Neon-komputadór

Application: Microsoft PowerPoint

MS-PowerPoint is a presentation program that incorporates slides with text, graphics, sound and digital movies. Like other applications it is accessed from Start -> Programs menu of the Desktop Taskbar. As with other discussions in this chapter, this topic will deal primarily with MS-PowerPoint 2002. The major differences between MS-PowerPoint 2002 and earlier versions are as follows: (1) Aesthetic changes to fit the look of MS-Windows XP (including the bulky right-hand side task pane), (2) Contextual "smart tags" (not always so "smart") that alert the user to actions, (3) Multiple design templates per presentation and (4) Automatic layout changes for inserted objects.

MS-PowerPoint follows the standard layout for MS-Office applications, with a Title Bar, Menu items, Status Bar and Toolbars. If using PowerPoint 2002 you can turn off the Task Pane on the right-hand side of the screen - it doesn't provide anything unique and tends to clutter the workspace. In PowerPoint there are two ways to view the workspace - either as a slide view (where most the work will occur) or as an outline view. These are accessed by tabs on the top left of the workspace (Outline Tab, Slides Tab). The Menu items in PowerPoint are File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Slide Show, Window and Help.

The File menu commands (File -> New, File -> Open, File -> Close, File -> Save, File -> Save As) are identical with other MS-Office applications. Unlike other MS-Office applications, PowerPoint only opens a limited range of files as there are few alternative presentation programs. Files which PowerPoint can open include Harvard Graphics Shows, Freelance Windows and Webpages. Likewise, PowerPoint can only save files as various forms of PowerPoint, Webpages and in various graphic formats. As with other Office products one must be careful if they are saving the file for other people, that they choose a format that they can read. Webpages are probably the safest in this case. Note that MS-Powerpoint assumes the use of landscape layout in File -> Page Setup.

Editing commands are as per the MS-Office standard (Cut, Copy, Paste, Select All, Undo etc). As a presentation program, Toolbars (View -> Toolbars) are of greater use than in other MS-Office applications. As usual, the Standard and Formatting toolbars are recommended, as is the Drawing Toolbar which, by default, appears on the bottom of the workspace. The Drawing Toolbar provides shortcuts to access a wide range of shapes, lines, text-boxes and pictures. The same results can be achieved from Insert -> Picture, Insert -> Diagram or Insert -> Textbox. The three View types (normal, slide sorter and slide show) are functional. The first is best for producing a slide show, the second for giving an overview (like a print preview page from a word processor) and the third for doing a test or actual presentation.

The Insert Commands are essential for the development of a presentation. Insert -> New Slide is obviously one of the most commonly used commands in construction of a presentation. Inserting numbers, times and dates is the same functional command as View -> Header and Footer. The various options for inserting pictures, diagrams and textboxes, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, are the same as what is achieved from the toolbar. Hyperlinks to external websites can also be added if the text equates to a hypertext reference.

The Format commands provide a number of easy to use templates for particular slides, groups of slides, or entire slideshows. Whilst the design, colour scheme and background is a matter of personal taste, it is worth remembering that the key feature of design is to draw attention to the slides and to present the information in a clear manner. Simple design is always better and contrast between text and background is a necessity for legibility. Other Format commands (Format -> Font, Format -> Alignment etc) are exactly the same as those found in MS-Word and other MS-Office applications. Placeholders refer to a particular portion of a slide (for example, a textbox), rather than the slide in entirety.

The Tools commands (Spelling, Language, Compare and Merge, Options and Macros) are similar to other MS-Office tools. Compare and Merge is a particularly useful Tool that helps bring together a presentation into a single file that has been reviewed and commented on by several people. With regards to Options (Tools -> Options), enabling the autosave is essential, security can be improved (albeit marginally) through password protection. As with other MS-Office applications it is recommended that the recently used files list be expanded to the maximum. Spelling, slide and view options are a matter of personal taste. Macros will be discussed in the next chapter.

The Slide Show options change some of the features of your slide show, such as by what means a slide is introduced or how the text is displayed during a show. Many of the animated features that are provided in MS-PowerPoint are certainly attention-grabbing, but they should be used very sparingly, if at all, in case that they detract from the content. There is also a range of set-up and recording options (assuming you have a microphone connected!), including options to choose a show consisting of only particular slides. In some cases, the "action buttons" can be useful, especially if you are doing a non-linear presentation and you need to refer to previous slides.

The final two menu items (Window and Help) are the same as other MS-Office applications. Window allows the user to switch between multiple slideshows or to arrange them as a cascade. The Help option (Help -> PowerPoint Help) provides the standard three methods of access, Contents, Answer Wizard and Index. As usual it is recommended that the Office Assistant is not activated.