CHAPTER 4: APPLICATION OF MICROSOFT OFFICE TOOLS

Unit of learning code: IT/CU/ICTA/CR/04/4/A

Related Unit of Competency in Occupational Standard: Apply Microsoft Office Tools
4.1 Introduction to the unit of learning
This unit describes the competencies required in applying word processing using Ms Word,
applying spreadsheet using Ms Excel, applying database management using Ms Access, applying
graphic presentation using Ms PowerPoint and managing personal information using Ms
Outlook.

4.2 Summary of Learning Outcomes

1. Apply word processing using Ms Word
2. Apply spreadsheet using Ms Excel
3. Apply database management using Ms Access
4. Apply graphic presentation using Ms PowerPoint
5. Manage personal information using Ms Outlook

4.2.11 Learning Outcome 1: Apply word processing using Ms Word

[Link] Introduction to applying word processing using Microsoft word

Word Processing applications continue to play a prominent role in people’s professional and
personal lives. Traditionally, typewriters were used to create text documents such memos, letters
of appointment, exams etc. However, with introduction of computers and their prices going
down, most people prefer creating documents using electronic word processors.

The learner is required to demonstrate ability to Create, edit, format, save and print documents
using MS word.

[Link] Performance Standard

[Link].1 Features of a word processor are outlined
[Link].2 Features of Ms Word interface are identified
[Link].3 Creation and formatting of document is done according to office tasks.
[Link].4 Printing of document is done

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[Link] Information Sheet

Word processing: This is the process of manipulating text, characters, words, and sentences in
such a manner as to make the final document free of errors and attractive to look at.

Word processor: An application software that enables the user to create, save, edit, format and
print text-rich documents. Some common word processors are Microsoft word, WordPad,
WordPerfect, Google docs, Apple works, openofficewriter etc.

Today, the word processor is one of the most frequently used software programs on a computer,
with Microsoft Word being the most popular word processor.

A word processor allows you to;

• Create, save and edit documents
• Format text properties like font, alignment, font color, background color, etc.
• Check spelling and grammar
• Add images
• Add header and footer, set page margins and insert watermarks
•
Purpose of Word Processing
A Word processor is a tool that can be used to prepare & produce documents. It can be used in:
(i). Writing Letters (i.e., Business & general mail).
(ii). Writing Memos.
(iii). Writing Books.
(iv). Writing Articles, Research letters such as Reports/thesis and Term papers.
(v). Writing Essays and Projects.
(vi). Writing Curriculum vitae and Resumes.
(vii). Writing weekly Newsletters on sports, entertainment, etc.
(viii). Writing Lease agreements and other legal documents.
(ix).
Advantages of Electronic Word Processor programs
• Easier to use due to automated features such as Word-wrap, autocorrect and auto complete.
• They have superior editing tools such as spelling checker, the Thesaurus etc. hence making
editing easier.
• Can store documents for future retrieval.
• They have superior formatting features that make a document more appealing to the reader.
• The user can produce multiple copies more easily.
• Copy and move (cut) operation make it easier to manipulate a document.

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Features of word processors

Word processor offers several features that can give your document or other text a more
professional appearance. Below is a listing of some of the most popular features of a word
processor.

1 It allows the user to create a file, save it and open it again and again for reuse, editing and
formatting
2 Text formatting: Changing the font, font size, font, color, bold, italicizing underline, etc.
3 Find: Word processors give you the ability to quickly find any word or text in any size of
the document.
4 Search and Replace - You can use the Search and Replace feature to replace any text
throughout a document.
5 Insert tables -tables are features that allow us to organize our work in rows and columns.
6 Copying, cutting, and pasting :Once text is entered into a document, it can
be copied or cut and pasted in the current document or another document.
7 Grammar checking: Microsoft Word checks spelling and grammar automatically as you
type, indicating possible spelling mistakes with a wavy red underline and possible
grammatical mistakes with a wavy green underline.

8 Footnotes and cross-references: Automate the numbering and placement of footnotes and
enables you to easily cross-reference other sections of the document.
9 Automated lists: Automatically creates bulleted or numbered lists, including multi-level
outlines.
10 Graphics: Allows you to embed illustrations, graphs, and possibly even videos into a
document. Some word processors let you create the illustrations within the word processor;
others let you insert an illustration produced by a different program.

11 Headers, footers: Allows you to specify customized headers and footers that the word
processor will put at the top and bottom of every page.

12 Page numbering: The word processor automatically keeps track of page numbers so that the
correct number appears on each page.

13 layout: Allows you to specify different margins within a single document and to specify
various methods for indenting paragraphs.

14 Macros: Enables users to define and run macros, a character or word that represents a series
of keystrokes. The keystrokes can represent text or commands. This allows you to
Setup macros to perform common tasks.

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15 merge: Allows you to merge text from one file into another file. This is particularly useful
for generating many files that have the same format but different data. Generating mailing
labels is the classic example of using merges.

16 Tables of contents and indexes: Allows you to automatically create a table of contents and
index based on special codes that you insert in the document.

17 Thesaurus: Allows you to search for synonyms without leaving the word processor.

18 Collaboration: Allows users to track changes to the document when more than one person
is editing. Some cloud-based word processors also allow multiple users to edit the same
document at the same time.

19 Internet features: Allows users to embed Web links into their documents and format their
documents for the Web. Some also link to Web services that can help users create their
documents.
20 Translation and speech: As artificial intelligence capabilities become more commonplace,
some word processors have gained the ability to read text aloud, to accept voice commands,
and to translate text from one language to another.

21 Word wrap - Word processors can detect the edges of a page or container and automatically
wrap the text using word wrap.

22 Multiple windows - While working on a document, you can have additional windows with
other documents for comparison or move text between documents.
23 AutoCorrect - Automatically correct common errors (e.g., typing "teh" and having
it autocorrected to "the").
24 Import data - Import and format data from CSV, database, or another source.
25 Preview: this refers to seeing how the information will appear on printed paper before
printing.
26 Editing modes: Word processors have two editing modes; Insert mode and Type over
mode.
In Insert mode, every character typed between words, lines or characters is placed at the cursor
position. This pushes all the text in front of the cursor away without deleting it.
In Type over mode, every character typed deletes what was there before and replaces it with
new text at the cursor position.
27 Printing – Printing is a process of reproducing text and images on a paper using printers.
28 Scrolling: This is the vertical movement of text document on the screen, either using the Up
or Down arrow keys, Page Up or Page Down keys, or using the Mouse in Windows based
word processors.

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29 Help: Contains instructions, tips, pointers, explanations and guidance on how to use an
application.
30 Rulers: Word has two rulers - a horizontal ruler and a vertical ruler. The horizontal ruler
appears just beneath the Ribbon and is used to set margins and tab stops. The vertical ruler
appears on the left edge of the Word window and is used to gauge the vertical position of
elements on the page.

Starting word using office 2010

To start Microsoft word, follow the following steps
To start Microsoft Word:
1. Select the Start button on the taskbar. The Start menu appears.

Click
2. Point to All Programs. The All Programs menu appears.

Click
3. Select Microsoft Office 2010. The Microsoft Office 2010 submenu appears.
Click
4. Select Microsoft Word 2010. The Microsoft Word 2010 window opens.
Click
The Microsoft Word 2010 user interface uses ribbons and tabs, just like its predecessor,
Microsoft Office 2007.
Following is the basic window which you get when you start the Word application. Let us
understand the various important parts of this window.

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 Figure 44: Parts of Microsoft office word 2010
File tab and Backstage View: The File tab replaces the Office button from Word 2007. When
you click the File tab, you see the new backstage view. This view shows all the information
about a document in one location. This is where you come when you need to open or save files,
create new documents, print a document, and do other file-related operations.

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 Figure 45: File tab and Backstage View
The following are the icons available in the backstage view and their uses ;
• Save As - allows file name, file type, and location to be specified and is used to save a newly
created document, or to save another copy of a previously saved document.
• Save - allows you to save/update changes to a document.
• Open - allows you to open an existing document.
• Close - allows you to close the document.
• Info - displays different commands and properties associated with the document and where it
is stored.
• Close-This option is used to close an open document.
• Recent -This option lists down all the recently opened documents
• New -This option is used to open a new document
• Print -This option is used to print an open document.
• Save & Send -This option will save an open document and will display options to send the
document using email, etc.
• Exit -Use this option to close the document and exit.

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Quick Access Toolbar: This is a customizable toolbar placed by default above the Ribbon - you
can add icons for frequently used commands to this toolbar. It can also be placed below the
Ribbon.
Ribbon: The Ribbon displays commands used to work with your document.
Ribbon contains commands organized in three components;
• Tabs − These appear across the top of the Ribbon and contain groups of related
commands. Home, Insert, Page Layout are examples of ribbon tabs.
• Groups − They organize related commands; each group name appears below the group
on the Ribbon. For example, group of commands related to fonts or group of commands
related to alignment, etc.
• Commands − Commands appear within each group as mentioned above.

Status Bar: Located at the bottom of the screen, this provides information about the total
number of pages, total number of words, and different layouts, including zoom options.

Title bar
This lies in the middle and at the top of the window. Title bar shows the program and document
titles.
Rulers
Word has two rulers - a horizontal ruler and a vertical ruler. The horizontal ruler appears just
beneath the Ribbon and is used to set margins and tab stops. The vertical ruler appears on the
left edge of the Word window and is used to gauge the vertical position of elements on the page.

Help
The Help Icon can be used to get word related help anytime you like. This provides nice
tutorial on various subjects related to word.
Zoom Control
Zoom control lets you zoom in for a closer look at your text. The zoom control consists of a
slider that you can slide left or right to zoom in or out; you can click the + buttons to increase or
decrease the zoom factor.

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View Buttons
The group of five buttons located to the left of the Zoom control, near the bottom of the screen,
lets you switch through the Word's various document views.
• Print Layout view − This displays pages exactly as they will appear when printed.
• Full Screen Reading view − This gives a full screen view of the document.
• Web Layout view − This shows how a document appears when viewed by a Web
browser, such as Internet Explorer.
• Outline view − This lets you work with outlines established using Word’s standard
heading styles.
• Draft view − This formats text as it appears on the printed page with a few exceptions.
For example, headers and footers aren't shown. Most people prefer this mode.

Document Area
This is the area where you type. The flashing vertical bar is called the insertion point and it
represents the location where text will appear when you type.

Status Bar
This displays the document information as well as the insertion point location. From left to
right, this bar contains the total number of pages and words in the document, language, etc.
You can configure the status bar by right-clicking anywhere on it and by selecting or
deselecting options from the provided list.

Dialog Box Launcher

This appears as very small arrow in the lower-right corner of many groups on the Ribbon.
Clicking this button opens a dialog box or task pane that provides more options about the group.

Creating A New Blank Document

A Document Whatever you create with an application, including information you type, edit, view
or save.

When Word starts up, the program will display a new blank document - that is, a completely
blank piece of paper which you can begin to write on. Start typing your text at the insertion
pointer on the plain document view.
Creating a document means typing text in a new document screen.
To create blank new document, follow the follow the following steps;

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1. Select the File tab. The Backstage View appears. Click
2. Select the New command The New Document pane displays with Blank Document selected.

Click
3. Double click the Blank document button from the available templates. A new blank
document is created.

Creating a new document using templates

Microsoft Word allows you to create professional-looking documents using existing templates. A
template is a predesigned document.

Starting a New Document from a Template

1. Click on the Office Button in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click on New.
3. In the left side, select Installed Templates.
4. Select the Template of your choice.
5. Double-click on the template or Click on the Create button.

Creating simple Microsoft word document

To begin with, let us create some sample text. To create a sample text, there is a short cut
available. Open a new document and type =rand() and press Enter. Word will create the
following content for you.

Saving new document

It is important to regularly save the file you are working on to ensure that you do not lose data.
You may also want to save different versions of your file under different names.
Following are the steps to save an edited Word document;
1. Click the File tab and select the Save As option.

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 Figure 46 Saving new document
2. Select a folder where you will like to save the document, Enter the file name which you want
to give to your document and Select the Save As option, by default it is the .docx format.
3. Finally, click on the Save button and your document will be saved with the entered name in
the selected folder.

Saving New Changes

There may be an instance when you open an existing document and edit it partially or completely
or an instance where you may like to save the changes in between editing of the document. If
you want to save this document with the same name, then you can use either of the following
simple options
1. Just press the Ctrl + S keys to save the changes.
2. Optionally you can click on the floppy icon available at the top left corner and just above the
File tab. This option will also help you save the changes.
3. You can also use the third method to save the changes, which is the Save option available
just above the Save As option.

Opening Existing Document

There may be a situation when you open an existing document and edit it partially or
completely. Follow the steps given below to open an existing document −
1. Click the File tab and select the Open option.
2. This will display the following file Open dialog box. This lets you navigate through
different folders and files, and also lets you select a file which you want to open.

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 3. Finally, locate and select a file which you want to open and click the small triangle available
on the Open button to open the file. You will have different options to open the file, but
simply use the Open option.

Editing word documents

This refers to making necessary changes to an existing document. Microsoft word offers user
with several inbuilt tools such as spelling and grammar checker, redo and undo find and replace
etc.
i. Highlighting block of text
This enables user to manipulate the selected text. Selecting a text is one of the most important
skills required while editing a word document. You can perform various operations on a selected
text; you can delete the selected text, copy it, move it, apply formatting to it, change its
capitalization, etc.
To select text using multiple methods:

a) Using the Mouse

• Selecting text between two points: Click at the start of the block of text, hold down Shift,
and click at the end of the block.
• Selecting a single word: Double-click anywhere on the word you want to select.
• Selecting a paragraph: Triple-click anywhere on the paragraph you want to select.
• Selecting a sentence: hold down the Ctrl key and click anywhere in the sentence you want
to select.
• Selecting a column of text: Hold down Alt, click and hold the mouse button, and drag over
the column you want to select.

b) Using the Keyboard

Keyboard provides very good support when you want to select various components of the
document as described below
• Ctrl + A: Press Ctrl + A keys to select the entire document.
• Shift: Keep pressing the Shift key and use any of the arrow keys to select the portion of text.
• F8: Press F8 and then use any of the arrows keys to select the portion of text.
• Ctrl + Shift + F8: Press Ctrl + Shift + F8 and then use any of the arrows keys to select
column of the text.

ii. How to delete text

You can easily delete the text in Word including characters, paragraphs or all of the content of
your document. Word offers you different methods to delete the text; some of the commonly
used methods are given below;

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 • Place the cursor right to the text then press Backspace key
• Place the cursor to the left of the text then press Delete key
• Select the text and press the Backspace or Delete key
• Select the text and type over it the new text.

iii. Copy/cut and paste text

Copying text means to create a duplicate of the original text in a different location. Moving text
means changing the location of the text without leaving a copy of the original location.

Word offers different methods to copy/cut and paste text. Some of the popular methods are given
below;

Method 1;
1. Select the text you want to copy/cut
2. Select the Home tab and click the Copy/cut command
3. Place the cursor where you want to paste the text
4. Click the Paste command in Home tab

Method 2;
1. Select the text
2. Place the cursor over the text and right click the mouse
3. A menu will appear; with a left click select the "Copy/cut" option
4. Now, move the cursor to a desired location and right click the mouse
5. A menu will appear; with a left click select the 'Paste" option.

iv. How to correct errors

When you type text in a document, by default the
Word informs you if there is any contextual,
spelling or grammatical error. Word informs you in
different ways for different errors;
• If there is any contextual error in the
document, it will underline the text with blue
line.
• If there is any spelling error in the document, it
will underline the text with red line.
• If there is any grammar error in the document,
it will underline the text with green line.

Steps to correct errors:

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 • Place the cursor over the text that you want to correct
• Right click the mouse
• A list of suggestions appears
• Choose the correct word with a left click

v. Using undo, redo and repeat

Microsoft Word has two essential commands: Undo, which is utilised to undo a previous
activity, and Repeat/Redo, which is utilised to repeat a previous activity.
For instance, in the event that you erroneously delete text, you can utilise the Undo command to
restore it; if erase a character and you want to erase more characters then you can utilise the
Repeat/Redo command.

To use the Undo and Repeat features.

a) Click to undo the last deletion

b) Click the to repeat the last deletion

Tip: The keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Z [Undo an action] and Ctrl+Y [Redo an action] can also be used.

vi. Find & replace operation

Following are the simple steps −
1. Click the Replace option in the Editing group on the Home tab or press Ctrl + H to launch
the Find and Replace dialog box.

2. Type a word which you want to search. You can also replace the word using the Find and
Replace dialog box as in the following screenshot.

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 Figure 47 Find and Replace Dialog Box
3. Click the Replace button available on the Find and Replace dialog box and you will see the
first occurrence of the searched word would be replaced with the replace with word. Clicking
again on Replace button would replace next occurrence of the searched word. If you will
click Replace All button then it would replace all the found words in one go. You can also
use Find Next button just to search the next occurrence and later you can use Replace button
to replace the found word.
4. You can use More >> button available on the dialog box to use more options and to make
your search more specific like case sensitive search or searching for whole word only etc.
5. Finally, if you are done with the Find and Replace operation, you can click the Close (X) or
Cancel button of the dialog box to close the box.

Document Views
This feature allows you easily switch between different document views, changing the way your
document appears in the Word window. The figure bellow illustrates different views group.

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 Figure 48 Document Views

Print Layout The document appears on the screen as it would appear in a printed document. The
layout is completer and more accurate than in the other layout options.

Full Screen Reading This displays the document as a digital magazine. It removes all the
features from the interface.

Web Layout The document appears as a web page, with the text wrapping as it would in a web
browser. Backgrounds and formatting will appear as they would in a web browser.

Outline This layout shows the headings and subheadings in your document. It allows you to
reorganize portions of your document and delete them if necessary.

Draft The document appears with a dotted line separating the pages and showing document
sections.

To view the document in different views:

Open an existing document from a specific drive and folder location.

a) Click the View tab. The View tab appears.

b) Click the Full Screen Reading command. The document is displayed in Full Screen Reading
view.
c) Click the Web Layout command. The document is displayed in Web Layout view.
d) Click the Outline command. The document is displayed in Outline view

Zooming in/out

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The zoom level in Word 2010 can be changed in different ways. You can use the View tab and
select the Zoom icon to display the Zoom window. Select the preferred zoom level and click
OK to confirm the changes.

Formatting:

a) Formatting refers to applying various styles or features to enhance the appearance of a

document.
b) It can also mean making a document attractive or enhancing the appearance of a document
by bolding, italicizing, bordering, coloring, etc.

a) Formatting text

Change the Font & Size

You can easily change the font size of your text in the document.
The basic steps to change the Font size are listed below;
1. Select the text that you want to modify
2. In Home tab locate the Font group
3. In Font group click the drop-down arrow next to font size box
4. Font size menu appears
5. Select the desired font size with a left click
6. Select the text and click the increase or decrease font size
buttons

Change Font Style

1. Select the text you want to modify
2. Select the Home tab and locate the Font group
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to font style box
4. Font style menu appears
5. With a left click select the desired font style
6. If you want to change the font to bold or italic, click the 'B' or 'I' icons on the format bar.

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Format Font Color
Microsoft Word allows you to change the Font color of your text. If you want to emphasize a
particular word or phrase, you can change its font color. The basic steps to change the Font color
are given below;

Select the text you want to modify

1. In Home tab locate the Font group
2. Click the drop-down arrow next to Font color
button
3. Font color menu appears
4. Select the desired font color with a left click
5. Word will change the Font color of the selected
text.

Change Text Case

The case menu offers four options;
• Sentence case: It capitalizes the first letter of each sentence.
• Lowercase: It changes the text from uppercase to lowercase.
• Uppercase: It capitalizes all the all letters of your text.
• Capitalize Each Word: It capitalizes the first letter of each word.
• Toggle Case: It allows you to shift between two case views, e.g. to shift between Capitalize
Each Word and cAPITALIZE eACH wORD.

Select the text you want to change

1. In Home tab locate the Font group
2. Click the drop-down arrow in 'Change Case' button
3. It displays text case menu
4. Select the desired case with a left click

Apply automatic hyphenation.

The hyphen ‐ is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word.
The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. Non-hyphenated is an example of
a hyphenated word.
Ensure that no text is selected.
1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Hyphenation button.
2. Click Automatic.

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Change Text Alignment
You can change the text alignment in your document to make it more presentable and readable.
The basic steps to change the text alignment are given below;
1. Select the content you want to modify
2. In Home tab locate the Paragraph group

3. It has four alignment options;

• Align Text Left: Aligns the text towards left margin
• Center: Brings the text at center
• Align Text Right: Aligns the text towards right margin
• Justify: Aligns the text to both left and right margins
4. Select the desired alignment option with a left click

Bold, Italic, Underline Commands in MS Word

These commands are given in the Font group in the Home tab. Their functions are given below;
• Bold: It allows you to Bold the text of your document
• Italic: It allows you to Italicize the text of your document
• Underline: It allows you to underline the text of your document

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• Strikethrough: Strikethrough portion of text will look as if a line has been drawn through
the middle of it.

1) Select the text to format.

2) On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Font Size arrow.
3) Select a size from the list or enter a size into the Font Size box.
4) Click Strikethrough [abc]

To change a selected portion of text into a strikethrough portion of text, follow two simple steps:
Select the portion of text that you want to change to a bold font.
1. Click Font Strikethrough [ abc] button in the Home tab Font group to put a line in the
middle of the text which is called strikethrough the text.

Highlight Text with Colors

You can highlight a selected portion of text using any color and it will look like it was marked
with a highlighter pen. Usually we highlight a text using yellow color. It is very simple to
highlight a portion of text with a color by following two simple steps
1. Select the portion of text that needs to be highlighted with color.
2. Click the Text Highlight Color button triangle to display a list of colors.

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 Figure 49 Highlight Text with Colors
Apply Text Effects
Microsoft word provides a list of text effect which add to the beauty of your document,
especially to the cover page or the headings of the document. This is very simple to apply
various text effects by following two simple steps −
1. The portion of text that you want to change to a bold font.

2. Click the Text Effect button to display a list of effects including shadow, outline, glow,
reflection etc.

Indentation
Left indentation means to move the left edge of the paragraph inward towards the center of the
paragraph. Let us use the following steps to create left indentation.
1. Click anywhere on the paragraph you want to indent left and click the Increase Indent
button available on the Home tab or simply press the Ctrl + M keys. You can click multiple
times to create deeper indentation.

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 Figure 50 Increasing Indent

2. You can remove left indentation by clicking the Decrease Indent button available on Home
tab or simply press Ctrl + Shift+ M keys. You can click multiple times to remove deeper
indentation.

Create a List from Existing Text

This is very simple to convert a list of lines into a bulleted or numbered list. Following are the
simple steps to create either bulleted list or numbered list.
1. Select a list of text to which you want to assign bullets or numbers. You can use any of the
text selection method to select the portion of text.

2. Click the Bullet Button triangle to display a list of bullets you want to assign to the list. You
can select any of the bullet style available by simply clicking over it.

You can remove left indentation by clicking the Decrease Indent button available on Home
tab or simply press Ctrl + Shift+ M keys. You can click multiple times to remove deeper
indentation.
3. If you are willing to create a list with numbers, then click the Numbering Button triangle
instead of the bullet button to display a list of numbers you want to assign to the list. You can
select any of the numbering style available by simply clicking over it.

Spacing between Lines

Following are the simple steps to adjust spacing between two lines of the document.
1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs for which you want to define spacing.
2. Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing Button triangle to display a list of options to adjust
space between the lines. You can select any of the option available by simply clicking over it.

Spacing between Paragraphs

You can also set distance between two paragraphs. Following are the simple steps to set this
distance.
1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs for which you want to define spacing and click the
Paragraph Dialog Box launcher available on the Home tab.

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2. Click the Before spinner to increase or decrease the space before the selected paragraph.
Similar way, click the After spinner to increase or decrease the space after the selected
paragraph. Finally, click the OK button to apply the changes.

Figure 51 Spacing between Paragraphs

NOTE: You can use the Line Spacing option available at the dialog box to set line spacing as
we have seen in previous example. You can try it yourself.
Add Borders to Text
Following are the simple steps to add border to any text or paragraph.
1. Select the portion of text or paragraph to which you want to add border. You can use any of
the text selection method to select the paragraph(s).

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2. Click the Border Button to display a list of options to put a border around the selected text
or paragraph. You can select any of the option available by simply clicking over it.

3. Try to add different borders like left, right top or bottom by selecting different options
from the border options.

4. To delete the existing border, simply select the No Border option from the border options.

Note − You can add a horizontal line by selecting the Horizontal Line option from the border
options. Otherwise type --- (three hyphens) and press ENTER. A single, light horizontal line
will be created between the left and the right margins.
Add Borders to Page
You can add borders of your choice to word pages by following the steps given below.
1. Click the Border Button to display a list of options to put a border. Select the Border and
Shading option available at the bottom of the list of options as shown in the above
screenshot. This will display a Border and Shading dialog box. This dialog box can be used
to set borders and shading around a selected text or page borders.

2. Click the Page Border tab which will display a list of border settings, styles and options
whether this border should be applied to the whole document or just one page or the first
page.

3. You can use the Preview section to disable or enable left, right, top or bottom borders of the
page. Follow the instruction given in the preview section itself.

4. You can customize your border by setting its color, width by using different art available
under the style section.

Add Shades to Text

The following steps will help you understand how to add shades on a selected portion of text or a
paragraph(s).
1. Click the Border Button to display a list of options to put a border. Select the Border and
Shading option available at the bottom of the list of options as shown in the above
screenshot. This will display a Border and Shading dialog box. This dialog box can be used
to set borders and shading around a selected portion of text or page borders.

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 Figure 52 Borders and shading
2. Click the Shading tab; this tab will display the options to select fill, color and style and
whether this border should be applied to a paragraph or a portion of text.

3. You can use the Preview section to have an idea about the expected result. Once you are
done, click the OK button to apply the result.

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How to Apply Style
You can create professional and presentable documents in Microsoft Word by applying different
styles. The basic steps to apply a style in a document are listed below;
a) Select the text to which you want to
apply the style

b) Select the Home tab

c) In Styles group you will see different

styles;

d) To view more styles, click the drop-

down arrow

e) It displays style menu

f) Select the desired style with a left-

click

Copy and Apply Text Formatting

The following steps will help you understand how to copy and apply text formatting from one
portion of text in your document to another portion of text in your document. The following are
the steps followed in applying text formatting.
1. Select the portion of text containing the formatting that you want to copy. The text which has
bold and underlined font is selected as shown below.

2. Click the Home tab and click the Format Painter button to copy the format of the selected
text. As soon as you click the format painter button, the mouse pointer changes to a paint
brush when you move the mouse over your document.

3. Now you are ready to apply the copied text format to any of the selected text. So, select a text
using mouse where you want to apply the copied text format. While selecting a portion of
text, you have to make sure that your mouse pointer is still in paint brush shape. After
selecting the text, just release the right-click button of the mouse and you will see that newly
selected text is changed to the format used for the original selection. You can click anywhere
outside the selection to continue working on your document for further editing.

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How to Insert Table
Table is a tool that allows you to organize your information in rows and columns. The steps to
insert table are given below;
Place the cursor where you want to insert the table
1. Select the Insert tab

2. In Tables group click the Table command

3. It displays different options to insert the table

4. Select the desired option to insert the table

Select rows, columns, cells, entire table.

1. Click any cell in the table.
2. On the Layout tab, in the Table group, click the Select arrow.
3. Click Select Cell, Select Column, Select Row, or Select Table as required.

Insert rows.
1. Click any cell in the table.
2. On the Layout tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Above or Insert Below
button.

Insert columns.
1. Click any cell in the table.
2. On the Layout tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Left or Insert Right button.

Delete rows and columns.

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The table command also allows you to delete a column or row in your table.
1. Select the row or column to delete
2. On the Layout tab, in the Rows & Columns
3. group, click the Delete button
4. Click Delete Rows or Delete Columns.

Modify Table
Word allows you to customize tables as per your requirement. You can modify your table in
different ways, i.e. you can choose a table style, table design, draw borders. The steps to modify
a table are given below;
1. Select the table

2. Two new tabs Design and Layout appear on the Ribbon

3. On Design tab you will see three groups of commands to modify table; Table Style Options,
Table Styles and Draw Borders;

Layout tab has six groups of commands to format table;

Insert an object (picture, image, chart, drawn object) to a specified location in a document.
These are the basic types of graphics that you can use to enhance your Word documents: drawing
objects, SmartArt, charts, pictures, and clip art. Drawings refer to a drawing object shapes such
as lines,stars, squares polygons and even banners. These documents are referred to as auto
shapes.

The steps to insert smart art graphics are given below;

1. Click the location to insert image.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click the Picture, Shapes or Chart button.

224
3. Navigate to the object, select the object and click Insert if required.

To draw an auto shape

1. Click insert tab
2. Click the Shapes button in the Illustrations group.
3. Select a shape.
4. Click where you want the shape to appear in the document and then drag until the shape is
the size you want.

Select an object.
To select object, Click the picture, image, chart or drawn object.
Resize an object.
To resize an object, follow the following steps
1. Select the object.
2. Drag the object’s sizing handles to the required size.

Selected Shape with Resize Handles on the Corners and Sides

Delete an object.
To delete object
1. Select the object.
2. Press the Delete key.

Copy an object within a document, between open documents.

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1. Select the object.
2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the Copy button.
3. Click a new location within the document or within another open document.
4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the Paste button.

Insert Smart Art Graphics

You can insert Smart Art Graphics in your document to effectively communicate your message.
You can insert a process flow, a relationship or an organization hierarchy. Place the cursor in the
document where you want to insert graphics
1. Select the Insert tab

2. In Illustrations group select the 'Smart Art' command;

How to Add Text in Smart Art Graphics

Word also allows you to add text in Smart Art Graphics; you can add facts, figures and any other
information. The steps to add smart art graphics are given below;
1. Select the graphic

2. Task pane appears on the left side if it is not visible then click the arrow on left side of
graphic

3. Type the text in task pane fields it will appear in the graphic

4. You can also directly type the text in the graphic in text area

5. Close the task pane after entering the text and click outside the graphic

Figure 53 SmartArt Graphics

Insert Picture in Document

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Pictures make our text more attractive and readable. You can insert relevant pictures in your text
by following these steps;
1. Place the cursor where you want to insert the picture

2. Select the Insert tab on Ribbon

3. In Illustrations group click the Picture command;

4. It displays 'Insert Picture' dialog box

5. Select the desired image

6. Click Insert to insert the picture

Insert Clip Art

Clip art refers to a graphic or a picture that you can insert in your document. It comes in different
formats and styles. It is used to enhance the appearance of a document. The steps to insert a clip
art are given below;
1. Place the cursor where you want to insert the clip art

2. Select the Insert tab

3. In Illustrations group click the Clip Art command;

4. A task pane appears on the right side of document

5. Enter the keyword in 'Search for' field and select the suitable option in 'Search in' and
'Results should be' fields

6. Click Go, clip art menu will appear

7. Select the desired clip art with a left click

Format Picture /Clip Art/Object

You can change the appearance of your picture or clip art to enhance its visual impact. The
format tab offers you various options for formatting pictures like contrast, changing color, line
style, cropping, etc. The steps to format picture or clip art are given below;
1. Select the picture or clip art or object that you want to format

2. Format tab appears in the Ribbon

3. Click the Format tab

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4. It displays four groups of related commands to modify or format picture or clip art

Insert WordArt
Word Art is designed to allow you make your text more attractive; you can format your text to
make it look like a picture and enhance its appearance in different ways. The steps to insert
WordArt are given below;
1. Place the cursor where you want to insert WordArt

2. Select the Insert tab

3. In Text group click the 'WordArt' button

4. WordArt menu appears;

5. Select the desired WordArt style

6. 'Edit WordArt Text' dialog box appears

7. Type the text in text area and click OK

Format WordArt
Word also allows you to customize WordArt. You can change WordArt shapes, font face and
size, and colors as per your requirement. The steps to format WordArt are given below;
1. Select the WordArt in the document

2. Format tab appears in the Ribbon

3. It offers five groups of related commands

4. Click the suitable command to make desired changes in WordArt

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Mail merging
Mail merge allows you to create multiple letters or labels using information that is stored in a
list, database, or spreadsheet. The recipient’s name, address, and other information can be
personalized.
The basic steps in performing a mail merge are:

1. Set up the main document

Select the type of document (for example, letters, e-mails, envelopes, labels, or directories) you
want to create with the mail merge. The main document should contain the components that are
the same in all of the merged documents.

2. Select or create a data source

The data source contains the personalized information you want to display in the main document.
You can create a new data source or use an existing data source. Examples of types of files that
can be linked as data source are a Word table, an Excel file, or an Access database.

3. Insert fields

Specify where you want to insert the information from the data source into the main document.

4. Preview the merge

Preview how your document will appear when the information from the data source has been
merged.

5. Complete the merge

Merge the data from the data source into the merge fields in the main document, creating a
unique document for each record in the data source.

Preparation
1. On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge button.
2. Click Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.
Ensure Letters is selected.
3. Click Next: Starting document.
Ensure Use the current document is selected. Click Next: Select recipients.
Ensure Use an existing list is selected.

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4. Click Browse.
Navigate to the file required.
5. Click Open.
All records contained in the data source are displayed. Click OK.
6. Click Next: Write your letter.
7. Click Address block.
8. Click OK to accept the default settings.
9. Click Next: Preview your letters.
10. Under Preview your letters, click the arrows next to the
Recipient button to preview the letters.
11. Click Next: Complete the merge.
12. Click Edit individual letters.
13. Select All in the Merge to New Document dialog box.

Change Page Orientation

Page Orientation refers to the direction in which a document is displayed. It is of two types;
portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal). The default orientation is portrait; it can be changed
to landscape by following these steps;
1. Select the Page Layout tab

2. Locate the Page Setup group

3. In Page Setup group click the Orientation command

4. It displays two options, Portrait and Landscape

5. Select the desired page orientation

Change Page Size

The default paper size in Word is 8.5 x 11 inches which easily fits in printers. This size is not
fixed; you can change it if you want a document with different paper size. The steps to change
the paper size are given below;
1. Click the Page Layout tab

2. In Page Setup group click the Size command

3. Paper size menu will appear

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4. With a left click select the desired paper size

5. To customize page size click the 'More Paper Sizes' option

Change Page Margins

Margins are the space between the edge of the document and the document’s text.
In the screenshot given, top, left and right margins are shown, if you will type the complete page,
word will leave 1-inch bottom margin as [Link] margins of entire document: top, bottom,
left, right.
On the Page Layout tab, in
the Page Setup group, click
the Margins button.
Click Custom Margins.
On the Margins tab, enter
the required numbers in the
Top, Bottom, Left and
Right boxes.
Click OK.

Header and Footer

A header is text that appears at the top of every page, whereas a footer is text that appears at the
bottom of every page.
To add text in headers/ Footers.
1. On the Insert tab, in the Header & Footer group, click the Header button to add headers or
footer button to add footers.
2. Click a header design.

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3. Enter text in the header or footer as required.

Edit text in headers.

Double-click the header area and edit text as required.

Add fields in headers, footers: date.

1. Click the header or footer.
2. On the Design tab, in the Insert group, click the Date & Time button.
3. Click a format from the Available formats list.
4. Click OK.

Page Numbers
Page numbering is the process of applying a sequence of numbers (or letters, or Roman
numerals) to the pages of a book or other document.
Following are the simple steps to add page numbers in a Word document.
1. Click the Insert tab, and click the Page Number button available in the header and footer
section. This will display a list of options to display the page number at the top, bottom,
current position etc.

2. When you move your mouse pointer over the available options, it displays further styles of
page numbers to be displayed. For example, when you take the mouse pointer at the Bottom
of Page option it displays the following list of styles.

3. Finally, select any one of the page number styles. You will be directed to the Page Footer
modification mode. Click the Close Header and Footer button to come out of the Footer
Edit mode.

NB: You can format your page numbers using the Format Page Numbers option available
under the listed options.
Remove Page Numbers
The following steps will help you remove page numbering from a Word document.
1. Click the Insert tab, and click the Page Number button available in the header and footer
section. This will display a list of options to display page number at the top, bottom, current
position, etc. At the bottom, you will have the Remove Page Numbers option. Just click this
option and it will delete all the page numbers set in your document.

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 Figure 54 Remove Page Numbers
Page breaks
Word automatically inserts a page break when you complete a page and then continue on to the
next page. If you want the page to break in a different place or insert a new page, you
can insert a manual page break.

Insert a page break in a document.

1. Click the document where the page break should be inserted.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Pages group, click the Page Break button.

Delete a page break in a document.

1 On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Show/Hide button.
2 In the document, click before the page break code.
3 Press the Delete key.

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Word inserts a page break and moves all text after the page break onto a new page. You can also
use the Ctrl + Enter keys to create a page break at the pointed location.

Print Previewing
Before printing, you can preview a document to see how the content appears on each page. The
Print Preview feature displays the pages as they will appear when printed. If you use the Print
Preview feature, you can avoid wasting time and paper by printing unfinished versions of a
document.
To print preview a document.
1. On the File tab, click Print.
2. The document is displayed in the Preview pane.

Printing documents
The following steps will help you print your Microsoft Word document.
1. Open the document for which you want to see the preview.

2. Next click the File tab followed by the Print option which will display a preview of the
document in the right column. You can scroll up or scroll down your document to walk
through the document using given Scrollbar. The middle column gives various options to be
set before you send your document to the printer.

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 Figure 55 Print Dialogue Box
3. You can set various other printing options available. Select from among the following
options, depending on your preferences.

Option and Description

• Copies: - Set the number of copies to be printed; by default, you will have one copy of the
document.

• Print Custom Range: - This option will be used to print a particular page of the document.
Type the number in Pages option, if you want to print all the pages from 7 till 10 then you
would have to specify this option as 7-10 and Word will print only 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th
pages.

• Print One Sided: - By default, you print one side of the page. There is one more option
where you will turn up your page manually in case you want to print your page on both sides
of the page.

• Collated: - By default, multiple copies will print Collated; if you are printing multiple copies
and you want the copies uncollated, select the Uncollated option.

• Orientation: - By default, page orientation is set to Portrait; if you are printing your
document in landscape mode then select the Landscape mode.

235
• A4: - By default, the page size is A4, but you can select other page sizes available in the
dropdown list.

• Custom Margin: - Click the Custom Margins dropdown list to choose the document
margins you want to use. For instance, if you want to print fewer pages, you can create
narrower margins; to print with more white space, create wider margins.

• Page Per Sheet: - By default, the number of pages per sheet is 1 but you can print multiple
pages on a single sheet. Select any option you like from the given dropdown list by clicking
over the 1 Page Per Sheet option.

Once you are done with your setting, click on the Print button which will send your
document to the printer for final printing.

[Link] Learning Activities

Learning Activities Special Instruction

Visit a computer lab in your institution and carry out the following Avoid overcrowding
activities. to avoid accidents and
Activity 1 damages.
Using computer running Windows 10 and word processing software:
• Create a new black document.
Do not tamper with
• Type the name of your county in upper case computers and their
• Press enter and type the list of sub counties in your county accessories.
• Select the sub counties and apply bullets.
• Type =rand(5) and press enter.
• Select the third paragraph beginning with Themes and styles…… Cover the computers
• Cut the paragraph selected after use
• Paste the selected paragraph after the last subcounty.
• Select the second paragraph and apply heading 1, font univers, font
size 17, and highlight it.
• Save the document on the desktop as Your Full Name and college
number.
• View the document in Full Screen Reading, Web Layout, Outline,
and Draft view.
• Display the Ruler.
• Close the document
Activity 2

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• Open the saved document in activity 1
• Select the sub counties and apply bulleted list
• Select the second first paragraph beginning with
Themes and styles… and apply the following features on the
paragraphs
i. Bold, underline it and choose font size 15 with font verdana
ii. Appy first line indent on the selected paragraph
iii. Highlight the text to yellow
• Insert a table after the last paragraph with three rows and four
columns as shown below
Month Amount age County
Jan 500.00 13

Machako
Feb 32
March 13 13 12 43
May

s
• Insert headers containing your name and footer with centers page
numbers of type page x of y.
• Print preview and save the chages.
Activity 3
1. Locate Microsoft Word and open a new document.
2. Type the following text:

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he
had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea (1952)
3. Italicize the text.
4. Underline the title of the story.
5. Bold the author’s name.
6. Increase the font size to 17.
7. Change the font style to symbol
8. Adjust the line spacing to 2.0.
9. Spellcheck your work.
10. Use Save As to save your document on the desktop. The Old Man
and the Sea.
11. Insert a picture onto your document (find an image from the internet,
save it to the M drive).
[Link] a numbered list with your top three favorite authors (or movie
stars, etc.).
[Link] your work.

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[Link] Self-Assessment

This assessment requires you to demonstrate competence required to: Demonstrated ability to
create, format, save and print documents using MS Word.
In this assessment you will be required to answer written questions:
1) Computer word processing includes process of?
a) Entering text
b) Editing text
c) Formatting document
d) All of the above

2) When starting word, default document window name is

a) Document 1
b) File 1
c) Word 1
d) Wpd 1

3) The following are computer application software’s. Choose the old one out.
a) Microsoft word
b) Apple works
c) Microsoft PowerPoint
d) Corel word perfect

4) What do you understand by the following terms as used in word processing?

a) Editing a document
b) Blocking text
c) Printing
d) Saving
e) Italicizing text
f) Header
g) Footer
h) Formatting
i) Print previewing

5) The State two examples of word processors

6) Draw the screen layout of Microsoft office 2010 and name any 5 parts
7) Outline any five features of word processors
8) A Word processor is a tool that can be used to prepare & produce documents. Name any
five documents that can be prepared.
9) Give any five document formatting features of a word processor.
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 10) What are the two reasons why it is necessary to specify the correct paper size before
printing a document?
Match the shortcut or keystroke combination with the correct selection result.

Key stroke combination Selection

1. Shift right arrow 1) Selects the current word

2. Double-click in the 2) Selects the current sentence

middle of a word

3. Ctrl+Shift+right arrow 3) Selects the next character

4. Shift+left arrow 4) Selects the previous character

5. Ctrl+Shift+left arrow 5) Selects from the insertion point to the end of the current word

6. CTRL Click 6) Selects from the insertion point to the beginning of the current
word

Table 2 Key Stroke Combination

[Link] Tools, Equipment, Supplies and Materials

• Software (Windows, MS Office, Antivirus, Games)
• Computer
• Printer
• Digital instructional material including DVDs and CDs;
• Storage Devices (Flash Disks, CDs, DVDs, Memory cards)
• Stationery
• internet

References

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

S. Mburu, G chemwa, Longhorn secondary computer studies form 2, 2013, Longhorn publishers

239
J. Makori . J Mwende , K Munene , Longhorn Information communication Technology , An
introductory to Course For Tvet Students , 2018, Lognhorn Publishers .

D. Mulli , D Ochieng , J. Ndengwa , J. Kioko Logon Computer studies form two , 2013 , Kenya
Literature Bureau.

Sample answers to the self- assessment

1) Computer word processing includes process of?

a) Entering text
b) Editing text
c) Formatting document
d) All of the above

2) When starting word, default document window name is

a) Document 1
b) File 1
c) Word 1
d) Wpd 1

3) The following are computer application software’s. Choose the old one out.
e) Microsoft word
f) Apple works
g) Microsoft PowerPoint
h) Corel word perfect

4) What do you understand by the following terms as used in word processing?

a) Editing a document - Making changes to an already typed/existing document.
b) Blocking text - Selecting a group of text in order to work with it as a whole, e.g.
a word sentence or paragraph.
c) Printing– having your work copied on a piece of paper as output
d) Saving - Storing a file/document permanently in the computer’s secondary
memory (e.g., hard disk) so as to be used in the future.
e) Italicizing text- making the text saint forward
f) Header- It is a standard text or information such as page numbers, chapter titles, etc.
that appears above the top margin of every page in a document or in a section
g) Footer-It is a standard text or information that appears below the bottom margin of
every page in a document.
h) Formatting – refers to changing the appearance of document to look attractive

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 i) Print previewing- These refers to the act of checking how the document will appear
when printed.

5) The State two examples of word processors

Microsoft word
Corel word perfect

6) Draw the screen layout of Microsoft office 2010 and name any 5 parts

7) Outline any five features of word processors

• Print
• Print preview
• Save
• Create
• Format
• Edit
• Table

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 8) A Word processor is a tool that can be used to prepare & produce documents. Name any
five documents that can be prepared.
• Writing Letters (i.e., Business & general mail).
• Writing Memos.
• Writing Books.
• Writing Articles, Research letters such as Reports/thesis and Term papers.
• Writing Essays and Projects.
• Writing Curriculum vitae and Resumes.
• Writing weekly Newsletters on sports, entertainment, etc.
• Writing Lease agreements and other legal documents.

9) Give any five document formatting features of a word processor.

• Changing font
• Font size
• Line spacing
• Bullets and numbering
• Indenting

10) What are the two reasons why it is necessary to specify the correct paper size before
printing a document?
Match the shortcut or keystroke combination with the correct selection result.

Key stroke combination Selection

1. Shift right arrow Selects the next character

2. Double-click in the middle Selects the current word

of a word

3. Ctrl+Shift+right arrow Selects from the insertion point to the beginning of the
current word

4. Shift+left arrow Selects the previous character

5. Ctrl+Shift+left arrow Selects from the insertion point to the end of the current
word

6. CTRL Click Selects current sentence

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243
4.2.12 4.2.2 Learning Outcome 2: Apply worksheets using Microsoft Excel

[Link] Introduction to applying worksheets using Microsoft Excel

Businesses, institutions and organizations usually handle large volumes of numeric data such as
sales, financial statements stock movement, student scoresheets and mathematical manipulations
of all kinds. For many years’ businesses have used manual spreadsheets; that is a large sheet of
squared paper divided into rows and columns to analyze various types of information. Formerly
accountants used the sheets of paper spread-out on their desk hence the name spreadsheet.

[Link] Performance Standard

[Link].1 Features of a spreadsheet are outlined
[Link].2 Features of Ms Excel interface are identified
[Link].3 Creation of a workbook and worksheet is done
[Link].4 Editing and formatting of a worksheet is done in accordance to the workplace
procedures.
[Link].5 Printing of a worksheet is done

[Link] Information Sheet

Spreadsheet is a software that assists users in processing and analyzing tabular data. It is made
of rows and columns that help sort, organize, and arrange data efficiently, and
calculate numerical data.

Microsoft Excel is a computer application program written by Microsoft. It mainly comprises

tabs, groups of commands and worksheet. It is mainly used to store tabular data and to perform
calculations and analysis of data.

Data is always entered in a cell (intersection of a row and a column) and formulas and functions
to process a group of cells is easily available.

Some of the popular spreadsheet software include Microsoft Excel, iWork Numbers, Google
Sheets, etc.

Features of spreadsheet
Here is a list of activities that can be done within a spreadsheet software −
1. Data entry- This feature allows you Enter data into cells; use good practice in creating lists.
2. The software has built-in options, such as the Help function within the application to
enhance productivity.
3. It allows you to Select, sort and copy, move and delete data. Sorting is arranging data in
certain order while sorting is selecting data that meets a particular criterion

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 4. It allows you to create mathematical and logical formulas using standard spreadsheet
functions; use good practice in formula creation; recognize error values in formulas.

5. Format numbers and text content in a spreadsheet.

6. It allows you to Choose, create, and format charts to communicate information
meaningfully.

7. Adjust spreadsheet page settings and check and correct spreadsheet content before finally
printing spreadsheets.

8. Page orientation refers to how output is printed on the page. If you change the orientation,
the onscreen page breaks adjust automatically to accommodate the new paper orientation.
9. Freezing panes- If you set up a worksheet with row or column headings, these headings
will not be visible when you scroll down or to the right. MS Excel provides a handy
solution to this problem with freezing panes. Freezing panes keeps the headings visible
while you’re scrolling through the worksheet.
10. Data validation - MS Excel data validation feature allows you to set up certain rules that
dictate what can be entered into a cell.
11. A header is the information that appears at the top of each printed page and a footer is the
information that appears at the bottom of each printed page
12. What-If Analysis is the process of changing the values in cells to see how those changes
will affect the outcome of formulas on the worksheet. Three kinds of What-If
Analysis tools come with Excel: Scenarios, Goal Seek, and Data Tables.
13. Database – this is the collection of data that has been entered in a worksheet its easily
related, well organized and can be easily be manipulated mathematically.
14. Printing – This is the process of converting the soft copy to hardcopy using printer.
15. Print preview – This refers to viewing how the printed sheet will appear before printing.
16. Check and correct spreadsheet content before finally printing spreadsheets.
17. Charts- A chart is a visual representation of numeric values. Charts (also known as graphs)
have been an integral part of spreadsheets.
Starting Microsoft excel
To start Microsoft excel follow the following steps as indicated below:

1. Click on the Start button.

245
2. Click on All Programs option from the menu.

3. Search for Microsoft Office from the sub menu and click it.

4. Search for Microsoft Excel from the submenu and click it. This will launch the Microsoft

Excel application

Microsoft excel window

The following basic window appears when you start the excel application. Let us now
understand the various important parts of this window.

Figure 56 Ms Excel worksheet

i) File Tab

The File tab replaces the Office button from Excel 2007. You can click it to check the
Backstage view, where you come when you need to open or save files, create new sheets,
print a sheet, and do other file-related operations.
ii) Quick Access Toolbar

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 You will find this toolbar just above the File tab and its purpose is to provide a convenient
resting place for the Excel's most frequently used commands. You can customize this toolbar
based on your comfort.
iii) Ribbon

Ribbon contains commands organized in three components:

• Tabs − They appear across the top of the Ribbon and contain groups of related commands.
Home, Insert, Page Layout are the examples of ribbon tabs.

• Groups − They organize related commands; each group name appears below the group on
the Ribbon. For example, group of commands related to fonts or group of commands related
to alignment etc.

• Commands − Commands appear within each group as mentioned above.

iv) Title Bar: This lies in the middle and at the top of the window. Title bar shows the
program and the sheet titles.

v) Help: The Help Icon can be used to get excel related help anytime you like. This provides
nice tutorial on various subjects related to excel.

vi) Zoom Control: Zoom control lets you zoom in for a closer look at your text. The zoom
control consists of a slider that you can slide left or right to zoom in or out. The + buttons
can be clicked to increase or decrease the zoom factor.

vii) View Buttons: The group of three buttons located to the left of the Zoom control, near the
bottom of the screen, lets you switch among Microsoft excels various sheet views.

• Normal Layout view − This displays the page in normal view.

• Page Layout view − This displays pages exactly as they will appear when printed. This
gives a full screen look of the document.
• Page Break view − This shows a preview of where pages will break when printed.
viii) Sheet Area: The area where you enter data. The flashing vertical bar is called the insertion
point and it represents the location where text will appear when you type.

ix) Sheet Tabs

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By default, there is one worksheet in an Excel file. The tab at the bottom of a worksheet tells you
the name of the worksheet - such as Sheet1, Sheet2 etc.
x) Row Bar: Rows are numbered from 1 onwards and keeps on increasing as you keep
entering data. Maximum limit is 1,048,576 rows.

xi) Column Bar: Columns are numbered from A onwards and keeps on increasing as you
keep entering data. After Z, it will start the series of AA, AB and so on. Maximum limit is
16,384 columns.

xii) Status Bar: This displays the current status of the active cell in the worksheet. A cell can
be in either of the four states

a) Ready mode which indicates that the worksheet is ready to accept user input

b) Edit mode indicates that cell is editing mode, if it is not activated the you can activate
editing mode by double-clicking on a cell

c) A cell enters into Enter mode when a user types data into a cell

d) Point mode triggers when a formula is being entered using a cell reference by mouse
pointing or the arrow keys on the keyboard.

xiii) Dialog Box Launcher: This appears as a very small arrow in the lower-right corner of
many groups on the Ribbon. Clicking this button opens a dialog box or task pane that
provides more options about the group.

Creating A Workbook
A Microsoft Office Excel workbook is a file that contains one or more worksheets that you can
use to organize various kinds of related information. You can create a new workbook by simply
opening a blank one. You can also use templates on which to base the new workbook, such as
the default template provided with Microsoft Excel or templates you have created.
Create a new blank workbook
1. On the File tab, click New.
2. A blank workbook is selected, click Create.

Open an existing workbook

In addition to creating new workbooks, we'll often need to open a workbook that was previously
stored.

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This enables us to continue on it or edit it. Follow the following steps
1. On the File tab, click Open.
2. Select the spreadsheet(s) to open and click Open

Save a spreadsheet to a location on a drive.

You save a spreadsheet in order to use it later time. It is also done periodically, say after 10
minutes to prevent data loss in case of power failure. To save follow the following steps.
1. On the File tab, click Save.
2. Create a file name and navigate to the location required.
3. Click Save.

Save a spreadsheet as another file type like: template, text file, software specific file
extension, version number.
1. On the File tab, Click Save As.
2. Click on the Save as type drop-down list and click a file type
3. Click Save.

Saving New Changes

There may be a situation when you open an existing sheet and edit it partially or completely, or
even you would like to save the changes in between editing of the sheet. If you want to save this
sheet with the same name, then you can use either of the following simple options:
• Just press Ctrl + S keys to save the changes.
• Optionally, you can click on the floppy icon available at the top left corner and just above the
File tab. This option will also save the changes.
• You can also use third method to save the changes, which is the Save option available just
above the Save As option as shown in the above screen capture.

Creating new worksheet

Three new blank sheets always open when you start Microsoft Excel. Below steps explain you
how to create a new worksheet if you want to start another new worksheet while you are working
on a worksheet, or you closed an already opened worksheet and want to start a new worksheet.
1. Right Click the Sheet Name and select Insert option.

249
To rename a worksheet
Whenever we create a new Excel workbook, it will include one worksheet named Sheet1. We
can rename a worksheet to reflect its content better. In this example, we will develop a training
log organized by month.
1. Right-click the worksheet we wish to rename, then select Rename from the worksheet menu.
2. Type the desired name for the worksheet.
3. Click anywhere outside of the worksheets, or press the Enter on our keyboard. The
worksheet will be renamed.

Worksheet, rows, columns and cells in excel Worksheet

Worksheet is also called spreadsheet.
Rows: Rows run horizontally across the worksheet and ranges from 1 to 1048576. A row is
identified by the number that is on left side of the row, from where the row originates.
Columns: Columns run vertically downward across the worksheet and ranges from A to XFD - 1
to 16384. A column is identified by a column header that is on the top of the column, from where
the column originates.
Cells: Cells are small boxes in the worksheet where we enter data. A cell is the intersection of a
row and column. It is identified by row number and column header such as A1, A2.
Moving across the worksheet in Excel
There are multiple options to move across the worksheet using mouse and
keyboard.
You can scroll the work sheet up or down by rolling mouse wheel or using
vertical scroll bar. In a similar way, you can use horizontal scroll bar to move
the work sheet horizontally towards left or right side.
How to enter data in Excel
1. Select a cell with a single click where you want to enter data; cell B3 is
selected in the image given below.

250
2. Then double click in the cell to enter data. You can enter text, numbers and formulas in the
cell.

3. After entering data, you can press Tab key to move to next column and can press Enter key
to move to next row. You can press arrow keys for more options to move to other cells.

Select a cell.
• Click the cell.

Select a range of adjacent cells.

A range is a rectangular block of cells. Ranges are defined using rows and columns
• Click the first cell and drag to the last cell in the range.

Select a range of adjacent cells.

• Click the first cell and drag to the last cell in the range.

Select an entire worksheet.

• Click the Select All button found above Row 1 and to the left of Column A.

Select a row.
Click the row heading.

Select a range of adjacent rows.

1. Click the first-row heading.
2. Drag to highlight through to the last row heading.

Select a range of non-adjacent rows.

1. Click the first ow heading or range of rows.
2. Hold the Ctrl key down and continue highlighting additional row headings.

Select a column.
1. Click the column heading.

Select a range of adjacent columns.

1. Click the first column heading
2. Drag to highlight through to the last column heading.

Select a range of non-adjacent columns.

1. Click the first column heading or range of columns.

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2. Hold the Ctrl key down and continue highlighting additional column headings.

Insert rows.
1. Click the row heading(s) above which the new row will appear.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click the Insert button.

Insert columns.
1. Click the column heading(s) immediately to the right of where the new column will appear.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click the Insert button.

Delete rows.
1. Click the row heading(s) of the rows to delete.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click the Delete button.

Delete columns.
1. Click the column heading(s) of the columns to delete.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click the Delete button.

Modify column widths to a specified value, to optimal width.

1. Click the column heading(s) of the columns to modify.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click the Format button.
3. To modify the column width to a specified value, click Column Width and enter a width.
4. Click OK.

Freeze row titles and column titles.

The Excel Freeze Panes tool allows you to lock your column and/or row headings so that, when
you scroll down or over to view the rest of your sheet, the first column and/or top row remain on
the screen.

1. Select the row/ column immediately below/to right of the row/column to freeze.
2. On the View tab, in the Window group, click the Freeze Panes button.
3. Click Freeze Panes.

Unfreeze row and/or column titles.

1. On the View tab, in the Window group, click the Freeze Panes button.
2. Click Unfreeze Panes.

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Use the search command for specific content in a worksheet.
1. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click the Find & Select button.
2. Click Find.
3. Enter the word or phrase to find in the Find what box.
4. Click Find Next to select the first occurrence of the word or phrase or click Find All.
5. Click Close.

Sorting
Sort a cell range by one criterion in ascending, descending numeric order,
ascending, descending alphabetic order.
1. Select the cell range to sort.
2. On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click the Sort A to Z button to sort in ascending
order or click the Sort Z to A button to sort in descending order.

Auto fill
Use the autofill tool/copy handle tool to copy, automatically increment data entries. If you are
entering a predictable series (e.g. 1, 2, 3…; days of the week; hours of the day) you can use the
AutoFill command to automatically extend the sequence

Select the cell or cell range to copy.

1. Move the mouse pointer over the lower right-hand corner of the selected cell or cell range.
2. Use the fill handle to drag though the range required.
Formatting cell
Formatting refers to enhancing the appearance of the worksheet to make it attractive and
appealing to the reader.
MS Excel Cell can hold different types of data like Numbers, Currency, Dates, etc. You can set
the cell type in various ways as shown below −
• Right Click on the cell » Format cells » Number.

• Click on the Ribbon from the ribbon.

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Various Cell Formats
Below are the various cell formats.
• General − This is the default cell format of Cell.

• Number − This displays cell as number with separator.

• Currency − This displays cell as currency i.e. with currency sign.

• Accounting − Similar to Currency, used for accounting purpose.

• Date − Various date formats are available under this like 17-09-2013, 17th-Sep-2013,
etc.

• Time − Various Time formats are available under this, like 1.30PM, 13.30, etc.

• Percentage − This displays cell as percentage with decimal places like 50.00%.

• Fraction − This displays cell as fraction like 1/4, 1/2 etc.

• Scientific − This displays cell as exponential like 5.6E+01.

• Text − These displays cell as normal text.

• Special − Special formats of cell like Zip code, Phone Number.

• Custom − You can use custom format by using this.

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 Figure 57 Format Cells

Format cells to date, currency, accounting formats

Select the cell or cell range.
1. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click the Format button.
2. Click Format Cells.
3. On the Number tab, click the appropriate category (Date or currency or accounting
category).
4. Click a date type from the Type box.
5. Click OK.

Change cell content appearance: font sizes and font type

1. Select the cell or cell range.
2. On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Font Size arrow or font row for you to choose
font.
3. Click a size from the list or enter a size into the Font Size box to choose font size or click the
font into the font box.

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Apply formatting to cell contents: bold, italic, underline, double underline.
Select the text to format.
1. To embolden the text, on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Bold button.
2. To italicize the text, on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Italic button.
3. To underline the text, on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Underline button.
4. To double underline the text, on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Underline arrow
and click the Double Underline button.

Apply different colours to cell content, cell background.

1. Select the cell or cell range to colour.
2. On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Fill Color arrow.
3. Click a colour.

Copy the formatting from a cell, cell range to another cell, cell range.
1. Select the cell or cell range to copy from.
2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the Format Painter button.
3. Click the cell or cell range to apply the format.

Apply text wrapping to contents within a cell, cell range.

1. Select the cell or cell range.
2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click the Wrap Text button.

Alignment, Border Effects

Align cell contents: horizontally, vertically
To align text
1. Select the cell or cell range.
2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click the Alignment group arrow.
3. On the Alignment tab, click the alignment
options required in the Horizontal and Vertical
boxes.
4. Click OK.

Merge cells and center a title in a merged cell.

1. Select the cell range.
2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group,
click the Merge & Center arrow.
3. Click the merge option required.

256
Add border effects to a cell, cell range: lines, colours.
1. Select the cell range.
2. On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Border arrow.
3. Click the line and colour options required.

Wrap Text and Shrink to Fit

If the text is too wide to fit the column width but don’t want that text to spill over into adjacent
cells, you can use either the Wrap Text option or the Shrink to Fit option to accommodate that
text.
Apply text wrapping to contents within a cell, cell range.
1. Select the cell or cell range.
2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click the Wrap Text button.

Formulas In Microsoft Excel

A formula consists of special code, which is entered into a cell. It performs some calculations
and returns a result, which is displayed in the cell.
Create formulas using cell references and arithmetic operators (addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division)
1. Click the cell to enter the formula into.
2. Enter the = (equals) sign.
3. Enter a formula using cell references and operators, for example =B3+B4.

Understand relative, absolute cell referencing in formulas.

A formula that contains relative cell reference will change when it is copied to other cells.
e.g = C4+C5

By default, once copied, formula cell references will become relative and change as per the cells
selected.

A formula that contains an absolute cell reference always refers to a cell in a specific location
and never changes when copied to other cells.

=$C$13 The value does not change. Its usually preceded by dollar sign before the column and
row.
To create an absolute cell reference press F4 after selecting the cell and the formula will fix to
this cell

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Functions

These are inbuilt formulas. There is a long list of Excel’s built-in formulas that make it easy to
perform complex mathematical operations. These formulas are organized into categories which
you can view. You can use the Insert Function button to insert the basic functions.

They include; sum, average, minimum, maximum, count, counta, round functions.

To use this function, follow the following procedure

1. Click the cell to enter the formula into.

2. On the Formulas tab, in the Function Library group, click the Insert Function button.
3. Enter the function name in the highlighted Search for a function box.
4. Click Go.
5. Ensure the function is highlighted in the Select a function box.
6. Click OK.
7. Enter the arguments for the function.
8. Click OK.

Figure 58 Insert Function

258
The basic functions used are:

Function Name Description

Sum SUM The sum of the values
Average AVERAGE The average of the values
Minimum MIN The smallest value
Maximum MAX The largest value
Count COUNT The number of data values
Counta COUNTA The number of data values in
non-blank cells
Round Round Numbers rounded to whole
numbers
Table 1: Basic Functions

Logical functions
Use the logical function if (yielding one of two specific values) with comparison operator: =, >,
<.
The if function returns one value if a condition specified evaluates to TRUE and another value if
it evaluates to FALSE.

1. Click the cell to enter the formula into.

2. On the Formulas tab, in the Function Library group, click the Insert Function button.
3. Enter IF in the highlighted Search for a function box.
4. Click Go.
5. Enter the arguments for the function.
6. Click OK.

Charts
A chart is a visual representation of numeric values. Charts (also known as graphs) have been an
integral part of spreadsheets. Displaying data in a well-conceived chart can make your numbers
more understandable. Because a chart presents a picture, charts are particularly useful for
summarizing a series of numbers and their interrelationships.

259
 Figure 59: Types of charts
Types of Chart
a) Column − Column chart shows data changes over a period of time or illustrates comparisons
among items.

b) Bar − A bar chart illustrates comparisons among individual items.

c) Pie − A pie chart shows the size of items that make up a data series, proportional to the sum
of the items. It always shows only one data series and is useful when you want to emphasize
a significant element in the data.

d) Line − A line chart shows trends in data at equal intervals.

e) Area − An area chart emphasizes the magnitude of change over time.

f) X Y Scatter − An xy (scatter) chart shows the relationships among the numeric values in
several data series, or plots two groups of numbers as one series of xy coordinates.

g) Stock − This chart type is most often used for stock price data, but can also be used for
scientific data (for example, to indicate temperature changes).

h) Surface − A surface chart is useful when you want to find the optimum combinations
between two sets of data. As in a topographic map, colors and patterns indicate areas that are
in the same range of values.

i) Doughnut − Like a pie chart, a doughnut chart shows the relationship of parts to a whole;
however, it can contain more than one data series.

260
j) Bubble − Data that is arranged in columns on a worksheet, so that x values are listed in the
first column and corresponding y values and bubble size values are listed in adjacent
columns, can be plotted in a bubble chart.

k) Radar − A radar chart compares the aggregate values of a number of data series.

Creating Chart
To create charts for the data by below mentioned steps:
1. Select the data for which you want to create the chart.
2. Choose Insert Tab » Select the chart or click on the Chart group to see various chart
types.
3. Select the chart of your choice and click OK to generate the chart.

Editing Chart
You can edit the chart at any time after you have created it.
• You can select the different data for chart input with Right click on chart » Select data.
Selecting new data will generate the chart as per the new data, as shown in the below
screen-shot.

• You can change the X axis of the chart by giving different inputs to X-axis of chart.
• You can change the Y axis of chart by giving different inputs to Y-axis of chart.

Edit a chart title.

• Select the chart title and edit as required.

Add data labels to a chart: values/numbers, percentages.

• Select the chart.
• On the Layout tab, in the Labels group, click the Data Labels button.
• Click the location required for the data labels.

Change chart area background colour, legend fill colour.

• Select the chart background or the legend to change.
• On the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the Shape Fill button.
• Click the colour required.

Change the column, bar, line, pie slice colours in the chart.
• Click the column, bar, line or pie slice of the chart to change.
• On the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the Shape Fill button.
• Click the colour required.

261
Printing worksheets
Before printing you must prepare the document to ensure the printed copy . This includes
performing page setup.
a) Change worksheet margins: top, bottom, left, right.
• On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Margins button.
• Click Custom Margins.
• On the Margins tab, enter values in the Top, Bottom, Left and Right boxes.
• Click OK.

Figure 60 Page setup

b) Change worksheet orientation: portrait, landscape.

• On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Orientation button.
• Click Portrait or Landscape.

262
Change paper size.
• On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Size button.
• Click the paper size required.

Adjust page setup to fit worksheet contents on a specified number of pages.

• On the Page Layout tab, in the Scale to Fit group, click the number of pages required in the
Width and Height boxes.

Add text in headers, footers in a worksheet.

• On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Header & Footer button.
• By default, the header section opens; to go to the footer, on the Design tab, in the Navigation
group, click the Go to Footer button.
• Enter the text required in the required header and footer boxes.

Edit, delete text in headers, footers in a worksheet.

• On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Header & Footer button.
• By default, the header section opens; to go to the footer, on the Design tab, in the Navigation
group, click the Go to Footer button.
• Edit or delete the text as required.

Apply automatic title row(s) printing on every page of a printed worksheet.

• On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Print Titles button.
• Click the Rows to repeat at top box and click the row on the spreadsheet.
• Click OK.

Quick Print
If you want to print a copy of a worksheet with no layout adjustment, use the Quick Print option.
There are two ways in which we can use this option.
• Choose File » Print (which displays the Print pane), and then click the Print button.
• Press Ctrl+P and then click the Print button (or press Enter).

263
Choosing Your Printer
To switch to a different printer, choose File » Print and use the drop-down control in the Printer
section to select any other installed printer.
Specifying What You Want to Print
Sometimes you may want to print only a part of the worksheet rather than the entire active area.
Choose File » Print and use the controls in the Settings section to specify what to print.
• Active Sheets − Prints the active sheet or sheets that you selected.

• Entire Workbook − Prints the entire workbook, including chart sheets.

• Selection − Prints only the range that you selected before choosing File » Print.

Figure 61 Quick Print

[Link] Learning activities

264
Learning Activities Special
Instruction
Visit a computer lab in your institution and carry out the following activities. Avoid
Activity 1 overcrowding
to avoid
Use the following figure to perform the tasks
accidents and
damages.

Do not
tamper with
computers
and their
accessories.

Cover the
computers
after use

1. Open a new workbook and save the file with the name “Payroll”.
2. Enter the labels and values in the exact cells locations as desired.
3. Use AutoFill to put the Employee Numbers into cells A6:A8.
4. Set the columns width and rows height appropriately.
5. Set labels alignment appropriately.
6. Use warp text and merge cells as desired.
7. Apply borders, gridlines and shading to the table as desired.
8. Format cell B2 to Short Date format.
9. Format cells E4:G8 to include dollar sign with two decimal places.
10. Calculate the Gross Pay for employee; enter a formula in cell E4 to multiply
Hourly Rate by Hours Worked.
11. Calculate the Social Security Tax (S.S Tax), which is 6% of the Gross Pay; enter
a formula in cell F4 to multiply Gross Pay by 6%.
12. Calculate the Net Pay; enter a formula in cell G4 to subtract Social Security Tax
from Gross Pay.
13. Set the work sheet vertically and horizontally on the page.
14. Save your work.

265
Activity 2
Use the following figure to perform the tasks

1. Open a new workbook and save the file with the name “Call Statistics”.
2. Delete Sheet 2 & 3, and rename Sheet 1 to (Call Statistics).
3. Enter the labels and values in the exact cells locations as desired.
4. Set the row height of rows 1 & 3 to size 30; and rows 4 until 10 to size 20.
5. Set labels alignment appropriately.
6. Use Warp Text, Orientation and merge cells as desired.
7. Apply border, gridlines and shading to the table as desired.
8. Format column E to include euro (€) sign with two decimal places.
9. Format cell B12 to include % sign with 0 Decimal places.
10. Calculate the Calls per Hour, enter a formula in cell D4 to divide numbers of
calls by Hours worked. Using AutoFill, copy the formula to the remaining cells.
11. Calculate the Bonus. Enter a formula in cell E4 to multiply ‘Calls per Hours’ by
the fixed Bonus Rate in cell B12. Using AutoFill, copy the formula to the remaining

266
cells.
12. Calculate the ‘TOTAL’.
13. Set the worksheet vertically and horizontally on the page.
14. Create a header that includes your name in the left section, and your ID number
in the right section. Create the footer that includes the current Date in the center.

Activity 3
Use the following figure to perform the tasks

1. Create the worksheet shown above.

2. Set the column widths as follows: Column A: 8, Column B: 14, Columns C & D:
15, Columns E & F: 14.
3. Enter the formula to find COMMISSION for the first employee.
The commission rate is 2% of sales, COMMISSION = SALES * 2%
Copy the formula to the remaining employees.
4. Enter the formula to find TOTAL SALARY for the first employee where:
TOTAL SALARY = SALARY + COMMISSION
Copy the formula to the remaining employees.
5. Enter formula to find TOTALS, AVERAGE, HIGHEST, LOWEST, and COUNT
values.
Copy the formula to each column.

267
6. Format numeric data to include commas and two decimal places.
7. Align all column title labels horizontally and vertically at the center.
8. Create a Header that includes your name in the left section, page number in the
center section, and your ID number in the right section.
9. Create footer with DATE in the left section and TIME in the right section.
10. Save the file with name Exercise 3.

[Link] Self-Assessment

1) What is Microsoft Excel?

2) Explain Spreadsheet and its Basics.

3) Which data formats are available in Excel? Name some of them.

4) How can you sum up the Rows and Column number quickly in the Excel sheet?

5)What do you understand by the following terms as used in a worksheet?

6. a) A formula to add the contents of B5 and C4 was entered in Cell F5. what will it become
when it is copied to Cell H8?
b) What is the reason for your for your answer.
[Link] the worksheet below and answer the questions that follow:
A B C D E F
1
2 MAWINGU AGENCIES
3 PRODUCT REGION 1 REGION 2 REGION 3 REGION TOTAL
4 Sale
4 Rexona 3400 3,700 4000 4100
5 Lifebuoy 2500 2600 2100 2500
6 Omo 6000 6100 6300 1600
7 Ushindi 1200 1500 1400 6400
8 Carmel 7000 6900 7200 8000
9 Total
10 Maximum
11 Average

i) Write functions that can be entered to get total, maximum, and average of each region.

268
ii) Write down the function that returns the number of sales in the four regions whose value is
greater than or equal to 2000.
iii) The function = sum (B4:E4) is entered at F5 and then copied to F8. Write down the function
as it appears in the destination cell.

[Link] Tools, equipment, materials and supplies

• Software (Windows, MS Office, Antivirus, Games)
• Computer
• Printer
• Digital instructional material including DVDs and CDs;
• Storage Devices (Flash Disks, CDs, DVDs, Memory cards)
• Stationery
• internet

[Link] References

[Link]
[Link]
S. Mburu, G chemwa, Longhorn secondary computer studies form 2, 2013, Longhorn publishers

J. Makori . J Mwende , K Munene , Longhorn Information communication Technology , An

introductory to Course For Tvet Students , 2018, Lognhorn Publishers .

D. Mulli , D Ochieng , J. Ndengwa , J. Kioko Logon Computer studies form two , 2013 , Kenya
Literature Bureau.

Answers to self assessment

1) What is Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is an electronic spreadsheet application that enables users to store, organize,
calculate and manipulate the data with formulas using a spreadsheet system broken up by rows
and columns. It also provides the flexibility to use an external database to do analysis, make
reports, etc. thus saving lots of time.

2) Explain Spreadsheet and its Basics.

269
Spreadsheet can be compared to a paper ledger sheet. It consists of rows and columns and their
intersection called cells.

3) Which data formats are available in Excel? Name some of them.

• Number – Stores data as a number

• Currency – Stores data in the form of currency
• Date – Data is stored as dates
• Percentage – Stores numbers as a percentage
• Text Formats – Stores data as string of texts

4) What are charts in MS-Excel?

To enable graphical representation of the data in Excel, charts are provided. A user can use any
chart type, including column, bar, line, pie, scatter, etc. by selecting an option from Insert tab's
Chart group.

5) How can you sum up the Rows and Column number quickly in the Excel sheet?

By using SUM function, you can get the total sum of the rows and columns, in an Excel
worksheet.

6)What do you understand by the following terms as used in a worksheet?

Columns: These are the fields that make up the worksheet of a spreadsheet, and are identified by
letters. They run vertically from top downwards

Rows: These are the records that form a worksheet, and are identifies by numbers. They run
horizontally from left to right.

Cell: A box formed when a row & a column intersect in a worksheet where the data is entered

7. a) A formula to add the contents of B5 and C4 was entered in Cell F5. what will it become
when it is copied to Cell H8?
= D8 +E7

b) What is the reason for your for your answer.

When we move to cell H8 from F5, the column changes by 2 while the
row changes by 3. The formula = B5 +C4 is also updated likewise. This is because of
relative referencing.
[Link] the worksheet below and answer the questions that follow:
A B C D E F

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 1
2 MAWINGU AGENCIES
3 PRODUCT REGION 1 REGION 2 REGION 3 REGION TOTAL
4 Sale
4 Rexona 3400 3,700 4000 4100
5 Lifebuoy 2500 2600 2100 2500
6 Omo 6000 6100 6300 1600
7 Ushindi 1200 1500 1400 6400
8 Carmel 7000 6900 7200 8000
9 Total
10 Maximum
11 Average

iv) Write functions that can be entered to get total, maximum, and average of each region.
• Total = Sum (B4:B8)
• Maximum: = Max (B4:B8)
• Average: = Average (B4: B8)
v) Write down the function that returns the number of sales in the four regions whose value is
greater than or equal to 2000.
= SUMIF (B4:E4, “>=2000”)
vi) The function = sum (B4:E4) is entered at F5 and then copied to F8. Write down the function
as it appears in the destination cell.
= sum (B7:E7)

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4.2.13 4.2.3 Learning Outcome 3: Apply database management using Ms Access

[Link] Introduction applying database management using Microsoft Access

In our daily lives we are faced with the need to keep, search, update and store reports. That’s
why we use tools such as diaries, and files. Traditionally people used to manage data and
information using simple devices which had a number of weaknesses. These tools represented
manual databases.

However, with introduction of computers and their prices going down, most people prefer
creating database using electronic databases.

A database is a collection of information related to a particular subject or purpose. A collection

of related data or information grouped together under one logical structure.

Examples of electronic databases include MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Access, SQL Server,
FileMaker, Oracle, RDBMS, dBASE, Clipper, and FoxPro.

[Link] Performance standards

[Link].1 Features of a database management system are outlined
[Link].2 Features of Ms Access interface are identified
[Link].3 Creation of a database as per the user requirements is done
[Link].4 Manipulation of database objects is done
[Link].5 Printing of reports is done

[Link] Information Sheet

Database Management System: The software which is used to manage database is called
Database Management System (DBMS).
Databases are crucial tools for storing, managing, and manipulating data, sorting, updating,
retrieving and modifying their records in a single database; for example, they can keep and
update profiles in a client base.

Data is raw, unorganized facts and details. Examples of data that could be stored in a database
are:
A student’s test score, An employee’s ID, A vendor’s email address.
Information is the processed output of data. It provides context for data. Examples are:

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Average test score per subject chart
Mailing list sorted alphabetically and organized by location.
Some of the common uses of large-scale databases are:

• Airline booking systems:

These systems maintain a database of all the seats on all the available flights, allowing
passengers to be quickly booked onto fights to their destination.
• Government records:
Governments all over the world rely on multiple large databases in order to function. Tax
records, criminal records and social security all require sophisticated database systems.
• Bank account records:
Banks require extremely reliable databases in order to keep track of all their customer account
and log transactions.
• Hospital patient details:
Medical records are stored in a database system. This system should allow your medical history
to be instantly available wherever you require treatment.

Features of a Database Management System

Data storage – A DBMS should be able to store the information in a secure location.
Reporting- This is a database feature that allows displaying the contents of the report in a
summary form.
Data Structuring-all information in a digital repository is organized into a clear hierarchical
structure with records, tables or objects. Every piece of information that you can add to your
database will be organized in a kind of catalogue, so it will be easier for you to search and update
your records later on.
Data Integrity-All information in a database is accessible by several or more users but only one
user can change the same piece of data at a time. This capability lets prevent database
corruptions and failure.
Security − Features like multiple views offer security to some extent where users are unable to
access data of other users and departments. DBMS offers methods to impose constraints while
entering data into the database and retrieving the same at a later stage.
Multiple views − DBMS offers multiple views for different users. A user who is in the Sales
department will have a different view of database than a person working in the Production
department.

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Query − DBMS is equipped with query language, which makes it more efficient to retrieve and
manipulate data. A user can apply as many and as different filtering options as required to
retrieve a set of data.
Consistency − Consistency is a state where every relation in a database remains consistent.

Features of Ms Access interface

The Ribbon is the long strip comprised of tabs with buttons across the top of the main window
within the Access interface.

The Ribbon is designed in a way that aids you in quickly finding commands that help complete a
task, and contains almost all of the primary commands for working with access. You no longer
have to search commands endlessly through many menus and sub-menus.

However, the File tab still exists, as does a single toolbar called the Quick Access Toolbar. All
the other commands are now found in the various tabs of the Ribbon within the interface.

• Tabs − These appear across the top of the Ribbon and contain groups of related
commands. Home, create, external data, Database tools.
• Groups − They organize related commands; each group name appears below the group
on the Ribbon. For example, group of commands related to fonts or group of commands
related to alignment, etc.
• Commands − Commands appear within each group as mentioned above.

Contextual tabs appear on the Ribbon when an object requiring additional functionality is
selected. For example, selecting a table in Access will display Table Tools contextual tabs on the
Ribbon.

Contextual tabs

Quick access toolbar

By default, the Save, Undo, and Repeat/Redo buttons appear on the Quick Access Toolbar. If
you regularly use a few buttons that are scattered on various tabs of the Ribbon and you do not
want to switch between tabs to access the buttons or crowd the Ribbon with a custom tab, you
might want to add these frequently used buttons to the Quick Access Toolbar. They are then
always visible in the upper-left corner of the program window.

274
Clicking the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button at the right end of the Quick Access
Toolbar displays a menu that lists commonly used commands.

Clicking the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button at the right end of the Quick Access
Toolbar displays a menu that lists commonly used commands.

Check marks appear to the left of commands currently available on the Quick Access Toolbar.
You can click these commands to remove them, and click other commands to add them.

Figure 62 Customizing Quick Access Toolbar

Understanding database objects

An Access database can contain various types of database objects, including tables, queries,
forms, reports, macros and modules. The following section briefly introduces the four main
database objects. All database objects can be accessed from the Navigation Pane.

1. Tables: The basic building block of any database is a table. A database table is similar in
appearance to a list or spreadsheet, in that the data is stored in rows and columns.

A database can have many tables. A table should only contain records related to a particular
subject. When tables contain data related to a single subject type, it is easier to search for and
locate data. For example, you may have a table called customers containing information about
your customers with a separate table called orders. You can then link the tables by creating a
relationship, connecting each customer with their associated orders.

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2. Queries: Queries allow users to locate data from one or more tables according to specific
search criteria. The data you want to retrieve may be stored in several tables, and a query
allows you to view data from several tables in a single datasheet. In addition, because you
generally do not want to see all the information at once, queries allow you select certain
fields and add criteria to retrieve only specific records.
The result of a query is called a record set or result set. You can view the result set on the
screen, print it, copy it to the clipboard, or use the output of the query as the record source for a
form or report.
3. Forms: Forms are commonly used as data entry screens. They are user-friendly interfaces for
working with data, and they often contain elements and command buttons that make entering
data and performing various other tasks quick and easy.
4. Reports: You use reports to print and summaries data. Each report is formatted to present the
information in the most readable way possible. You can format any report to fit your
requirements and you can create custom reports as well.
5. Macros - This is a feature that will allow you to automate task , for example opening a
particular file.

Database Organization
Understand that each field in a table should contain only one element of [Link] example, first
name in one field, surname in second field.

Records – is a collection of related fields that represent single entity. Example in a student
database is student name.

Tables – This refers to a collection of related records. Example student file in a school database.

Database- this is the highest in data organization hierarchy . For example college database may
contain student file and trainers file.

Starting access
To start Microsoft Access 2010:
1. Click the Start button.
2. Select All Programs.
3. Click Microsoft Access 2010.

Open a database.
Databases residing in your computer or on a shared network drive can be opened by starting
Microsoft Access and then selecting Open command from the File tab.

Create a new database and save to a location on a drive.

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1. On the File tab, click New.
2. By default, a blank database is selected.
3. Beside the File Name box, click the Folder button.
4. Navigate to the location required.
5. Click OK.
6. Click Create.

In Design view, you first create the structure of the new table. Then, you can either switch to
Datasheet view to enter data or you can also use a form to enter data.

Design view also allows you to specify the field name, data type and additional information for
each field in the Description column.

Data types
Every field in a table has properties and these properties define the field's characteristics and
behavior. The most important property for a field is its data type. A field's data type determines
what kind of data it can store. MS Access supports different types of data, each with a specific
purpose.

• The data type determines the kind of the values that users can store in any given field.
• Each field can store data consisting of only a single data type.
Here are some of the most common data types you will find used in a typical Microsoft Access
database.

• Text Text numbers or both up to 255 characters

• Memo Text numbers or both up to 63999characters
• Number Numbers used in calculations
• Date/Time Date times or both up to 8 bytes
• Currency values prevents rounding
• AutoNumber Unique sequential numbers automatically added to field
• Yes/No True/False On/Off
• OLE Object Documents created in other File programs
• Hyperlink Hyperlink to a UNC path or URL up to 2048 characters

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• Lookup Wizard Create a field that allows the choice of a value from another table
or list

Description of field properties

Field Properties - A set of characteristics that control how the field is stored, entered, or
displayed

Understand what a primary key is.

• It uniquely identifies each record in a table to avoid data duplication and to allow faster data
access. Examples include Order ID, Product ID, Customer ID

Figure 63 Field Properties

The different field properties include:

(i). Field Size.

The Field Size property defines/ controls the maximum no. of characters that can be
entered/ stored in a Text or Number field.

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(ii). Understand what an index is. Understand how it allows for faster data access. It helps find
and sort records faster.
(iii). Format. -The Format property specifies how (the way) data is displayed in a field &
printed. Number & Currency fields provide predefined display formats. They include
Currency, Fixed, General, Percent, Scientific, General data, Medium date, Medium time.
(iv). Decimal places.
It is used to define the no. of decimal places in values.
(v). Default value.
It allows you to define a value that will automatically be inserted into the field as you add
new records. It is used in Text and Memo fields.
(vi). Validation Rule.
It allows you to create an expression or a formula that will test data when being entered
into the field.

It automatically rejects faulty/flawed entries, e.g., entering very large or very small figures
in the Age or Salary fields.
Validation Rule Description
Between 18 and 55 Limits an age field from 18 to 55.
<10000 Allows any value less than 10000
(vii). Validation Text.
Defines an error message that will be displayed when the validation rule is
violated/broken.
(viii). Required. - It controls the entry of important fields.
When this option is set to YES, an entry must be made within that field, i.e., it ensures that
the field is not left blank.
(ix). Input Mask.- Lets you define a pre-formatted pattern for the entry of data into a Date or a
Text field. The data in that field must conform to a pattern.
(x). Caption.-This is an alternative name used (other than the fieldname) in order to appear in
the fieldname header button in Table datasheet view and as a label in Forms.

Design a table
1. Create and name a table.
2. On the Create tab, in the Tables group, click the Table button.
3. On the Fields tab, in the Views group, click the View button.
4. Click Design View.
5. When prompted, enter a name for the table and click OK.

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Specify fields with their data types like: text, number, date/time, yes/no.
1. In Design View, click the Data Type column for the field.
2. Click the drop-down menu and click a Data Type.

Apply field property settings: field size, default value.

1. In Design View, click a field row.
2. On the General tab at the bottom of the window, click the Field Size or Default Value box.
3. Enter or modify values as required.

Apply field property settings: number format, date/time format.

1. In Design View, click a field.
2. On the General tab at the bottom of the window, click the Format box.
3. Click the drop-down arrow and select a Format.

Create a validation rule for number, date/time, currency.

1. In Design View, click a field.
2. On the General tab at the bottom of the window, click the Validation Rule field.
3. Enter the validation rule required.

Set a field as a primary key.

1. In Design View, click the field to select as the primary key.
2. On the Design tab, in the Tools group, click the Primary Key button.

Index a field (with, without duplicates allowed).

1. In Design View, click the field row.
2. On the General tab at the bottom of the window, click the field property Indexed.
3. Click the drop-down list and click Yes (No Duplicates).
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Add a field to an existing table.
1. In Design View, click an empty field row.
2. Enter a new field name.
3. Click a Data Type from the drop-down list.

Change width of columns in a table.

1. In Datasheet View, select the column heading.
2. On the Home tab, in the Records group, click the More button.
3. Click Field Width.
4. Enter a width in the Column Width box.
5. Click OK.

Using Related Tables

A relationship helps you combine data from two or more different tables. Each relationship
consists of fields in two tables, with data that corresponds.

Tables can be joined, or related, in order to access and coordinate information in all the fields of
the related tables. Joining tables is a useful way to avoid entering duplicate information in
various, related tables

A relationship is built by matching a unique field within one table with a field within another
table. The fields must have the same data types and field size.

Access has three forms of relationships

1. One-to-many
2. One-to-one
3. Many-to-many.

A one-to-many relationship occurs when one record from the primary table matches many
records from the related table (e.g., one customer record matches many order records).

281
A one-to-one relationship occurs when one record from the primary table matches one record
from the related table. Access determines the relationship type automatically when you create the
relationship.

A many-to-many relationship occurs when a number of records from the primary table match a
number of records in the related table (e.g. when dealing with Products and Orders, each record
in t
Queries
Queries allow users to locate data according to specific search criteria.

Create a named single table query using specific search criteria.

1. On the Create tab, in the Queries group, click the Query Design button.
2. Select the table to add from the Show Table window.
3. Click Add and then click Close.
4. Click and drag the fields required into the Field row in the window below.
5. Click the Criteria box of the field to query.
6. Enter the query criteria.
7. Close the query and click Yes to confirm save.
8. Enter the name required in the Query Name box.
9. Click OK.

Create a named two-table table query using specific search criteria.

1. On the Create tab, in the Queries group, click the Query Design button.
2. Select the two tables to add from the Show Table window.
3. Click Add and click Close.
4. Click and drag the fields required into the Field row in the window below.
5. Click the Criteria box of the field to query.
6. Enter the query criteria.
7. Close the query and click Yes to confirm save.

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8. Enter the name required in the Query Name box.
9. Click OK.

Adding Criteria in a query

Add criteria to a query using one or more of the following operators: = (Equal), <> (Not equal
to), < (Less than), <= (Less than or equal to), > (Greater than), >= (Greater than or equal to).

1. In Design View, click into the Criteria box of the field to be queried.
2. Enter the criteria using an arithmetic operator.

Using wildcards
Use a wildcard in a query, * or %,? or _.
1. In Design View, click into the Criteria box of the field to be queried.
2. Enter the criteria using a wildcard.

Edit a query: add, modify, remove criteria.

1. In Design View, click into the Criteria box of the field to be queried.
2. Add, modify, or remove criteria as required.

Run a query.

1. On the Design tab, in the Results group, click the Run button.

Forms / Input screens

Forms are used to display and maintain records.
Forms allow users to navigate through records and add, delete, or modify records as needed.

Create and name a form.

1. Select a table or query.
2. On the Create tab, in the Forms group, click the Form button.
3. Close the form and when prompted, click Yes to save.
4. Enter the name required in the Form Name box.
5. Click OK.

Use a form to delete records, modify or add .

283
1. Ensure the form is open.
2. Select the record to delete.
3. On the Home tab, in the Records group, click the appropriate button.
4. Click on Record.
5. Click Yes to confirm.

Reports
Reports allow users to create a printed copy of all or selected data for greater ease of reference
and understanding. Although you can print records from a table or form, a report provides more
precise control over the final output. Reports can include page headers and footers, calculated
totals and subtotals, and even graphics. In addition, reports can be used for invoices, orders,
presentations, and mailing labels.

Create and name a report based on a table, query.

1. Select a table or query.
2. On the Create tab, in the Reports group, click the Report button.
3. Close the report and, when prompted, click Yes to save and then confirm the name of report
and click OK.

Add text in headers, footers in a report.

1. In Design View, on the Design tab, in the Controls group, click the Label button.
2. Click and drag to place in the header or footer of the report.
3. Add the text required.

284
 Figure 64 Sample of a report

Printing
Change the orientation (portrait, landscape) of a table, form, query output, report.
1. Open the table, form, query output or report.
2. On the File tab, click Print.
3. Click Print Preview.
4. On the Print Preview tab, in the Page Layout group, click the Portrait or Landscape buttons.

Change paper size.

1. On the File tab, click Print.
2. Click Print Preview.
3. On the Print Preview tab, in the Page Size group, click the Size button.
4. Click the size required.

285
Print a page.
1. On the File tab, click Print.
2. Click Print.
3. Click OK.

Print selected record(s).

1. Select the records to print.
2. On the File tab, click Print.
3. Click Print.
4. Check the Selected Record(s) checkbox.
5. Click OK.

Print specific page(s) in a report, print complete report.

1. On the File tab, click Print.
2. Click Print.
3. To print all pages, ensure the All checkbox is checked.
4. To print specific pages, check the Pages checkbox and enter the required number references
in the From and To boxes.
5. Click OK.
[Link] Learning Activity

286
Learning Activities Special
Instruction
Visit a computer lab in your institution and carry out the following Avoid
activities. overcrowding to
Activity 1 avoid accidents
and damages.
Open Microsoft access and Create a Table:
A. Create a table called Publisher having the following structure:
Field Name Data Type Do not tamper
PubID Short Text with computers
PubName Short Text and their
URL Hyperlink accessories.

• Set the field PubID as the primary key. Cover the

• Set the Field Size field property of the field PubID to 5. computers after
• Set the Field Size field property of the field PubName to 50. use
• Set the caption property of the PubID field to Publisher ID.
• Set the caption property of the PubName field to Publisher’s Name.
B. Enter the following data for the Publisher table:
PubID PubName URL
MH McGraw-Hill [Link]
PH Prentice Hall [Link]
WI Wiley [Link]
EL Elsevier [Link]
AW Addison Wesley [Link]
MP MIT Press [Link]
CL Cengage Learning [Link]

287
Activity 2
You have been appointed as a Database administrator at Moi Teaching and
Referral Hospital. You are required to organize the Hospital database so as to
reflect the current activities within the hospital. Design a database and create
two tables.

EMPLOYEE TABLE
ID NUMBER FIRST LAST NAME DEPARTMENT
NAME
5000 JOHN MUNGA INFORMATION
5001 MARK WANGAI HOSPITALITY
5002 JOY ROTICH INFORMATION
5003 EDDIT MAIYO HUMAN RESOURCES
5004 MOLLY KATHURE HOSPITALITY
5005 EDWIN KOIYA INFORMATION
SALARY TABLE
ID NUMBER DEPARTMENT SALARY
5000 INFORMATION 15 000
5001 HOSPITALITY 20 000
5002 INFORMATION 14 000
5003 HUMAN RESOURCES 12 000
5004 HOSPITALITY 14 000
5005 INFORMATION 20 000
REQUIRED
a) Design a query from employee table and set the criteria to display all the
employees in the information department and save it employee query.
b) Design a form employee query and save it employee form.
c) Design a report from employee table and save it employee report.

288
[Link] Self-Assessment

1. What is primary key?

2. What is a field?
3. What is a record?
4. What are the differences between a form and a report?
5. What are the four major shortcomings of the conventional (paper) file structures that are
being addressed by the database approach.

289
6. The following car details are to be entered in a database: Make, Date-of-manufacture, colour,
and cost.
a) Prepare a suitable database structure showing field names and their field data types

b) Explain how you index the data such that cars of the same make and colour are together.
c) Write a statement that can be used to select cars of colour green.
d) Give an instruction that would:
i) Select cars whose cost is between 500,000/= and 1,000,000/=
ii) Determine the average cost of all cars.

7. What are the ten field types in Access?

[Link] Tools, Equipment, Supplies and Materials

• Software (Windows, MS Office, Antivirus, Games)
• Computer
• Printer
• Digital instructional material including DVDs and CDs;
• Storage Devices (Flash Disks, CDs, DVDs, Memory cards)
• Stationery

[Link] References

[Link]

[Link]

S. Mburu, G chemwa, Longhorn secondary computer studies form 2, 2013, Longhorn publishers

J. Makori . J Mwende , K Munene , Longhorn Information communication Technology , An

introductory to Course For Tvet Students , 2018, Lognhorn Publishers .

D. Mulli , D Ochieng , J. Ndengwa , J. Kioko Logon Computer studies form two , 2013 , Kenya
Literature Bureau.

Sample answers to the self- assessment

1. What is primary key?

290
 A primary key is a rule which ensures that unique data is entered for the field and the field is
not left blank. This is the field that would identify a record uniquely in table

2. What is a field?
A field in a database is a piece of information about a subject. Each field is arranged as a
column in table.
3. What is a record?
A record is complete information about a subject. A record is a collection of fields and
presented as a row in a table of database.
4. What are the differences between a form and a report?
Forms are primarily used to edit overview data whereas reports are used primarily to print or
view data. In a form your usually navigate from one record to another, whereas in reports
summarized data are possible to present.
5. What are the four major shortcomings of the conventional (paper) file structures that
are being addressed by the database approach.
• Unnecessary duplication of data
• Boredom & time wastage especially when searching for a particular item
• In order to carry out any file processing task(s), all the related files have to be
processed
• Misleading reports due to poor data entry and organization
• Difficulty in sorting, retrieving & updating records
• Security: no protection of files against unauthorized access and corruption
• Sharing of files is difficult
• Some information resulting from several files may not be available.
6. The following car details are to be entered in a database: Make, Date-of-manufacture,
colour, and cost.
a) Prepare a suitable database structure showing field names and their field data types
Field name Data type
ID (Primary key) Auto Number
Make text
Date of manufacture Date/time
Colour Text
Cost Currency
b) Explain how you index the data such that cars of the same make and colour are together.
Create a query to show same make and colour
c) Write a statement that can be used to select cars of colour green.
Create a query. In the colour field, and in the Criteria row, write “green”
d) Give an instruction that would:
i) Select cars whose cost is between 500,000/= and 1,000,000/=
Create a query. In the cost field, and in the criteria row, write “.>500000
and <1000000”
ii) Determine the average cost of all cars.
291
Create a query. Choose average of costs “Avg” option in the total section.
7. What are the ten field types in Access?
The ten different field types in Access are:
• Text
• Memo
• Number
• Date/Time
• Currency
• Auto-Number
• Yes/No
• OLE Object
• Hyperlink
• Lookup Wizard

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4.2.14 4.2.4 Learning Outcome 4: Apply graphic presentation using Ms PowerPoint

[Link] Introduction to Applying graphic presentation using Ms PowerPoint

The act of projecting images or content on large screens for telling stories. This story can be for
various purposes, including educational, entertainment and even business. With the latest
development in computer technology and advent of graphics presentation software such as
Microsoft PowerPoint, presenters are now able to conveniently engage their audiences in various
forums such as meetings and lectures.

The learner is required to demonstrate ability to Create, edit, format, save preview and print
presentations using MS PowerPoint.

[Link] Performance Standard

4.3 Features of a presentation software are outlined
4.4 Features of PowerPoint interface are identified
4.5 Creation of presentations is done
4.6 Editing and formatting of the presentation is done
4.7 Previewing and printing of handouts is done.

[Link] Information Sheet

Presentation software is defined as computer programs designed to allow the user to present
information in an engaging way such as with text, pictures, sound and video. It displays
information in form of slides.

Some common presentation software include Microsoft PowerPoint, Windows movie maker,
Apple keynote, Haiku Deck, Open office, Prezi, Presenter etc.

In this learner guide we are going to concentrate on PowerPoint presentations using Microsoft
office PowerPoint 2010

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation tool that supports text, shapes, graphics, pictures and
multimedia along with integration with other Microsoft Office products like Excel. By default,
documents saved in PowerPoint 2010 are saved with the .pptx extension.

293
A slide is a single page of a presentation while a presentation is a collection of several slides
saved with a unique name.

Purpose of Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint can be used in:
(i). Marketing or internal company presentations
(ii). To deliver company results to shareholders meeting
(iii). To report on sales figures
(iv). To launch new product in the market
(v). In the induction of new employees to a company
(vi). In advertisements

With PowerPoint you can create overhead slides, speakers notes, audience handouts and an
outline all in one presentation.

Advantages of MS PowerPoint
• Quick and easy: The basic features are easy to master and can make you appear to be
organized, even if you are not.
• Simple bullet points: It can reduce complicated messages to simple bullet points. Bullet
points are a good basis for a presentation and remind the speaker of main points and the
organization of the message.
• Easy to create a colorful, attractive design: Using the standard templates and themes, you can
create something visually appealing, even if you do not have much knowledge of basic
graphic design principles.
• Easy to modify: When compared to other visual aids such as charts, posters, or objects, it is
easy to modify.
• Easily re-order presentation: with a simple drag and drop or using key strokes, you can move
slides to re-order the presentation.
• Finally, PowerPoint is integrated with other products that allow you to include parts of
documents, spread sheets, and graphics.
• Audience size: PowerPoint slides are generally easier to see by a large audience when
projected than other visual aids.
• Easy to present: You can easily advance the slides in the presentation one after another with a
simple key stroke while still maintaining eye contact with the audience.
• No need for handouts: They look good visually and can be easily read if you have a projector
and screen that is large enough for the entire room.

Disadvantages of PowerPoint
• Design power pointless: Gives the illusion of content and coherence, when in fact there is
really not much substance or connection between the different points on the slides.

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• PowerPoint excess: Some speakers create presentations so they have slides to present rather
than outlining, organizing, and focusing on the message.
• Replaces planning and preparation: PowerPoint is a convenient prop for poor speakers, as it
can reduce complicated messages to simple bullet points and elevates style over substance.
• Oversimplification of topic: The linear nature of PowerPoint forces the presenter to reduce
complex subjects to a set of bullet items that are too weak to support decision-making or
show the complexity of an issue.
• Feature abundance: While the basic features are easy to use and apply, a speaker can get
carried away and try to use all the features at once rather than simply supporting a message.
Too many flying letters, animations, and sound effects without seeing much original thought
or analysis can be a real issue. In many cases, the medium shoves the message aside.
• Basic equipment required: You will need to have a computer and projection equipment in
place to display the slides to the audience.
• Focus on medium, not message: Too many people forget that they are making a presentation
first and that PowerPoint is just a tool.

Features of graphics presentation software

• Built-in layout that includes all of the content boxes that you need from the beginning. Try
out a built-in layout that includes all of the content boxes that you need from the beginning.
• Use Slide Master View to Update Designs Consistently
• Use Someone Else's Presentation as a Starting Point
• Rearrange Slides for Effectiveness – Slide sort feature allows you to rearrange your slides
easily.
• Guides that you'll see pop up as you drag and drop objects help ensure that your objects are
nice and neat. The small red arrows and dotted lines show how objects relate to each other,
and you'll see them when an object is equidistant between them.
• Set Slide Sizes- The key consideration when setting slide size is to consider the size of the
screen you'll present on. Some different types of screen have slightly different aspect ratios.
• Resize Multiple Objects
As I mentioned earlier, I think consistency in slides is important for maintaining a clean look.
If you've got multiple images that need to be the same size, there's an easy feature for doing
just that.
• Data tables in PowerPoint are one of the most effective ways to present data. They're easy
for your viewer to quickly glance at and understand numbers with an easy row-column view.
• Without a doubt, SmartArt is one of my favorite PowerPoint features. Think of this feature
as the sweet spot between infographics and text-only diagrams.
• Themes allow a consistent look and feel to be applied to the presentation, applying a
common background, font style and layout throughout the presentation with a single
operation.

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• Rehearsing Slide Transition Timings
• Creating Basic Charts
• Applying Special Effects
• Inserting a Photo Album
• PowerPoint allows users to zoom in and zoom out of the slides to help focus on specific
sections or look at the entire slide as a whole.

Starting Microsoft presentation

In this, we will understand how to get started with PowerPoint 2010. We will understand how to
start PowerPoint 2010 application in simple steps.

To start Microsoft PowerPoint, follow the following steps

1. Select the Start button on the taskbar. The Start menu appears.

Click
2. Point to All Programs. The All Programs menu appears.

Click
3. Select Microsoft Office 2010. The Microsoft Office 2010 submenu appears.
Click
4. Select Microsoft Word 2010. The Microsoft Powerpoint 2010 window opens.
Click

This will launch the Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 application and you will see the following
presentation window.

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Microsoft PowerPoint screen
The following screenshot shows the various areas in a standard PowerPoint file. It is important to
familiarize yourself with these areas as it makes learning and using PowerPoint easier.

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 Figure 65 Microsoft PowerPoint Screen
File Tab- This tab opens the Backstage view which basically allows you to manage the file and
settings in PowerPoint. You can save presentations, open existing ones and create new
presentations based on blank or predefined templates. The other file related operations can also
be executed from this view.
Ribbon

The ribbon contains three components −

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 • Tabs − They appear across the top of the Ribbon and contain groups of related
commands. Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, animations are examples of ribbon
tabs.
• Groups − They organize related commands; each group name appears below the group
on the Ribbon. For example, a group of commands related to fonts or a group of
commands related to alignment, etc.
• Commands − Commands appear within each group as mentioned above.
Title Bar
This is the top section of the window. It shows the name of the file followed by the name of the
program which in this case is Microsoft PowerPoint.
Slide Area
This is the area where the actual slide is created and edited. You can add, edit and delete text,
images, shapes and multimedia in this section.
Help
The Help Icon can be used to get PowerPoint related help anytime you need. Clicking on the
"?" opens the PowerPoint Help window where you have a list of common topics to browse
from. You can also search for specific topics from the search bar at the top.

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 Figure 66 PowerPoint Help Dialog box

Zoom Options
The zoom control lets you zoom in for a closer look at your text. The zoom control consists of a
slider that you can slide left or right to zoom in or out, you can click on the - and + buttons to
increase or decrease the zoom factor. The maximum zoom supported by PowerPoint is 400%
and the 100% is indicated by the mark in the middle.

Slide Views
The group of four buttons located to the left of the Zoom control, near the bottom of the screen,
lets you switch between PowerPoint views.

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 • Normal Layout view − This displays page in normal view with the slide on the right and
a list of thumbnails to the left. This view allows you to edit individual slides and also
rearrange them.
• Slide Sorter view − This displays all the slides as a matrix. This view only allows you to
rearrange the slides but not edit the contents of each slide.
• Reading View − This view is like a slideshow with access to the Windows task bar in
case you need to switch windows. However, like the slideshow you cannot edit anything
in this view.
Notes Section
This section allows you to add notes for the presentation. These notes will not be displayed on
the screen during the presentation; these are just quick reference for the presenter.

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is located just under the ribbon. This toolbar offers a convenient
place to group the most commonly used commands in PowerPoint. You can customize this
toolbar to suit your needs.

Slide Tab
This section is available only in the Normal view. It displays all the slides in sequence. You
can add, delete and reorder slides from this section.

Close a presentation application.

On the File tab, click Exit.

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Open presentations.
On the File tab, click Open.
Select the presentation(s) to open and click Open.

Close presentations.
On the File tab, click Close.

Create a new presentation based on default template.

1. On the File tab, click New.
2. A blank presentation is selected, click Create.

Save a presentation to a location on a drive.

1. On the File tab, click Save.
2. Create a file name and navigate to the location required.
3. Click Save.

Save a presentation under another name.

1. On the File tab, click Save As.
2. Enter a new file name over the existing file name and navigate to the location required.
3. Click Save.

Save a presentation as another file type: Rich Text Format, template, show, image file
format, version number.
1. On the File tab, click Save As.
2. Click on the Save as type drop-down list and click a file type.
3. Click Save.

Working with Presentations

1 Add a new slide with a specific slide layout.

Add a new slide with a specific slide layout like: title slide, chart and text, bulleted list,
table/spreadsheet.

1. On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click the New Slide arrow.
2. Click the slide layout required.

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 Figure 67 Slide layouts
2 Switch views
You can use the following views to edit, print, and deliver your presentation:
• Normal View is the main editing view to write and design a presentation.
• Slide Sorter View shows all slides in thumbnail form so they are easy to sort.
• Outline View displays all the text from the slides in a list for ease of reference and editing.
• Slide Show View uses the full computer screen and is used when presenting a slide show to an
audience.

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 Figure 68 Powerpoint Views
3 Add speaker notes
Adding speaker notes to your PowerPoint presentation helps you smoothly deliver the
presentation without worrying about forgetting anything.

To add notes to a slide in Normal and Notes Page views:

Add presenter notes to slides.
• Click the notes pane at the bottom of Normal view (Click to add notes should currently
be visible).
• Enter the text required.

4 Insert/remove a graphical object into/from a master slide

A slide master is the primary slide in a structure of slides. It stores information about the slide
layouts, theme, background colours, fonts, placeholder sizes etc. and allows you to make
multiple changes across the presentation in one go. You can insert or remove a graphical object
from a master slide.

• On the View tab, in the Master Views group, click the Slide Master button.
• On the Insert tab, in the Images group, click the Picture or Photo Album button.
• Navigate to the object to insert.
• Click Open or Insert.

5 Change magnification
The default zoom level set for PowerPoint slides in normal view is 62%, but you can change the
zoom level using the option provided as part of the view menu or using the slider control in the
status bar.

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6 Change background colour on specific slide(s), all slides.
• On the Design tab, in the Background group, click the Background group arrow.
• On the Fill tab, ensure the Solid fill checkbox is checked.
• Click the Color button.
• Click the colour required.
• Click Close.
• To apply the colour to all slides, click Apply to All.
• Click Close.

7 Apply theme
PowerPoint includes a collection of compelling themes (including wide-screen themes) that you
can choose from to create your presentation. Themes come with a set of variations, like different
colour palettes, backgrounds, and font families, so you can change the look and feel of your
presentation with a single tap or click.
To apply
• On the Design tab, in the Themes group, click the More Themes arrow.
• Click the theme required.

8 Enter text into footer of specific slides, all slides in a presentation.

• On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Header & Footer button.
• Check the Footer checkbox.
• Enter the text required in the Footer box.
• Click Apply or Apply to All.

9 Entering Text Into a place order

When entering text recognize the following good practice in creating slide content.
• Use short concise phrases
• Use bullet points
• Use numbered lists

Enter text into a placeholder in standard, outline view.

• In standard view, click the placeholder required on the slide and enter the text.
• In outline view, click next to the slide number and then click the placeholder required on the
slide and enter the text.

To edit text in a presentation.

Select the text and edit as required.

Change text formatting: font sizes.

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• Select the text to format.
• On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Font Size arrow.

Click a size from the list or type the required size.

Indent bulleted text.

• Select the text to indent.
• On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Increase List Levelbutton.

10 Using tables

To create a PowerPoint table

• Select the Insert Table icon in the content place holder.

• Specify the number of columns and rows.

• The number of columns and rows appears in the dialog box.
• Select OK.

Select rows, columns, entire table.

• Click any cell in the table.
• On the Layout tab, in the Table group, click the Select arrow.
• Click the Select Row, Select Column or Select Table button.

Insert rows.
• Select a row.
• On the Layout tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Above or Insert Below
button.

Insert columns.
• Select a column.
• On the Layout tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Left or Insert Right button.

Delete rows and columns.

• Select the row or column to delete.
• On the Layout tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Delete button.

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• Click the Delete Rows or Delete Columns button.

11 Charts
Inserting charts
• Inserting a chart is a primary feature of PowerPoint and its functionality as a presentation
tool. It easily allows you to group data and map it in a variety of chart styles to give users
numerous ways to create the most visually engaging and functional presentations.

Input data to create built-in charts in a presentation: column, bar, line, pie.
• On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click the Chart button.
• Click a chart and click OK.
• Click into the individual cells in the spreadsheet that opens to enter data.
• Close the spreadsheet.

Figure 69 charts

12 Organisation Charts

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Create an organization chart with a labelled hierarchy by using a built-in organization chart
feature.

Figure 70 Organization Chart

• On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click the Smart Art button.
• Click Hierarchy, and then click the Organization Chart button.
• Click OK.

Change the hierarchical structure of an organization chart.

• Select the shape to change.
• On the Design tab, in the Create Graphic group, click the Demote, Promote or Right to Left
button.

Add co-workers, subordinates in an organization chart.

• Click the outside of the shape to add the co-worker or sub-ordinate to.
• On the Design tab, in the Create Graphic group, click the Add Shape arrow.
• Click Add Shape After or Add Shape Below as required.

13 Drawing
Add different types of drawn object to a slide: line, arrow, block arrow, rectangle, square,
oval, circle.
• On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click the Shapes arrow.
• Click the object required.

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• Click the slide and drag to adjust the size of the object.

Add different types of drawn object to a slide: text box.

• On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Text Box button.
• Click the slide and drag to adjust the size of the text box.
Text must be entered as soon as the text box is created or the text box disappears.

Enter text into a text box, block arrow, rectangle, square, oval, circle.
• Click the shape and enter the text required.
• To add text to a text box, it must be entered as soon as the text box is created.

Change drawn object line weight.

• Select the object.
• On the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the Shape Outline button.
• Select Weight and click the line weighting required.

14 Insert a graphical object (picture, image, drawn object) into a slide.

• On the Insert tab, in the Images group, click the Picture or Photo Album button.
• Navigate to the object to insert.
• Click Open or Insert.

Insert a graphical object (drawn object) into a slide.

• On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click the Shapes button.
• Click the shape to insert.
• Click the slide and the shape selected is inserted.

15 Apply slide transition

Slide transitions are motion effects that occur in Slide Show view when you move from one slide
to the next during a presentation. You can easily apply transitions between slides using the
Transitions tab.

Add transition effects between slides.

• On the Transitions tab, in the Transition to this Slide group, click the More arrow at the
bottom right of the transition effects.
• Click the effect required.
• On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group check the On Mouse Click or After checkbox
and enter a time if required.

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• On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, click any sound required in the Sound box and
enter any timing required in the Duration box.
• Click the Apply to All button.

Figure 71 Slide Translation

Select appropriate output format for slide presentation like: overhead, handout, on- screen
show.
• On the Design tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Page Setup button.
• Click the output required in the Slides sized for box.

How to Apply Animation Effect

You can also animate text and objects on your slides, if you want to emphasis a point or
make your presentation more dynamic.

• Select the text or object you want to animate

• Select the Animations tab
• In Animations group click the drop-down arrow next to Animate option
• Animation options will appear

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• Move the cursor over different options to see live preview on the slide
• Select the desired animation

Change slide setup, slide orientation to portrait, landscape.

• On the Design tab, in Page Setup group, click the Slide Orientation button.
• Click Portrait or Landscape.

16 Print entire presentation, specific slides.

Printing a presentation is a common step for presenters who wish to give their audience a hard
copy of the slide show they are about to see, for note taking purposes or other. You can print an
entire presentation in PowerPoint, or a specific range of pages.
• On the File tab, click Print.
• To print the entire presentation, under Settings, click Print All Slides.
• To print specific slides, under Settings, enter the slide numbers required in the Slides box.
• Click Print.

Print handouts, notes pages, outline view of slides.

Printed handouts contain slide images that are smaller than the original Presentation Lessons
slides. You can designate one, two, three, four, six, or nine slides per page. The more slides per
page, the smaller they are on the page.

You can print an outline of your presentation. The printed outline displays the contents of each
slide as it appears on the Outline tab. If the outline is collapsed to display only the slide titles, the
printed outline will include only the slide titles.

You can print your presentation to include any Notes you have added. Printed Notes Pages
display a copy of the slide at the top of the page and your notes below it. You can refer to Notes
Pages as you rehearse or deliver your presentation.
You can use Print pane to view the Notes Pages before you print them.

• On the File tab, click Print.

• Under Settings, click Full Page Slides.
• Click format required from Handouts or click Notes Pages or Outline.
• Click Print.

[Link] Learning Activities

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Learning Activities Special
Instruction
Activity 1 Avoid
overcrowding to
1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, creating a new presentation.
avoid accidents
2. Insert a new slide layout in Slide Master View and insert a Text placeholder
and damages.
in the top half of the slide.
3. Insert a Picture placeholder in the bottom half of the slide.
4. Apply the Ion Boardroom theme to your presentation.
Do not tamper
5. Apply Top Spot - Accent 2 Gradient Fill to your presentation.
with computers
6. Select Slide 1 and type “General Welcome and Introduction to Company”
and their
into the Notes pane.
accessories.
7. Increase the magnification to 100%.
8. Switch your slide to appear in Portrait orientation.
9. save the presentation on desktop as General welcome.
Cover the
computers after
use

Activity 2
[Link].1 Create a presentation for a teacher to present in his class about
Computer Generations. The presentation should contain 5 slides, one for each
generation. The text should appear flying in when slide show.

Activity 3
Create a presentation with three slides to introduce your village. In the first
slide include your name and your title.
In the second indicate the name of your county and insert a clip art of an
animal.
In the third slide indicate the subcounty
Set up slide timing so that the first slide will appear for 2 seconds, second slide
for 3 seconds and third slide for 2 seconds.

[Link] Self-Assessment

Q1) What is the advantages of Microsoft PowerPoint?

Q2) Explain Microsoft PowerPoint

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Q3) How can we create a video in PowerPoint?
Q4) Is it possible to do animation for objects in PowerPoint?
Q4) Why do we need to use animations in PowerPoint?

Q6) What is the Purpose of Microsoft PowerPoint

Q7) what are the five advantages of MS PowerPoint

Q8) Which are the five views available in PowerPoint slides?
Q9) By use of drawing, outline any five slide layouts

Q10) what is the procedure of Saving a presentation under another name.

[Link] Tools, Equipment, Supplies and Materials

• Software (Windows, MS Office, Antivirus, Games)

• Computer
• Printer
• Digital instructional material including DVDs and CDs;
• Storage Devices (Flash Disks, CDs, DVDs, Memory cards)
• Stationery

[Link] References
[Link]

[Link]

S. Mburu, G chemwa, Longhorn secondary computer studies form 2, 2013, Longhorn publishers

J. Makori . J Mwende , K Munene , Longhorn Information communication Technology , An

introductory to Course For Tvet Students , 2018, Lognhorn Publishers .

D. Mulli , D Ochieng , J. Ndengwa , J. Kioko Logon Computer studies form two , 2013 , Kenya
Literature Bureau.

Answers to self-assessment

Q1) What is the advantages of Microsoft PowerPoint?

Ans: Microsoft Power Point helps the organizations to organize the content in visual form like
adding charts, objects, posters, and visuals.
Q2) Explain Microsoft PowerPoint

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Ans: Power Point is a part of Microsoft Office and is used to create slides for the presentation. It
contains slideshow presentation. We can display the content more attractively by combining
graphics, text etc.,
Q3) How can we create a video in PowerPoint?
Ans: To create a video in PowerPoint
Click on File tab -> Export -> Create Video
Once you click on the Create Video option -> Choose Quality of the video
After saving your Power Point, the recorded video will be saved in .MP4 format.
Q4) Is it possible to do animation for objects in PowerPoint?
Ans: Yes, we can animate the pictures, tables, shapes, text and other objects. On an object we
can make effects to appear, disappear, or move.
Q5) Why do we need to use animations in PowerPoint?
Ans: The animations
Enhance the appearance of your slides.
To make a PowerPoint presentation more dynamic
We can also add sound to increase the power of your animation effects.

Q5) What is the Purpose of Microsoft PowerPoint

(i). Marketing or internal company presentations
(ii). To deliver company results to shareholders meeting
(iii). To report on sales figures
(iv). To launch new product in the market
(v). In the induction of new employees to a company
(vi). In advertisements

Q5) what are the five advantages of MS PowerPoint

• Quick and easy: The basic features are easy to master and can make you appear to be
organized, even if you are not.
• Simple bullet points: It can reduce complicated messages to simple bullet points. Bullet
points are a good basis for a presentation and remind the speaker of main points and the
organization of the message.
• Easy to create a colorful, attractive design: Using the standard templates and themes, you can
create something visually appealing, even if you do not have much knowledge of basic
graphic design principles.
• Easy to modify: When compared to other visual aids such as charts, posters, or objects, it is
easy to modify.
• Easily re-order presentation: with a simple drag and drop or using key strokes, you can move
slides to re-order the presentation.
• Finally, PowerPoint is integrated with other products that allow you to include parts of
documents, spread sheets, and graphics.

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• Audience size: PowerPoint slides are generally easier to see by a large audience when
projected than other visual aids.
• Easy to present: You can easily advance the slides in the presentation one after another with a
simple key stroke while still maintaining eye contact with the audience.
• No need for handouts: They look good visually and can be easily read if you have a projector
and screen that is large enough for the entire room.

Q6) Which are the five views available in PowerPoint slides?

• Normal View is the main editing view to write and design a presentation.
• Slide Sorter View shows all slides in thumbnail form so they are easy to sort.
• Outline View displays all the text from the slides in a list for ease of reference and editing.
• Slide Show View uses the full computer screen and is used when presenting a slide show to
an audience.

Q7) By use of drawing, outline any five slide layouts

Q8) what is the procedure of Saving a presentation under another name.

• On the File tab, click Save As.
• Enter a new file name over the existing file name and navigate to the location required.
• Click Save.

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