Office 2010 – OneNote

Microsoft Office OneNote

OneNote reminds me a bit of the Lotus Organiser, (I know there is a version still available if one form or another but I’m referring to the Windows 95 Lotus SmartSuite version) it’s that place where you can keep those odds and ends all in one place and know exactly where they are.

Microsoft Office OneNote is a multi-user information gathering application most useful when you’re on the move using a Tablet Pc or Laptop.

OneNote opens with a useful Getting Started with OneNote guide from the Notebooks Sections Tabs (listed on the left of the main window).

The default Section Tabs are:

Work Notebook:

• Meeting notes
• Project A
• Project B
• Research
• Travel
• Planning
• Miscellaneous

Personal Notebook:

• Personal information
• Shopping
• Books, movies and music
• Travel
• Recipes
• To do
• Miscellaneous

OneNote 2010 Guide:

• Getting Started with OneNote
• More Cool Features

The OneNote Ribbon Tabs/Groups are:

Home:

• Clipboard
• Basic Text
• Styles
• Tags
• Outlook

Insert:

• Tables
• Illustrations
• Links
• Files
• Recording
• Time Stamp
• Symbols

Share:

• E-mail
• Unread
• Shared Notebook
• History

Draw:

• Tools
• Insert Shapes
• Edit
• Convert

Review:

• Spelling
• Language
• Notes

View:

• Views
• Authors
• Page Setup
• Zoom
• Window

Has a non-OneNote user, but at the same time, has someone who needs an organiser, OneNote is an interesting proposition. An interesting feature is the lack of a save button/icon. Everything is automatically updated and saved.

There is of course, on the Office Button, a Save As option where Notebooks, Sections and Pages can be saved.

The Notebook file format is .onekg (OneNote notebook archived in a single file). Pages and Sections have the .one format. All three can be Saved As:

• PDF .pdf
• XPS .xps
• Single File Web Page .mht

New Notebooks can be created through the Office Button.

Note Containers are the little, or large, bordered windows into which the contents of the page on a Section are; typed, copied, linked, sent, brought, dragged or by whatever means, inserted onto the page. Once there they can be resized and arranged in any order.

If at any point you encounter something you can’t copy, in this case an image from Google Maps, from the Insert Tab select Screen Clipping and drag an area around the map which will be inserted automatically has a Container

Also in this example I will drop a photo and a couple of links. A disadvantage of not having to save anything is you get to keep everything. At the bottom left of the main window, under Notebooks, there are Unfiled Notes. If you lost something that’s where it stays until it is allocated. It is also where any unwanted notes are kept.

Click once on Unfiled Notes, a list of saved Pages/Notes will appear in Tabs on the upper right. New Pages, SubPages and Page Templates can be created from the dropdown.

Next, OneNote continued...