Office 2007 Overview: Tips and Tricks
Application Tips
Access:
- Previous versions of Access handled buggy code
by displaying warning messages when you opened a database. However, in
Access 2007, all potentially unsafe macro actions and code are automatically
disabled. A brief security warning appears, and you can either click
and
select Enable the content, or you can change Access options
to eliminate the warning message. Refer to Security
Considerations and Guidance for Access 2007 for detailed information
on adding a trusted site. - When you create a new table in Datasheet view and press [Enter] to add a new field, the ID field value is incremented by one. For example, if you add five fields to the first row of data before you save the table, the ID field value is incremented to 5. To avoid this problem, type a value in Field1 and then: 1) Add a second row of data before adding another new field to the table, or 2) Save the table before adding another new field to the table.
- By default, Access saves new databases in a new "accdb" format. Those using earlier versions of Office will not be able to access such files. To get around this, use Save as to save the database in an Access 2002/2003 or 2000-compatible format.
Excel:
- When you open a file that contains content that does not match the file's extension, you see an error message: "The file you are trying to open, 'name.ext', is in a different format than specified by the file extension. Verify that the file is not corrupted and is from a trusted source before opening the file." This message is the result of a user-notification function added to Excel 2007 to help prevent problems due to possible incompatibility between the content of the file and the file extension. If you trust the source of the file, click [Yes] in response to the warning.
- By default, Excel saves new workbooks in a new "xlsx" format. Those using earlier versions of Office will not be able to access such files. There are two ways around this: 1) Use Save as to save the workbook in the old "xls" format or 2) Change your Excel preferences so that the default file format is "xls".
Outlook:
- Outlook 2007 uses a combination of Toolbars and the Ribbon. The Toolbars can be used to select options for all tasks other other than those performed in the Message window (for example, sending a new message, replying to a message, forwarding a message).
PowerPoint:
- By default, PowerPoint saves new presentations in a new "pptx" format. Those using earlier versions of Office will not be able to access such files. There are two ways around this: 1) Use Save as to save the presentation in the old "ppt" format or 2) Change your PowerPoint preferences so that the default file format is "ppt".
Publisher:
- Publisher uses the old style menus; it does not have a Ribbon interface.
Word:
- By default, Word saves new workbooks in a new "docx" format. Those using earlier versions of Office will not be able to access such files. There are two ways around this: 1) Use Save as to save a workbook in the old "doc" format or 2) Change your Word preferences so that the default file format is "doc".
Another way of providing functionality for those still using older versions of Office is to have them download and install the Compatibility Pack add-on. They will then be able to use Office 2000-2003 to open, edit, and save, documents created using the new file formats.
Acrobat and Office 2007
- The Acrobat tab appears in application windows when you have Acrobat Pro installed.
- If you do not have Acrobat Pro, an optional download is available that allows you to export and save to PDF and XPS formats in many of the Office 2007 programs. It allows you to send email attachments in these formats as well.
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