Saturday, March 31, 2018

Move That Thing

Noise and motion


Microsoft has another of its easy to understand tutorials that deals with making objects move on the screen and also make sounds.

  • Animate text or objects

  • Add sound effects to an animation or hyperlink

  • Use sample animations in your presentation
There is also a link to a tutorial about adding sound effects to a presentation.

Animation



See all Topics

Friday, March 30, 2018

Live.Com Addresses

Choose your own


Tired of Hotmail, MSN, AOL, Gmail.com domain names for email addresses?

You can pick up a new address; such as MyName@Live.com.

First come etc.


Live.com email



Outlook Settings for Live.com



See all Topics

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Index Concordance

Order!


Creating a Table of Contents can be easy if you use Styles. Word will automatically insert a TOC when you place the insertion point and then use Insert>Reference Index and Tables and choose Table of Contents.
(2007+  Reference Tab>Table of Contents group)

An Index or Concordance can be more difficult.

In a larger document, you may want the reader to be able to locate key words. You could go through the whole document and mark each word you want included, but there is an easier way.
  1. Make a list of the important words.
  2. Create a two-column table in a new document.
  3. In the first column, enter the word or phrase.
  4. In the second column, enter the index entry
    (If you need a sub-category, type the main entry followed by a colon (:) and then the sub category.)
  5. Save the file.
When it comes time to create the Index, place the insertion point, go to Insert>Reference Index and Tables. Choose Index and then AutoMark. (2007 – Reference Tab>Index group) Browse to the location of your Index file. Word will now automatically use your list to mark the main document and insert an Index.

Also: Word for Word:
An Index or a Concordance for Your Book?
Microsoft KB:
How to create a table of contents and index with field codes in Word



See all Topics

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

OLAP Cubes

More dimensions than Star trek


When a company accumulates a great deal of information, it becomes un-wieldy to work with just basic Excel or Access databases.

There is a database concept called on OLAP cube (On-Line Analytical Processing).

This multidimensional collection of data can be thought of as a 3-D pivot table viewed from flat land.

MSDN:
Just What Are Cubes Anyway?
(A Painless Introduction to OLAP Technology)



Wikipedia:
OLAP



See all Topics

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Search for File Nits

Refine the questions


You can use Windows search to locate metadata information. Such as the date on the file:
date:>2/7/05<2/10/05>

Searches for a date in the Date property between the values 2/7/05 and 2/10/05, excluding the end dates.


Or all of the photos on your machine taken with a Canon:

Camera make

cameramake (cameramake:canon)







Advanced Query Syntax

HowToGeek - Date Search



See all Topics

Monday, March 26, 2018

Publisher Merges

Not just Word


You know that you can send e-mail merges using Word. Try it with Publisher.

Design a newsletter and let it rip.




Merge Publisher



See all Topics

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Srt Fields Defaults

Speed up table creation with default field settings



When you add fields to a table, Access assumes you want to use a 50/255-character Text field by default. However, you may typically use a smaller field size or you may personally use Number fields more often than Text ones.

You can avoid having to change the size and data types for new fields by setting defaults that are appropriate to your own design habits. To do so:

  1. Choose Tools> Options from the menu bar and switch to the Tables/Queries sheet.

  2. Select the data type you use most from the Default Field Type dropdown list.

  3. Set the Text and Number sizes you usually want to use in the Default Field Sizes panel and

  4. Click OK.
In Access 2007+ go to Access Options>Object Designers:





See all Topics

Saturday, March 24, 2018

New Windows in Outlook

How to open Multiple Windows



If you want more than one window open in Outlook (for example the InBox and Calendar), Right-click on an item on the Outlook bar and select "Open in New Window" from the context menu.

Choose Tasks and Calendar or any other combination.

You can now easily cut and paste between Outlook applications
Right click an empty area on the taskbar and select how the windows should be arranged.



See all Topics

Friday, March 23, 2018

Troubleshoot Word

Problem solvers



If you have trouble opening a Word document, or it is not working well, try these suggestions:

FIRST
Delete all of Word's temp files.
  1. Go to Edit>Replace
  2. Make sure to include all of your local drives in the search and that "include subfolders" is checked.
  3. Search for:
    *.tmp
  4. Then delete all these temp files.
Word leaves shards of temp files wherever the document file was stored. Word's temp files start with a tilde (~), so in most cases you can delete: ~*.* SECOND
  1. Use Edit>Find to locate Normal.DOT.
  2. Rename it (Normal.OLD) or delete it. Word will create a new copy when it restarts.
The only caveat here is be careful that you don't have important macros stored in Normal.DOT. If you rename, you can recover them. THIRD
If that does not correct the problem, try this next step:
  1. Go to Start>Run and type:
    winword.exe /a
    (Note that there is a space before the /a)
  2. Then press ENTER. This starts Word without any add-ins, global templates, or Normal.DOT.
    Look in Tools>Templates and Add-ins to see if there are any files that can be un-checked.
If you need even more help, go to: 
Knowledge base:

 How to troubleshoot problems that occur when you start Word or when you work in Word



See all Topics

Thursday, March 22, 2018

VBA Named Arguments

An easier read


Use named arguments for cleaner VBA code.

Most likely, you use positional arguments when working with VBA functions. For instance, to create a message box, you probably use a statement that adheres to the following syntax:

MsgBox(prompt[, buttons] [, title] [, helpfile, context])


When you work the MsgBox function this way, the order of the arguments can't be changed.

Therefore, if you want to skip an optional argument that's between two arguments you're defining, you need to include a blank argument, such as:
MsgBox "Hello World!", , "My Message Box"


Named arguments allow you to create more descriptive code and define arguments in any order you wish. To use named arguments, simply type the argument name, followed by :=, and then the argument value.

For instance, the previous statement can be rewritten as:

MsgBox Title:="My Message Box", _
Prompt:="Hello World!"


(To find out a function's named arguments, select the function in your code and press [F1].)



See all Topics

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Where's dat site?

Server locations


YouGetSignal.com provides some tools that let you find out more about a web site. Who else uses that server, for instance, and where to server is located.

Sites on Web server

A reverse IP domain check takes a domain name or IP address pointing to a web server and searches for other sites known to be hosted on that same web server.

Network location

The network location tool is a utility that approximates and displays the geophysical location of your network address on a Google Map.




See all Topics

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Zero 0

Zero is nothing


If a zero isn't worth anything, why show it?

Here is a Microsoft tutorial about how to deal with zilch:

  • Display or hide all zero values on a worksheet

  • Use a number format to hide zero values in selected cells

  • Use a conditional format to hide zero values returned by a formula

  • Use a formula to display zeros as a blanks or dashes

  • Hide zero values in a PivotTable report
Hide Zeros



See all Topics

Monday, March 19, 2018

Calculators on the Web

Figure the vigorish



It's sometimes easier to use a preset calculator than it is to write your own in Excel.
Here's a collection of sites:

  • Auto Calculators

  • Bond Calculators

  • Budget Calculators

  • College Calculators

  • Credit Card Calculators

  • Home Calculators

  • Insurance - Disability Calculators

  • Insurance - Health Calculators

  • Insurance - Life Calculators

  • Life Expectancy Calculators

  • Choose-to-Save - Life Expectancy

  • Mutual Fund Calculators

  • Paycheck Planning Calculators

  • Retiree Health

  • Retirement Calculators

  • Roth IRA Calculators

  • Savings Calculators

  • Social Security Calculators

  • Social Security Administration - Estimate Your Potential Benefit

  • Stock Calculators

  • Tax Calculators
Calculators



See all Topics

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Address Map

Display a map to an Outlook contact's address


If a contact item has an address in the United States, you can use your Internet connection and Outlook to create a map to the address. You must be connected to the Internet for this feature to work.
Open the contact item.
Next to the Address text box, click on the down arrow and select the address you want to map (Business, Home, or Other).
Then choose Actions/Display Map Of Address from the menu bar or click the Display Map Of Address button.
Your default browser opens and the map is created using Microsoft Expedia Maps.

Outlook Maps

In Outlook 2007, the Map button is on the Contact tab on the right side of the Communicate group.

2007 uses Maps.Live.com.

Outlook tips:
Slipstick.com
Customize Outlook's Map link
You can edit the registry to enable another web-based mapping service.



See all Topics

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Word Math

An Add-in, of course


Microsoft has a downloadable add-in for Word called Microsoft Math.

"To use the add-in, open Word 2007+, type Alt-= to create a RichEdit math object, type an equation or expression, and right-click on the equation to see options for solving and graphing within Word."

Math Add-in



See all Topics

Friday, March 16, 2018

What's New in Excel 2013

Different can be good


Microsoft has a information that explains the highlights of the new features of Excel:

  • Improved ribbon

  • Access workbooks in new ways

  • Make fast, effective comparisons from lists of data

  • Sparklines

  • Create workbooks with more visual impact

  • Collaborate on workbooks in new ways
There are also other links.

What's New in Excel 2013



See all Topics

Thursday, March 15, 2018

PPT Font Size

How big should you go?


In the old days of slide shows, presenters would hold their slides out at arm's length. If they could still see the text, then it would be OK when projected.

Dave Paradi has researched the question and offers a PDF document that compares screen size, fonts, and seating distance.

For instance:
"For example, if you're using a 60 inch screen and have 32 point text on your slides, the furthest someone should be is 57 feet from the screen."
Font Size

Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Tips



See all Topics

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Merge to More Than One Document

Custom content



In the Data Source, include a field for the type of letter the recipient requires.

In the Main merge document, enter IF fields, such as:

{IF {MERGEFIELD "LetterType"=1} {INCLUDETEXT "C:\\Project\\Letter1" \* MERGEFORMAT} ""}
{IF {MERGEFIELD "LetterType"=2} {INCLUDETEXT "C:\\Project\\Letter2" \* MERGEFORMAT} ""}


  • The curly brackets { } cannot be entered from the key board. Either use Insert>Field, or Ctrl+F9.
  • Word uses spaces in the If..Then..Else statement.
  • The last two quote marks "" are "empty" , so nothing will be entered.
  • Notice the \\ in the path statement. A path is not needed if the Main document is in the same folder as the letters.
  • To see the field codes, use Alt+F9 to toggle the view on and off.
Letters 1 and 2 can have completely different texts, formats and layouts. One can be an invitation to a sale, the other can be a dunning letter. (To carry over different formatting, leave out the \* MERGEFORMAT switch)

After setting up the main document for mail merging, insert all of the fields you want to merge.

Copy the individual fields and paste them in the correct locations in Letter 1 and 2.

Go back to the main document and erase all of the text and fields EXCEPT for the IF statements.

Letters 1 and 2 do not have to be set up a merge docs, or connected to a data source. Their text will be inserted in the Main document depending on the field type.



See all Topics

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Display the Current Record Number

Without navigation


You may want to remove the navigation buttons from an Access form but still display the current record number. Not the ID or serial number, but the record number that would appear in the navigation box.

To provide this feature, you can use VBA to place the form's CurrentRecord value in an unbound text box, and then update the value during the Current event.

To utilize this property, add an unbound text box to your form in Design view. Then, on the Event tab of the form's Property list, click the ellipsis or Build button. Choose Code Builder.

Add the following code in the Visual Basic Editor:

Private Sub Form_Current()
MyTextBox = Me.CurrentRecord
End Sub

(where MyTextBox is the name of the control that displays the record number.)

Now, when you navigate from record to record, the MyTextBox control will update automatically to reflect the current number.



See all Topics

Monday, March 12, 2018

Calendar Blanc

Empty days


Outlook allows you to print out your calendars.
If you just want to print a blank calendar over a specified period, here are the directions:

Blank calendar



See all Topics

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Gun Laws

How trigger happy is your state?


"Most U.S. states have failing scores when it comes to stopping criminals and other dangerous people from obtaining guns.

Two-thirds of all states score less than 20 points out of 100. Almost half of all states score 10 points or less out of 100.

The state with the strongest gun laws is California with 79 points, followed by New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maryland."


Brady Campaign





See all Topics

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Quick Subforms and Subreports

Drag 'em on over


When you need to create a subform or subreport, you probably use the Subform/Subreport tool from the Toolbox to draw where you want to add the control.

You can also create subform and subreports using drag and drop.

Simply open the main form or report in Design view, then drag the appropriate form or report from the Database window to where you want the control created.

Note that you'll still need to set Link Child Fields and Link Master Fields properties on the new control.



See all Topics

Friday, March 09, 2018

Curly Quotes be gone

Stop them up front


Word, by default, uses curly (“ ”) rather than straight quotes(" ").

Here's an article that shows how to go into Word options and turn this Auto feature off.

Next we need to turn off Moe and Larry




Curly quotes



See all Topics

Thursday, March 08, 2018

Tweak Windows

Tune-up suggestions


There are third party apps that you can use to improve Windows' performance. If you want to do it on your own, here are some Redmond suggestions:

  • Delete programs you never use

  • Limit how many programs load at startup

  • Defragment your hard drive

  • Clean up your hard disk

  • Run fewer programs at the same time

  • Turn off visual effects

  • Restart regularly

  • Add more memory

  • Check for viruses and spyware

  • Check your computer’s speed

  • Disable services you don’t need

  • Don’t settle for slow
Optimize Windows

Also:  

TweakHound 



See all Topics

Wednesday, March 07, 2018

Bartleby Quotations

Wha'd I say


Churchill, Winston S.

..."man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on."
Here are a few of one hundred + reference sources available free:

Bartleby.com

  • American Heritage Collegiate Dictionary
  • Brewer's Phrase & Fable
  • Bulfinch's Mythology
  • Cambridge History
  • Columbia Encyclopedia
  • Columbia Gazetteer
  • Dickinson, E.
  • Einstein's Relativity
  • Eliot, T.S.
  • Farmer's Cookbook
  • Fowler's King's English
  • Gray's Anatomy
  • Lawrence, D.H.
  • Mencken's Language
  • Oxford Shakespeare
  • Presidential Inaugurals
  • Roget's Thesaurus
  • Strunk's Style
  • The King James Bible
Also see: Project Gutenberg 



See all Topics

Tuesday, March 06, 2018

Filter Multiple Fields

Table sorts



In a table's Datasheet view, you can filter multiple selections in a few simple ways.

In the first method, you select one of the fields you want to filter by and click the Filter By Selection button on the toolbar. Access filters the records by that selection. Next, select the second field you want to filter by and click the button again. Access filters the records even further by this second selection. Continue to follow these steps until you have filtered by the desired number of selections.

You can also use Filter by Form. Click the icon on the toolbar. In the displayed form, enter the criteria. You can use And/Or statements, such as "Boston" Or "San Francisco".
(Access will enter the quote marks for you.)

For the third option, you use the Advanced Filter>Sort feature. To do so, select Records>Filter>Advanced Filter>Sort from the menu bar. Access displays a grid similar to the Query By Example grid. Now, drag down all the fields you want to filter by from the field list. Then, in the Criteria cells enter the values you want to filter for. When you have finished, click the Apply Filter button to see the results.

Fourth, you could use Filter by input. Right click any entry in a field you want filtered. Enter the value in the Filter For box and hit Enter. You could then choose another field and sort again by another criteria.
Creating a Query would let you save your filter, but these methods can be used to quickly display the desired information in a table.
(In 2007+ these options are on the Home tab in the Sort & Filter group)

eHow.com:
How to Filter Records in a Microsoft Access Table

Microsoft Kb:
How to filter records in an Access database



See all Topics

Monday, March 05, 2018

Google Hear em See em

Accessible searching


Google appears to have a tool or mini app for almost anything.
Here are some of their answers to making information available to the greatest number of people.

(look at 1-800-GOOG-411)


  • Web Search:

    Result pages include headers to delineate logical sections.

  • Accessible Search:
    Promotes results that are accessible.

  • Book Search:

    Full-text access to public-domain works.

  • Gmail:

    A simple yet functional HTML mode that works well with screen readers
    .
  • Gmail Mobile:
    A lightweight user interface that is also speech-friendly.

  • Google Maps:
    Easy-to-use textual directions.

  • Calendar:
    A functional, yet speech-friendly user interface.

  • Audio Captchas:

    All services that use Google Accounts provide an audio alternative for the visual challenge-response tests that are used to distinguish humans from machines.

  • Mobile Transcoder:

    A mobile lens for viewing the web that produces accessible views.

  • Google Video:

    Allows uploaded videos to contain captions/subtitles in multiple languages for viewers who are hearing-impaired or unfamiliar with the original language.

  • Google Talk:

    IM clients inside a web browser can pose accessibility challenges, but the use of the open Jabber API means that Google users can choose from a variety of Jabber clients, many of which work well with adaptive technologies.

  • 1-800-GOOG-411:

    Here's an exception to the rule that we deliver most things through a web browser. Our experimental Voice Local Search service lets anyone who can speak into a phone search for a local business by name or category; get connected to the business free of charge; get the details by SMS if you’re using a mobile phone. (Just say "text message".)

Accessibility Services



See all Topics

Sunday, March 04, 2018

Capable Egg

By Lullaby Baxter Trio


ASIN B000046S0B
Atlantic 2000


About the Artist

Lullaby Baxter (Angelina Iapaulo) is neither fish nor fowl.


"Lullaby Baxter's story couldn't be better: A onetime topless DJ at a Toronto club, Baxter (Canadian-born Angelina Teresa Iapaulo) was discovered when she impulsively sang at an open-mic night.

Her backing band couldn't be better, either: The Oranj Symphonette .Baxter brings to her music torch-song gentility.

"Rooster In Love" is a barnyard-romance yarn that may not be metaphor, while "Mama (Should I Bake A Cherry Pie And Hide You Inside?)" is told from the perspective of a fretting child trying to save mom from some dire, rapidly approaching fate.

"Morty Mort-Morton Showstopper Calhoun," "Knucklehead," and "Ding-A-Ling" are teasing schoolyard chants, while "Mr. Powder-Blue Breadbox," "Horsey Don't Snore," and "The Chatterbox Chronicles" are full of surreal twists worthy of Lewis Carroll.

Capable Egg presents a strange world populated by even stranger people, but Lullaby Baxter Trio's grip on its eccentric material is remarkably restrained and mysteriously magnetic."



Recording Description
Good sound quirky lyrics.

Contents

1. Hopscotch
2. Anyway Song
3. Knucklehead
4. Rooster in Love
5. Mr. Powder-Blue Breadbox
6. Chatterbox Chronicles
7. Mama (Should I Bake a Cherry Pie and Hide You Inside?)
8. Ding-A-Ling
9. Morty-Mort-Morton Showstopper Calhoun
10. Spacegirl
11. Horsey Don't Snore
12. Lullaby
13. Ding-A-Ling (Reprise)




See all Topics

Saturday, March 03, 2018

Email Access Form

Question and collection


Access 2007-10 has a wizard that will walk you through the process of sending an information gathering form through Outlook. The wizard is on the External Data tab in the Collect Data group.



"You begin with the Collect Data Through E-mail Messages Wizard, which guides you through the steps of creating a form.

The form is sent through Microsoft Office Outlook 2007-10 to your recipients, with your request for new or updated information.

When the recipients reply to your message, Access automatically enters their data into your database.


Collect data by using e-mail



See all Topics

Friday, March 02, 2018

Split the Costs

Split the sheets (?)


Joe Chirilov presents a spreadsheet solution to a friendship breaker.

Recently a large group of friends and I went on a multi-city tour of Europe that lasted a couple weeks. There was a lot of planning that went into this trip and responsibilities for booking different legs of the trip were spread out across the group. How do you efficiently handle paying back multiple people while getting reimbursed for your costs at the same time?

Split Costs

You can download a spreadsheet or watch a video here:
Split_Costs.zip



See all Topics

Thursday, March 01, 2018

Hi, Ho, the Vizio

Free Demos and templates


Have you ever played with Visio?
This site provides demos. Templates and trials.

These templates are available:
  • Sarbanes-Oxley Pivot Diagrams

  • Help Desk Flow


    "Here you will see the six data collection points for this example help desk. Call volumes, wait times, and resolution rates are tracked at each point in the process. The diagram flows from left to right and top to bottom. Not every caller will experience each of the steps, if a problem is resolved by a Level One technician, then the caller does not progress to the Level Two technician.






  • Fault Tree Analysis

  • PC Assembly Process Flow

  • Supply Chain Analysis

  • Value Stream Mapping

  • Factory Floor Assembly Plan

  • Loan Consolidation Process

  • Investment Analysis Report

  • HVAC Controls

  • Military Organization Chart

  • Network Equipment Rack

  • Insurance Claims by State

  • Audit Process

  • Office Space Planning
Visio Toolbox



See all Topics