Datasheet

14
Part I: Your Introduction to Word
Figure 1-2:
The Ribbon.
File tab
menu
Tabs Minimize/Expand Ribbon
Word Help
Groups Dialog box
launcher
Command buttons
The details of how all the dee-dads and goo-bobs in the Word window work
are covered elsewhere in this book. Use this book’s index to help you find
topics you might be curious about.
✓ The very first time you start Word, you may be asked some questions:
Enter your name and initials, set up Word security, and set Microsoft
update options. I recommend the updates.
✓ To get the most from Word’s window, change the window size: As with
any window, you can use the mouse to drag the window’s edges in or
out or click the window’s Maximize button (the middle button in the
window’s upper right corner) to have the window fill the screen.
✓ Word’s window size affects what you see in the Ribbon command
groups. When the Word window is smaller, fewer buttons show up, or
they may show up in three rows. When the window is larger, you see
more buttons, usually in two rows.
Around the Word window
Word processing is about writing, so the things you see in the Word window
are all there for your writing pleasure. Or, if you find writing a pain, the items
festooning the Word window are there for your agony. The word for the
whole of those items is interface, which is how a computer program presents
itself to the human world.
The largest portion of the Word screen is for composing text. It’s blank and
white, just like a fresh sheet of paper. (Refer to Figure 1-1.) That’s where you
compose and format your text, and I cover that area specifically in the next
section.
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