10 Word 2007 Features We Can't Live Without
Applies to: Word 2007
Document assessment, cleanup and problem-solving tools that help document authors and support teams produce high-quality Word-based work product.
Word 2007 is more than just an upgrade to Word 2003, it is a paradigm shift in word processing. The most obvious shift is the introduction of the Word Ribbon, which extends to a variety of new features designed to make Word users more productive.
Below is Microsystems' List of the Top Ten native Word 2007 features:
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The New X-File Formats for Word, PowerPoint & Excel
The open XML format has a number of benefits, including smaller file sizes, better recovery from damage, more security (for personal data and against malicious macros) and better interoperability with business data. -
Enhanced Track Changes
Word's Compare feature is a revelation. The tri-pane review panel shows both the before, after and merged versions of a document with deleted, inserted and moved text clearly identified. -
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Smarter Paste
CTRL-V is more powerful now. Newly-added commands for the Paste Options button provide more control over the formatting of the pasted content. In addition, the commands change according to the source of the copied content, the destination, and whether you are pasting from another program. Another item to note is that the new default when pasting a table is "Paste Cells" rather than "Paste Nested Table." -
The Alignment Tab
Remember when our former word processing applications let us align text relatively to the page margin? We could easily align text to the left, right and center, all on one line without the need to construct a table. When page margins or orientation changed, these relative tab stops shifted in like kind. This capability returns in Word 2007 as the new "Alignment Tab." -
The Office Labs "Search Commands" Ribbons
With all the new commands available in Word 2007, it's nice to have an easy way of looking them up. Per Microsoft: "Search Commands helps you find commands, options, wizards and galleries in Microsoft Office 2007 Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Just type what you're looking for in your own words and click the command you need. Search Commands also includes Guided Help, which acts as a tour guide for specific tasks." -
The Document Inspector
Your Word 2007 documents may contain a lot more information than you realize-tracked changes, comments, hidden text, private properties and more. Distributing a document with this kind of data present can be embarrassing. It is nice to have an easy way of making sure you're not revealing too much. -
Header & Footer Galleries
You can sample and use a variety of headers and footers and then apply them with little effort. Another much appreciated feature is the ease of formatting page numbers. Items that previously required manual entry can now be inserted in one click. -
Quick Styles Gallery
You can quickly apply styles with one click using the Quick Styles Gallery. You can also preview the effect of a style by simply hovering over it. -
Themes
Scrolling over the various "Theme" options (from the Page Layout Tab) provides an auto-preview of style application and formatting. -
Quick Access Toolbar
You can easily customize the Quick Access Toolbar to include tools you use regularly. This overrides the contextual sensitive ribbon.
