Table of Contents
Creating a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word (See illustration above.)

Nick Del Sesto asked how to create a Table of Contents for a book he's writing in Word that will have a string of periods going from each Chapter Title to its corresponding Page Number. Nick tried this by typing in the periods like we used to do on a typewriter (does anyone remember typewriters?) but the page numbers didn't line up properly.

The trick is to create a Tab Stop that tells the page numbers where and how to line up.

Start by having Word's horizontal ruler at the top of the page. If you don't see it click on View>Ruler.

Notice the tiny L at the far left of the ruler. Click it twice to change it to a backwards L. This indicates a right-aligned Tab Stop.

Then click into the ruler about where you want the page numbers to appear (perhaps at 5 inches). This will be the right-aligned Tab Setting for the Page Numbers.

Now type the name of the first chapter and press the TAB key, followed by typing in the pertinent Page Number.

Next mouse-select the line just typed and click on Format>Tabs. This will bring up a dialog box that shows the position of the Tab Stop along with some "Leaders" from which to choose, such as dashes or periods/dots.

Under Leader click on Item 2 (periods). This will fill the space between the Chapter Name and the Page Number with a string of periods.

Finally, press ENTER and continue typing, whereupon each successive line will be properly formatted with the periods in position.
Versatile Netbook

Peggy Merchant wrote to ask if I'm still in love with the netbook I recently purchased.

Well, at $400, this Samsung 12.1-inch netbook is not only the least expensive PC I've ever purchased, but the most versatile. It weighs 3.3 pounds and came with a built-in Web-cam and Bluetooth capability. Its built-in Wi-Fi means I can take anywhere in or around the house with no Internet connectivity problems.

I originally planned to just use it for simple tasks when away from home – but it has become my main PC work-horse.

Netbooks don't come with built-in optical drives, but most of the programs I use nowadays are free online downloads. As for backing up files, I gave up using discs years ago when external hard drives and flash memory sticks began increasing in capacity and decreasing in price.

Nonetheless, I did want to install a couple of my older disc-based programs, so I bought a USB-connectible CD-ROM drive for $18 and it works beautifully. It doesn't even need AC power - it gets its power from the netbook via a USB cable. I bought the drive and the PC from Amazon.com with one-day delivery.

Word Processor Compatibilies

Barbara Hill bought a new PC that came with Microsoft Works and then downloaded the free OpenOffice suite, hoping that all her old Microsoft Word documents could be opened by either or both of these programs.

Yes, OpenOffice is fully compatible with Microsoft Office, meaning Word files can be opened by OpenOffice Writer.

Word & Works Compatibilies

To open a Word file with the Works word processor, click on File>Open. In the "Files of Type" box choose Word Documents (*.doc). Finally, navigate to the target Word files and double-click the one you want to open.
    The above also works for Word users who have Works files they want to open.
Save Converted Documents as RTF Files

With a Word document open in Works click on File>Save As, name the file, and choose RTF (rich text file) in the "Save as Type" box before clicking Save. Saving documents with the RTF extension makes them compatible with ALL other word processing programs.

Other Conversion Options

Another option is to download the free "Word Viewer" from Microsoft.com, which will let you open Word docs. You can then copy and paste Word's text into an open Works file. Then save the file with the RTF extension, as described above.

Yet another option is download the free Beta version of MSOffice 2010, which will be functional until Oct. 31 of this year. In the meantime, anyone who buys MSOffice 2007 will be eligible for the finished version of 2010 at no extra charge.
    Personally, I'm not a big fan of MSOffice 2007 or 2010 and prefer previous MSOffice versions. If you have MSOffice 2000, XP, or 2003 you'll very likely prefer them to the newer suites.

    © Donald Ray Edrington – All Rights Reserved

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Don Edrington - Computer Columnist for The Californian and San Diego's North County Times

Senior Computer Tutor
Don Edrington

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