Forming Up Your Genealogy--Part 20--Ribbon Custom Tab

To add a new tab:

1. See the previous post to display the Customize Ribbon dialog. 
2. In the list on the right, click the New Tab button. Word adds a new tab to the list.
   
   

To rename New Tab and New Group:

1. Click the New Tab (Custom), and then click the Rename button. A rename dialog appears. 
2. Enter the tab name Forms Tab...or any name that makes sense to you..., and then click OK. 
3. Click the New Group (Custom), and then click the Rename button. A rename dialog appears.
4. Enter the group name Text, and then click OK. 

To add new groups:

1. With your cursor on the Text group, click the New Group button. Word add a New Group (Custom) entry to the list.
2. Rename the new group Check Box. 

To get the tab that I use, repeat these instructions to add these groups:

• Text (Custom)...Already done!
• Check Box (Custom)...Already done!
• Combo Box (Custom)
• Other Buttons (Custom)

The following groups are options...you can choose to add them or not.

• Align Bottom (Custom)
• Align Center (Custom)
• Align Top (Custom)

I add the align buttons so that I don't have to constantly click another tab to align text within the table I most likely will add when creating a form. The cell alignment is available on the right-click pop-up menu too.

So adding the buttons on the ribbon might be overkill for you. Or, you might want to have other buttons at hand on the ribbon. Group names appear below the buttons and cause the buttons to spread out over the width of the ribbon rather than bunching up in a few crowded groups.

To add buttons:

1. Click the group name Text. This group is the first group to which we will be adding buttons. 
2. From the Choose commands from drop-down list on the left, select Commands Not in the Ribbon. The list below updates with command that do not appear on ribbons.
   
   
3. In the Commands Not in the Ribbon list, look for Text Field (Form Control).
   
   
4. Click Text Field (Form Control) and hold your mouse key to grab it. 
5. Drag and drop Text Field (Form Control) over the group name Text. Word add the buttons to the group. 

Repeat these steps to add buttons to groups so that you have the following structure.

• Text (Custom)
  Text Field (Form Control)...Shows as Edit Box button on tab...
  Form Field Options...Shows as Properties button on tab...
• Check Box (Custom)
  Check Box (Form Control)
• Combo Box (Custom)
  Combo box (Form Control)
• Other Buttons (Custom)
  Reset Form Fields
  Restrict Editing...You'll find this button on the All Commands list...See below.
  Legacy Tools...You'll find this button on the All Commands list too...Shows the drop-down with all of the tools...Add it just in case.

You now know how to add a tab, add groups, and add buttons to a group. I'm going to let you experiment with any additional groups and buttons you might want to add to your custom forms tab.

Next post, we'll talk about using the buttons on your new custom tab. 

Forming Up Your Genealogy--Part 19--Ribbon Custom Tab

If you envision a create fillable forms festival, you might want to consider adding a custom tab to the ribbon with the buttons and tools you need to create the forms.

Here's what my custom tab looks like.

Click graphic to see larger version.

Press the Esc key to return to this post. 

To display Word Options and the Customize Ribbon:

1. Display Word Options.
2. --Word 2007: Click the MS Office button, and then click Word Options.
   --Word 2010: Click File, and then Options.
   The World Options dialog appears. 
3. Select Customize Ribbon and the options appear. 

If you have the Designer tab appearing in your ribbon, you've used this dialog before because the Designer tab gets turned on in the dialog. The dialog is divided into parts. 

• The lift side includes commands that can be added to tabs. As you can see from the drop-down list at the top, not all commands appear on ribbons. In addition, several other options are on the list. When you select different option, the list related commands below updates. Commands Not in the Ribbon is the option you will be using to get a list of commands. It's long!
• The Add and Remove buttons allow you to move commands from the list on the left to a tab on the right and vice versa.
• The right side includes the tabs that appear on the ribbon. Using the buttons below the tabs list, you can add a new tab, a new group, or rename a tab or group among other tasks. 

In the next post, we'll actually add the custom tab with the form and alignment buttons, which are the buttons I use. You'll also see how you can add other buttons you might find useful on your custom tab.

Word Ribbon Keyboard Shortcuts

Newer versions of Word have moved from a menu to a ribbon that functions in a different way. For example, have you tapped your Alt key while cruising along and had all sorts of letters turn up on your ribbon? If you kept typing, you probably had a dialog appear that you had to cancel out of because you typed a letter that picked a menu option on the ribbon. This functionality is new in Word 2007/2010 and is geared toward anybody who is crazy for keyboard shortcuts (read touch typist). Here's how it works.  

• Tap the Alt key on your keyboard to display the letters in square boxes. 
• Look at the letters associated with each ribbon (F=File; H = Home; etc.)
• Type the letter of the ribbon you want to display. For example, type H to display the Home ribbon. 
• Look at the ribbon...it's littered with letters and numbers in square boxes. 
• Type the letter or number. Depending on the option you picked, you display a dialog or initiate an action.
  --Pick a ribbon option with a drop-down arrow and you get a dialog.
  --Pick a ribbon option without a drop-down arrow and you get an action
  (For example, bold turns on and when you type your text is in bold font). 

If you customized a Quick Access Toolbar, be sure to notice that when you tap Alt Word adds numbers to the buttons you've added to the toolbar too. Type a number to display a dialog or initiate an action.

Want it all to just go away? Click once anywhere in the body of your document or tap the ESC key and it all dissolves.

It's All About Real Estate...
Speaking of dissolving...Want to get rid of the ribbon altogether and get more screen real estate?

• Look on the right of your screen beside the Help question mark just below the X that closes your document. You're looking for a small inverted V (caret) that is a toggle. 
• Click the caret and the ribbon disappears...rolls up into menu options and the inverted V turns into a regular V. 
• Click a menu option to display just one ribbon. Click a button on the ribbon. Word displays a dialog or completes an action...and hides the ribbon again. 

To restore the ribbon, click the V in the upper right of your screen and it's baaaack.

Table It!...Part 21...Ribbons or Word "Outs" Properties

Click once to display a larger version of the ribbons, and then press the Esc key to close it.

Word 2007/2010 users have a ribbon rather than a menu. After you click in a table, the ribbon updates to include Table Tools with Design and Layout tabs. They appear only when your cursor is in a table. 

If you display a larger version of the graphic above (or open a Word document and click in a table), you can see the various options that are included on the ribbon. If you've read the posts for the 2003 menu, you should recognize many of the options that appear on these tabs. In addition, you should see that many of the tasks you do in Table Properties are out on the ribbons. The availability of these options on the ribbon means less clicking for you. 

This post is just to introduce the ribbon. In my next post, we'll start going through the options on the ribbon. 

Displaying Buttons You Need

In Word 2007 and 2010, Microsoft included ribbons across the top of documents rather than the menus that longtime users were accustomed to seeing. In addition, Microsoft rearranged commands in an attempt to gather them logically on the ribbons. If you bought a new computer and were unceremoniously upped to Word 2007 or 2010, the ribbons can present challenges as you relearn where all of your frequently used commands might be. Microsoft took pity on users and added a Quick Access Toolbar, which allows you to add frequently used buttons above (or below) the ribbon. Here’s an example of my frequently used buttons:








Adding buttons to the toolbar is a two-step process. First, you must display the Word Options, and then select Quick Access Toolbar. Second, you must move buttons from an available list to a selected list, and then click OK.

Display the Quick Access Toolbar Dialog

In Word 2007, click the Office Button, and then Word Options. The Word Options dialog appears.

In Word 2010, click File, and then Options. The Word Options dialog appears.








Select Quick Access Toolbar. The customize dialog appears.











Move Buttons

In the available list on the left, locate and click the button you want to add to the toolbar. Click the Add button between the lists. Word moves the button to the selected list on the right. When you have all of the buttons you want in the selected list, click OK. The dialog closes and the buttons appear above the ribbon.

In the future, click the button circled in red, and then select More Commands from the drop-down list. The customize dialog appears. Use the dialog to add or remove buttons on the fly.