Save keystrokes with this simple shortcut for copying in Word

When you copy text, you probably press [Ctrl]+C to copy the selection to the Clipboard, move the insertion point to the spot where you want the copied text to appear, and then press [Ctrl]+V. When copying objects, you probably use the same routine, but pasting the object is a little more awkward because you move the object after you paste. There's nothing wrong with this method, but there's an easier way: hold down the [Ctrl] key and move the selection. Doing so automatically duplicates the selection, allowing you to bypass a few steps.

Let's look at a quick example. Moving the AutoShape shown below using the traditional method would require four steps:

Now, let's remove half of step 2 and all of step 3, using the [Ctrl] plus move method, as follows:

It's the same with text: select the text, hold down [Ctrl] and move the selection. It's a bit unnerving at first, because you don't see a second object or duplicate text at first. Once you try it, you'll find yourself using it all the time.

Microsoft Outlook

Disable send and receive mail options in Outlook

Most of us use Outlook to both send and receive email messages, but you might have a user or two that only wants to do one or the other - not both. Fortunately, you can configure Outlook to send or receive messages, but the option isn't where you might first look, in the mail options section.

To configure Outlook to only send or only receive messages, do the following:

Click the File tab and choose Options under Help and choose Advanced in the left pane. In Outlook 2003 and 2007, choose Options from the Tools menu and click the Mail Setup tab.
Click the Send and Receive button in the Send and Receive section.
Select the account you're modifying (All Accounts might be your only choice), and click Edit.
In the Account Options section, uncheck the appropriate option: Send Mail Items or Receive Mail Items.
Click OK, Close, and then OK.

That's it! Outlook will still offer both options, as before, but the account will behave accordingly to the new setting.

When you disable the send operation, Outlook will still let users create an email. Then, when they initiate the send and receive operation, Outlook will move the message from the Outbox to the Sent folder, but it won't actually send the message. Nor will it alert the user to that fact, so use this option carefully. Users could think they're sending email when they're not. This is also a good starting place when a user says Outlook has stopped sending and/or receiving email. Often, the user has accidentally disabled the feature without realizing it.

Microsoft Excel

Get help entering Excel functions with a keyboard shortcut

There are numerous ways to enter a function and the trick is to find the method that makes you efficient. Knowing a function's syntax is part of working efficiently, but who can remember the syntax for every function they use? Don't even try - just let Excel guide you through the process instead.

You probably know about the Fx feature's autocomplete capability, which helps you choose the appropriate function. In addition, you can click Fx in the Formula bar to display the Insert Function dialog, which displays information about a function's arguments and syntax. What you might not know about is the [Ctrl]+[Shift]+a shortcut that completes a function by displaying its arguments.

Let's work through an example, step-by-step:

Enter the function's name and the opening parenthesis, say, =pmt(. (The period is the end of the sentence and not part of the function name.)
Press [Ctrl]+[Shift]+a, and Excel will display the function's arguments and select the first argument.
Press [Enter] to enter the function and its argument names.
Click inside the Formula bar and Excel will display ScreenTip links to each argument. Click rate in the ScreenTip and Excel will highlight the rate argument in your function.
Enter .05/12 to represent a 5% annual interest rate.
At this point, you could manually highlight the next argument, but you don't have to. Instead, click the linked argument, nper, in the ScreenTip and Excel will highlight that argument for you.
Enter 5*12 to denote a five-year loan.
Click the third argument, pv, and enter 10000, to represent the loan's value.
You've entered all the required arguments, so delete the two optional arguments and press [Enter].

Some people won't like the back and forth switching between the keyboard and the mouse, but for those who don't mind, this is a helpful guide for entering a function's arguments.

Susan Sales Harkins is an IT consultant, specializing in desktop solutions. Previously, she was editor in chief for The Cobb Group, the world's largest publisher of technical journals.

ZDNet / Techguide / Microsoft Office Suite

Save keystrokes with this simple shortcut for copying in Word

Summary

Events

IBM Technology Conference & Expo 2012 May 23, 2012 Convention Centre B2 Room at 22nd Floor, Centara Grand @ Central World, 999/99 Rama I Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Echelon 2012 June 11 and 12, 2012University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore

Startup Asia Jakarta 2012 June 7 and 8, 201212th Floor, Annex Building, Wisma Nusantara Complex, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 59 Jakarta 10350, Indonesia

MMA Forum Singapore April 23-25, 2012Grand Hyatt Singapore

Microsoft Word