Basic skills are used repeatedly in every program. They include selecting
text, cutting and pasting text, copying and deleting text. You will also need to
know how to open a document, save a document, and print your work.
• Selecting text. Click at the beginning of the text you want to
select. Hold down the mouse button and drag across the text. Release the mouse
button and the text will appear highlighted.
• Cutting, copying and pasting. These commands are found under the Edit
menu. The Cut command allows you to remove text from your document and use it
elsewhere. The Copy command lets you duplicate a section of your document, for
use elsewhere, without removing it from the original spot. After you have Cut or
Copied your selection, move the cursor to the place in the document where you
want the section to appear. Then select the Paste option.
• Deleting text. Select the text you want to delete. Press the Delete
key. This is different from Cut, as this text is not stored in the computer's
memory for your use.
• Saving a document. One of the most important precautions you can take
while working is to save your work frequently. On the File menu of the program
you are working in, click Save As. The Save As window appears. In the File Name
text box there is a blinking cursor or highlighted text. Type in the name you
want the file to be called. Click on Save. As you continue working on the
document, you need only to choose the Save command from the File menu.
• Printing your work. From the File menu, choose Print. After making
sure all of the options are set as you like them, click on OK.
There are two types of windows, and both types have the same set of
controls.
• To open a window displaying the contents of a disk or folder, double-click
on the icon. The window is displayed on the Desktop.
• To open a window displaying a program, start the program. The program is
started and displayed in a program window. If you are working in a program, you
can have two windows open: the program window and the document window. Each
window has its own set of controls. Confusing? Don't worry. With a little
practice, you will be a pro at this.
You may want to change the size of the window to make it easier to read.
There are several ways to resize a window.
• Put the pointer on any of the window's borders, but not on the title bar.
The mouse pointer turns into a two-headed arrow. Drag the border to change the
size of the window.
• Use the Minimize and Maximize buttons that are located in the upper right
corner of every window. If you click on the Minimize button, the window
"closes". You will notice how the program button is still on the
taskbar. This is different from actually exiting the program that you can do by
clicking on the "x" button.
• Instead of quitting the program entirely, minimizing closes only the window
of the program. The title of the program you minimized now appears as a button
on the taskbar. To maximize or open the window again, click on the button.
You may want to rearrange where a window is located. Follow these steps to
move a window:
• Point to the window's title bar.
• Drag the title bar to the location you want and release the mouse button.
There are some commands you can use to "clean up" the window
clutter on your Desktop.
• Right-click on the mouse anywhere on the taskbar. A menu appears.
• Select Cascade. The Cascade command displays the windows so that the title
bars of each window appear.
• Click on the title bar to bring its window to the front of each stack.
• Tile Horizontally stacks each window in horizontal panes and Tile Vertically
stacks each window in vertical panes.
A scrollbar is a gray rectangle with small black arrows on both ends. It lets
you select the portion of the window you want to see. It is on the right side of
a window for vertical scrolling and on the bottom for horizontal scrolling. When
a document is so big it cannot completely be displayed on the monitor, a scroll
bar appears so you can see all of its contents by moving the document up and
down the screen, or right and left.
The Page Up key scrolls the document up and the Page Down key scrolls it down
one full page rather than one line at a time. By clicking the up/down scroll
arrow one time, you will move the document one line at a time. By clicking on a
blank spot above or below the scroll indicator, you will move the document
up/down one page. You can continuously scroll by depressing the mouse button
steadily instead of by just clicking it.
A menu is a list of commands displayed on your screen, which allows you to perform tasks. When you click on any of the words in the menu, a list of choices drops down. Just as you would select your choices from a restaurant menu, you select the choices of what to do on your computer
A menu bar is an onscreen display that lists available categories of commands. It is usually located at the top of the program window. To choose a category or command, just click on it.
It is as simple as this:
• On the menu bar, choose the category of the command that you want. The menu
opens.
• Click on the command you want. Voila!
If a sub-menu opens, it is just giving you more options of how to accomplish
your task at hand.
A shortcut menu is a hidden menu that can be opened at any time. Almost every object on your Desktop has one. If you right-click on the item, the shortcut menu will appear.
• Fl-F12. These are programmable keys called function keys. They provide
special functions depending on the software you are using.
• Esc. The escape key cancels a command or an operation.
• Numeric Keypad. A calculator-style, set of keys for entering numbers.
• NumLock. The Number Lock key switches the right-hand keypad between typing
numbers and being used as cursor keys.
• Arrow Keys. The keys that move the cursor onscreen. The arrow keys move the
cursor in the direction indicated by the arrow on each key-one character left or
right or one line up or down.
• Page Up (Pgup) and Page Down (PgDn). These keys move the cursor to the
preceding screen (PgUp) or the next screen (PgDn).
• Ctrl. The control key pressed in combination with other keys, acts as a
shortcut to execute commands and to select commands from the drop down
menus.
• Delete (Del). This key deletes the current character.
Always remember to close a program when you are finished working in it.
Otherwise, it will be taking up memory that other programs may need.
To close a program:
• Save your work.
• Click the Close (x) button in the title bar of the window of the
program.
• If you have not saved your work, the program asks you if you want to. Click
Yes to save it, click No to lose it.
• The program window disappears. Alternate method if the close button does not
work:
• Go to File.
• Save your work.
• Click Close from the drop down menu.