Suspect Web Pages

It happens to everyone. You arrive at a web page and you're just not sure if the page is safe. You hope your virus protection is really working but you just don't know. One thing you can do is have Norton (a leading provider of security software) check the web page for you.

To check a web page:

1. Assuming you have the web page open, copy the web page address (highlight the address and press Ctrl + C). 
2. Click the new tab in your browser. After you click the tab, a new (empty) web page opens.
   
   
3. In the address bar, type: http://safeweb.norton.com. The Norton page appears.
   
   
4. Paste the web page address you want to check (press Ctrl + V) in the field is this site safe?, and then press Enter. Norton scans the web page and displays a report. 
5. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see the entire report. 

Note: If you know the address of the web page you want to have Norton scan, you can type the address directly into the field is this site safe? and press Enter.

No scan is ever fool proof. No virus protection is 100%. However, this free scan should give you some protection when you encounter a web page that makes you nervous.

Photoshop Beta Download and Video Preview

For those of you who follow my posts about graphics, you know that I don't normally recommend that hobby genealogists purchase some of the more expensive pieces of software that are available and promoted. However, I'm sure that many of you are curious as to what some of this software can do and what it looks like.

Photoshop in particular is pricy and it has a steep learning curve. Professional photographers and graphic artists use it. The latest version is in beta (limited release) but Adobe is offering everybody a peek. And, they are including videos that show you how to do some of the new stuff included in this release of Photoshop.

1. Click this link to go to the Adobe Labs site.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page to Getting Started.
3. Look for the links that will let you download a beta copy and view video(s).

In addition, Lynda (software training website) is offering free videos too. I'm not sure if they're the same videos or Lynda's own videos (a mixture I suspect). I didn't stop to look at them. Click this link to go to the Lynda website page with the training.

b.t.w. Lynda offers lots of training for reasonable sums. The site used to offer unlimited training for a year at a flat fee. So you might want to click around to see if there's something you're interested in pursuing.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of Photoshop; however, it is considered the premier piece of software for photographs. Professionals frequently use it for photo restoration. If you decide to take a peek, I hope you have fun!

Table It!...Part 18...AutoFit

Again...When your cursor is in a table and you right-click, the pop-up menu that appears includes table related options. The last two options in the group we've been looking at are Borders and Shading... and AutoFit.

Borders and Shading...
If you click this option, you see a familiar dialog...one that we've spent lots of time on. See these posts:
Table It!...Part 10...Borders Tab
Table It!...Part 11...Affecting Cells

AutoFit

• Select AutoFit to contents if you want the width of a column governed by its contents. For example, a column with three characters in it will be narrower than a column with ten characters.
• Select AutoFit to window if you want a table that has equal columns spaced across the width of the page. In addition, you can make adjustments on the fly. 
• Select Fixed column width if you want the table to resize itself in relation to the margins; that is, the entire width of the page. You can set the width using the up and down arrows to create a table that isn't as wide; that is, it doesn't go margin to margin. In addition, you can make adjustments on the fly

You've seen these options before in Table It!...Part 2. See that post for more details.

Upcoming Posts
If you're a Word 2003 user, we have a few more options to look at on the Table menu.

If you're a Word 2007/2010, you have options we need to look at on two tabs: Design and Layout.

I'll finish up the Word 2003 options, and then we'll tackle the Design and Layout tabs.

An Interesting Experience...

I just completed a radio interview with Drew Smith for FGS Radio. We discussed staying in touch with society members, gaining new members, and retaining longtime members. Having the discussion was fun...a bit nerve wracking...I had no idea what questions Drew would ask...a completely cold interview. I think I stumbled only once. On the plus side, I probably made a suggestion that will cause a change in my local society's website; that is, to add links to members blogs on the society website. Anyway, if you want to hear the interview, visit the FGS website at:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2012/03/31/high-touch-keeping-connected-to-your-society-members

Much Ado About Graphic Software...Part 5

I happen to be the editor of the Florida State Genealogical Society newsletter. One of the joys of producing an electronic newsletter is that you can add color without affecting costs; i.e., no ink + no paper = no money. Locating vivid clip art that is exactly what you need to dress up a page isn't hard. However, finding clip art that is the exact color you need might present more of a challenge. 

View and Zoom

To work with a piece of clip art--for example, change colors, you need to be able to see detail. To assist you, Paint includes Zoom in, Zoom out, and 100% buttons.

1. Click Zoom in (repeatedly) to make the clip art larger.
2. Click Zoom out (repeatedly) to make the clip art smaller.
3. Click 100% to restore clip art to its original size.
4. Do not confuse zooming with re-sizing.
   --Zooming doesn't affect the actual size of the drawing.
   --Re-sizing affects the actual size of the drawing...a task we'll tackle on another day. 

If you're using an earlier version of Paint, you'll find the zoom options on the View menu. I usually select View, Zoom, Large to blow up the piece of clip art. For more control, you can also select percentages to enlarge the display.

In addition, the tool bar includes a magnifying glass that you can also use to enlarge clip art. I tend to use the menus to complete these tasks; however, you might find this tool useful.

Since you're going to need a piece of clip art, I suggest that you download the same piece I'll be working with so that what I'm saying has meaning to you.

Get Clip Art

1. Click here to go a page with the pen and ink clip art. 
2. Locate the clip you've seen here.
3. Click the Download button to download the piece of clip art.
4. Give the clip art piece a name you'll recognize. 
5. Open Paint and then open the piece of clip art. 
6. Play with the zoom tools. 

Next Post
We'll start changing colors in graphics.

P.S. As an aside, when you get text that you cannot read--for example, in a will, sometimes if you scan the document, save it as a .jpg, and open it in Paint, you can use the zoom to make it larger and decipher the text. The better the scan, the better chance you have of being able to read the text.

Table It!...Part 17...Text Direction

Merge Cells

Frequently, when you change text direction, you merge cells first. Remember the original census table? To get the sidebar with the rotated text, I first had to merge cells in the first column. 

1. Open a Word document and insert a table with four columns and four rows.
2. Select the cells in the first column, and then right-click in the selected area. Word assumes you are going to merge cells and replaces Split Cells...with Merge Cells on the pop-up menu.
3. Click Merge Cells and Word converts the selected cells into one cell. 

Note: Also, you can highlight merged cells and
split them using the Split Cells... option. 

Change Text Direction

1. Click in the merged cell and type the text you want to rotate. The spacing won't be what you want it to be; however, we'll fix any problems later. For example, type: 1850 Census Entries for McKee in Randolph Co., Illinois
2. Right-click in the merged cell to display the pop-up menu.
3. Click Text Direction to display the Text Direction - Table Cell dialog.
4. Look at the option buttons and the Preview to the right.
5. Select a direction option.
   
   
6. Select the cells that should be shaded gray, and then right click to display the pop-up menu.
7. Select Borders and Shading... to display the dialog and add shading.
8. Use the buttons on the ruler to resize the columns. 

Next Post

I'm going to continue working my way through all of the commands. So stay tuned for more in my next post. 

Table It!...Part 16...Cell Alignment

One routine table task is selecting text alignment. Like cell padding, selecting text alignment adds to readability. Depending on what section of a table you've selected (a cell, a few cells, a row, a few rows, or the entire table), you can select an alignment.

Word 2003: Use the pop-up menu to select cell alignment.

Word 2007/2010: Use the pop-up menu or the alignment buttons in the Alignment group on the Layout tab of the Table Tools menu to select cell alignment.

• Flush Left: Buttons on the left are flush left (top, middle, or bottom).
• Flush Centered: Buttons in the middle are flush center (top, middle, or bottom).
• Flush Right: Buttons on the right are flush right (top, middle, or bottom).

Changing Alignment

1. Select part or all of a table (a cell, a few cells, a row, a few rows, or the entire table). 
2. Click a button with a different alignment.

By default, table alignment is flush left top. You can see that in the graphic above. Do you want to accept this default? Sometimes yes; sometimes no. Your selection depends on your table and what understanding you are trying to convey; for example, a flush right alignment is frequently used for a column that presents numerical amounts like money.

Heading Row(s)
The first row (or two or three rows) of your table are considered heading rows. They explain what information is contained in the columns that make up the table. As a general rule of thumb, I use an alignment that causes the text to be flush left bottom or flush centered bottom. The bottom alignment is a visual cue to my reader that this text is different. When I add bold and a gray fill (like you did in the sample), you tell your reader that the text in these cells are the key to the table.

Sub-Heading Row(s)
Sub-headings appear in the middle of the table visually dividing the table. Generally, I use a flush left alignment and then add bold and a fill color so that readers can easily see the visual break.

Table Entries
The data entries that I make in tables are usually flush left top (the default).

Getting Creative
I've made suggestions in this post for creating a basic business table. However, you should experiment with using alignment for a more decorative effect.

Table It!...Part 15...Menus

Word 2007/2010

Right-click in a table to display this pop-up menu. 

Click in a cell, and then click the Layout tab on the Table Tools tab to see the menu above. There's a second tab (Design) that we'll look at later. Note that Table Tools appears only when your cursor is in a table (context sensitive display). Click the graphic to see a larger display, and then press the Esc key to return to this post. 

Word 2003

Right-click in a table to display this pop-up menu.  

Select Table to see this drop-down menu.

Pop-Up Menu

Regardless of the version of Word you're using, you can that some of the more commonly performed tasks--for example, aligning text in a cell (Cell Alignment)--is on the pop-up menu. A particular option might appear in other places in Word but it also appears on the pop-up menu so that you can use the option on the fly.

I'm not going to do more today than show you these menus. You should look at them to familiarize yourself with what is on these menus. In upcoming posts, we'll go through each of the options on the menus. 

Table It!...Part 14...Cell Formatting

The Cell tab on the Table Properties dialog is the last tab that we'll be looking at for properties. Here's a run down.

• Size/Preferred width: You can set column widths. I prefer to do this using the ruler because you can see the table when you start changing column widths.  
• Vertical alignment: You can select an alignment for cell text flush to the top or bottom or centered. Word includes another option on a pop-up menu that is easier to use for setting alignments. 
• Options button/Cell margins: Click the button to display a Cell Options dialog. The dialog should look familiar. It's similar to the Table Options dialog that we looked at in part 12 when we looked at cell padding. This one is a bit confusing...bear with me. 
• If you use the Table Options dialog to set cell padding, Word applies the setting to the whole table.
• If you select the entire table and then use the Cell Options dialog to set cell padding, Word applies the settings to the whole table. If you're using Word 2003, use this method to set cell padding for tables. 
• If you select one or more cells (for example a column or a row) and then use the Cell Options dialog to set cell padding, Word applies the settings to the selected cells only. You may find that you can use this option to call extra attention to an area of a table without using anything more. 
• Options button/Options: Click the button to display a Cell Options dialog. 
• Wrap text: Leave this option selected so that text will wrap automatically within each cell.
• Fit text: Select this option when you want the system to force everything you type into one line. Word will alter the font size to accomplish the tasks. I've never found a use for this option; however, you should play with it and see how you feel about it. I can see where you might want to use the option in a title row. 

Next Post

We'll be looking at the pop-up menu and the main menu (ribbon) options. A few options you've seen on properties tab also appear on the pop-up or the main menu and are easier to use from those locations. So, until the next post, I hope you're having fun with tables. 

Much Ado About Graphic Software...Part 4

When you save a graphic in Paint, you have a number of formatting options. Those formatting options are expressed as a file extension (.bmp, .gif, .png, .jpg, or .tif). Understanding what the different formatting options will do to your graphic is important. In most instances, the format that you pick when saving a graphic depends on what you plan on doing with the graphic. Following is a run down that offers some thoughts and notes on these different formats.

Bitmap (.bmp)

A bitmap (BMP) is the lowest level graphic you can use. You frequently see this type of graphic in newsletters and they are often referred to as clipart.

To find clipart, visit the Microsoft Images site (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/). This site is literally the only one I trust. Lots of other sites where you find free clipart are littered with viruses and other nasty stuff that you just don't want to deal with.

When you download one of these images from the Microsoft site, it may come in as a WMF, which stands for Windows Meta Format. The graphics are specifically formatted to be used in Microsoft programs like Word. If you open the graphic in Paint, the format is converted to .bmp (BMP). You may well want to do this because you want to alter the colors in the graphic to better conform to the color scheme in your document. I'll talk about actually changing colors later.

BMPs, like all graphics, are composed of tiny dots. The density of the dots increases as you move to a higher-level format. You can see this in action if you open a bitmap and try to save it as a GIF. You get warning messages that the graphic will lose transparency and color...which is a fancy way of saying, "It's gonna be a mess!" If you proceed the graphic pixelates...you can see the dots of color!

GIF (.gif)
A GIF is a mid-level graphic that is frequently used for photographs that are going to be posted to websites. You can convert JPEGs to GIFs without suffering much loss of quality. The point of converting to a GIF is that you get a good photograph with a smaller file size...good thing when you're posting to a website.

PNG (.png)
A PNG (ping) is a mid-level graphic that is frequently used for graphics that are going to be posted to websites. You can convert BMPs and JPEGs to PNGs without suffering much loss of quality. For the most recent version of Paint, PNG is the default format because it creates graphics with the least loss of quality. Most of the graphics you see on this blog are PNGs.


JPEG (.jpg)

A JPEG (Jay-Peg) is a format that is used for photographs. For example, this scanned photograph of my father was saved as a .jpg. JPEGs are larger files; however, they give you better quality (more dots per inch) so that images look like photographs.

If you open a graphic that is formatted as a .jpg in Paint, Paint will save it as a .jpg without loss of quality. The problem arises when you take a lower level graphic (GIF or PNG) and try to save it as a JPEG. You can experience a loss of quality. So the rule of thumb becomes scan the original and save it as a JPEG. Convert it to a lower-level graphic if you want to post the smaller file sized graphic to a website.

TIF (.tif)
Avoid using a TIF unless you're a seasoned graphics producer...but then, you wouldn't be using Paint! TIF is the highest-level graphic you can produce (lots of dots per inch and a huge file). I suspect that Paint provides it for those instances when you receive a photograph that is formatted as a TIF and you want to work on it but don't have high-end software. If you bring a graphic in as a TIF, you can save it as a TIF with little or no loss of quality. You can also save it as a lower-level graphic (for example, JPEG or PNG) so that you can print it without using every last drop of ink you have in your printer.

Summary
As always, I suggest that you play around with all of these options. You can pick up all of the graphics you need to work with at the Microsoft Images site. If you'd like to read more about these formats, visit Wikipedia. Oh...and remember to have fun!