Microsoft Word

Sorting data in a Word document isn’t something you routinely do. On the other hand, presenting list and table data is, so the potential exists that one day you’ll want to sort something. The good news is that it’s easy to sort data in a table or a list. In this article, I’ll show you how to do just that. We’ll work through a few simple sorting examples. You can use most any table, or you can download the example .docx or .doc file.

Behind the scenes

Word relies on paragraphs when sorting, which seems a bit odd within the context of a table (or list). The paragraph formatting mark determines where one paragraph ends and the next starts. As you can see in Figure A, there’s no paragraph mark in a table. The end-of-cell markers denote the end of each cell’s content. The similar marker at the end of each row (outside the right border) is an end-of-row marker. These markers also contain cell and row formatting. When sorting a table, Word relies on the end-of-row marker to identify where one row ends and the next begins, the same way the paragraph mark does. (To see a document’s formatting symbols, click Show/Hide in the Paragraph group on the Home tab.)

Figure A

Sort by the first column

We’ll start with the simplest sort possible; we’ll sort a table by the values in the first column. To do so, select, the table by clicking its move handle (the small square in the top-left corner). If you don’t see this handle, check the view. It’s available only in Print Layout and Web Layout. With the entire table selected, do the following:

1. Click the contextual Layout tab. In the Data group, click Sort — or click Sort in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. In Word 2003, choose Sort from the Table menu.
2. The resulting dialog does a good job of anticipating the sort. Notice that the Header Row option (at the bottom) is selected. As a result, the Sort By field is set to Species — the label in the first column’s header (Figure B).
   Figure B

3. This is exactly what we want, so click OK. Figure C shows the sorted table.
   Figure C

Before we move on, let’s discuss the Type and Using options to the right. We didn’t need to change either, but sometimes you will. The Type options are Text, Number, and Date. Word usually defaults to the appropriate data type. You can force a specific type by choosing a different option other than the one Word assumes (but you’ll rarely have reason to do so). The Using options defaults to Paragraph — we talked about that earlier.

Sort by the second column

That first exercise was easy. Let’s complicate things a bit by sorting by the second column. Fortunately, it’s just as easy as the first. Repeat steps 1 and 2 from the first exercise. Then, do the following:

1. In the resulting dialog, click the Sort By drop-down.
2. Choose Common Name, the header label for the second column.
3. Click OK. Figure D shows the results of sorting by the second column.
   Figure D

That wasn’t any more difficult that the first sort. Tell Word which column contains the values you want to sort by and click OK — that’s it!

Sort by multiple columns

With only two sort tasks under your belt, you’re beginning to see how simple the sorting process in Word can be. Let’s complicate things a bit so you can see how flexible this feature truly is. Let’s sort by the Class column and then sort the bird and mammal groups in a secondary sort. Repeat steps 1 and 2 from the first two exercises. Then, do the following:

1. To sort by the Class, choose Class from the Sort By drop-down.
2. To further sort each class group, click Common Name from the Then by drop-down (Figure E). You could add a third column to the sort if the results warranted the additional grouping.
   Figure E

3. Click OK to see the results shown in Figure F.
   Figure F

What about lists?

You might be wondering how to sort the same data in list form. Word handles the list sort the same way — the exact same way. Highlight the list and click Sort in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. In the resulting dialog, check the header option and set appropriately (if necessary). Then, determine the sort order by choosing the fields (columns), appropriately.Figure G shows the result of sorting the same data in list form.

Figure G

Sort a columnar list the same way you sort a table.

Edit, work, create, and get more done from your iPad, for free

Four new, free apps are available on your iPad®. With both Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox access, online storage—and access to your files—is always just a click away on your iPad. The new Microsoft Office apps give you the ability to flat out get more done.

• With the new Microsoft Word app, you can edit, create, and save your docs, wherever work takes you
• The new Excel app lets you analyze your data on the fly
• Build and deliver your presentations—right from your tablet or phone—with the new PowerPoint app
• The new Microsoft OneNote app helps you work collaboratively and stay organized on the go

With these apps, you can now access, edit, and save directly to your Dropbox account. You can even open and edit files that have already been saved in Dropbox.

Adding Dropbox is easy.  When you are in any of the new apps, follow these simple steps:

1. Tap on the arrow in the top left, then tap Open
2. Tap “Add a Place”
3. Select Dropbox

To get the Office apps for iPad®, open www.appstore.com/microsoftoffice from your iPad’s web browser.

Excel 2013 has easy access tools that generate professional-looking results quickly.  There are several new features with the new version that should not be overlooked.

Flash Fill

Flash Fill identifies and adapts to basic formatting to automatically input your data.  This tool performs several tasks such as merging information from multiple columns, adding formatting to current column and fixing anomalies with data.  Flash Fill will recognize and apply the selected format to your data but if data differs from row to row, it will not format correctly.

Recommended Charts

Recommended Charts identifies data guides the user to choose the best chart type for their data.  The main objective of using a chart is to highlight your work in a significant way.

1. Open the Excel Spreadsheet needed to create a chart.
2. Select the Insert Tab.
3. Select the Recommended Charts button to see suggested charts.

Recommended PivotTables

Recommended PivotTables are interactive tables that can analyze data, compare data and detect patterns/relationships.  In previous versions, PivotTables were too complex.

1. Open the Excel Spreadsheet needed to create a table.
2. Select the Insert Tab.
3. Select the Recommended Charts PivotTables to see suggested tables. 

Quick Analysis

Quick Analysis is an additional way to generate a chart for data. To generate a chart to highlight your work in a significant way, select the data and click the Quick Analysis Icon.

Timelines

Timelines let you filter through PivotTables, similar to a slicer.  The timeline will be embedded alongside the Pivot Table.

1. Select the PivotTable.
2. Click the contextual Analyze Tab.
3. Select Insert Timeline (in the Filter Group).
4. Then select OK.
5. In the upper-right corner you can select years, quarters, months or days.

Cloud Support

Cloud Support by Microsoft allows users to save Excel files to SkyDrive or SharePoint site.  Saving to SkyDrive or a SharePoint site allows users to review and edit files from any device with an Office 365 subscription.

Apps for Excel

Microsoft offers Apps for Excel to enhance what you can do with Excel.  Categories for Apps include Content Management, Financial Management, Productivity, Workflow and Process Management and many more. 

Present Online

Present Online is a way to share workbooks and allows others to update it.  Present Online requires the installation of Lync (if you have Office Professional Plus; Lync is already installed).

1. Sign into Lync.
2. Open all workbooks you need to share. (Close workbooks you do not want to share).
3. In Excel, click the File Tab.
4. In the left pane, choose Share.
5. Click Present Online.
6. Click Present.
7. Select a Lync meeting or create a new one.
8. Click OK.

Takeaway:  Creating numbered or bulleted lists would be simple with the ability to adjust or remove automatic indents.

Simple Solution

This simple solutions works with the current list only. If you add to this list, Word will remember the indent. When you start a new list later in the document, it won’t.

1. Create an numbered or bulleted list.
2. Double-click any number or bullet in the list to select all.
3. To change the indent position:

• Select the Decrease option in the Paragraph group (Aligning all items to the left margin)
• Select the Increase option in the Paragraph group. (Aligning all items to the right margin)

Entire Document Solution

The entire document solution will adjust the settings for all numbered/bulleted lists in the document.  Instructions below will default the list to be aligned at the left margin (0), you can adjust accordingly.

1. Create an numbered or bulleted list.
2. Double-click any number or bullet in the list to select all.
3. Right-click the selection; select Adjust List Indents.
4. The Adjust List Indents window opens.

• Number Position:  0 (Where the numbers / bullets will align.)
• Text Indent:  .25 (Space between numbers/bullets and text.) 

Takeaway:  Ten popular features that are missing from Outlook 2013.

Right-click Lookup

Outlook 2013 does not include ‘Lookup’ when right-clicking a word.  This feature is still available:

1. Open a new e-mail message.
2. Click inside the message body.
3. Select the Review tab.
4. Select ‘Research’ in the Proofing section.
5. Press [ALT] and select the word or phrase that you would like to look up.  Also, you can type the word or phrase in the ‘Search For:’ box.

Right-click AutoCorrect

Outlook 2013 does not include ‘AutoCorrect’ when right-clicking a word. This feature is still available but will have to be entered manually.  (Right-click Add to Dictionary is still available using a right-click.)

Import/Export Formats

Outlook 2013 only allows .pst (Outlook’s data file format) and comma-delimited data as import formats.  Previous versions allowed many file formats to be imported and exported.

Meeting Workspace

Outlook 2013 does not include Meeting Workplace.  Also, this feature cannot be added to the Quick Acces Toolbar.  Meeting Workplace was a website that supplied Attendees, Date, Time and Location for meetings.

Outlook Mobile Service

Outlook 2013 does not support Outlook Mobile Service (OMS).  OMS let you create and send text/multimedia messages to a mobile device from Outlook, similar to e-mail(s).

Windows Search

Windows 8 does not support using Windows Search to search Outlook e-mail. Previously, you could using Windows Search without opening Outlook to search for e-mail(s).

Calendar Publishing

Outlook 2013 does not support Calendar Publishing; the replacement is Office.com.  Microsoft cut service for previous versions on April 5, 2014.

Drag-and-Drop

Office 2013 does not support “dragging-and-dropping” e-mail(s) in the To-Do bar to create a calendar entry.  You can “drag-and-drop” an e-mail to a shortcut to create a calendar or task entry.

Notes and Journal

Office 2013 supports ‘Notes’ but ‘Journal’ is no longer available.

Suggested Contacts

Office 2013 does not support Suggested Contacts.  Suggested contacts gathers contacts that are not in your list and suggests them.

On June 14, 2013, Microsoft released Office Mobile in the Apple Store for all Office 365 users at no cost.  This app is available for iPhone 4 and up, iPad 3rd generation and up, iPad Mini and iPod Touch 5th generation.  All devices are required to run iOS 6 and up.

Office Mobile allows you to view and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.   SkyDrive, SkyDrive Pro and SharePoint are ways to access documents.  “Recent Documents” tracks the most recent documents that you viewed or changed and makes them easily accessible.  Offline editing does not require a constant internet connection but allows you to save your changes once reconnected to a network.

On June 10, 2013 Apple announced that iWork Apps, such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote, can cross platforms to be used on Windows Systems.  Although, iWork Apps are proficient, they can not compare to the Office Suite. 

Microsoft has taken a huge step by crossing platforms with Office software and returning the upper hand to Microsoft.  Office 365 has become more valuable for businesses and home users.  

For more information on Hosted Services and Office 365

 please contact us 856-745-9990 or click here.

Takeaway: Ten popular tools and options that are unseen or removed from Office 2013.

Office 2013 has made minor adjustments and changes to the new cloud-based suite.

Creating from Existing

In previous versions of Office it was simple to create a new document from an existing one.  This would allow changes without changing the original.

Using Office 2013, the button “New From Existing” is gone;  there is a section under the File Tab for Recent Documents.

Outlook – Activities

There was an option to add a Contact’s Activities in older versions of Office.  For Office 2013, Activities option is replaced by Outlook Social Connection.

Word – Show Mark-Up

For Office 2013, the Show Markup drop-down, located in the Review Tab and Tracking Section for older versions, is removed but you can add it to your Quick Access Toolbar.

Backstage Exit

In previous versions, “Exit” on the File Tab would allow you to exit all open documents in one click.  In Office 2013, you can right click the program on your task bar and select “Close all windows” or add “Exit” to your Quick Access Toolbar.

Picture Manager

Unlike previous versions of Office, Clip Art Organizer and Picture Manager are no longer available.  Clip Art Organizer is replaced with Insert Media Dialog Box.  Picture Manager is replaced with Windows Photo Gallery.

Access – PivotTables & PivotCharts

For Office 2013, PivotTable and PivotChart are no longer tools in Access;  only Excel 2013 provides the PivotTable and PivotChart. 

Access – Upsizing Wizard

In previous versions of Access, it was simple to add an Access database to SQL Servers.

Using The Upsizing Wizard to migrate all or some objects to SQL Servers is no longer available with Access in Office 2013.

Excel – Workspace

Workspace files save the layout you have selected.  When you open a saved Workspace Files they are displayed in that layout.

Excel 2013 you can open a Workspace file but you can not save layouts as Workspace files or add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. 

Outlook – Journal

Journal tool in Outlook helps you manage your productivity and time spent on projects.  This tool will no longer be available for Office 2013 and will not be replaced by another tool.

Outlook – To-Do Bar

The Pinned Peek feature is replacing the traditional To-Do Bar in Outlook for Office 2013.  The Pinned Peak feature is not as detailed as the To-Do Bar, for example you can only view appointments for one day .