Office InfoPath 2010 – Designer/Editor

InfoPath 2010

InfoPath 2010 is a XML-based (XML, Extensible Markup Language, is the specification for creating custom markup languages, allowing users to define the ‘mark-up’ components) form creating and data gathering application that first appeared in 2003. The purpose of InfoPath is to create/edit XML-based entry forms and transfer data between applications and in some cases even between organisations.

Once a form has been filled-in the data will be incorporated into the ‘back-end’ procedures that understand the particular structure of that form. Yes, it has to be said, that you can build forms with Word and Excel and they both have the capacity for interaction with XML data, though you will need at least some understanding of Visual Basic.Net to do so. Neither Word nor Excel can offer the structural XML editing that InfoPath offers.

The swift adoption of XML technologies in recent years has uncovered the need for an application that allows users (non-developers, anyone using Word or Excel can create a form in InfoPath) to share and interrelate with XML data.

The InfoPath Ribbon Tabs & Groups are:

Home:

• Clipboard
• Format Text
• Font Styles
• Controls
• Rules
• From

Insert:

• Page Layouts
• Section Layouts
• Tables
• Illustrations
• Links
• Page Format
• Symbols

Page Design:

• Views
• Layout Styles
• Background
• Header & Footer

Data:

• Form Data
• Get External Data
• Submit Actions
• Rules
• Roles

View:

• Show

Developer:

• Code
• Events
• Control Events

Contextual Tabs;

Control Tools

Properties:

• Properties
• Modify
• Display Text
• Control Size
• Rules

Table Tools

Layout:

• Table
• Rows & Columns
• Merge
• Cell
• Alignment
• Borders & Shading
• Draw

Picture Tools

Format:

• Adjust
• Borders & Shading

The Office (InfoPath) Button

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InfoPath Options

InfoPath Options

General:

General

• Top options for working with InfoPath
• Personalise your copy of Microsoft Office

Language:

Set the Office Language Preferences.

• Choose editing languages
• Choose display and Help languages

Customise Ribbon:

Customise the Ribbon.

• Choose commands from:
• Customise the Ribbon:
• New Tab
• Restore Defaults
• Import/Export

Quick Access Toolbar:

Customise the Quick Access Toolbar.

• Choose commands from:
• Customise Quick Access Toolbar:
• Restore Defaults
• Import/Export

Add-Ins:

View and manage Microsoft Office add-ins.

• Add-ins

Trust Center:

Help keep your documents safe and your computer secure and healthy.

• Protecting your privacy
• Security & more
• InfoPath Editor Trust Center
• Trust Center Settings

Controls & Fields

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Office 2010 - News

Technical Preview

The ‘official’ Technical Preview is here

Yesterday, Microsoft began its ‘invitation only’, but none the less impressive, Technical Preview of the Office 2010 package. Still no mention of that underestimated little word, price. The price will be a major concern for anyone who already owns Office 2007 especially considering that it doesn’t do anything fundamentally different and there is also the less glamorous but still functional OpenOffice Suite for free.

Online Office

Office 2010 will also be available in an online version, albeit reduced. The programs that will be available are Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Use of the remote Office will also be compatible with Safari and Firefox. The fact that they were not really highlighting of the online version of Office 2010 is more a response to Google docs rather than a shift in emphasis from the software package. As I understand it you will need a Windows Live account to access it but there’s no cost involved even for non-Office users, though one if its main attractions is the ability to collaborate with other Office 2010 licence owners.

The Office 2010 web applications will have a restricted functionality but more than enough to make adjustments to existing documents including using formulas in Excel and adding web clips and the like to OneNote. We will have to wait for the full release of Office 2010 to try out the web-based features which are not available in the Technical Preview though, apparently they will be available later this year. You can read more about it from their site, here.

Next, SharePoint Workspace...

Excel 2010 - Basics

A Few Basics

Before moving onto the more advanced features of Excel it is always good practice to run through a few basics to see if there are any changes in the general function of the program. I will do a few simple calculations and produce a chart in the same worksheet to show the results.

Having opened Excel I will type January in the cell A2 (I will use the convention of showing cells and formulas in bold i.e. =Sum(A1:A2)). Hit Return and the cell below will be selected. Click on January/A2 again, place the cursor in the bottom right corner of the thick border and drag it down to December, Excel will fill in the months. The same principle applies to any logical sequence, if I type A1; Return, and drag, it will fill in A2, A3, Etc. It also works laterally in rows but not with whole numbers.

Click B2, and type in the formula bar, ‘2005 and hit Return. The apostrophe before the year 2005 will mark the date as a ‘number stored as text’ and not as a number. Otherwise, 2005 as a number at the top of a list of numeric values would be included in any calculations later.

With B2 selected, drag it across to E1 ending in 2008. Three of the last four months in the A column exceed the standard size width of the columns. This can be adjusted manually but, to save time and be more precise, double click the line at the top of the columns separating A & B.

After keying in the numbers shown with B14 selected, click Auto Sum in the Editing Group. Excel will try to determine, in this case rightly, what sum you’re trying to do. It came up with the obvious formula =SUM(B2:B13). Which are B2+B3+B4 Etc.

Drag the bottom right corner of B14 across to E14 and the missing three totals will be added. Check the totals by clicking on them individually and look at the formula bar i.e. with D14 selected it reads =SUM(D2:D13).

With all four totals selected, right click and open Format Cells. On the Number Tab select Currency, 2 Decimal places and the Symbol £.

Select the four headings 2005 to 2008 and, holding the Ctrl key, select the four totals, on the Insert Tab Click Column from the Charts Group. From the Type Group change the chart type to suit your preference.

With the chart selected from Chart Tools > Design > Chart Styles choose one of the styles. In the table click, to select, the Vertical (Value) Axis, right click and open Format Axis. On the Axis Options change the Minimum setting from Auto 0.0 to Fixed 3000.0 and the Maximum from Auto to Fixed 6500.0 (charts will be covered in depth later)

Office 2010 - Access II

Microsoft Office 2010 - Access 14

Next, OneNote

Office 2010 – Access

Part 10 – Access 2010

Access 2010, like its predecessors, (though its official name is Microsoft Office Access) is a database management system. A ‘smart ass’ way to define a database would be “A collection of predicates over a finite set of predicate variables, describing constraints on the possible values and combinations of values”, which to me sounds like a table or chart connected to other tables/charts/lists.

The database model on which Access is based is called the ‘Relational model’. Other database models include Hierarchical, Network and Object-orientated.

Types of Databases

• Operational
• Analytical
• Data Warehouse
• Distributed
• End-User
• External
• Hypermedia

The list of uses for a database are endless, there isn’t an aspect of computer software applications that doesn’t at some point refer to them, it being to most appropriate method of storing, coordinating and accessing large amounts of data.

Access 14, like Excel deserves a book and not a blog entry, but for that I will need to see closer to the release date if it is plausible. For now an overview and later, like Excel, some practical exercises.

The Overview

This is how the main window looks when a database is opened in Datasheet View

The Tabs/Groups on the Ribbon are:

Home:

• Views
• Clipboard
• Sort & Filter
• Records
• Find
• Window
• Text Formatting

Create:

• Templates
• Tables
• Forms
• Reports
• Other

External Data:

• Import
• Export
• Collect Data

Modify Fields:

• Views
• Fields & Columns
• Formatting
• Properties
• Validation
• Table Logic

The Design Tab is only available in Design View

Design:

• Views
• Tools
• Show/Hide
• Field, Record & Table Events
• Relationships

The Office (Access) Button

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Access Options

Options

General:

General options for working with Access.

• User Interface options
• Creating databases
• Personalise your copy of Microsoft Office

Current Database:

Options for the current database.

• Application Options
• Navigation
• Ribbon and Tool Options
• Name AutoCorrect Options
• Filter lookup options for
• Caching Web Service and SharePoint tables

Datasheet:

Customise the way datasheets look in Access.

• Gridlines and cell effects
• Default font

Object Designers:

Customise the options for creating and modifying database objects in Access.

• Table design
• Query design
• Forms/Reports
• Error checking

Proofing:

Change how Access automatically corrects and formats the contents of your databases, and how it indicates the errors that if finds.

• AutoCorrect options
• When correcting spelling in Microsoft Office programs
• Custom Dictionaries

Language:

Set the Office Language Preferences.

• Choose editing languages
• Choose display and Help languages

Advanced:

Advanced customisation options for Access.

• Editing
• Display
• Printing
• General
• Advanced
• Default theme

Customise Ribbon:

Customise the Ribbon.

• Choose commands from:
• Customise the Ribbon:
• New Tab
• New Group
• Rename
• Restore Defaults
• Import/Export

Quick Access Toolbar:

Customise the Quick Access Toolbar.

• Choose commands from:
• Customise Quick Access Toolbar:
• Restore Defaults
• Import/Export

Add-Ins:

View and manage Microsoft Office add-ins.

• Add-ins

Trust Center:

Help keep your documents safe and your computer secure and healthy.

• Protecting your privacy
• Secure & more
• Microsoft Office Access Trust Center
• Trust Center Settings

Access the movie (youtube video)

Next, Access continued...

Office 2010 - Outlook II

Part 9 – Outlook (Overview)

Having closed the Setup Wizard (Part – 8) the main Outlook window will open and it will retrieve the contents of your email from your webmail account.

Outlook 2010, like its predecessors is both a complex and controversial piece of software. For the moment I will be sticking to a basic overview of the program structure, returning to advanced features and settings later. Has you can see from the screenshot Outlook 14 has the now familiar Ribbon and tabs. The main window is divided into sections, how many depends on preference and requirement. In this case three: Folders, conversations and the content of the selected item.

The selected (open conversation) email in this case has a link at the top of the page 'To view email has a webpage, go here'. One click will open the convesation in a browser window.

The Ribbon, Tabs and Groups on the Outlook 14 window are:

Home:

• New
• Delete
• Respond
• Quick Steps
• Actions
• Tags
• Find

Send / Receive:

• Send & Receive
• Download
• Headers
• Preferences

Folder:

• New
• Actions
• Clean Up
• Favorites
• Properties

View:

• Current View
• Arrangement
• Layout
• Window

Add-Ins:

• Custom Toolbars

The Office (Outlook) Button:

Info

Open

print

Saving

Outlook Options

Are there options in Outlook 2010?

General:

General options for working with Outlook

• User Interface options
• Personalise your copy of Microsoft Outlook
• Start Up options

Mail:

Change the settings for messages you create and receive.

• Compose messages
• Message arrival
• Conversation Clean Up
• Replies and forwards
• Save messages
• Send messages
• MailTips
• Tracking
• Message format
• Other

Calendar:

Change the settings for calendars, meetings and time zones.

• Work time
• Calendar options
• Display options
• Time zones
• Scheduling assistant
• Resource scheduling

Contacts:

Change how you work with your contacts.

• Names and filing
• Linking
• Contacts index
• Online status
• Outlook created contacts

Tasks:

Change the settings that track your tasks and to-do items.

• Task options
• Work hours

Notes and Journal:

Change the settings for Notes and the Journal.

• Notes options
• Journal options

Search:

Change how items are searched with Instant Search.

• Sources
• Results

Mobile:

Change the settings for mobile notification and messaging.

• Calendar Summary
• Mobile Reminder
• Mobile Notification
• Mobile Options

Language:

Set the Office Language Preferences.

• Choose editing languages
• Choose display and Help languages

Advanced:

Options for working with Outlook

• Outlook panes
• Outlook start and exit
• AutoArchive
• Reminders
• RSS Feeds
• Send and receive
• Developers
• Dial-Up connections
• International options
• Offline editing options for document management server files
• Other

Customise Ribbon:

Customise the Ribbon.

• Choose commands from:
• Customise the Ribbon:
• New Tab
• New Group
• Rename
• Restore Defaults
• Import/Export

Quick Access Toolbar:

Customise the Quick Access Toolbar.

• Choose commands from:
• Quick Access Toolbar:
• Restore Defaults
• Import/Export

Add-Ins:

View and manage Microsoft Office add-ins.

• Add-in Options
• Add-ins

Trust Center:

Help keep your documents safe and your computer secure and healthy

• Protecting your privacy
• Security & more
• Microsoft Outlook Trust Center

Next, Access 2010