Word Processor

The word processor is application software which defines features to create, edit, view, format, store, retrieve and print documents such as letters, reports, books etc. some important features of word processors are editing, spelling checking, page setup, paragraph alignments, merging documents, typing in columns etc.

Behind text, word processor also enables us to add images to the documents ad design the documents that look like the product of professional print shop. Using word processor, we can create a long document with separate chapters, a table of contents, an index and other features. An example of word processor is MS-Word, word star, word perfect, lotus Notes.

Features of word processor

·        Fast operation: typing text in a Word Processor becomes very fast as there is no mechanical carriage movement associated.

·        Editing text features: Any type of operation like insert, delete, modify the documents and undo/redo, find/replace can be perform very easily. These insertion, deletion or correction can be performed at any time in place of the text. These alternations can be made before and after typing the entire document. Similarly, move or copy a section or block of text object from any location of the same document or other document to another location in the entire material of the document too.

·        Formatting features: The electronic typed text can be appearing or insert in any form or style like bold, italic, underline, different fonts, font size, its color and paragraph formatting can be made.

·        Permanent storage: - By the help of Word Processor, files and documents can be saved as long as preferred and saved files and documents can be retrieved whenever desired.

·        Graphics: It provides facilities to insert text, objects (picture, graph etc.) anywhere in the document whenever necessary.

·        OLE (Object linking and embedding): Modern Word Processors provide facilities to link or embed objects in a document. OLE is a program–integration technology that can use to share information between programs through objects. Objects are saved entities of different types like charts, equations, pictures and audio/videos clips.

·        Review the document: -  Word Processor not only is capable of checking spelling mistakes but also can suggest possible alternatives for incorrectly spelt word i.e. it provides to facility of using speller and thesaurus (synonyms and antonyms words).

·        Mail merge: It is an option used to merge a list of information such as names, address, e-mail, phone number (data source) with the main document. The main document contains original text (merge fields) with data area at appropriate places to produce a number of copies of merged document while defined the merging task. The main document is created using the Mail Merge Helper dialogue box.

·        Searching: It facilities to search for any word or text and replace or delete with other necessary ones in the entire material of the documents very easy.

·        Print design: It provides print preview, printing area (four sides), no. of copies, paper size, before print to view the document exactly as per the convenience or not.

Popular word Processing Packages

Ms-Word	Ms Write	Amipro	Word Star	Kingsoft Writer	Lotus notes
Louts Word Pro	Word Perfect	Apache Open Office Writer	Ted	MultiMate	Professional Write

Uses of Word Processor

·        To create resumes/bio data                  

·        Update a blog

·        Articles Cover letters

·        World wide web pages

·        Directories

·        Advertisements

·        Newsletters

·        Brochures

·        Report writings

·        Annual reports

·        Books

Function of word processing

Positioning functions: On the toolbar towards the top of the screen you should see four main options for positioning your text on the page. These are left align, centre, right align and justify. The tab button on the upper left of the keyboard is very useful for positioning words on the page. You can also use the ‘Format’ ‘Bullets and numbering’ function on the drop down menus.

Changing text appearance: There are three buttons on the toolbar that allow you to add bold, italics or underlining to your writing. Alternatively, we can highlight the relevant text and use the shortcuts of Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, and Ctrl+U. There are also two pull-down menus of different fonts and text sizes next to these buttons, with the fonts displayed as they appear on the page.

Changing the page appearance: add borders to the page, or to a section of text, can make their writing look much more interesting. We can find this function on the pull-down menu called ‘Format’, under ‘Borders and shading’.

Columns:  columns will appear automatically when we have typed to the end of the first column. When typing a newspaper article, it is a good idea to put a line between each column, to make it easier to read. We can add this line by ticking a box on the ‘Columns’ menu.

Toolbars: On the ‘View’ pull-down menu, wewill find a number of toolbars that are not normally displayed. These include a ‘WordArt’ toolbar, which offers some useful ready-designed WordArt titles.

Editing: These functions are represented by the symbols of scissors (cut), paper (copy) and clipboard (paste). They can also be found on the pull down ‘Edit’ menu, or can be used with the shortcuts of Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.

Review/track changes: When we are editing their work, if you’d like to see how and where they are making changes, then to use the review/track changes function. Go to the ‘View’ menu and tick the ‘Review changes’ box. You are then given a choice of functions which include original/final/mark-up.

Adding symbols: If we look at the ‘Insert’ pull-down menu, and then click on ‘Symbol’, we will find a wide range of really useful options. These ‘Symbol’ menus include fractions, Arabic letters, copyright symbols, and so on.  

Checking technique: It’s extremely helpful for us to be able to check the accuracy of their work. We can find the functions for checking spelling and grammar on the ‘Tools’ menu. We can use the thesaurus function when writing, with Shift+F7 being a very useful shortcut for finding better words.

Mail Merge: - we may use mail through the old post office or using the recent email technology. If we have to send the same mail content to multiple recipients by addressing each recipients, then we have to make multiple mail documents repeatedly. To solve this problem, word processors provides feature called mail merge. This feature merges the letter with the database of names and addresses to produce document for the multiple mail recipients. The mail merge features produces personalized multiple copied of letters, pre-addressed envelopes or mailing labels for mass mailing by combining a words document which contains the fixed text with the variables that are placed in each letter from a data source. The data source can be spreadsheet or a database which has fields or column matching each variable in the template, For the mailing purpose, the data source should have the name or address of individual to whom the mails are to be sent. However, using mail merge, we can prepare multiple document with other types of variables as well.

When the mail merge feature is executed, the word processor generates multiple copies of the text document for each row in the database by substituting the variables in the template with the value in matching column. Most of the word processing packages available today are capable of performing mail merge.

Or ,

Mail merge consists in combining mail and letters and pre-addressed envelopes or mailing labels for mass mailings from a form letter. Microsoft Word can insert content from a database, spreadsheet, or table into Word documents. This feature is usually employed in a word processing document which contains fixed text (which is the same in each output document) and variables (which act as placeholders that are replaced by text from the data source).

Mail Merge is a powerful tool for writing a personalized letter or E-mail to many people at the same time. It imports data from another source such as Excel and then uses that to replace placeholders throughout our message with the relevant information for each individual we are messaging.

Uses of mail merge

When you need to mail copies of the same letter to multiple recipients, create custom envelopes or labels to mail to various contacts or you want to make a mass email sound more personal, you can use the Mail Merge feature in Microsoft Word. With this tool, you can use data from an existing Excel worksheet, a list in Word or your Outlook contacts and customize a document quickly.

Spreadsheet: - A spreadsheet is a table of values arranged in rows and columns. Each value can have a predefined relation to the other values, if one value is changed, other values need to be changes as well.

Spreadsheet application are computer programs that let us create and manipulate spreadsheets electronically. In a spreadsheet application, each value sits in a cell. We can define what type of data is in each cell and how different cells depends on one another. Once we have defined the cells and formulas for linking them together, we can enter the data. MS Excel is one of the most popular spreadsheet application.

A typical spreadsheet program provides all sorts of tools for arranging data, performing calculation, generating charts and reports i.e. a spread program is a software tool for entering, calculating, manipulating, and analyzing set of numbers. Spreadsheet have a wide range of uses from family business to corporate earnings statements.

Cell: - A cell is the interaction between a row and a column on a spreadsheet that stats with cell A1. A cell is a box in which you can enter a single piece of data. The data is usually numeric value or a formula. The entire spreadsheet is composed of rows and columns of cells. Individually cells are usually identified by a column letter and a row number. Data enter into spreadsheet program is always stored in a cell. Example A2 species the cell in column A and row 2.

Worksheet: - An excel worksheet is a single spreadsheet that contains cells organized by rows and columns. A worksheet begins with row number one and column A. A worksheet is a collection of cells on a single sheet where you actually keep manipulate the data. In excel 201, the maximum size of a work sheet 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns.

Work book: - A work book is an excel file that contain one or more worksheet. Each workbook can contain many worksheets that you use to organized various kind of related information. It contains three worksheets by default.

Features of spreadsheet software:

·        Allows data entry, storage, calculation and presentation.

·        Formatting of data for making it attractive by using tools like font, font color, font size.

·        Simple computing operations like copy, cut, paste, find, replace etc.

·        Sorting data either or ascending or descending order on the basis different fields.

·        Formula for calculations using cell address including mathematical, statistical, trigonometrically etc.

·        Allow to share workbooks, allowing multiple users to edit the same workbook at same time.

·        Provide various chart types and shapes like Pie, Bar, XY, Stack Bar, Area, 3D-Pie etc.

·        Data validation for setting data entry rules.

·        Internet feature including a web toolbar and the ability to create hyperlinks and to save files using save as HTML options.

·        Advanced features like goal seek, scenario, auditing, what-if analysis, pivot table, pivot chart etc.

·        Supports the high level feature of object linking & embedding i.e. data from MS WORD can be safely & easily put put and linked with data in MS EXCEL and vice versa.

·        Support natural language formulas.

Spread sheet software's

MS EXCEL	Simple Spreadsheet	Ability Office Spreadsheet	Lotus1-2-3	Open Office.org Calc
Gnumeric	Google Spreadsheet	TABULUS	WikiCalc

Uses of spreadsheet

·        Arithmetic and statistical calculations.               

·        Preparation of profit and loss account.

·        Financial forecasting.

·        Reports and balance sheet.

·        Preparation of income statement.

·        Charts (PIE, BAR etc.)

·        Regression analysis.

·        Preparation of tax statements.

·        Database management developing custom application using Visual Basic application.

Cell Reference: A cell's location in the spreadsheet is referred to as its cell reference. To find a cell reference, simply look at the column heading to find which column the cell is in, and across to find which row it is in.

There are two types of cell reference

Relative cell reference: a relative cell reference identifies the location of a cell or group of cells. Cell reference are used in formulas, function, charts and other excel commands. By default, a spread sheet cell reference is relative. what this means is that as a formula or function is copied and pasted to other cells, the cell references in the formula or function change to reflect the function's new locations.

A relative cell reference consists of the column letter and row number that intersect at the cell's locations. Example C4, G15.

Absolute cell reference: Absolute cell reference identities the location a cell or group of cells. An absolute cell reference consists of the column letter and row number surrounded by dollar signs ($). An example of absolute cell reference would be $C$4, $G$15 or $A$345.

Mixed Cell reference: - This is a type of cell reference which makes either one of the row or column is relative and another absolute. In this cell reference one of the row or column will have dollar ($) sign another won't.

E.g. In mixed cell reference the value of either one of the row or column sis changed /copied another remains unchanged.

Presentation: - presentation software's is a special type of software used to create and display information in an effective manner normally in the form of slide show. Normally a presentation may contain text, picture, graphics, audio, video and animation. For example, a teacher can make a presentation on any topic he has to teach in the class room, a businessperson can make a presentation to promote the sales of her products.

Microsoft PowerPoint is one the most popular presentation software It is a part of Microsoft Office Package. Microsoft has been releasing PowerPoint program since 1997 A.D. It is available in different version such as PowerPoint 2002, PowerPoint 2003, PowerPoint 2007, PowerPoint 2010, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2016.

Example of presentation program are

MS PowerPoint	KPresenter	MagicPoint	Apple Keynote
Simple slides	Openoffice.org Impress	Corel Presentations	Powerdot
IBM Lotus	Opera Show Format	Freelance Graphics	Harvard graphics

Features of Presentation package

·        Allows data entry, storage, calculations and presentations.

·        Formatting of data for making it attractive by using tools like font, fonts color, font size etc.

·        Simple computing operations like copy, cut, paste, find replace etc.

·        Predesigned slide designs can use faster and easier development of presentation.

·        Slide transition, to define how a slide is displayed from the previous one.

·        Predefined slide animation for to developed our own animations.

·        Custom animation to develop our own animations

·        Buttons for the easier navigation from one slide to another.

·        Bookmarks and hyperlink to link different components of a presentation.

·        Provide various char types and shapes like pie, bar, XY, Stack bar, area, 3D- pie etc.

·        Internet features including a web toolbar and the ability to create hyperlinks and to save files using Save as HTML options.