful in formatting text
• To bold, underline, or italicize words, highlight the text you want to affect. Click on the button
with the B on it to bold, on the button with the I to italicize or, on the button U to underline the
selected text.
• It can be done through HomeFont Menu or through the pop-up menu that appears after
right-clicking on the highlighted selection.
3. Text Spacing and Alignment
To align the text either to the left, center, right, or to justify text:
Select the text that you wish to align and click on the appropriate button in the formatting toolbar.
For example, to align text to the left, select the text and click on align left button. or to center
the text click .
To change spacing between lines
• Select the paragraphs in which you want to change line spacing.
• Go to HomeParagraph, then in the dialog box that pops up, click on the Indents and Spacing
tab.
• Select the appropriate spacing options under Spacing and click OK.
4. Tabs
To set tab stops:
• Select the paragraph in which you want to set the tab stops.
• Click on the Tab button at the left of the horizontal ruler () until it changes to
the tab that you want (left , right ,
center , or decimal tab).
• Finally, click on the horizontal ruler where you want your tab stop.
• If you then press the Tab button, your cursor will move over to where you set your tab.
• The left tab aligns your text to the left.
• The right tab aligns your text to the right.
• The center tab aligns your text to the center.
• The decimal tab aligns your text with any periods in your text or decimals in your numbers.
To Clear or Move a Tab Stop
• To clear a tab stop, select the paragraph with the tab stop and drag the tab marker off (outside)
the ruler.
• To move a tab stop, select the paragraph with the tab stop and move the tab marker to the right
or left on the ruler.
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Formatting Pages
Formatting pages means changing the appearance of entire page rather than working with characters or
paragraphs individually. Formatting pages includes determining the page margin between the text and
the edges of the page, orientation of the page, size of the and type of paper, adding a header or footer that
appears at the top or bottom of every page throughout the document, insert page breaks, and using
multiple page formats etc.
Objectives
• Changing a document's margins
• Creating headers and footers
• Changing page orientation between portrait and landscape
• Previewing a document
• Controlling where the page breaks
• Adding section breaks and applying multiple page formats
• Printing envelopes
• Printing on both sides of the paper
1. Margins
(Refer to chapter 4.1.3 for details on margins)
To change page margins (Using Rulers):
• On Print Layout view (View menuPrint Layout, if it is not already in Print Layout view)
• For left or right page margins, point to a margin boundary on the horizontal ruler until it
changes to a double arrow and drag the margin boundary to the right or left:
• For the top or bottom page margins, point to a margin boundary on the vertical ruler until it
changes to a double arrow and drag the margin boundary to the top or bottom.
To specify exact page margins
• Go to Page Layout menuPage Setup. A pop-up page setup window appears.
• Click on the Margins tab.
• Change top, bottom, left, and right margins by clicking in the appropriate text boxes or on the
arrows next to the numbers.
Figure: 4.4 Page Setup
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2. Inserting Page Numbers
Page number can be inserted at the top or bottom of the page aligned left, center or right side on each
page of the document. The process for inserting page numbers is;
• From the Insert menu, select Page Numbers. A page number window appears.
• Select the Position, and the Alignment from the drop down lists according to your preference.
• Number Format can be selected from the Home button.
• Uncheck the Show Number on First page checkbox, if you do not wish the number to appear
on the first page.
3. Headers and Footers
We can create Headers and/or Footers using Insert menuHeader and Footer. A Header and Footer
floating toolbar appears along with Header area, and Footer area as shown below.
Figure: 4.5 Headers and Footer
• To create a Header or Footer, enter text or graphics into the respective area or to insert page
numbers, click on the page number button ( ), to insert the time or date, click on the time
( ) or date ( ) button.
• To insert common header or footer items such as file name, author name, etc., position the
cursor on respective area, and click on the Insert AutoText button from the pull-down menu
and select the appropriate item.
• To create Footer, click on the switch button ( ) to switch between header and footer.
• Click on Close button to exit the Header/Footer.
4. Adding Footnotes or Endnotes
We can add footnote of text at the bottom of the page, and used as a reference.. The footnotes can be
identified and referenced from numbers within bracket such as [1], superscript numbers such as 1, 2;
typographic symbols like asterisk (*), dagger (†), double dagger (‡), Pilcrow sign, (¶) etc can be used
to refer the reader to particular footnote.
Similarly, endnotes appear at the end of the chapter or at the end of the section or the document,
rather than at the end of every page. Since, endnotes are nothing other than a collection of footnotes,
and inserted at the end of the document, it may cause inconvenience for the reader who may need to
move back and forth between the main document text and the endnotes. We can Insert footnotes
/endnotes either in Normal view or Print Layout view. We can change the document into normal
view or Print Layout view using ViewNormal or ViewPrint Layout
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To Add Footnotes or Endnotes
• Position the cursor and click within the document where you want to insert your
footnote/endnote reference mark.
• Go to Reference Insert Footnote.
• In the window that appears, select either the Footnote or Endnote radio button.
By default, footnotes are placed at the end of each page and endnotes at the end of the
document. You can change the placement of footnotes and endnotes by making a selection in
the Footnotes or Endnotes box.
• In the Number format box, click the format you want.
• Click Insert.
Word inserts the note number and places the insertion point next to the note number.
• Type the note text.
• Scroll to your place in the document and continue typing.
As you insert additional footnotes or endnotes in the document, Word automatically applies the
correct number format. When you add, delete, or move notes that are automatically numbered,
Word renumbers the footnote and endnote reference marks.
5. Paper Size
The Paper size should be set to A4 for laser printing or Letter for printing to the line printer. You can
change the orientation of the paper from Portrait to Landscape by clicking in one of the Orientation
boxes:
• To turn page numbering on choose Insert Page-Numbers. A sub window appears where
you can click on the expand button ( ) in the Position and Alignment windows, and select
the option you want. To change the format, click on the Home button.
6. Previewing and Printing Document
To preview the document before printing;
• Choose Office Button (File)Print Preview or click on Print Preview icon on toolbar. Print
Preview window appears with page(s) displayed on the window.
• To switch between viewing one page and multiple pages, Click on the buttons at the top which
look like one page, or four pages layout.
• Magnifier or zoom window can be used to zoom in or zoom out the page displayed.
• To zoom in, place your cursor on the document--it will turn into a magnifying glass with a +
symbol inside. Then click on your document.
• To zoom back out, place your cursor on the document and this time your cursor will turn into a
magnifying glass with a - symbol inside. Click on your document.
• Zoom pop-up window can also be used to zoom in or zoom out the page.
Printing the Document
• To print, choose Office Button (File)Print. A dialog box will appear.
• Choose the number of copies and range of pages (All, Current page or pages from… to…) you
want to print.
Make sure that the printer you want to print to be at the top.
If it is, click OK to print, else, click on the arrow next to the name of the printer for the
pull-down menu and select the correct printer.
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• If you click on Properties button, then a new window opens, where you can perform the
following tasks;
Choose Paper/Quality Tab to select the paper size (eg. A4, Letter, Envelop, Legal etc.) and
print quality.
Choose Effects Tab for Resizing options (eg actual size of page or some percentage of
actual size), and watermarks.
Finishing Tab for setting both side printing (if the printer is dual mode), orientation
(portrait or landscape) etc.
Working with Tables
Table is one of the most useful and important feature of word processing. It is used to present information
in a systematically organized and attractive manner. A table systematically arranges text and data in a grid
in the form of columns and rows. We can insert table anywhere in the document, and do any type of
formatting on the text within the table. We can sort the information alphabetically or numerically in
ascending or descending order; add and delete columns and/or rows; and make the table attractive and
eye catching formatting it with different types of embellishing borders, shadings, and coloring options.
Instead of using tabs or dividing into columns for a list of items or to place paragraphs side by side, we
can use tables. Tables are used widely in spreadsheet packages as well.
Therefore, table is a section of a document organized into rows and columns. High-end word processors
generally have a number of tools to help make tables easier to create and manage. A table is made up of
horizontal rows and vertical columns. User can do the typing in the areas called cells formed by the
combination of columns and rows. A cell can contain text, numbers, or graphics. Therefore, in this lesson,
we will discuss the following issues related with tables.
Objectives
• Creating a table
• Adjusting row height and column width
• Inserting and deleting rows and columns
• Formatting a table with borders and shading
• Formatting characters and paragraphs in a table
• Splitting and merging cells in a table
• Sorting information in a table
• Performing calculations in a table
1. Creating a Table
To create a table, follow the following procedure;
• Place the insertion point at the place in the document where you want to insert a table.
• Choose Insert Table Insert Table from the drop down menu. Table can also be created by
clicking on the Insert Table icon on the Standard toolbar (Highlight the desired number of rows
and columns. The maximum table size you can create by this method is a four-row by five-
column). The Insert Table dialog box opens.
• Type desired number of columns and rows in Number of Columns and the Number of Rows
field.
• Select Auto in the Fixed Column Width field or, you may enter the column width you desire.
Selecting Auto allows Microsoft Word to determine the size of your column widths.
• Click OK.
A table (3 rows and 3 columns) as shown below appears;
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2. Moving Around and Working in a Table
• Tab key is used to move from cell to cell from left to right. <Shift +Tab> key used to move
from cell to cell from right to left.
• Left, right, up, and down arrow keys or, the mouse itself can also be used to move from cell to
cell.
3. Selecting a Row and column
• To select a row, click anywhere on the first row of your table, and choose TableSelectRow
from the menu. Or, Move the mouse pointer to the row heading on the left side and click when
the mouse pointer turns into horizontal arrow. A single row is selected.
• To select a column, click anywhere on the first row of your table, and choose
TableSelectColumn from the menu. Or, Move the mouse pointer to the column heading
and click when the mouse pointer turns into down arrow. A single column is selected.
• To select the table, click anywhere on the table, and choose TableSelectTable from the
menu. Or, Move the mouse pointer to the left top corner of the table and click on four-sided
arrow box.
4. Adding a New Row or a Column to the Table
• You can add additional rows to your table. The simplest way to add a new row is to move to
the last column of the last row and press the Tab key.
• You can add a new row anywhere in the table. Place the cursor anywhere in the desired row,
and choose Table > Insert > Rows Above or Rows Below as per requirement from the menu.
• You can add a new column anywhere in the table. Place the cursor anywhere in the desired
column, and choose Table > Insert > Columns to the Left or Columns to the Right as per
requirement, from the menu.
5. Resizing the Columns
Steps to change the Column widths or Row heights are;
• Click anywhere in your table.
• Choose TableSelectTable from the menu to select the table.
• Choose TableTable Properties from the menu.
• Choose the Column tab.
• Type width value in the Preferred Width field. This will cause Microsoft Word to set all the
columns to the entered value.
• Click OK.
• Follow the same procedure to change the row height by selecting Row Tab.
• The value of individual row height or column width can be changed by
• placing the cursor anywhere in the desired column, and selecting TableSelectColumn
(Row), and then TableTable Properties
(Check other options available in Table Properties sub menu.)
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6. Alternate Method to Resize Column Widths or Row Height
We can resize column widths by placing the cursor on the line that separates two columns. This
causes the width indicator to appear. When the width indicator appears, left click and drag with the
mouse to adjust the column width. Similarly, row height can be changed by placing the cursor on the
line separating two rows, and then clicking and dragging the mouse up or down.
Adding a New Column or New Row to a Table:
New Row or Column can be added to the table by;
• Placing the cursor anywhere in the column either to the left or right side of the desired Column
(Up or down of desired row).
• Choosing TableInsertColumns to the Right (Columns to the Left) from the menu. A new
column is added.
• Choosing TableInsertRows Below (Rows Above) from the menu. A new row is added.
7. Sorting a Table
With Microsoft Word, it is easy to sort the data in the table either in ascending or descending order.
To sort follow the following procedure;
• Click anywhere on your table.
• Choose TableSort from the menu.
• Select field (eg Column1)on in the Sort By field.
• Select Text or number in the Type field (depending on type of value in column1).
• Select Ascending.
• Select another field (eg Column2) in the Then By field.
• Select Text or number in the Type field (depending on type of value in column2).
• Select Ascending.
• Click OK.
8. Deleting a Row or Column
To delete rows from your table;
• Place the cursor anywhere in the desired row and choose TableDeleteRows from the
menu.
To delete columns from the table;
• Place the cursor anywhere in the desired column and choose TableDeleteColumns from
the menu.
9. Merge Cell
In Ms Word, two or more cells can be merged (combine two or more cells to form a single cell).
• Select two or more cells that you want to combine.
• Choose TableMerge Cells from the menu or right click on the selected area and choose
Merge Cells
10. Converting Text to a Table
Text can be converted into table. But, the text must be separated into columns by a delimiter such as a
comma, paragraph marker, or tab etc to convert it into table. For example; the text is;
S.N., FName, LName
1. Sobita, KC
2. Bhanu, Sharma
3. Rohit, Pun
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To convert the above text into a table, the procedure is;
• Highlight the text.
• Choose TableLayoutConvert Text to Table from the menu.
• Type 3 in the Number of Columns field.
• Select Auto in the Column Width field.
• Select the Commas radio button in the Separate Text At frame.
• Click OK.
Microsoft Word converts the above text to a table and the table looks like the one as shown below.
S.N. FName LName
1 Sobita KC
2 Bhanu Sharma
3 Rohit Pun
11. Splitting a Table
In Ms Word, we can split a single table into two tables easily. To split a table into two tables:
• Place your cursor anywhere on the row from where you want to split.
• Choose Table LayoutSplit Table from the menu.
12. Table AutoFormat
We can apply borders, shading, special fonts, and color to the table using Auto Formats. Ms Word
lists all the available Formats in the Table AutoFormat dialog box. When we click a format in the
Auto Format dialog box, that format is displayed in the Preview box. We can customize and change
the format. To apply an AutoFormat to a table:
• Click anywhere in the table.
• Choose Table LayoutTable AutoFormat from the menu.
• Click Table Colorful1 in the Table Styles box.
• Select Heading Rows and First Column in the Apply Special Formats To… frame.
• Click Apply. The table should look like the one shown below
S.N. F.Name L.Name
1 Sobita KC
2 Bhanu Sharma
3 Rohit Pun
Templates and Styles
Using templates and styles are techniques that save our time from creating and formatting similar
documents. Every document created in Word is based on a template. Template means a file or files that
contain the structure and tools for shaping such elements as the style and page layout of finished files. For
example, Word templates can shape a single document, and FrontPage templates can shape an entire Web
site. Templates can be stored on hard disk, included in a document library, or used as a workgroup
template.
Therefore, a template stores frequently used text and styles. Templates increase the efficiency, because we
do not have to re-create the formatting and text of the documents that is used most often. For example, by
making an office facsimile cover letter into a template, we only need to type in that text and formatting
which changes from fax to fax, not the information which stays the same - or the "boilerplate" information.
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A combination of formatting characteristics, such as font, font size, indentation, and paragraph formats
that can be stored as a set under a name is called style. When we apply a style, all of the formatting
instructions in that style are applied at one time. We can select characters or paragraphs and use the style
to apply a whole group of formatting options in a single step. If we wish to change the formatting options
of a style, every character or paragraph formatted with that style is automatically updated with the new
formatting options, instead of going through the document and manually updating each and every
paragraph. Styles are a rather abstract concept.
Styles make document formatting easier. Styles ensure consistency among all the documents, and
dramatically reduce the time it takes to format a document. A style is a series of formats that can
automatically be applied to either a paragraph or specific characters. Instead of applying formats one at a
time, when we choose a style, Word automatically applies all the formatting. If we want to change the
appearance of entire document, just change the styles. Additionally, styles are the building blocks for
outlines and tables of contents.
Ms Word 2003 uses four types of styles- paragraph, character, list, and table. But, here we will discuss only
about paragraph style and character style.
1. Paragraph Style: A paragraph style can contain any formatting that can be applied to as little as one
paragraph, including any kind of paragraph formatting (such as paragraph alignment and indents)
and any character formatting that you apply to the entire paragraph (such as font or font size).
Paragraph styles are used for text in any part of the document, whether in the body of the document
or even in tables. Built-in styles also exist for your use in headers, footers, footnotes, and even
reference tables such as tables of contents and indexes.
2. Character Style: A character style can contain character formatting only, including font, font size,
font style (bold, italic, bold/italic), font effects (such as small caps or superscript), character spacing,
text borders and shading, and even language settings.
Character styles are most commonly used with built-in Word features, such as the footnote reference
example. Other features that use character styles include hyperlinks and page numbering.
3. Table Style: Table styles can contain certain elements of table, paragraph, and font formatting. You
can apply formatting such as font, borders, shading, and paragraph spacing to the heading row as
well as the body rows of a table, and the formatting will automatically adjust to accommodate
changes in your table structure.
While table styles aren't as flexible as you might need when creating complex documents, there are a
lot of benefits to using them. Table styles are also ever-present and might affect your work with
tables when you don't choose to use table styles, so it's a good idea to be familiar with them.
Objectives
• Creating and using templates
• Creating and applying paragraph styles
• Creating and applying a character style
• Modifying an existing style
• Displaying styles in a document
• Attaching a different template to a document
• Copying styles between documents and templates
1. Creating a Template
One of the easiest ways to create a template is to use the existing document that contains the required
text and formatting that we want to reuse on several documents, and saving it as a template. The
document should not contain the text and formatting that changes from document to document. The
steps to create a template are;
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• Open the document that you want to use to create the template.
• On the Office Button (File) menu, click Save As.
• In the Save as type box, click Document Template (*.dot). Word displays the Templates folder
in the Save in box (If you want the template to appear on a tab other than General, switch to the
corresponding subfolder within the Templates folder, and save it by specifying a template
name).
• Click Save.
2. Modifying a Template
The procedure used to modify the existing template is described below;
• Go to Office Button (File)New.
• Choose a template that is similar to the one you want to create (Using Templates Frame on the
right side pane, and selecting the template from the window that opens.)
• Click Template under Create New, and then click OK.
• Go to Office Button (File)Save As.
• In the Save as type box, click Document Template (*.dot).
• Click OK
• In the new template, add the text and graphics you want to appear in all new documents, and
delete any items you do not want to appear.
• Make the changes you want to the margin settings, page size and orientation, styles, and other
formats.
• Click Save, and then click Close on the File menu.
3. Working with Styles
Applying an Existing Style
In Ms Word, more than 90 built-in styles are available which we can use in our documents. We can
use either the exiting styles or create and use our own styles. The general procedure to use the
existing styles in our documents is;
• Select the text where you want to add a style.
• Choose the desired style from the Style box on the Formatting toolbar or, go to
HomeChange Styles, and
In the Style box, the style appears formatted so that you can see what that style looks like before you
apply it.
4. Creating New Styles
We can create a new paragraph style by formatting a paragraph, selecting it, and then making new
style on this formatting and other properties applied to the selected text.
• Select the text that contains the formatting you want to include in your style.
• Click in the Style box.
• Type the new style name in the Style box.
• Press Enter. Or,
• Go to HomeChange Styles, Select New Style Tab on right side Styles and Formatting Pane,
Write Style name and make necessary changes on the window that opens, and click OK.
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5. Creating Styles Automatically
Word can create styles automatically as you type, when the Define styles based on your formatting
check box (Tools menu, AutoCorrect command, AutoFormat As You Type tab) is selected. Word
detects the type of formatting and placement of your text and applies styles associated with that
formatting. For example, if you type a few words on a single line, increase the font size, and center
the line, Word can automatically apply a heading style.4
6. Modifying a Style
Style Control Panel can be used for advanced capabilities of style. This control panel allows us to
modify and delete the existing styles. We can get the Style Control Panel from HomeChange Style
menu. The general procedure to modify an existing Style is as follows;
• Go to HomeChange Styles.
• In the Styles and FormattingPick formatting to apply (right side pane) box, right click style
that you want to modify, and then click Modify Style.
• Click Format, and then click the attribute - such as Font, Tab, Border, Paragraph or Numbering -
you want to change.
• Click OK after you have changed each attribute, and then repeat for any additional attributes
you want to change.
• To use the modified style in new documents based on the same template, select the Add to
template check box. Word adds the modified style to the template that is attached to the active
document.
7. Creating a Table of Contents (TOC) - Using Styles
To create a table of contents, apply the built-in heading styles (Heading 1 through Heading 9) to the
headings you want to include in the table of contents.
Once you have applied the styles, you can choose a design and build the finished table of contents.
When you build a table of contents, Word searches for headings with the specified styles, sorts them
by heading level, references their page numbers, and displays the table of contents in the document.
• Choose References.
• Choose the Table of Contents tab.
• Click Options to define the level within the TOC assigned to each style.
• Choose a Format for the TOC.
• Click OK.
• Once you have created your TOC, if your TOC changes you can update it by pointing to it and
right-clicking. Choose Update Fields.
8. Deleting a Style
To delete a style, complete the following.
• On the Home menu, click Change Style.
• In the Styles box, click the style you want to delete, and then click Delete.
Once a style is deleted, Word applies the Normal style to all paragraphs formatted with deleted style
and then removes the style definition from the template. The Normal built in Heading styles are
always present in the Styles list, and you cannot delete them.
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Drawing and Working with Graphics
A document containing simple text only may be boring and monotonous for the user. If we add pictures,
drawings, charts, and graphics then the document could be much more compelling and effective.
Drawings, pictures and graphics are mostly preferred in the documents like newsletters, invitation cards,
birthday card, greeting cards, brochures and pamphlets. Most of the word processing programs provide
facility to create and use pictures and drawings in the document.
Because Ms Word harnesses the graphics power of windows, we can use a variety of drawing programs to
create our own artworks, or we can incorporate other's art in the word documents. We can insert, resize,
move, reposition, and embellish graphics images. We can add lines, shapes, and text boxes, work with
drawings, charts from spreadsheet, photos from scanners, other pictures and clip arts using Words
drawing tools etc. We can simply paste graphics or place them in frames.
There are two basic types of graphics that you can use to enhance your Microsoft Word documents:
drawing objects and pictures.
Drawing objects include AutoShapes, diagrams, curves, lines, and WordArt drawing objects. These objects
are part of your Word document. Use the Drawing toolbar to change and enhance these objects with
colors, patterns, borders, and other effects.
Pictures are graphics that were created from another file. They include bitmaps, scanned pictures and
photographs, and clip art. You can change and enhance pictures by using the options on the Picture
toolbar and a limited number of options on the Drawing toolbar. In some cases, you must ungroup and
convert a picture to a drawing object before you can use the Drawing toolbar options
1. Creating a Drawing
When you create a drawing in Microsoft Word, by default, a drawing canvas is placed around it. The
drawing canvas helps you arrange and resize the objects in your drawing. Click in your document
where you want to create the drawing.
• On the Insert menu, point to Shapes, and then click New Drawing Canvas.
A drawing canvas is inserted into your document.
• Use the Drawing toolbar to add any shapes or pictures that you want.
We can turn the drawing canvas on or off from Shapes selecting or clearing automatically creates
drawing canvas when inserting AutoShapes check box.
2. Drawing a Line or Connector
If you want to use a line to connect shapes and keep them connected, you may want to draw a
connector instead of a normal line. A connector looks like a line, but it stays connected to the shapes
you attach to it. Do one of the following:
3. Draw a Line
• On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to Lines, and then click the line style you want.
• Drag to draw the line.
• Do one or both of the following:
• To constrain the line to draw at 15-degree angles from its starting point, hold down SHIFT as you
drag.
• To lengthen the line in opposite directions from the first end point, hold down CTRL as you drag.
• If you just want to draw a straight line, click simple Line on the Drawing toolbar, and then drag
to draw the line.
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Application Package Unit 4 … 181.
4. Draw a Connector
• On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to Connectors, and then click the connector line
you want.
• Point to where you want to attach the connector.
• Connection sites appear as blue circles as you pass the pointer over a shape.
• Click the first connection site you want, point to the other object, and then click the second
connection site.
Locked or attached connectors appear as red circles. Unlocked connectors appear as green circles.
5. Inserting Clip Art
Adding Clip Art to your document is a fun way to illustrate your ideas and create documents that
have a powerful effect. Clip art is a collection of graphic images that you can insert in documents.
• Click Insert on the Menu Bar, Point to Picture, and then click Clip Art. We can also click the
Insert Clip Art button on the Drawing toolbar
• Click the Pictures tab if necessary
• Click a desired Category, then Click a clip from that Category
• Click the Insert Clip Button
• Click the Close button on the Clip Gallery title bar
When you insert an image, it is part of the line of text in which it was inserted, known as an inline
graphic. In order to move the graphic, you will have to change it to a floating graphic.
• While still selected, Double Click the Picture, Click the Layout tab, select any wrapping style
other than In line with text. Click OK
6. Add AutoShapes
A group of ready-made shapes that includes basic shapes, such as rectangles and circles, plus a
variety of lines and connectors, block arrows, flowchart symbols, stars and banners, and callouts is
called auto-shapes. We can add auto-shapes into our document easily.
7. Add a Shape
• On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to a category, and then click the shape you
want.
• Click the place in the presentation where you want to insert the AutoShape.
8. Add multiple shapes
• On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to a category, point to the dotted line, and then
drag to make the menu float.
• Double-click the AutoShape you want to insert multiple times, and then click the presentation in
as many places as you want to insert the AutoShape.
9. Working with Pictures
We can insert pictures or drawings into our document directly either form a file in the computer or
from an online device such as camera and scanner.
10. Inserting a Picture from a File
• Click where you want to insert the picture.
• On the Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click From File.
• Locate the picture you want to insert.
• Double-click the picture you want to insert.
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.182… Computer Science–I
By default, Ms Word embeds pictures in a document. The size of the file can be reduced by linking a
picture (To insert and link a picture, go to InsertPicture, and click the down arrow next to Insert,
and then click Link to File).
11. Inserting a Picture Directly From a Scanner or Digital Camera:
• Set up the picture in the scanning device.
• On the Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click From Scanner or Camera.
• If you have more than one device attached to your computer, under Device, select the device you
want to use.
• Do one of the following:
• If the selected device is a scanner, and you want to use default settings for scanning the image,
click Web Quality (if you are going to show your picture on the screen) or Print Quality (if you
are going to print your picture), and then click Insert (or custom insert) to scan your picture.
• If the selected device is not a scanner (for example, if it's a digital camera) or you want to
customize any settings before you scan the picture, click Custom Insert. Follow the instructions
that come with the device you're using.
12. Group, Ungroup, or Regroup Objects
Group and Ungroup Objects:
• Select the objects you want to group.
• On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Group, or right click on the selected objects,
and select GroupingGroup.
13. Ungroup
• Select the group you want to ungroup.
• On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Ungroup or right click on the selected objects,
and select GroupingUngroup.
14. Regroup
• Select any one of the objects that was previously grouped.
• On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Regroup, or right click on the selected
objects, and select GroupingRegroup.
Any single object within the group can still be selected by first selecting the group, and then clicking
on the individual object.
15. Changing the Text Wrapping Style for Picture or Drawing Object
• If the picture or object is on a drawing canvas, select the canvas. If the picture or object is not on a
drawing canvas, select the picture or object.
• On the Format menu, click the command for the type of object you selected-for example,
AutoShape, Drawing Canvas, or Picture, and then click the Layout tab.
• Click the text-wrapping style you want.
• For more text-wrapping options, click Advanced, and then click the Text Wrapping tab.
16. Changing an Inline Picture to a Floating Picture, and Vice Versa
• If the picture is not on a drawing canvas, select the picture. If the picture is on a drawing canvas,
select the canvas.
• On the Format menu, click Picture or Drawing Canvas, and then click the Layout tab.
• Do one of the following:
• To change an inline picture to a floating picture, select the wrapping style you want.
• To change a floating picture to an inline picture, choose In line with text under Wrapping style.
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