Shortcut: Delete an Entire Word

Here's a nifty shortcut that I came across completely by accident! There are two keyboard shortcuts that allow you to delete an entire word at once:

Ctrl + Delete: Deletes the word after your cursor.

Ctrl + Backspace: Deletes the word before your cursor.

This is so handy! Rather than pressing and holding the Backspace key or repeatedly pressing Delete to get rid of a word, you can just use these shortcuts! Amazing. I hope you find this as useful as I do!

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PowerPoint: Show Your Presentation on Computers with Older Versions or Without PowerPoint

This week's problem and subsequent solution involve showing your PowerPoint presentation on another computer that either doesn't have PowerPoint, or maybe has an earlier version of the one you're using.

In the event that you need to show your PowerPoint presentation on another computer, you can pre-package everything you need to show it properly by following these steps:

1. Click the Microsoft Office button.
2. Go to 'Publish'.
3. Click on 'Package for CD'.

In the dialog box that opens, enter a name for the disc where it says 'Name the CD:'. If you click the 'Add Files' button, you can choose any additional files you may wish to include on the CD (this is an optional step). Clicking the 'Options' button will provide you with a series of other options including automatic play settings, whether or not you'd like to include any linked files or fonts, and if you'd like to password-protect it.

When you've finished with all of the settings, insert a blank disc into your computer and click the 'Copy to CD' button.

When everything has finished copying over, you will end up with a CD that is all ready to go, with a program called 'PowerPoint Viewer' and your presentation files. Inserting the CD into another computer will give you the option to run the presentation using the PowerPoint Viewer program, which is designed to run your presentation. It won't give you any of the editing capabilities, but you'll be sure that it will appear on this foreign computer exactly how you had intended when you originally set it up on your own.

If you're wanting to use a form of media other than CD (such as a memory stick or a DVD), click 'Copy to Folder' instead of 'Copy to CD'. You can then select the drive and folder in which you'd like to store the files.

This post assumes a certain level of comfort in setting options, but if you're not sure which settings you should be selecting for your specific project, feel free to post a comment or send an e-mail to questions@stacydubois.com and I'll give you more of an overview on exactly what those options are for.

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Word: Print Preview Shortcut

This week, in the midst of editing a document for print, I found myself a bit irritated at constantly switching between my Print Layout view and Print Preview. Thankfully, the gods of keyboard shortcuts came to my rescue as I discovered this awesome keyboard shortcut:

Alt + Ctrl + I

Press it once, and you're in Print Preview. Press it again, and Print Preview closes. It's a wicked toggle shortcut and for the particular project I was working on, it was exactly what I needed. Hopefully if you've stumbled upon this post, you'll also find it useful!

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Word: Page Break / Section Break Shortcuts

I'm a huge fan of saving time by using keyboard shortcuts, instead of constantly switching in between using the keyboard and the mouse. This week I'd like to share with you a couple of shortcuts in Word that I use quite frequently.

To insert a page break, press:

Ctrl + Enter

To insert a section break, press:

Ctrl + Shift + Enter

The one thing I find with shortcuts is that initially it can be a pain to try and remember them, but with repeated usage you'll find it becomes second nature. It also saves a considerable amount of time. It's worth it in the end! Less time to do your project means more time to grab a box of Timbits* and a coffee, right?

*For those people unfortunate enough not to have access to Timbits - they're an assortment of delicious little doughnut treats that us Canadians buy en masse and devour. You can find them at any Tim Hortons location - which I am thrilled to say are now starting to spread across the Canadian border and are appearing in the USA!

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