Word 2007
The Button
Word 2007 has a new interface. Instead of the File menu, it uses the Button 
. Commands for managing the document are on this menu such as for Opening, Saving, and Printing. You also use this Button menu to set program options and prepare the document for distribution. In addition, you can view document properties and set permissions on the Button menu.
The most recent documents saved are listed on this menu. Double-click on a title to open that document.
New on the Button menu opens a New Document dialog box. Here you can open a new blank document or one based on a template as well as create a new document based on an existing one. This replaces the task pane used in Office 2003.
The Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar has the Save icon and Undo/Redo icons by default. However, it is very easy to add commands by using the dropdown list indicated by the black triangle.
You can also add commands selecting Word Options at the bottom of the Button menu. Select Customize to open the following window:
Select a command and click on the Add>> button. Then click OK. The command is added to the Quick Access toolbar. You can also right-click commands on the Ribbon to add them to the Quick Access toolbar.
The Ribbon
The Ribbon is the new tabbed, grouped command icons replacing the old menus and toolbars. As shown below for Word, the Home tab has groupings of commands related to specific activities--the Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, etc. If you click on Insert or Page Layout, new groups of commands appear related to inserting or laying out a page. Some tabs only appear related to some activity such as editing pictures or printing. For example, when you click on an image, a Picture tab appears on the Ribbon, which you select to access the commands related to picture editing.
In the bottom corner of some groups is an arrow that opens a dialog box or task pane. If you click on Page Layout and select the arrow at the bottom of the Page Setup command group (as shown below), this opens a dialog box for setting margins.
If you want to minimize the Ribbon or move the Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon, use the dropdown menu on the Quick Access Toolbar. You can temporarily hide the Ribbon by double-clicking the active tab. The groups disappear. Just double-click the active tab to bring back the groups.
File Formats
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in Office 2007 have new file formats based on XML. Therefore, they have new file extensions to reflect this--extensions with an X at the end or an M if the file has macros. For example, when you go to the Button menu in Word and select Save As, you will see options for saving in the old or new format.
If you select the first option, to save as a Word Document, the file extension will be .docx. If the file had macros, then it would be .docm. If you save it as a template, its file extension would be .dotx. However, you can save it in Word 97-2003 format. You don't have to though since there is a file convertor that can be downloaded from Microsoft that works with Office 2003 applications allowing them to open the Office 2007 files. Just go to the Download Center to get the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for 2007 Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint File Formats.
The new default file extension for an Excel workbook is .xlsx. The default file extension for a PowerPoint file is .pptx. The new XML formats allow anyone with an XML editor and a ZIP utility to open Office 2007 files. The ZIP utility is needed because the new XML formatted files are automatically compressed when saved and uncompressed when opened. If you have Microsoft Office 2007, this is automatically done for you.
Converting Your Old Files
When you open older Office files in Office 2007, they are opened in "Compatibility Mode." If you click the Convert command on the Office Button menu, the existing file format is upgraded to the new file format where all the new features are available. As previously mentioned, if you or a colleague are using an older version of Office and try to open one of the newer file formats, you will get a dialog box asking if you want to download the converter to open it.
Online Office 2007 Training Presentations
There are training presentations you can download for all of the Office applications. In PowerPoint 2007, simply click on the Office Button and select New. In the New Presentation window under "Microsoft Office Online," select "Presentations." You will see "2007 Microsoft Office System training" link under Presentations. Also, you can go to Microsoft Office Online Training Demos.
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