COMPUTER APPLICATIONS PACKAGES.  
UNITS:  
Introduction To Computers & Keyboarding.  
Operating Systems-Windows for file management  
Word Processor-Ms Word.  
Presentation-PowerPoint.  
Spreadsheets-Excel.  
Database Management Systems-ACCESS.  
INTERNET & E-MAIL  
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Introduction to Computers  
.
Def: A computer is an electronic device that works under control of instructions (programs) which is  
stored in its own memory. It can accept and store data, perform arithmetic & logic operations on the data  
and give out the processed data through the output devices.  
A computer is an integral part of information system. An information System is a system that accepts  
Input (data), perform operations on these input (processes) and produce the output (information).  
An information system may also be termed as a computer system and is a combination of the  
following five elements:  
Hardware.  
Procedures.  
Software.  
People.  
Data/Information.  
A computer is made of several units to form a system. These parts are as follows;-  
i)  
ii)  
iii)  
The System Unit which house the CPU.  
Monitor/screen/VDU.  
Keyboard and mouse.  
Peripheral devices are those hardware devices that are connected to the computer, but your  
computer can function without them, since they are not part of the computer. These devices are:-  
a) Printer.  
b) Scanner.  
c) CD/DVD ROMs  
d) Floppy drive etc.  
THE MOTHERBOARD  
The motherboard acts as the connection point where major computer components are  
attached to. It holds many of the crucial components of the system like the processor, memory,  
serial and parallel ports, expansion slots and connects directly or indirectly to every part of the  
PC. Collectively, all these chips that reside on the motherboard are known as the motherboard's  
chipset.  
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Motherboard Components  
The Processor(CPU)  
It is the brain of the computer, and it is responsible for fetching, decoding and executing  
program instructions as well as performing mathematical and logical calculations. The  
processor chip is identified by the processor type and the manufacturer; and this information is  
usually inscribed on the processor chip e.g. Intel 386, Advanced Micro  
Devices (AMD) 386, Cyrix 486, Pentium MMX, (old processor types) Intel  
Core 2Duo, iCore7 and many more.  
RAM- PC Memories  
It is the working place of your computer where active programs and data are  
loaded so that any time the processor requires them, it doesn't have to fetch  
them from the hard disk which will take a longer access time.  
Basic Input Output System-BIOS  
BIOS is a Read Only Memory which consists of low-level software that controls the system  
hardware and acts as an interface between the operating system and the hardware. Most  
people know the term BIOS by another name—device drivers, or just drivers. BIOS is  
essentially the link between the computer hardware and software in a system. All  
motherboards include a small block of Read Only Memory (ROM) which is separate from  
the main system memory used for loading and running software. On PCs, the BIOS contains  
all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial  
communications, and a number of miscellaneous functions.  
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The system BIOS is a ROM chip on the motherboard used by the computer during the startup routine (boot  
process) to check out the system and prepare to run the hardware. The BIOS is stored on a ROM chip because  
ROM retains information even when no power is being supplied to the computer.  
CMOS RAM - Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Random Access Memory  
Motherboards also include a small separate block of memory made from CMOS RAM chips  
which is kept alive by a battery (known as a CMOS battery) even when the PC’s power is off.  
This prevents reconfiguration when the PC is powered on.CMOS devices require very little  
power to operate.  
The CMOS RAM is used to store basic Information about the PC’s configuration for instance:-  
•
•
•
•
Floppy disk and hard disk drive types  
Information about CPU  
RAM size  
•
•
•
Serial and parallel port information  
Plug and Play information(PnP)  
Power Saving settings  
Date and time  
The Other Important data kept in CMOS memory is the time and date, which is updated by a Real Time  
Clock (RTC). It is sustained by CMOS batteries as shown below.  
IDE /SATA Cables  
Integrated Drive Electronics {IDE} and Serial Advance Technology Attachment {SATA} are computer bus  
interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical  
drives.SATA has several advantages over the older interface - IDE for the following reasons:  
It reduced cable size and cost (seven conductors instead of 40).  
Native hot swapping i.e. operate when computer is on.  
Faster data transfer through higher signaling rates, and more efficient transfer through an  
(optional) I/O queuing protocol.  
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COMPUTER TERMINOLOGIES.  
1. HARDWARE;  
Is a term used to describe all the physical components that make up a computer system.  
2. INSTRUCTIONS:  
These are commands issued to computer to perform certain operation and the computer will accept  
these instructions and perform them. These instructions are also referred to as programs (software)  
3. SOFTWARE;  
It refers to various programs that are run by the computer. These are set of instruction written in the  
language of the computer and used to make the computer perform a specific task.  
There are two types of software namely;-  
i) System software-Computers’ programs  
ii) Application software-Users’ programs  
System Software.  
These are programs which were designed to provide an interface between the computer and the user to  
run other programs known as application software. They were designed to:-  
i)  
Manage and control the computer  
hardware operations.  
To load in application software in a  
computer.  
iv)  
v)  
Report the status of the computer.  
Shows the memory capacity and  
usage.  
ii)  
iii)  
vi)  
Shows various files in the storage etc  
To manage the computer data files.  
Example of system software include, operating systems {Windows, Linux, Mac MS-DOS etc}, and the  
Utility software like Anti-virus programs.  
Application Software:  
This is a collection of related programs that are used to perform various jobs/tasks. They are programs written to  
solve specific problems like:-  
i) Word processing.  
v)  
Graphic software  
ii) Spreadsheets.  
iii) Database management systems  
iv) Desktop publishing software.  
vi)  
vii)  
Statistical software.  
Accounting software etc.  
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SOFTWARE  
SYSTEM SOFTWARE  
APPLICATION SOFTWARE  
Utility S/W  
(Anti-Virus)  
Language  
Translators  
Operating  
System  
Application  
Packages  
User System  
Interpreters’  
compilers  
Spreadsheets.  
Word Processors.  
Programming  
Languages  
Single User  
& Multi  
Assemblers  
Accounting Packages.  
user O/S  
Graphics Packages.  
Database Management Packages.  
Computer Aided Design.  
Computer Aided Manufacture.  
4. DATA;  
The term “data” refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variable. Data are  
raw, unevaluated or unprocessed facts and figures, concept or instructions. This raw material is  
processed into meaningful information.  
Information is therefore the product of data processing. Data Processing cycle includes: - refining,  
summarizing, categorizing & manipulating this data into a useful form for decision making. The  
purpose of a computer system is to convert data into information.  
5. MEDIA;  
Is a term used to describe any fixed or removable objects that store computer data. Examples  
include hard disks, floppy disks, tapes, and compact discs even a piece of paper.  
6. OPERATING SYSTEM  
This is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must  
have an operating system to run other programs. OS as commonly known performs basic tasks, such  
as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping tracks of files  
and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. It is  
also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system (user account)  
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SWITCH ON THE COMPUTER?  
The process of starting a computer is called booting. The computer first checks its memory (ROM)  
and some other components. After that, the drive begins to spin and the boot process will commence.  
The system then reads drive C for the operating system. If it does not find it, in drive C, it checks  
others drives. On finding the OS, it reads COMMAND.COM. This is the command processor file. It  
contains all internal commands e.g. CLS, DATE, TIME etc.  
After reading the command.com, it checks if autoexec.bat exists. If it does, it carries on the commands  
in that file. If it does not exist, it prompts for date, time after which the prompt appears.  
QUALITIES OF A COMPUTER.  
1. A data processor: process raw facts and figures to produce information.  
2. It is storage: stores information for later reference  
3. It is automatic- can work with minimum human intervention once supplied with instruction and  
data.  
4. It is electrical: it requires some sort of power to drive.  
ADVANTAGES.  
Stores large chunks of information in a limited space.  
Speed: performs tasks in a very short period.  
Efficiency: creates an all round saving on space and time.  
Consistency: gives the same results given the same data and instruction (GIGO).  
Secrecy: information is fairly protected if the computer system is well managed.  
Versatility: can do the same thing over and over without getting worn out.  
Flexibility: can perform a variety of jobs as long as there is a well-defined procedure.  
DISADVANTAGES.  
Computer costs are expensive and maintenance is also high.  
Reduce employment opportunity.  
Needs expertise which is expensive to hire and maintain.  
Loss of information if not well managed.  
Social unrest- can cause ob loss/redundancy.  
Technology: due to change in technology, there is no guarantee that the already bought machine  
could become obsolete in a coup of months.  
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CLASSIFICATIONS OF COMPUTERS.  
Computers can be classified using several criteria such as:  
a) Size  
b) Purpose  
c) Type of Data they process and so on.  
A)  
SIZE  
There are four types of computers according to size. They are:-  
Super Computers:  
They are the largest computers to be invented.  
They are very expensive, very fast, and the most powerful computers in the world. They are quite rare as  
they are mainly used in scientific research stations i.e. nuclear stations and weather forecasting stations.  
Mainframes:  
They are of medium size.  
They are less expensive as compare to super computers.  
Stores data on magnetic media.  
They are used in places like insurance companies and airline reservations.  
Mini-Computers:  
These are smaller and less powerful than mainframes.  
They are multitasking i.e. several people can also use them from different locations at the same time.  
Microcomputers (Personal Computers):  
These are the smallest machines in the range of computers made to fit on desktop for an individual person’s use,  
while some are portable. They are the latest machines to be developed. An individual at work or home can use  
them.  
They can be classified into two categories;  
a)  
b)  
Desktop-Designed to be placed on the desk.  
Laptops –Are Portable computers powered by rechargeable batteries and are smaller than desktop PCs.  
They range in size and can be called laptops, Notebooks and Sub-notebooks. Palmtops are the smallest PCs  
and are only about the size of a calculator.  
Examples of a Microcomputer are:  
Laptop  
Desktop  
.
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B)  
DATA THEY PROCESS  
We have three basic types of computers classified according to the way they produce data:-  
i)Analog Computers  
They are used to measure physical magnitudes such as temperature, pressure etc.The are used for scientific  
and engineering purposes. They are also commonly used in ICU;s in hospitals.  
ii)Digital Computers.  
They are used for commercial data processing. They function by taking discrete numbers and perform  
mathematical calculation on them.  
iii)Hybrid Computers.  
These types of computers have both the characteristics of the analog and digital computers e.g. computers  
used in the petrol stations  
C)  
PURPOSE  
Here they can be classified into two:-  
a) Special Purpose Computers  
As suggested by the name, are computers designed for a particular work or job only, to solve problem of a  
restricted nature. Examples are computers designed for air traffic control or weapon guidance system.  
b) General Purpose Computers.  
These are designed to solve a wide variety of problems. Within the limitation imposed to their particular  
design capabilities, they can be adopted to perform particular task or solve problem by means of special  
written programs  
COMPUTER GENERATION.  
The first electronic computers were produced in the 1940s.Since then, radical changes in electronics have  
occurred. With each major break through, the computers based upon the older form of electronics have been  
replaced with the new form of electronics thus forming the generation of computers.  
a) First Generation-(1940s)  
These were earliest computers using vacuum tubes as their key electronic devices.  
They had the biggest size.  
They used punch-card as their input device.  
They had an operation speed of 40,000 operation /sec  
They produced a lot of heat, thus had a higher chance of breaking down.  
They only required an expert to operate and were the most expensive.  
b) Second Generation-(1950s).  
These were more reliable than the first generation.  
The key electronic device was the transistor.  
They were smaller in size than first generation.  
Their speed was 200,000 operation /sec.  
They were less expensive than the 1st generation.  
Their internal memory was in a form of magnetic tape.  
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c) Third Generation-(1960s-1970s)  
These were more powerful and reliable computers using simple integrated circuits.  
Their size was smaller than the first and second generation.  
Their processing speed was higher, 1,000,000 operation /sec  
They were multitasking in nature.  
They had a higher internal storage.  
d)  
Fourth Generation.  
These are the computers in use today which contain more complex micro electronic devices.  
They are the smallest in size.  
They have higher processing speed.  
They have a higher internal storage capacity.  
They are very cheap as compared to the other.  
e) Fifth Generation.  
There are many predictions that by the end of this centaury, computers will be able to converse with people in  
human –like manner and which will be able to mimic human sense, manual and intelligence  
COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER.  
It is made up of the following:  
i)  
Hardware.  
ii)  
iii)  
Software.  
Orgware/liveware/operator.  
HARDWARE.  
A computer can be thought of having four main elements as follows:  
♣ The input devices.  
♣ The processing unit.  
♣ The storage unit.  
♣ The output devices.  
This can be shown diagrammatically as follows:  
INPUT  
CENTRAL PROCESSING  
UNIT  
OUTPUT  
STORAGE  
The arrows show the direction of flow of information.  
A). INPUT DEVICES  
Input devices are used to communicate with a computer. They offer an interface between the user and the  
computer. They also let users enter information and issue commands. Examples include:  
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Keyboard  
Enable operator/user to key in information into a computer. There are two types of keyboard:  
i)  
ii)  
Standard keyboard.  
Enhanced keyboard.  
The main difference between the two keyboards is:  
a. The position of the function key pad.  
b. The division of the numeric key pad.  
c. The extra function keys.  
d. The extra CTRL, ALT & SHIFT keys.  
The main buttons on a typical keyboard should have:  
i. Functional keys.  
ii. Numerical keys.  
iii. Arrow keys.  
iv. Alphabetical keys.  
v. Special keys.  
vi. Additional keys.  
iii) Mouse  
A mouse is a hand-held device that lets you select and move items on your screen. It is one of the Human  
interface Devices used in a GUI screen.  
iv) Joystick  
v) Scanner  
It helps in controlling movement of people and  
objects in many games. Used for arcade type  
computer games because they let you move quickly  
and accurately in any direction.  
This is a device that reads graphics and text into a  
computer. The resolution of the scanner determines  
the amount of detail a scanner can detect. Scanner  
resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi).  
.
Game controller  
Flat bed scanner  
i) Point of Sale (POS) Terminals  
Used in retail or wholesale organizations e.g.  
supermarkets to serve customers. Also known as Bar  
Code Reader.  
iii) Smart Card  
This is a credit card with a built-in microprocessor  
and memory used for identification or financial  
transactions. More secure than plastic cards and can  
be programmed to self-destruct if the wrong  
password is entered too many times.  
ii) Plastic Cards:  
Used as a means of identification especially by banks  
(as credit or debit cards) and post offices e.g. phone  
cards.  
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iv) Cash Dispensers (Automated Teller Machines –  
ATM)  
Mainly used by banks. Customer or User is provided  
with a plastic embossed card with information  
encoded on a magnetic strip.  
v) Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)  
This technology is mainly used by banks. Characters  
are printed in ink that can be magnetized so that  
after being subjected to a magnetic field, they can  
be read and decoded automatically. Read using a  
device called Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR).  
Others include:  
Microphones: – For voice recording and editing by the computer.  
Optical Mark Readers: – Frequently used in forms, questionnaires and answer sheets.  
Tracker Ball: – Used on modern portable computers, where there may be no space on which to use a mouse.  
Touch Pad: – stationary pointing device used mainly on laptop computers. Provide a small, flat surface that you  
slide your finger over using the same movements as you would use a mouse.  
Touch Screen: – an input device that allows user to interact with the computer by touching the display screen.  
Often this uses beams of infrared light that are projected across the screen surface.  
Light Pen: – a light-sensitive stylus wired to a video terminal used to draw pictures or select menu options.  
Provide a very precise pointing capability directly on the screen  
B. CPU.  
This is where the main processing in the computer takes place. It’s the “brain” of the computer which  
regulates the operation of all system components and performs arithmetic and logic operation. The CPU  
has got 3 units namely:  
Control unit.  
Arithmetic & logic unit.  
Main memory.  
i) CONTROL UNIT.  
The Control unit coordinates the various operations including receiving data, which enters the computer &  
deciding how and when the data should be processed. The control unit directs the operation of the arithmetic  
logic unit. It sends data to the ALU and tells it what functions to perform on the data and where to store the  
results. The ability of the control unit to accomplish these operations is provided by a set of instruction called an  
executive program which is stored in memory.  
ARITHMETIC UNIT.  
The Arithmetic and logic unit performs operations such as addition, subtraction and comparisons. These  
operations are carried out on data in binary form. The logic section can also be used to alter the sequence in  
which certain conditions are indicated and to perform other functions, such as editing and masking data for  
arithmetic operations.  
MAIN MEMORY  
It holds the current data and instructions. There are two types of memory:  
Random Access Memory (RAM) for current data and Read Only Memory (ROM) for instructions.  
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There are several factors that determine the performance of a CPU.  
a) Processor Speed  
The processor gives you the speed you need to run applications, load images and download images. In other words, your  
processor is the brains of the computer. Remember, the higher the bandwidth and clock speed and the greater the number  
of cores you have, the higher the performance level of your computer.  
b)Memory(RAM) and your Operating System  
It is the RAM that allows you to work with more open program files without your system crashing. RAM is a temporary  
storage place of data that flows from your computer and processor. It is lost when you shut down your computer).  
Operating system - How much memory does your operating system need to run efficiently? It depends upon the system you  
want to use:  
XP Professional - 512 MB memory  
Vista - 1 Gb of memory  
Vista Home - 512 MB memory  
Windows Vista Pro - 2 GB  
Vista Premium - 1 GB  
Windows 7 - (Ram: 1 GB for 32 bit, 2 GB for 64 bit  
c) Manufacturer  
CPUs for personal computers are made by companies such as Intel, AMD, Cyrix, HP, Toshiba and Motorola. Intel  
chips are the most popular.  
d) Power Supply  
Your power supply supplies the electrical power to your system-which includes every component and peripheral you put on  
a hard drive.  
e) Hard Drive  
Your hard-drive has to be large enough to store your operating system, applications, and the additional files that  
you add to your computer. The more space your computer has, the more data you can save- documents, movies,  
music, games and more. Most current desktops and laptops come with at least 40 GB hard drive.  
f) Removable Media  
Be sure to have a CD-R or CD_RW drive installed on computer you intend to buy. But I would advise you go for  
DVD or DVD_R. For reading information from CD ROM you need just CD-R, however with CD-R you can  
write/record data. Similarly, DVD can only read, while DVD-R can record besides reading DVD ROM.  
USB ports are also important for reading flash disks or for plugging other accessories  
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C. THE STORAGE UNIT  
Storage refers to the semi-permanent or permanent holding place for digital data. Bytes are used to  
measure the amount of information a device can store. One byte is one character. A character can be  
a number, letter or symbol. One byte consists of eight bits (binary digits). A bit is the smallest unit of  
information a computer can process.  
Kilobyte (K) – is equal to 1,024 bytes.  
Megabyte (MB) – is equal to 1,048,576 bytes.  
Gigabyte (GB) – is equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes  
There are two kinds of storage in computers:  
Primary ( Main Storage)  
Secondary ( Backing Storage)  
Primary storage stores data temporarily while secondary storage stores data permanently. An  
example of primary storage is the Computer Memory and of secondary storage being the Hard disk,  
floppy disk, CD-ROM etc.  
i) PRIMARY STORAGE -MAIN.  
a) RAM  
Random Access Memory is the place in a computer where the operating system, application  
programs, and data in current use are kept so that they can be quickly reached by the computer's  
processor. When a computer shuts down properly, all data located in Random Access  
Memory is returned back to permanent storage on the hard drive or flash drive. At  
the next boot-up, RAM begins to fill with programs automatically loaded at startup,  
a process called booting  
Note:  
RAM is a read/write memory i.e. the process of storing information in main memory is  
normally referred to as writing while the process of getting instructions is normally referred  
to as reading.  
It is volatile memory i.e. it retains information so long as power is on.  
RAM is a temporal storage memory  
N/B:  
If RAM fills up, the processor needs to continually go to the hard disk to overlay old data in RAM with  
new, slowing down the computer's operation. Unlike the hard disk which can become completely full  
of data so that it won’t accept any more. RAM never runs out of memory, but It keeps operating  
much more slowly than you may want it to.  
Most personal computers are designed to allow you to add additional RAM modules up to a certain  
limit. Having more RAM in your computer reduces the number of times that the computer processor  
has to read data in from your hard disk, an operation that takes much longer than reading data from  
RAM. (RAM access time is in nanoseconds; hard disk access time is in milliseconds.)  
Why Random Access?  
RAM is called "random access" because any storage location can be accessed directly. Originally, the  
term distinguished regular core memory from offline memory, usually on magnetic tape in which an  
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item of data could only be accessed by starting from the beginning of the tape and finding an address  
sequentially. Perhaps it should have been called "non-sequential memory" because RAM access is  
hardly random. RAM is organized and controlled in a way that enables data to be stored and  
retrieved directly to specific locations. Note that other forms of storage such as the hard disk and CD-  
ROM are also accessed directly (or "randomly") but the term random access is not applied to these  
forms of storage.  
b) ROM-Read Only Memory  
ROM is "built-in" computer memory containing data that normally can only be read, not written to.  
Computer reads these instructions and cannot save any information in this type of memory.ROM  
contains the programming that allows your computer to be "booted up" or regenerated each time  
you turn it on. Unlike a computer's random access memory (RAM), the data in ROM is not lost when  
the computer power is turned off. The ROM is sustained by a small long-life battery in your  
computer.  
Note;  
ROM is permanent and cannot be changed i.e. it is non-volatile memory.  
It is a Read Only Memory.  
It is Non-volatile  
ROMs are “burnt in” at the manufacturing stage.  
OTHER ROM  
1. Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM)  
It is a memory chip on which data can be written only once. Once a program has been written onto a  
PROM, it remains there forever. Unlike RAM, PROMs retain their contents when the computer is  
turned off. The difference between a PROM and a ROM (read-only memory) is that a PROM is  
manufactured as blank memory, whereas a ROM is programmed during the manufacturing process.  
To write data onto a PROM chip, you need a special device called a PROM programmer or PROM  
burner. The process of programming a PROM is sometimes called burning the PROM. Example of  
PROM include CD-R & DVD -R  
2. Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM)  
This is a special type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to ultraviolet light. Once it is erased,  
it can be reprogrammed. An EEPROM is similar to a PROM, but requires only electricity to be erased  
by exposure to Ultra-violet light. {CD-RW & DVD-RW}  
c) Cache Memory  
This is a new development where a small and extremely fast “cache” memory is use.  
This memory is connected directly to the CPU.Provides the fastest way for the computer to get data.  
The memory cache is constantly updated i.e. it always contains the most recently used data and  
programs.  
Notes:  
Amount of memory determines the number of programs a computer can run at once and how  
fast programs will operate.  
Memory is measured in bytes. A computer with at least 64-MB of memory is recommended.  
You can improve the performance of a computer by adding more memory.  
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ii) SECONDARY (BACKING) STORAGE.  
The common secondary storage devices are:  
1) INTERNAL STORAGE-Magnetic  
Hard disk drive/Local disk C.  
SSD - Solid State Drive  
2) EXTERNAL STORAGE-Magnetic  
Floppy disk drive/Flash disk/memory cards,  
Tape drive.  
3) External Storage-Optical  
CD/DVD/Blu-Ray ROM drives.  
Hard Drive/Hard Disk or Fixed Disk Drive)  
It is the main device the computer uses to store information. The  
Hard Disk Drive has to be large enough to store your operating  
system, applications, and the additional files that you add to your  
computer.Most computers have one hard drive, located inside the  
System Unit. If its one drive, it is called Local Disk C. If there are  
additional drives they are assigned the subsequent letters i.e. D, E etc.  
The hard drive magnetically stores data on a stack of rotating disks called platters. A hard drive has  
read/write heads on each platter that read and record data on the disks. HDDs predominantly use  
SATA or IDE interface  
Solid State Drive {SSD}  
SSD can be thought of as an oversized and more sophisticated version of the humble USB memory  
stick. Like a memory stick, there are no moving parts to an SSD. Rather, information is stored in  
microchips.  
An SSD does not have a mechanical arm to read and write data, it instead relies on an embedded  
processor (or “brain”) called a controller to perform a bunch of operations related to reading and  
writing data. The controller is a very important factor in determining the speed of the SSD. Decisions  
it makes related to how to store retrieve cache and clean up data can determine the overall speed of  
the drive.  
Conversely, a hard disk drive uses a mechanical arm with a read/write head to move around and  
read information from the right location on a storage platter. This difference is what makes SSD so  
much faster.  
As an analogy, what’s quicker? Having to walk across the room to retrieve a book to get information  
or simply magically having that book open in front of you when you need it? That’s how an HDD  
compares to an SSD; it simply requires more physical labor (HDD mechanical movement) to get  
information.  
16  
Floppy Disk  
The most common types of floppy disks are 3 1/2 or 51/4 inch floppy disks. They are usually used to:  
• Install new programs.  
• Back up data.  
• Transfer data.  
• Increase space in the hard drive  
Note:  
Back up is the process where a copy of a file, folder, or volume is stored on a separate storage device  
from the original, for the purpose of retrieval in case the original is accidentally erased, damaged, or  
destroyed.  
CD-ROM Drive  
Reads information stored on a Compact Disks (CD).CD-ROM stands for Compact Disk Read Only  
Memory. CD-ROM (Compact Disc, read-only-memory) is an adaptation of the CD that is designed to  
store computer data in the form of text and graphics, as well as hi-fi stereo sound. Read Only means  
that you cannot change the information stored on a disk.  
A single CD-ROM disk can store more than 700 MB of data. This is equivalent to over 700 floppy  
diskettes.  
Advantages of a CD  
The large storage capacity makes installing new programs on the computer easier.  
It can store multi media presentations.  
You can play music on the drive while you work.  
There are thousands of educational titles, games and encyclopedias on CD-ROM disks.  
Handling a CD-ROM Disk  
When handling a CD-ROM disk, hold the disk around the edges.  
Always place the disk back in its protective case.  
Do not stack disks on top of each other.  
Do not remove the disk or move the computer when the light on the CD-ROM drive in on.  
Factors to consider when choosing a CD-ROM  
Speed – It’s also called the data transfer rate. The speed of the CD-ROM determines how fast a disc  
spins. With faster speeds, a disk can transfer information to the computer more quickly, which results  
in better performance.  
The available speeds are:  
Quad (4X)  
Six (6X)  
Eight (8X)  
600 Kb/s  
900 Kb/s  
1,200 Kb/s  
Single (1X)  
Double (2X)  
Triple (3X)  
150 Kb/s  
300 Kb/s  
450 Kb/s  
Average Access Time – the average access time indicates how quickly a CD-ROM drive can find  
information stored on a disk.  
DVD-ROM Drive  
A Digital Video Disk-ROM (DVD-ROM) drive is similar to a CD-ROM drive. A DVD-ROM disk has a  
storage capacity starting as 4.7 gigabytes, which equals over six CD-ROM disks. It can hold a two-hour  
17  
full screen movie with better quality than an ordinary VHS tape. A DVD-ROM drive is able to read CD-  
ROM disks.  
The DVD-ROM specification supports disks with capacities of from 4.7GB to 17GB and access rates of  
600 KBps to 1.3 MBps. One of the best features of DVD-ROM drives is that they are backward-  
compatible with CD-ROMs. This means that DVD-ROM players can play old CD-ROMs, CD-I disks, and  
video CDs, as well as new DVD-ROMs. Newer DVD players can also read CD-R disks. DVD-ROMs use  
MPEG-2 to compress video data.  
BLU RAY DISC-Bd.  
In 1997, a new technology emerged that brought digital sound and video into homes all over the  
world. It was called DVD, and it revolutionized the movie industry.  
The industry is set for yet another revolution with the introduction of Blu-ray Discs (BD) in 2006.  
With their high storage capacity, Blu-ray discs can hold and play back large quantities of high-  
definition video and audio, as well as photos, data and other digital content. The name Blu-ray Disc  
refers to the blue laser used to read the disc, which allows information to be stored at a greater  
density than is possible with the longer-wavelength red laser used for DVDs.  
Blu-ray Disc (official abbreviation BD) is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the  
DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs.  
Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs (50 GB) being the norm for feature-length  
video discs. Triple layer discs (100 GB) and quadruple layers (128 GB) are available for BD-XL re-writer  
drives.  
The major application of Blu-ray Discs is as a medium for video material such as feature films. Besides  
the hardware specifications, Blu-ray Disc is associated with a set of multimedia formats. Generally  
these formats allow for the video and audio to be stored with greater definition than on DVD.  
The first Blu-ray Disc prototypes were unveiled in October 2000, and the first prototype player was  
released in April 2003 in Japan. Afterwards, it continued to be developed until its official release in  
June 2006.The format was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group representing makers of  
consumer electronics, computer hardware, and motion pictures. As of June 2011, more than 2,500  
Blu-ray Disc titles were available in Australia and the United Kingdom, with 3,500 in the United States  
and Canada. In Japan, as of July 2010, more than 3,300 titles have been released.  
During the high definition optical disc format war, Blu-ray Disc competed with the HD DVD format.  
Toshiba, the main company that supported HD DVD, conceded in February 2008, releasing its own  
Blu-ray Disc player in late 2009.  
Zip Disk  
A zip disk holds 100MB and suitable for backup, mass storage or for moving files between computers.  
The drive is bundled with software that can catalog the disks and lock files for security.  
Tape Drive  
It is a device that copies the files stored on a computer onto tape cartridges similar to audiocassettes.  
Also called tape backup units. Can be inside the system unit or connected to the computer by a cable.  
18  
STORAGE CAPACITY OF DRIVES  
Type of Drive  
Hard disk  
Floppy (31/2) – Double Density  
Floppy (31/2) - High Density  
CD – ROM  
Capacity  
10 GB – 1000 GB  
720 KB  
1.44 MB  
700 MB  
Zip drive  
> 1 GB  
DVD-ROM  
4.7 GB  
Tape Drive  
Flash disk/stick/thumb  
4 – 10 GB  
128 MB-16GB  
Blu Ray Disc.  
25GB-128GB  
Data access times  
For a drive to read data from a disk, the read/write head must move in or out to align with the  
correct track. Then it must wait until the correct sector approaches the head. The time it takes to do  
both these things is called the disk or data access time. Floppy disks rotate more slowly than hard  
disks i.e. only six revolutions per second. Therefore floppy disks and CD-ROMs have longer access  
times than hard disks.  
4. Output Devices  
They let the computer communicate with the user. Once information has been input within the  
computer it is in electronic form. This is in a form that can be handled and understood only by the  
computer. But the information is in a form that human beings cannot understand. The information  
will therefore need to be converted into a form that is understood by the human being. This is mostly  
done in two ways.  
×
×
×
By printing out the information.  
By displaying the information on the Visual Display Unit (VDU).  
By producing sound  
If you are using a machine with multimedia, you can have sound as an output. The sound emitted on  
speakers. Examples of Output devices are:  
i) (MONITOR/SCREEN/ VISUAL DISPLAY UNIT)  
In computers, a monitor is a computer display and related parts packaged in a physical unit that is  
separate from other parts of the computer. However, it usually refers to the entire box, whereas  
display screen can mean just the screen. Notebook computers don't have monitors because all the  
display and related parts are integrated into the same physical unit with the rest of the computer.  
There are many ways to classify monitors, but the most basic is in terms of color capabilities, which  
separates monitors into three classes:  
Monochrome:  
Monochrome monitors actually display two colors, one for the background and one for the foreground. The  
colors can be black and white, green and black, or amber and black.  
19  
Gray-scale:  
A gray-scale monitor is a special type of monochrome monitor capable of displaying different shades of gray.  
Colour:  
Colour monitors can display anywhere from 16 to over 1 million different colors. Color monitors are sometimes  
called RGB monitors because they accept three separate signals -- red, green, and blue.  
RESOLUTION:  
The monitor resolution indicates how the pixels are densely packed. Pixel is short for picture element  
(the size of dots used to make up characters and graphics) .In general, the more pixels (often  
expressed in dots per inch) the sharper the image. Most modern monitors can display 1024 by 768  
pixels, the SVGA standard. Some high-end models can display 1280 by 1024, or even 1600 by 1200.  
Other factors that determine a monitor's quality include the following:  
Bandwidth : The range of signal frequencies the monitor can handle. This determines how  
much data it can process and therefore how fast it can refresh at higher  
resolutions.  
Refresh rate: How many times per second the screen is refreshed (redrawn). To avoid  
flickering, the refresh rate should be at least 72 Hz.  
Interlaced or no interlaced: Interlacing is a technique that enables a monitor to have more  
resolution, but it reduces the monitor's reaction speed.  
Dot pitch : The amount of space between each pixel. The smaller the dot pitch, the sharper  
the image. The dot pitch determines the sharpness of images on the screen  
Convergence : The clarity and sharpness of each pixel.  
VIDEO CARD  
The video card is a circuit board that plugs into an expansion slot inside the computer. The video card  
does the following:  
It translates instructions from the computer to a form the monitor can understand.  
It determines the number of colors a monitor can display. The more colors displayed, the  
more realistic the resulting images.  
A video card is also called a video adapter, graphics adapter or graphics card.  
Types of Video Cards Available  
VGA (Video Graphics Adapter or Video Graphics Array)  
The monitors display 16 colors at a resolution of 640 x 480. This is the minimum standard for  
computers systems.  
SVGA (Super Video Graphics Adapter/Array)  
These monitors display more colors and higher resolutions than VGA monitors. Most new computer  
systems offer SVGA. The colors offered by SVGA are 256 colors, High color, and True color. This  
setting is called True Color because it displays more colors than the human eye can distinguish.  
20  
ii) PRINTERS.  
Printers are the main output devices used to produce paper copies (hard-copies) of the information  
on the screen. You can buy a printer that produces black-and-white or color images.  
The following characteristics are used to classify printers:  
Speed  
Print quality  
Cost  
Printers can also be classified according to how they print. That is whether they are Impact or Non-  
Impact printers.  
a) Impact Printers  
This kind of printer “physically strikes” the paper through an inked ribbon to produce the desired  
output, just like a typewriter does. They print one character at a time and are used for low volume  
printing jobs. The printers in this category include Dot-matrix printers and Daisy-wheel printers.  
Other less common types are Drum printers and Chain/band printers.  
Dot Matrix Printers  
It is the least expensive type of printer. This type of  
printer works by impact. Characters printed by dot-  
matrix printers appear to be composed of a  
combination of dots. Such printers are mainly used to  
print internal documents. They are faster than daisy  
wheels but do not have a good print quality. They are  
also loud.  
Daisy Wheel Printers  
It resembles a typewriter. Characters are embossed on a radiating spoke of a plastic “daisy wheel”.  
When printing the “daisy wheel” rotates until the selected character is in position and is then struck  
by a hammer. Daisy wheel printers usually give a better quality of print but are more expensive than  
dot matrix printers. For this reason they are used for external documents.  
b) Non-Impact Printers  
matrix. They produce high quality color  
images.  
These include Thermal printers, Ink-jet  
printers and Laser printers.  
Ink-Jet Printers  
Thermal Printers  
An Ink-jet printer has a print head that sprays  
ink through small holes onto a page. They  
produce good quality copies and are much  
slower than laser but can print in color at  
much lower cost. They are very quiet and are  
ideal for routine business and personal  
documents. Though affordable and quite  
popular ink jet printers do not provide the  
These are character matrix printers which  
print onto special paper using a heated print  
head. As the paper passes through the printer,  
heat is generated by rods that melt small dots  
of ink on to the paper. By selective heating of  
rods, characters can be formed from the  
21  
color quality or text resolution of color laser  
printers.  
NB: Printers normally use ink cartridge, toner  
cartridges or ink ribbons to print.  
Laser Printers  
A laser printer works like a photocopier to  
produce high-quality images on a page. The  
image to be printed (text or graphic) is  
exposed to a high-powered laser beam. The  
exposed image is then “developed” on a  
rotating drum, which is inked by the toner  
(roughly equivalent to the ribbon cartridge).  
The developed image is then “printed” on  
paper as it passes over the drum. They are fast  
and ideal for business and personal  
III. SPEAKERS.  
A sound card lets a computer play and record  
high quality sound. It is a circuit board that  
plugs into an expansion slot in the computer.  
A sound card is also called a soundboard or  
audio card. You need speakers to hear sound  
generated by a sound card. The best speakers  
have built-in amplifiers, which should be  
between 10 and 30 watts.  
documents however they are expensive. Color  
laser printers are considerably slower than  
monochrome lasers, in terms of the pages per  
minute (ppm) that they can handle.  
Benefits of having a sound card and speakers  
Sound cards allow computers to produce  
sound like music and voice.  
A sound card also lets you hear music, speech  
and sound effects during games and  
multimedia presentations  
You can use a sound card to record music,  
speech and sound effects. You can then add  
the sounds to documents and presentations.  
You can also use a sound card to compose  
music on your computer.  
You can use a computer to have conversation  
over the internet.  
Plotters  
A plotter is a graphics printer that draws  
images with ink pens. The plotter was the first  
computer output device that could print  
graphics as well as accommodate full-size  
engineering and architectural drawings and is  
therefore an appropriate output from a CAD  
(Computer-Aided design) package. Pen  
plotters are still the most affordable printing  
device for CAD use and offer resolution unlike  
any other printer. The lines are not made up  
of dots. They are actually drawn, providing  
finite resolution. We have drum and flatbed  
plotters.  
KEYBOARD LAYOUT AND DATA ENTRY  
ENTER or RETURN - Moves the cursor down one line and to the left margin. Enter also process  
commands such as choosing an option in a dialog (message) boxes and submitting a form.  
DEL or DELETE - Deletes the character at cursor and/or characters to the right of the cursor and all  
highlighted (or selected) text.  
BKSP or BACKSPACE - Deletes the character to the left of cursor and all highlighted text.  
SPACE BAR - Moves the cursor one space at a time to the right  
SHIFT KEY - Use the shift keys to type capital letters and to type the upper character on keys with two  
characters on them  
CAPS LOCK - Locks the keyboard so it types capital letters (a light goes on when caps lock is on)  
TAB - Moves the cursor five spaces to the right (number of spaces are usually adjustable). Tab moves  
to the next field in a form or table (Shift-Tab for previous field).  
ESC or ESCAPE - Cancels a menu or dialog box  
ARROW KEYS - Moves the cursor around document without changing text  
FUNCTION KEYS or F KEYS - Access commands by themselves or in combination with the three  
command keys; CTRL, SHIFT, and ALT  
22  
Command or Special Keys  
Command keys normally do nothing on their own but work in combination with other keys. Each  
piece of software uses the command keys differently though there is a move to standardize some  
functions. The Control key or Ctrl is often used to access commands. The Alternative key or Alt is  
often used to access menus. The Shift key is used to type CAPITAL LETTERS. As well the command  
keys are all used to move through documents and edit text faster and easier. As well many computers  
have Special keys design specifically for the particular computer. Apple computers have the Apple  
keys and Macs have Command keys. Many keyboards now have a Windows key specifically for  
Windows 9x and newer systems. Many older computers also have special keys used for a variety of  
different functions.  
Some Notebook or Laptop keys are left out because of space limitations and they usually have a  
Special function key which allows other keys to double for the missing ones.  
Basic Typing Rules  
Place one space between each word, after a punctuation mark and at the end of a sentence. Always  
start a sentence with a capital letter. Use capitals for names, addresses, provinces and countries,  
places, organizations, businesses, associations, schools, colleges, universities, days of the week,  
months, holidays, nationalities, ethnic groups and languages.  
Learning the keyboard is the first step to learning computers. Learning involves practice. It really is as  
simple as that. There are two kinds of typing.  
The first is called Touch Typing. The Touch Typist uses the Home Keys (asdf for the left hand and jkl;  
for the right) and all the fingers on both hands as well as the thumbs for the Space Bar while typing.  
There are many commercial and public domain programs that are designed to teach this method.  
The other method is some times called 'Hunt and Peck' or depending on finger strength 'Search and  
Destroy'. This involves using one or more fingers on one or two hands to type. It is a perfectly  
acceptable way of using a computer and many people get along fine with this technique.  
23  
 
OPERATING SYSTEM-WINDOWS  
TRAINING NOTES  
24  
INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS  
Operating System is the main system software that runs and controls all the operation of the computer.  
There are two kinds of Operating System namely:  
i)  
Command Line Interface (CLI).  
ii) Graphical User Interface… (GUI).  
A command-line interface or command language interpreter (CLI), also known as command-line user  
interface, console user interface, and character user interface (CUI), is a means of interacting with a computer  
program where the user (or client) issues commands to the program in the form of successive lines of text  
(command lines).  
DOS (Disk Operating System) was one of the first operating system for personal computers. You had to type all  
commands at the command prompt which might look like c:\.wp/wp.exe.This is called a command-line  
interface.DOS was not very “user friendly”. MacOS (Macintosh, a product of Apple and Unix-Linux which were  
originally created with a command-line interface, but recently have added GUI enhancement.  
Windows Operating System is a product of Microsoft which is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) operating  
system. GUI is a type of interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons  
and visual indicators such as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or  
text navigation.  
The actions in a GUI are usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements. In addition  
to computers, GUIs can be found in hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players, gaming  
devices, smart phones and smaller household, office and industrial equipment. This type is a “user friendly”  
operating system, and is said to have WIMP features i.e.  
.
.
.
.
Window.  
Icons.  
Menus.  
Pointing device (Mouse).  
COMMON OPERATING SYSTEMS  
25  
 
BOOTING A COMPUTER  
The process of turning a computer on and loading the operating system is known as booting the computer. The  
process involves loading a number of programs and running a series of tests to ensure that the computer  
system is operating properly. Power-On-Self-Test is a built in diagnostic program that checks your  
hardware to ensure that everything is present and properly functioning. Post runs very quickly.  
This happens automatically when you turn on the computer.  
HOW IT WORKS  
When the machine (computer) is switched on, it MUST bring some of its “CONTROLING SOFTWARE”  
into the main store -RAM (from backing storage-HARD DISK) and from there the OPERATING  
SOFTWARE will take over the control and supervision of the computers’ operation.  
The program that calls in the software that makes the computer operational is called the “BOOT  
STRAP program”, because it picks the machine up by its boot straps. The bootstrap program is  
resident in the computer’s CPU and it holds Read- Only –Memory (ROM).  
TYPES OF BOOTING  
COLD BOOT.  
The start-up of a computer from powered-down or off state is referred to as “cold booting” or “hard  
booting”.  
WARM BOOTING.  
This refers to re-starting a computer that is already turned-on via the operating system command.  
Restarting the computer means window shuts the computer and turns it on to its initial state. A warm  
boot is necessary when a program encounter a fatal error, from which it cannot recover even if you  
press (Alt+Ctrl+Del).  
STARTING THE COMPUTER  
1. Locate and press the Power-On button on the System Unit.  
2. Do the same for the Monitor if it’s not powered through the system unit.  
3. Windows loads the desktop if there is no user account with a password.  
N/B: In case a password has been set on your computer you will encounter it before getting to the Windows  
Desktop. A password is only known by you, it prevents other people from using your computer. As you type the  
password it appears in asterix format (****) to ensure no one reads what you are typing.  
1.0 Windows Desktop.  
The Windows Desktop  
This refers to your workspace on the computer screen where you can work on .Several icons or small pictures  
are located on the left side of your monitor/desktop. Each icon represents an object such as a folder or a  
program. The task bar with start button, system tray and pointer is other features in the window desktop  
Windows Desktop  
Icon  
Start Button  
Task Bar  
System tray  
26  
Task  
Any activity being handled by Windows is known as a ‘task’ and a running program is an example of a task.  
Taskbar  
If there is a program running, it is shown on the Taskbar. The Taskbar displays all the activities that are currently  
happening in the computer.  
Start button  
Task bar  
Tasks  
Icon.  
An icon is a pictorial/graphical representation of a command/program. Icons represent tools such as the  
Recycle Bin, My Computer, folders, files, and program short cuts, etc.Double-clicking on an icon on the  
Windows desktop starts the represented program running.  
Categories of Icons on Desktop  
i)  
Default Icons{My Documents ,My Computer, My Network Places, Recycle bin & Internet Explorer}  
ii) Installed program shortcuts-Ones with shortcut arrow sign  
iii) Folders-Yellow in colour{either Zipped or ordinary}  
iv) Files & documents  
Window.  
When a program is running it occupies a space on the screen referred to as a Window. It is a portion of the  
screen where programs and processes can be run. You can open several windows at the same time. For  
example, you can open your e-mail in one window, work on a budget in a spreadsheet in another, download  
pictures from your digital camera in another window, and order your weekly groceries on the Web in another  
window. Windows can be closed, resized, moved, minimized to a button on the taskbar, or maximized to take  
up the whole screen.  
USER ACCOUNT  
With Microsoft windows O/S, there are three types of user accounts available on your computer: Computer  
Administrator, Administrator limited account and Guest account. The guest account is available by default for  
users with no assigned account on the computer.  
Computer Administrator Account  
The computer administrator account is intended for someone who can make system -wide changes to the  
computer, install software, and access all non-private files on the computer. Only a user with a computer  
administrator account has full access to other user accounts on the computer. Therefore a user with a  
computer administrator account:  
Can create and delete user accounts on the computer.  
Can change other users' account names, pictures, passwords, and account types.  
Cannot change his or her own account type to limited unless there is at least one other user with a  
computer administrator account. This ensures that there is always at least one user with a computer  
administrator account on the computer.  
Can manage his or her network passwords, create a reset password disk, and set up his or her account  
to use a .NET Passport  
Limited account  
The limited account is intended for someone who should be prohibited from changing most computer settings  
and deleting important files. A user with a limited account:  
Generally cannot install software or hardware, but can access programs that have already been  
installed on the computer.  
Can change his or her account picture and can also create, change, or delete his or her password  
27  
Cannot change his or her account name or account type. A user with a computer administrator  
account must make these kinds of changes.  
Can manage his or her network passwords, create a reset password disk, and set up his or her account  
to use a .NET Passport.  
Note  
Some programs might not work properly for users with limited accounts. If so, change the user's account type  
to computer administrator, either temporarily or permanently.  
Guest Account  
The Guest Account is intended for use by someone who has no user account on the computer. There is no  
password for the guest account, so the user can log on quickly to check e-mail or browse the Internet. A user  
logged on to the guest account:  
Cannot install software or hardware, but can access applications that have already been installed on  
the computer.  
Cannot change the guest account type.  
Can change the guest account picture.  
1.1. RUNNING APPLICATIONS IN WINDOWS.  
1. Click the Start Button on the Taskbar.  
2. Select “All Programs”.  
3. On the resulting menu select either Microsoft Office or  
Accessories and click on any program e .g WordPad.  
N/B: This will depend on the program group that your application is found  
in. A program group is a set of related applications e.g. WordPad is in the  
program group “Accessories”. You can tell a program group by the  
presence of an arrow next to the name of the group. E.g.  
Program Shortcut  
Icon  
2.0. WINDOW & MOUSE TERMINOLOGIES.  
Program Groups  
Point: To point the mouse is to move it until the pointer is on the target (the program you want to start).  
Menu: A list of options or commands from where you can choose any one.  
Click:  
Pointing the mouse on the icon you want and tapping the left mouse button once.  
See also Double-clicking.  
Right-click- Tapping the right button once to give sub-menu.  
Drag:  
Holding down the mouse button without releasing it until a specific action is completed e.g. moving a  
Window to a different location on the screen.  
Window: When a program is running in occupy a space on the screen referred to as ‘window’  
Drag and Drop.  
Drag and drop is a method used to move an object to a new position. In Windows, we drag and drop by  
pointing at the object, then clicking and holding the mouse button and finally moving it to a new position.  
Command Buttons  
In Windows, the buttons represent commands. If we point at these buttons and click once, the command is  
executed for us. There are two types of command in windows;  
i) Available Commands.  
Commands that appear colored and when clicked on will execute the command.  
ii) Unavailable Commands.  
These are Commands that look faint in color and pushed in. When clicked on they will not respond at all.  
28  
5. The Menu Bar-2nd strip  
2.1. RECOGNIZE THE PROPERTIES  
OF A WINDOW  
The Menu Bar gives us options or commands that  
can be used when the program is running. To  
select a command we point at an option on the  
Menu and click. This will give more options listed in  
what is known as a “drop down menu”. If the  
option we want is in this menu, we just click on it  
to select it.  
1. The Title Bar-1st strip from Top  
The Title Bar shows which program is running in  
the active window. It is always at the top of the  
program window. Other functions include:  
−
−
Showing the name of a file.  
6. Toolbar-3rd strip  
If you double click the title bar you can  
switch between Restored and Maximized  
window.  
You can drag the window by its “Title bar”  
if the window is restored.  
This represents commands in the form of icons. It  
is a shortcut to the menu commands.  
There are two types of toolbar namely Standard &  
Format Toolbar  
−
−
You can end a program by double clicking  
the far left icon on the title bar.  
7. Typing area.  
This is the area where all manner of typing is done  
in a word processor screen.  
2. Minimize Button.  
When we click on the Minimize button the  
program window loses focus i.e. it runs in the  
background. All minimized programs are shown on  
the Taskbar and can be made active by simply  
clicking on their icons on the Taskbar.  
8. Borders  
When we manually want to resize a window to  
either smaller or larger size, we point at the border  
till the pointer becomes double headed.  
This enables us to drag inwards or outwards as  
required.  
3. Maximize/Restore Button.  
A maximized window fills the entire screen and has  
all your focus. But a restored window is small and  
covers a portion of your screen. A restored window  
can be:  
9. Status Bar  
It is the last strip at the bottom end of a program.  
Found next to Task bar. This is an interactive strip  
that acts as the communication link between the  
program and the user. It shows current activities  
like page no, word count, saving operations etc  
−
−
Resized  
Dragged to a new location on the screen  
4. Close or Cancel Button.  
When we finish using a program, we need to close  
it. Press the Close button  
WINDOWS OPERATIONS  
Windows Multitasking.  
One of the biggest advantages of Windows is its ability to run many programs at the same time. This is referred  
to as multitasking whereby you can run many applications in your computer. To start another program all we  
do is to click on the Start button, locate the program and run it. We can run as many programs as our computer  
can allow. There are two ways used to switch between tasks in window multitasking:  
a) Using the Taskbar + Mouse.  
All running applications are shown on the Taskbar. If you point at any and click you are switched over to that  
application.  
b) Using Alt + Tab keys.  
Holding down the ALT key and pressing the Tab key brings up the Task manager. Pressing on the Tab key once  
more will take you to the next running application. Once you have located the application you want to switch  
to, you release both keys and you are switched over to it.  
29  
Arranging Program Windows on the Desktop.  
From the Taskbar, we can also arrange all running programs in several ways. If you point at the Taskbar and  
right-click the mouse button, you will be given a shortcut menu with the following options:  
Tile Horizontally.  
This arranges all running programs one below the other across the screen. The program “in focus” will always  
have its Title bar highlighted e.g. in blue. To switch to another program you simply click on it and its Title bar  
will be highlighted.  
Tile Vertically  
Programs are arranged down the screen with programs to the right of each other. The active program will have  
its highlighted.  
Cascade  
Cascading arranges the running programs one behind the other with only the Title bars showing.  
4.0. CUSTOMIZE THE WINDOWS  
DESKTOP.  
You can personalize your desktop by displaying pictures,  
patterns, or even scanned photographs as your wallpaper  
i.e. the background of your desktop. You can also change  
items such as icons on your desktop, the colors of individual  
windows (the appearance), and the size of objects on your  
screen; or even set up a screen saver.  
Step by Step.  
1. Position your pointer on a blank area of the desktop away from the Taskbar.  
2. Right click mouse button and select on properties. A shortcut menu like the one below appears.  
3. The display properties window appears as shown to your right. This window is called “a dialog box”  
Dialog Boxes  
When a computer cannot execute a command without the user providing information, it displays a dialog box.  
The window shown above is a dialog box. The computer could not carry out the Properties command selected  
from the shortcut menu without more information from the user. It needed to know what exactly is to be  
customized e.g. Background, Screen Saver, Appearance or Settings etc.  
Characteristics of dialog box  
i)  
Does not have Minimizing or maximizing buttons but instead {?}  
ii) You cannot resize the dialog box  
Setting the Background  
The background refers to any pictures, patterns or photographs that appear  
on the Desktop as wallpaper.  
Step by Step.  
1. Click on the Background tab.  
2. Click inside the Wallpaper window and use the up and down arrows to  
select Wallpaper.  
3. Click on Tile under Display. The Wallpaper you have chosen fills the  
whole screen.  
4. Click on Center under Display. The Wallpaper you have chosen occupies only the center of the screen.  
Setting a Screen Saver.  
You set a screen saver when you want to:  
∼
∼
Protect your screen from destruction caused by leaving it on for too long.  
Keep information away from prying eyes.  
30  
∼
∼
Entertain yourself.  
Broadcast through picture presentation etc  
Step by Step.  
1. Click on the Screen Saver tab.  
2. Click on the down arrow for Screen Saver options.  
3. In the Screen Saver list area, click the Screen Saver you want to use. The effect of the Screen Saver you  
choose is displayed on the Preview Screen.  
4. To customize the Screen Saver, click on Settings. A dialog box like the one below appears.  
5. Click on OK. This takes you back to the Display Properties dialog window.  
Your Screen Saver starts if your computer is idle for the number of minutes specified in the  
Wait Box.  
N/B: 1: To clear the Screen Saver after it has started, move your mouse or press any key.  
2: You can also add a password to the Screen Saver so that if the Screen  
Saver starts, you need to provide the password, you will have to switch off the computer and start  
again.  
Changing the Screen Appearance.  
To change the screen appearance is to change the way the items such as icons, colors or individual windows,  
the size of objects look like.  
Step by Step.  
1. Click on Appearance tab.  
2. Click on the down arrow key of the Items Box.  
3. Use the down arrow or the up arrow to display the available items.  
4. Click on the item you want, e.g. desktop.  
5. To change the scheme select an option from the Scheme Box e.g. Windows Standard. Scheme enables us to  
change the appearance of many screen elements simultaneously.  
6. To change color click on the down arrow on the Color Box and Choose your favorite color.  
7. Click on Apply.  
N/B: You will see the effect of your selections on the item you choose.  
a. Set Time& Date.  
Each time we save a file in our computers, Windows records  
the date and time this was done. We refer to this as the  
‘Date and Time stamp’. This information is useful in letting us  
know the most current version of a file or even what to  
discard. But we cannot do this unless the date and time  
shown are the correct ones.  
Step by Step  
1. Click on the Start Button or double click on time area on  
system tray.  
2. Click on Settings from the menu that appears.  
3. Click on Control Panel from the submenu displayed.  
4. Double click on the Date/Time icon.  
5. Click on the Date/Time tab.  
6. To change the month, click on the down arrow button next to the Month box and select the month you  
want.  
7. Click on the Year Button to change the year.  
8. Click on the Spin Buttons (arrow next to the year) to either increase or reduce the year.  
N/B: You can also change your time zone by clicking on the Time Zone tab.  
31  
Setting Mouse Controls.  
The Mouse icon in the Control Panel enables us to set the  
mouse controls or such things as:  
Primary & secondary button  
Pointer Speed,  
Pointer shapes,  
Double clicking speed, etc.  
To Change Button Configuration.  
1. Double click on the Mouse icon.  
2. Click on the buttons tab.  
3. Click on either the right-handed or the left-handed option.  
4. Click on the Apply button to see the effect of changing the mouse button  
To Change Speed  
1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 above.  
2. Under Double-click Speed section, drag the scroll button and select a speed on the scale shown.  
3. Double click on the Test area till the Mascot shoots up.  
4. Move the scroll button to adjust the speed each time clicking on the Test Area until you reach your comfort  
level.  
5. Click on the Apply button.  
To Change Mouse Pointers  
1. Double click on the Mouse icon from the control panel window.  
2. Click on the Pointers tab and select the pointer option you want to change.  
3. Click on Browse and double click on the pointer option you want.  
4. Click on the Apply button.  
To Change Pointer Speed  
1. Repeat step 1 above.  
2. Click on the Motion tab.  
3. Drag the Scroll Button towards slow or fast as you wish.  
4. Click on the Apply button.  
6.0. Cut, Copy and Paste  
These options enable computer users to duplicate or move text from one location to another within the same  
application or even to a different application.  
•
•
Copy command is used when we wish to duplicate data.  
Cut command enables us to move data from one location to another. When you cut a file, you actually copy it  
to a new location and delete it from the original location. The new copy may be placed on the original disk or network  
location or on a separate one. In either case, the moving process is the same.  
•
Paste is the command used to transfer by sticking the cut or copied data to the required destination.  
N/B: You cannot move a file while someone has it open in any program. The file must be closed, and if it is a shared file, it  
must be checked in.  
Step by Step  
1. Select the text or data to be duplicate data.  
2. From the Edit menu, click on copy or click on the copy button from the Toolbars.  
N/B: The copied text is taken to the clipboard for pasting. It is also possible to paste more than once even to  
other applications.  
32  
3. Position your cursor at the new location and from the Edit menu click on Paste or click on the Paste button  
from the Toolbar. The information copied will be pasted at the current position of the cursor.  
Creating Folders.  
In GUI such as Windows and the Macintosh environment, a folder is an object that can contain multiple  
documents. Folders are used to organize information in a systematic manner. In the DOS and UNIX worlds,  
folders are called directories.  
Folders can be created in the following locations:  
On the Desktop.  
My Document Folder (Default storage area)  
My Computer(Drivers e.g. Hard Disk Drive, Flash Disk, Memory Card, Diskette etc).  
My Network Places-if the shared folder is available  
Step by Step.  
1. Minimize all the Windows currently opened.  
2. Position your mouse pointer on an empty area of the above areas and right –click the mouse button.  
3. Point at New. A sub-menu appears.  
4. Click on Folder option.  
The folder icon appears on the Desktop.  
N/B: By default the folder is given the name ‘New Folder’. To change the name, select it and type in a name  
e.g. ‘My Folder’.  
5. Type in the name or the new folder and tap the Enter key.  
NOTES  
Folders can also have other folders in them. Folders are the equivalent of directories in the earlier versions  
of Windows and DOS. Folders or sub-folders can also be created in the above mentioned locations.  
To Create a Folder within a folder.  
1. Open by Double-click on the folder to hold the sub-folder.  
2. From the menu bar click on File option, select New and click on Folder from the submenu or right click on  
an empty space and do the same.  
3. Enter name of the new folder and tap the Enter key.  
Creating Files.  
A file is a collection of data or information that has a name, called the filename. Almost all information stored  
in a computer must be in a file. There are many different types of files: data files, text files, program  
files, directory files, and so on. Different types of files store different types of information. For example,  
program files store programs, whereas text files store text.  
SAVING FILES  
We have two sets when saving a file:-  
SET 1: Press F12 or “Save As” option  
SET 2: Press Ctrl + S or “Save”  
NOTE!  
1. For the 1st time when saving a file, all two sets above will give you “a save as” dialog box  
2. After the file has been saved, and you make some changes…..the 2nd set cannot give “save as” dialog box. Instead the changes  
goes where initially saved e.g. in my document or a particular folder  
3. If you intend to change the location e.g. from “my documents” to “flash disk”, simply use set one because It will give the “Save  
as” dialog box  
4.In “Save As” dialog box, Type the name of your file, Select the saving location, encrypt the document with a password(Tools  
option) and change the file type if necessary  
33  
Renaming/Deleting Files & Folders  
The contents of a file can change, making it necessary to change the name as well.  
Steps to Rename  
1. Select the file or folder you want to rename.  
2. Click the right mouse button and select “Rename” from the “Shortcut” menu.  
3. Type the new name for the file or folder and press Enter.  
To Delete Files:-  
You can get rid of files that you no longer need by sending the files or objects to the Recycle Bin.  
Steps  
1. Click on the file or folders you want to delete.  
2. Tap the Delete key on the keyboard or click on the Delete button. (Or choose Delete from the menu).  
Recycle Bin.  
In Windows if you no longer need a file, folder, and object or program you simply delete it. But what about if  
your action was a mistake? Anything that is deleted is stored in the Recycle Bin and we can recover it from here  
if we made a mistake.  
To load the recycle bin.  
1. Double click on the Recycle Bin icon from the Desktop. All the files previously deleted are stored in the  
Recycle Bin.  
To restore files to their original location.  
1. Select the file to restore by clicking on it.  
2. From the File menu bar click on Restore.  
N/B: If you had chosen Delete from the options above only the selected item would have been erased  
while Empty Recycle Bin would cause all the items held by the Recycle Bin to completely erase.  
Viewing Options in a folder:  
There are five viewing option namely:  
Thumbnail:  
Tile:  
Icon:  
Displays items in the folder as Large Icons  
Displays items in the folder as Small Icons vertically  
Displays items in the folder as Small Icons horizontally  
Displays items in the folder as a Vertical list.  
List:  
Detail:  
Displays items in the folder in a list that gives their Name, Original Location, Date Deleted,  
Type and Size.  
N/B: Viewing icons will help us understand the contents in storage from different view.  
Selecting Multiple Files  
Contiguous Files  
Non-Contiguous Files  
1. Click on the first file in the list.  
2. Hold down the Shift key.  
3. Click on the last file.  
1. Click on the first file in the list.  
2. Hold down the Ctrl key.  
3. Click on the files to copy.  
4. Release the Ctrl key.  
Sorting Files  
Sorting is arranging your files in order. Sorting makes it easy to locate files and folders after they are arranged in  
a particular order.  
You can choose to arrange files by Name, by Type, by Size and by Date when in Explorer. (Details view).  
34  
Steps  
1. Open the folder whose contents you want to sort.  
2. From the view menu select Arrange Icons.  
3. Select the order in which you want to view the files- by Name, Type, Size, and Date.  
Icons on the Toolbar:  
Takes the pointer one level i.e. if the cell pointer is at C:\> and you click on Up One Level button it will take you  
to My Computer icon as this is a level higher than C:\>.  
a) Up One level:-Reverse the last action done esp. in folders.  
b) Search-Helps to find files and folders in computer system.  
c) Folders-Takes you to window explorer.  
d) View-Gives different views when trying to find files & folders  
e) Back-Used as Backspace button i.e. takes you to previous folders.  
8.0. WINDOW EXPLORER  
This is a file manager & is one of the accessories to windows O/S Used for the following operations:-  
i)  
To view all the contents of a computer  
ii) To understand the hierarchical arrangements of folders i.e. expanded and collapsed folders, the right  
and left window and to view the contents of a particular folder. You can also use window explorer to  
create folders, locates files inside folders etc:  
How to explore using “Window explore”.  
1. Click on Start menu button or right –click on the folder and select “Explore”  
2. Select Windows Explorer from the” accessories” programs group and click.  
NOTE:  
In window explorer, the highest level in the computer hierarchy is the Desktop, My Documents, My Computer  
folder which holds the contents of the computer i.e. the Floppy Drives (31/2), Hard disk (C: D :), CD-ROM (E: or  
any letter from E to Z), Printers and the Control Panel and so on.  
To see the contents of a folder, click on the icon for the folder whose contents you want to see and its contents  
will be displayed in the right pane or window. For instance, if you want to see the contents of the desktop, click  
on its icon and the contents will be displayed in the right pane.  
Highest Level in  
the Hierarchy  
Contents of Selected  
Folder  
Expanded Folder  
Contents in a selected folder  
Collapsed Folder  
35  
FOLDERS IN WINDOW EXPLORER  
i)  
Expandable Folders: Any folder that has a (+) next to its icon means that it has  
sub folders in it. To expand a folder and see its sub folders, just click on the (+).  
ii)  
Collapsed Folders: Any folder that has a (-) next to its icon means that all the sub  
folders attached to it are already displayed. Click on the (-) next to the icon to collapse  
the folders and hide all subfolders.  
8.2. File Storage Structure.  
Files are stored in a hierarchical way on the disk i.e. a multi-level structure. Viewed from the Explorer, the root  
of drive C: (HDD) Structure appears as follows:  
Parent Drive  
Root of Drive C:  
Document Setting  
Prudential Associates  
Parent Folder  
Kenya  
Sub-folder to  
Kenya  
Nairobi  
Mombasa  
Nakuru  
South Africa  
Jo’burg  
Durban  
The folders shown in the structure can also be represented as:  
Folder  
Prudential Associates  
Kenya  
Path  
C:\Prudential Associates  
C:\Prudential Associates\Kenya  
C:\Prudential Associates\Kenya\Nairobi  
Nairobi  
Any folder that has a (-) next to its icon means that all the sub folders attached to it are already  
displayed. Click on the (-) next to the icon to the collapse the folder and hide all subfolders.  
36  
9.0. Creating Shortcuts.  
A shortcut in Windows gives fast access to a program or a file. It reduces  
the steps we have to go through if we use the Start button. Shortcuts are  
especially useful for programs, files, and folders you use frequently. You  
can be able to create a shortcut in a folder or on the desktop.  
Step by Step.  
To put a shortcut for starting Microsoft Word on the Desktop:  
1. Position your mouse pointer at an empty area of the Desktop.  
2. Right-click the mouse button. Select New and click on Shortcut. The  
Create Shortcut dialog box appears.  
3. Click on the Browse button to search for the location of the Microsoft  
Word program i.e. Program Files.  
N/B: The command line is where the path of the program files, folders and subfolders is described.  
4. Browse to locate the folder containing the WinWord file. This is the file that starts or loads the Microsoft  
Word program.  
The full path to this program is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe.  
5. After locating the WinWord file, double click on it to open.  
N/B: Just like in Windows Explorer, in the Browse dialog box, folders are listed first then files.  
This brings us back to the command line, which now shows the full path to the selected program.  
N/B: To successfully create a shortcut to a program you have to know the location of the program.  
6. Click on Next to give a name to the shortcut.  
7. Enter a new name or adopt the suggested name.  
8. Click on the Finish button.  
N/B: To differentiate Shortcuts from other Program icons, look for a symbol at the base of the icon.  
9. Double-click on the icon to load the associated program.  
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
4. Double-click on the option that is closest to  
10.0. Use the Help facilities in  
the information that you require. For example,  
My Briefcase.  
5. From the list displayed read the information  
Windows.  
We use ‘help’ for the following reasons;-  
and close the Help screen.  
1. To get help while you are working. When you  
type a request in your own words, the Wizard  
supplies answers that help you get your work  
done.  
2. If you are in a dialog box, you can find out  
what each dialog box item does without  
interrupting your work.  
Using Help from the Start Menu  
Step by Step  
1. Click on the Start Menu; and select the Help  
option or press F1 on the Keyboard  
2. Select and click on Contents.  
3. Double click on any of the listed Help topics,  
e.g. ‘Using Windows Accessories’, after which  
a sub-menu with sub-topics appears.  
37  
11.0. STORAGE  
•
•
•
Format a Storage Device  
VIEWING FILE, FOLDER AND DRIVE PROPERTIES.  
View file, folder and drive properties.  
Use the Run command to load applications.  
Files and folders have different properties. You can  
determine the attributes that a file or folder has.  
You can also find out about file extensions and  
other properties of files.  
Formatting a flash disk/Memory Card/Diskette  
Formatting the above involves the partitioning of a  
disk into sectors. The sectors created can then be  
used to store data efficiently. This is illustrated by  
the following analogy; an organization leases some  
office space in a building. However, before  
employees can move in with their furniture and  
equipment, the space has to be divided or  
partitioned into smaller offices or units so as to  
accommodate everyone and make use of all the  
space available.  
Step by Step.  
1. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, click  
the file or folder whose properties you want to  
view or change.  
2. On the File menu, click Properties. You can  
also right-click a folder or file that is on your  
desktop, then from the shortcut menu click  
Properties.  
There are many reasons why storage devices  
should be formatted before use:  
The Properties dialog box gives the following  
details:  
1. Initially,when you buy floppy diskettes, they  
cannot be used before being formatted.  
Formatting enables the floppy diskette to  
identify with the computer in use. For  
a)  
b)  
The File type.  
Location (folder in which the file is  
saved).  
Size expressed in bytes and kilobytes.  
MS-DOS name (this has a maximum  
of 8 characters, which is the limit in  
MS-DOS. If you are using DOS to  
access the file, this is the name you  
would have to type in.)  
c)  
d)  
example, if the computer in use is an IBM, the  
diskette will be formatted for use in an IBM  
computer. Similarly, if the computer in use is a  
Mackintosh, then the diskette will be  
formatted for use in a Mackintosh computer.  
2. To erase quickly or delete the entire contents  
of a disk. When you format a disk, all the data  
is quickly erased and the computer gives a  
summary of the state of the diskette.  
e)  
f)  
Date created, modified and accessed.  
The Attributes of the file.  
3. Formatting disks makes them as good as new.  
File Attributes  
Attributes are the conditions that a user can attach  
to a file to prevent unauthorized access or to  
protect the file from accidental erasure. Such  
attributes include Read-only, Hidden, Archive and  
System.  
Step by Step.  
1. Insert the disk to be formatted into the floppy  
drive (diskette), USB port (Flash disk) etc.  
2. Click on “my computer” icon on your desktop.  
3. Right-click on the storage and select format.  
4. Under format type click full.  
Read-only - activating this attribute protects files  
from being modified by users.  
N/B: The Quick Format option is only available  
to disk drivess that have been formatted  
previously.  
The copy system files option formats the drive  
and copies the system files onto the diske.  
This means that the disk can be used to start a  
computer in the event of the hard disk crashing  
or a virus attack. It is advisable for users to  
create at least one System Disk as a  
precautionary measure.  
Hidden – this attribute hides a file such that it will  
not be displayed when a user lists files in the  
Explorer. However, if the user changes the View  
option in Explorer to View All Files, this option is  
overridden.  
Archive – this attribute shows whether the file will  
be archived. It is used to control the files to be  
backed up. In most cases, this setting is selected by  
default.  
5. Type a label to give a unique identity to the  
disk. This is an optional step though and will  
not affect the working of the diskette.  
6. Click on Start.  
System – shows whether the file is a system file i.e.  
the files required by Windows and other programs  
to run properly.  
When the formatting process is complete, the  
computer gives the Format and give Results  
38  
Note: Do not delete System files, as this will disable  
the computer.  
three characters and the file name and extension  
are joined by a period (full-stop).  
For example, the name Symphony.doc means that  
the file in question is a Microsoft Word document.  
Properties of C :\> Drive  
1. With the mouse pointer on the icon for Drive  
C:\, click on the right mouse button  
Other examples or extensions are:  
2. From the shortcut menu select Properties.  
•
•
•
•
•
•
exe -  
doc -  
mdb -  
xls -  
bmp -  
txt -  
Application file.  
Microsoft Word document  
Microsoft Access database  
Microsoft Excel Worksheet  
Bitmap Image  
The Properties of Drive C:\ are different from  
the properties of other folders. For example,  
you have the tools tab that enables the user to  
check for errors in Drive C, take a backup of  
the drive and also defragment the drive.  
Text document  
To View File Extensions:  
1. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, click  
Defragmentation:  
When you save files in the computer, the files are  
saved in the next available free space (cluster) in  
the disk. In the long run, after saving so many files  
the disk ends up being fragmented. Fragmentation  
makes the disk slow in its operations because it  
takes time for the computer to locate all the  
clustered bits and eventually open the file.  
the folder you want to look at.  
On the tools menu, click Folder Options.  
Click the View tab, and then click Show all  
files.  
2.  
3.  
If you want to see all file name extensions, clear  
the Hide file extensions for known file types  
check box.  
Defragmenting a disk organizes the files in the disk  
so that all the bits of a file that are stored in  
numerous locations are consolidated together.  
This makes the computer more efficient and fast in  
opening a file.  
Folder Properties  
Just like for files, we can view Folder Properties  
using the same steps as above.  
Backup:  
Using the Run command to load applications.  
You can use the run command to start programs  
especially if you know the name of the executable  
files associated with the program. For example, the  
executable file for Calculator is Calc, whereas the  
executable file for Word is WinWord.  
In a network environment, you can also use the  
Run command to open files or folders that are on a  
different computer on a network.  
Backing up data means having the same data in  
more than one location (a different drive). This will  
minimize losses in case of damage to the original  
data.  
File Types  
There are very many different file types associated  
with different applications. Usually, file types are  
determined by default, but it is possible for one to  
be able to create or even modify a file type.  
Step by Step.  
1. Click start, and then click Run.  
2. In Open, type the location and name of the  
program you want to start. If you do not know  
the full path of the program you want to run,  
click on Browse to select the location or name  
of the program.  
To show All File Types:  
1. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, select a  
folder you want to look at.  
2. On the tools menu, click Folder options.  
3. Click the view tab.  
3. Locate the file that you want to load. In the  
example above the program is PowerPoint.  
4. Click on Open.  
5. Click OK. The program that was selected is  
then loaded.  
From this screen you can be able to see details  
like are the files icons, the file extension, the  
content type of the file, and the program  
needed to open the file.  
File Extensions:  
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..  
<<END>>  
File extensions are unique for each source  
application. The extension is used to identify the  
file type. Usually, the extension is a maximum of  
39  
WORD PROCESSOR  
.
Introduction.  
A Word Processor is an Application Software that enables one to create, save, edit, format and print a text  
document. The act of using a word processor is called Word Processing.  
FUNCTIONS.  
It handles Text -based documents.  
Has ability to accept and manipulate pictures and other objects.  
It is compatible with other programmes like Internet contents.  
FEATURES OF A WORD PROCCESSOR.  
1) Word Processors allow the user to create a file, save and open it again for re-use, editing/formatting.  
2) Have almost similar documents windows with the following features:-  
Allows user to create, save, open, and format file.  
The working area is blank before typing of a text.  
There is a cursor which blinks at the position where you can begin entering text.  
There is a status bar or line that provides the user with current status information such as saving  
operations, the name of the file in use, the current page, the current imaginary horizontal line and  
column cursor position.  
Word Wrap-A feature that automatically moves a word to a new line if it does not fit all at the end  
of the current line.  
It has Scrolling-The vertical movement of text document using the UP or DOWN arrow keys, page  
up & page down key and also using a mouse in window-based word processors.  
HELP- it contains instructions, tips, pointers, explanation and guidance i.e. you can get help by  
either pressing F1 on the keyboard or clicking help from menu bar.  
Editing Modes- Word processor have two modes:-  
1) Insert Mode  
2) Type over mode.  
Insert Mode.  
This is the normal default mode in word processing. Precisely, when text is inserted between words or  
characters it pushes the existing text away without replacing it.  
Type-Over Mode.  
This can be achieved when the text or character has been selected/highlighted. If you type between the word  
or character, the new text automatically replaces the existing text by deleting it. To switch between type-over  
and insert mode, press the insert key on the keyboard or double click the OVR on the status bar.  
3) Nearly all word processors have a spelling checker (dictionary of synonyms) and grammar checker.  
4) They provide for the use of header and footer, indexing, footnotes and references, typefaces (fonts) and  
character set.  
5) Most word processors are used for writing letters, reports, projects, books, essays, memos, CV etc.  
ADVANTAGES OF WORD PROCCESSORS.  
It is faster to create documents with word processor as it is user friendly and has features like  
formatting and editing tools.  
Using the Cut, copy & paste commands you can incorporate text without having to re-type it.  
Word processor allows user to proof-read and spell check documents on the screen before printing.  
You can store documents for future editing if need be.  
It has superior document formatting features.  
Allows multiple copy- printing unlike typewriter.  
40  
Examples of word processors.  
i)  
Microsoft word.  
Corel word perfect.  
Word star.  
ii)  
iii)  
iv)  
Lotus WordPro etc.  
FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A WORD PROCESSOR.  
Type of Operating System .Most micro-computers are currently running on Window-based operating  
system such as Microsoft Windows.  
Its user-friendliness-Ease to use and apply.  
It’s formatting and editing features. They should be good and varied.  
USING A WORD PROCCESSING PACKAGE.  
Microsoft word is the most commonly used word processing package. It is one of the components of Microsoft  
Office Suite.  
Microsoft office is integrated software with a number of inter-related programs which includes:  
Ms Excel (Spreadsheet).  
Ms Access (A data base management).  
Ms Outlook (communication software).  
Ms PowerPoint (Presentation package).  
Ms Publisher (A desk top publisher).  
Each programme allows the user to solve a variety of common computer related tasks. Precisely this Ms Office  
suite strategically allows the user to work with programmes that have the same basic structure and interface.  
Microsoft office also allows the user to share information quickly and easily between different programmes.  
Although there are several versions of Microsoft word the most common are:  
a) Word 97  
b) Word 2000  
c) Word XP.  
d) Word 2003  
e) Word 2007  
f) Word 2010  
g) Word 2013(Current  
version)  
MICROSOFT WORD WINDOW  
“Start” Menu button –“All programme”-“Microsoft Office”-select Microsoft Word  
Once you start Microsoft word, it provides you with a blank document window referred to as the new  
document template where you can create your document.  
Maximize  
Close button  
Title bar  
Formatting  
Toolbar  
Minimize button  
Horizontal  
ruler  
Text cursor  
Vertical scroll  
Working Area  
41  
With window multi-tasking capability you can have more than one document window at the same time sharing  
one application window. Each document window will have its own title bar but both will share other facilities  
like the menu bar of the application window.  
However, only one document window will be visible on the desk top at a time while others remain minimized  
/covered. This window is referred to as Active document window.  
To switch between document windows, click their buttons on the task bar.  
PARTS OF A WORD WINDOW.  
1. TITLE BAR: Is mostly a blue strip at the top of the window that displays the title of the currently Running  
application or task. It is possible to change the colour of the title bar using the display Properties.  
It also enables the user to move the window around the desktop. This is made possible by pointing the  
arrow then dragging using the mouse.  
On the right of the title bar are three tiny button namely Minimizing, maximize/restore and close  
buttons  
Minimize button: Reduces a window to become an icon on the task bar.  
Maximize button: Stretches the window to cover the entire desktop or restore it to its  
original size.  
Close button: Used to close and exit the current window.  
2. MENU BAR: Provides a drop down list of commands that one can use to perform tasks. Examples are File,  
Exit, Windows and Help.  
3. TOOL BARS: These are rows of buttons or icons that represent commands. The command buttons are  
Shortcuts to the same commands you can access from the menu bar. There are various  
toolbars available in Ms Word but the most common are:  
i) Standard Bar  
ii) Formatting Bar  
Standard toolbar has among other feature: New-open-save-print-email-print preview-copy-paste-  
tables and borders.  
Formatting toolbar has: style-font type-font size-bold-underline-align right-bullets-font colour.  
NOTE:  
To see what other commands are, just point to the icon on the tool bar and a text tips will be displayed  
showing the function of the icon.  
HIDIND AND VIEW MENU OPTION  
1.Click the view menu option.  
2.Position the pointer on toolbar.  
3.Click the type of toolbar required to select.  
4. RULERS: Ms Word provides the user with vertical and horizontal onscreen rulers that help the user position  
text or objects in the right position. If the ruler is not visible, on the screen, then display it using the  
following procedures:-  
i) Click the view menu option.  
ii) On the drop down menu that appears, click Ruler. A checkmark or tick will appear next to it  
showing that the ruler is displayed on the screen  
5. WORK AREA: Is the working area where you can enter text or graphical objects. All windows-based  
applications programs provide the user with a unique working area  
suited to that  
particular application.  
6. STATUS BAR: This is an interactive strip at the bottom of the screen that acts as a communication link  
between the user and the program. It displays interactive activities like saving, open,  
background printing, cursor position etc.  
The status information shows that Microsoft is saving a document called security.  
42  
7. SCROLL BAR/BUTTON & SCROLL ARROWS.  
These are horizontal and vertical bars on the borders of a window that the user drags to scroll  
upwards, downwards to the right or left of a document  
Scroll arrows are the arrows at the end of the scroll bars that the user clicks instead of dragging the  
scroll button.  
Using scroll bars or arrows is equivalent to using the arrow key on the keyboard or using optical mouse  
with scroll button.  
CREATING A DOCUMENT  
When you start a new document you will see a blinking vertical bar called an insertion pointer. You can move  
your insertion pointer by using the arrow keys or the mouse. In case you are in micro soft word and you want to  
create another new document you should do the following:-  
i)  
Click the File menu  
ii) Choose New from the resulting dialog box, click Blank document or select template by clicking any  
template’s tab.  
iii) Click the Ok button.  
SAVING A NEW DOCUMENT.  
i) Go to file menu-Click “Save As” or simply click the Save button on the standard toolbar. The difference  
between “Save” and “Save As” is that although both give the save as dialog box when saving for the  
first time, but “Save” allows the user to save document without the opportunity to change the file  
name or the location.  
ii) In the file name box, type a unique name for the document.  
iii) Select the location or drive you want to save in by clicking the down arrow on the right of “save as list  
box”.  
iv) To save the file in a different format or type such as Word 6.0 for Macintosh etc click the down arrow  
on the right of Save As type list box and choose a file type. Then Click the “Save” button and the file  
will automatically saved as a Microsoft word document.  
OPENING AN EXISTING DOCUMENT  
STEPS  
1. From the file Menu, click open command or on the standard toolbar, click the open  
button.Alternatevely press Ctrl + O key combination on the keyboard.  
2. Select a drive or folder where the file is saved.  
3. In the file name box, type or select the name of the document you want to open.  
4. Click the open button  
N/B: To open a document created in another programme, click the file format you want in the files of  
type box and then double click the document name in the folder list. You can also use wildcards in the  
file name for example type * .dot to find Microsoft files.  
NOTE:  
Microsoft word keeps a list of shortcut links to recently used files on the file drop down menu. If the list of  
recently used documents is not displayed, you can configure Microsoft word to be displaying them by doing the  
following:-  
a) Click the Tools-then Options command. This displays the options dialog box  
b) On the General Tab, select the recently used file list check box.  
PROTECTING A DOCUMENT WITH A PASSWORD.  
Password: is a combination of characters that prevent other users from opening and changing a document  
without permission. If a document is protected by a password, only the person who knows the password can  
open the document or edit it.  
SAVING A DOCUMENT WITH PASSWORD.  
1) Create or open an existing document you want to protect.  
2) From the file menu, choose “Save As”.  
3) Click the down arrow on the Tools button in the “Save As” dialog box.  
43  
4) Click General option.  
5) Type in a password in the password to open. This will prompt the user to enter password when  
opening a document.  
6) Type in a password to modify. This prevents the user from making changes to a document unless the  
user enters the correct password.  
7) Finally click o.k.  
CLOSSING A DOCUMENT.  
This means unloading the current active document from memory so that the user can create or open another  
without necessarily from word. To Close:-  
i)  
Click the File menu.  
ii) Choose close.  
EXITING FROM WORD.  
Before exit, ensure all opened document are saved  
Click “file menu”  
Click “Exit” command.  
NOTE: You can exit Microsoft word by pressing ALT + F4 keys or by double clicking the application icon at the  
left most corner of the title bar. If you have not saved any of the opened documents, Microsoft word  
prompt will ask you to “SAVE” the document first.  
BLOCK OPERATIONS.  
Block is a large group of text.  
1.  
Select a block text.  
The purpose of selecting text is to enable the user to perform a number of editing or formatting operations on  
the selected block text. You can select a block of text using the mouse or keyboard  
a)  
Using a Mouse.  
Position your cursor key from where you want select, then drag to desired position.  
Using Keyboard shortcuts  
b)  
•
Position your cursor key from where you want select. Move your cursor key then press Shift + CTRL + right  
or left arrow key.  
•
To select one line, press Shift + Up or Shift + down arrow key, or move the insertion pointer to the end or  
beginning of the line then press Shift + Home or End Key.  
To select a whole page, press Shift + Page down/Up.  
•
•
To select a whole document, Press CTRL + A or place the cursor at the beginning of the document then  
press Shift + CTRL +End  
DELETING TEXT  
•
•
•
To delete a character or a word from the right to the left, place the insertion pointer on the right of the  
word then press the “backspace” on the keyboard.  
To delete a character to the right of the cursor position, press the insertion pointer on the left of the word  
then press the “delete” button on the keyboard.  
To delete a block of text, Highlight the text to be erased then press delete key.  
RESTORING DELETED TEXT  
Use the Un-Do or Re-do editing command by either pressing Ctrl +Z or go to Edit-then select “Undo”  
COPYING AND CUTTING TEXT OBJECTS.  
1. By copying you are creating a duplicate of text or an object  
2. Moving enable changing the position of text or an object in a document  
To copy a block of text using the mouse position the cursor then clicks and drag, or simply click the copy button  
on the standard toolbar.  
3. Position the insertion pointer where you want to copy the text.  
4. Click Edit then Paste or simply click the Paste button on the standard toolbar.  
44  
Other shortcuts {Keyboard}  
CTRL + C= Copy  
CTRL +D=Font  
CTRL +X=Cut  
CTRL +B=Bold  
CTRL +U=Underline  
CTRL +I=Italics  
CTRL +O=Open old doc  
CTRL +P=Print  
CTRL + V= Paste  
CTRL + A= Select All  
CTRL + Z= Undo  
CTRL +Y=Redo  
CTRL +S=Save  
CTRL +F=Find  
CTRL +N=New doc  
FIND AND REPLACE.(Ctrl +F)  
When one needs to search for a word or phrase in a large document we use the file command.  
In case you want to replace a word or phrase use the Replace option.  
STEPS TO FIND  
Click Edit-then select find  
The find dialog box appears, type the text or phrase you want  
STEPS TO SEARCH  
Select find next-click Ok  
If a message appliers’ telling you that Ms Word has finished searching the document, click cancel to close the  
dialog box.  
Keyboard Shortcut {CTRL + F}  
SEARCH OPTIONS  
You can specify options by clicking the move button to display them. They include:  
1. Match case: It identifies only text that matches in case with that in the find what box e.g. it will not  
find the word KEEN if you typed keen and selected the match case.  
2. Whole Word: Searches for a word or phrase that is whole. If it is part of another word, it will not be  
found e.g. ‘ever’ will not be found in the word however, whenever during search.  
3. Use Wildcards: These are special symbols such as * and? that are used to represent a set of words with  
certain characters in common e.g. names like jerry,jane,john can be represented using a wildcard J*  
which means all names starting with J.  
4. Like: Searches for words which are similar in pronunciation e.g. fair and fare.  
REPLACE COMMAND.  
1. Click Edit.  
2. Select Replace-a dialogue box will appear.  
3. Type the name you want to replace in the find what box and the one that will replace it in the “replace  
it box”  
4. Click the “find next” button to find the next occurrence of the word then click “replace” button to  
replace.  
PROOF READING  
This is checking whether a document has typographical or grammar errors. The Ms Word has tools for proof-  
reading like:  
Spelling and grammar checker  
Thesaurus  
Auto complete  
Autocorrect.  
SPELLING & GRAMMER CHECKER. (F7)  
It is an in-build tool that will help the user to correct the grammer.The checker can only recognize errors of a  
word whose correct spelling is in its dictionary.  
A correctly spelt word used wrongly cannot be detected, hence the document should be proof read to avoid  
error.  
45  
Procedure.  
1. Click Tool menu or review 2007option.  
2. Click Spelling & grammar checker dialog box that appears.  
3. The lower plane of the dialog box suggests to the user with a list of suggested correct words  
4. Last option either choose one of the following button:  
a)  
b)  
c)  
d)  
Change: to correct only the highlighted word  
Change all: To correct all the occurrences of the incorrect word.  
Ignore: To retain the highlighted and continue.  
Ignore all: To retain all the occurrence of the same or phrase in the document from another  
language e.g. Kiswahili.  
e)  
Click add: To add the word into the customs dictionary.  
USING THESAURUS.  
This is an editing tool that helps the user to find words or phrase with similar meaning (Synonyms) and opposite  
meaning (Antonyms) to the words selected.  
STEPS  
I)  
Select a word or a phrase.  
II) Go to Tools/review 2007-Select language or right click 2007.  
III) Click Thesaurus.  
IV) For synonyms under the heading, replace with synonym; choose an alternative word or phrase you  
intend to use as a replacement. The same applies to antonym  
AUTO COMPLETE.  
This displays a complete word when the user types the first few character of the word. This enables the user to  
type the rest by tapping enter key on your keyboard. Example try to type the word November.  
AUTO CORRECT.  
It automatically detects wrongly spelt or capitalized word. The settings are user defined  
To turn it on stroke off-click tools menu-select autocorrect  
To turn on the spell checker-select the replace text as you type check.  
UNDO & REDO.  
It reverses the last command that was issued in order to revert back to the previous state  
•
•
Undo-Go to select then command “undo”{CTLR+Z}  
Redo- It does the last undone command. {CTLR+Y}  
FORMATING A DOCUMENT.  
This is done to make the document to appear attractive and professionally done.  
TEXT FORMATTING.  
This refers to applying features such as text colour, change font type, underlining, bolding, initializing etc.  
You can use either the formatting toolbar from format menu to underline, bold etc  
Steps.  
Highlight the text to be formatted.  
Click the font command. A dialog box with all text formatting feature will be displayed.  
To change the font type and size if necessary, scroll down the font list box then click the desired font.  
To increase the font size chose your desired size e.g. 8, 9, 10, 11 etc.  
Bolding a text means making it appear darker than the rest of the text. To bold, select the font dialog  
box, then select BOLD.  
Underline text refers to placing a line at the base or bottom of a word or a phrase. Use the same  
procedure as bolding above.  
Utilizing text: makes them become italics  
Changing the font colour: The font default colour is black. However, you can change the font colour to  
red, blue, green etc  
46  
USING FORMATING TOOLBAR-2003  
The formatting tool bar lets user easily format text by clicking the required format button.  
To format you have to: - i) Highlight the text and ii) Click a command on the tool bar.  
PARAGRAPH FORMATING.  
1. TEXT ALIGNMENT-2007 “Home menu”& 2003 formatting toolbar  
There are four ways you can align text. These are left, centre, right and justified alignment  
a) Left alignment: Lines of text are lined up evenly along the left margin but unevenly at the right margin.  
This is the default alignment-set by the computer  
STEPs-Highlight your text-Click left alignment  
Or Click format-select paragraph-select left alignment list box.  
b) Right alignment: is the opposite of Left. Do the same as left alignment.  
c) Central alignment: The lines of a text are centered unevenly between the left and right margin.  
Procedure is the same as above but select centre.  
d) Justification alignment: Lines of text are arranged evenly along the left and right margin.  
Procedure- select text-click justified alignment button or  
Click format-paragraph-justified-ok  
2. CHANGE CASE.  
There five cases one can use in order to create contrast within text.  
1. Sentence Case: All the first character in a sentence is in capital letter.  
2. Lower Case: All the characters are in small or lower case.  
3. Upper Case: All the characters appear in upper case (Capitalized).  
4. Title Case: All the first characters of each word in a sentence appear in upper case.  
5. toGGle cAse: It changes upper case to lower cases and vice versa.  
STEPS.  
.
.
.
Highlight the text.  
From the “Format menu 2003 or Home menu 2007”, click change case or “Aa” above.  
From change case dialog box, select the case type of you choice then click ok.  
3. DROP CAPS  
Drop caps are there to make the first character in a sentence large.  
STEP.  
.
.
.
.
.
Highlight the 1st character in the sentence.  
From Format menu2003or insert 2007, click drop caps. Drop cap dialog box appears.  
Click dropped or in margin.  
Select font in case you wish to apply a certain font to the drop cap.  
Specify the number of lines to drop-click ok.  
INDENTING PARAGRAPHS.  
Indentation: Refers to moving the text away from the margin. You can indent the 1st  
sentence in a paragraph  
(first line), the whole paragraph (full indent), or the rest of the text except the first line (hanging indentations).  
a) First Line Indent  
Select the paragraph to be indented.  
From format menu or right-click 2007, then click paragraph. Paragraph dialog box appears.  
Click the down arrow in the list box under special and select first line.  
Specify by how far the paragraph is to be indented from the margin in the text box.  
Click ok to apply the indent and close the dialog box  
NOTE: You can also indent the 1st line by positioning the cursor at the beginning of the  
Paragraph then press the Tab key  
b) Hanging indent  
Select the paragraph to be indented.  
From format menu, click paragraph.  
Click the down arrow in the list box under special and select hanging.  
Specify by how far the paragraph is to be indented from the margin in the by text box.  
Click ok to apply the indent and close the dialog box.  
47  
c) Full indent.  
Select the paragraph to be indented or position the cursor anywhere in the paragraph.  
From the formatting toolbar, click the increase or decrease indent button.  
SETTING TABS  
Tabs are used to indent the 1st line of a paragraph or create columnar data. By default the tab stop is at 0.5 of  
an inch. To change the default setting:  
1. From the format menu, click Tabs.  
2. Enter a new value for Tab stop in the tab stop position box  
3. Choose the type of tab either left, centre or right.  
4. If need be specify the tab leader option.  
5. Click the set button then ok.  
SETTING TABS USING RULER.  
The easiest way to set tabs is by using a ruler. On the left corner of the horizontal ruler is a tab alignment  
button that lets the user select the type of tab.  
Procedures.  
i)  
Click on the Tab button to choose the required Tab type. Notice that the tab type keeps on changing as  
you click the tab button.  
ii) Set the Tab Stop by clicking where you want it to be on the ruler.  
iii) Drag the Tab Stop.  
LINE AND CHARACTER SPACING.  
Line spacing refers to the vertical distance between lines of text. The default line spacing is single spacing. This  
type of spacing accommodates the characters in a text leaving a small extra space between lines.  
Character spacing refers to the space between the characters in the text.  
To change line spacing:  
i)  
Highlight the text;  
ii) From format menu or right-click 2007, then click paragraph to display the paragraph dialog box.  
iii) Click the down arrow from the line spacing list box and select the type of spacing required e.g. double,  
1.5, at least etc.  
iv) Click ok to effect the changes.  
To change character spacing.  
i)  
Highlight the text.  
ii) From format menu or right-click 2007, then click font.  
iii) Click the character spacing Tab.  
iv) Adjust the spacing as required.  
BULLET AND NUMBERING.  
They are used to mark steps in a procedure or item in a list.  
Procedure:  
Select the list.  
From the format menu or right-click 2007, then click bullet and numbering. A dialog box will appear.  
Do one of the following:  
a) To apply bullet-click the bullet Tab.  
b) To apply independent number-click number Tab.  
c) To apply outlined numbered list-click outline number Tab.  
Click ok to effect the changes and close the dialog box  
SECTION BREAK.  
A break is used to identify where a section, a column or a page ends and the beginning of next.  
This allows the user to apply more than one paragraph or page format in the same document especially when it  
comes to page layout, size, different margins etc.  
48  
To insert a section break:  
i)  
ii)  
iii)  
Position the text cursor in the document where the break is to be inserted.  
Clicks insert the break.  
From the break dialog box, select the type of section break to insert e.g. page break. Click ok.  
FORMATTING PAGES.  
Inserting page breaks:  
A page break identifies the end of one page and the beginning of the next.Normaly, word automatically insert a  
new page after the current one is full.However,there may be a need to start a new page even if the current one  
is not full.  
To insert page breaks  
Position the pointer where the break is to be inserted  
Click the insert button  
From the break dialog box, click page -Ok  
CREATING COLUMNS:  
To create columns on existing text  
1. Highlight the text  
2. From format menu or Pg Layout 2007, click columns to display the dialog box  
3. In the column dialog box , select the number of columns or type in the number of columns text box  
4. In the width and spacing boxes , specify the column widths and space between the column  
5. Click Ok.  
PAGE SET UP  
Page set up option let the user specify the size of the margins, paper size, paper source and layout  
SETTING MARGINS:  
Margin is blank space around the edges of the page only text and objects inside the margins are printable.  
To set up margins:  
1. Click the file menu-2003 or Pg Layout 2007 margin” then page set up. page set up dialog box appears  
2. Click the margins tab  
3. Enter the values for the left, right, top and bottom margins in the respective boxes - click Ok.  
SETTING GUTTER.  
A gutter margin setting adds extra space to the side margin or top margin of a document that you plan to bind. A gutter  
margin helps ensure that text isn't obscured by the binding.  
SETTING THE PAPER SIZE  
By default, the paper size may be either letter or A4 .anA4 paper has dimension’s 210mm*279 mm  
To specify a different paper size  
1. from the file menu , click page set up on the screen  
2. In the page set up dialog box , click the paper size tab  
3. Select the size of the paper required from the size list if your size is different from the ones provided, click  
custom size and dimensions in the height and width boxes - click Ok .  
SPECIFYING PAGE ORIENTATION:  
Page orientation refers to the positioning of the page in relation to the text .The available orientation is:  
1. Portrait  
Text and graphics are printed with the longest side vertical upright e.g. an A4 piece of paper, the 210 mm edges  
are at the bottom and top.  
2.Landscape  
With a landscape text and graphical objects are placed with the longest side of the page placed horizontally and  
lines of text printed parallel e.g. to create a time table on an A4 page the 279mm side should be horizontal  
49  
To select the orientation  
1. From the file menu-2003 or Pg Layout -2007” choose page set up  
2. Click on the page size tab and the dialog box comes n the screen  
3. Select the orientation  
PAGE LAYOUT  
This option lets the user to specify how text will be placed on the page from the margins, by default text starts  
from the top margin  
To change the default  
1. From the file menu , choose page set up .the dialog box appears  
2. Flick on the layout tab  
3. From the vertical alignment tab select the alignment required then click ok  
INSERTING HEADERS AND FOOTERS  
Headers, footers and pages numbers makes it easy to locate information.  
Headers are few words placed at the top of every page while footer appear on the bottom  
To insert headers and footers  
1. Click on the headers and footer from the view menu or insert menu 2007.  
2. In the text boxes that appear, type a header using the top text box or footer using the bottom text box  
or even both if you are to insert both a header and footer.  
INSERTING PAGE NUMBERS  
To give your document numbers:-  
1. From the insert menu click page numbers to display the dialog box  
2. In the position box , specify where you want the page numbers are to be inserted  
3. In the alignment box specify whether the numbers is to be on the right , left centre inside or outside  
4. Use the format button to choose the numbers format i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ---------A, B, C etc you can start from  
any number by using start box.  
CREATING AND EDITING TABLES.  
Creating tables  
A table is a feature in Microsoft word made up of rows and columns that is used to organize and enhance  
display of information .You can create a table either by using the insert table command from tables menu, or by  
using draw table tool that resembles a pencil to create more complex tables. Also 2007 word has a table -  
template you can use as a short cut.  
To create a table:  
1. From the table menu or insert menu 2007, click select the format you want i.e. Insert or Draw table  
2. In the format list box ,select the format you want  
N/B: The format you choose applies to boarders, shading fonts and color  
3. Click on apply the effect  
4. If the tool bar is not displayed :  
•
click view -point to tool bars -click to tables and boarders  
CREATING A TABLE USING THE DRAWING TOOL  
1. Click Table Menu-2003 or “insert Menu-2007”, then draw Table or simply click the Draw Table from the  
standard toolbar. The mouse pointer changes to a pencil symbol.  
2. Drag the pointer to draw the outline of the table.  
3. Fill in the table with rows and column by dragging the pointer as it will draw using an ordinary pencil.  
FORMATING AND EDITING A TABLE.  
i)  
Inserting Rows & Column  
•
•
Place the cursor where you want to insert a row.  
Click Table, point insert then click Row above or below  
ii) To insert a Column.  
•
•
Place the cursor where you want to insert a column.  
Click Table, point insert then column to left the column to the right.  
50  
iii) Adjusting the Column width.  
•
Position the mouse pointer on the row or column boundary until the mouse pointer changes to an  
arrowed cross.  
•
Drag the boundary to the required size.  
iv) Deleting rows, column, or cell.  
•
•
Select the rows or column to be deleted.  
From table menu, points delete then column, rows or cell.  
v) Merging Cells in a table  
This refers to joining more than one cell in a table. To merge cells select cells to be merged by  
highlighting.  
From tables, click Merge Cells.  
vi) Splitting cell in a table.  
This is to subdivide a cell or cells into more cells. To split cells, select cells to be split.  
From tables, click split cells. A dialog box appears that lets you specify the number of rows and  
column that selected cells will be split.  
vii) Formatting table border and shading.  
Word provides the user with automatic formatting features that let you chose border style and  
shading.  
TABLE CONVERSIONS  
With convert pictures in ms word, you can convert a table to lines of text and vise versa .  
To convert a table to text  
1. select the entire table or row and columns you want to convert text  
2. From the “Table” menu, point to convert, then click table to text. A dialog box is displayed that requires u  
specify how text will be separated after conversion  
3. in the separate text with the box , enter or select the character to be used as a separator  
4. click OK  
To convert text in to a table  
1. select a text that you want to convert a table  
2. From the ‘Table’ menu point to convert, then click text to table. A dialog box is displayed that requires you to  
specify the number of rows and columns  
3. From separate text at specify whether the table will be defined by paragraphs commas , tabs or other  
characters - click OK  
Importing Table.  
Ms Word lets you to import from another application or an existing file to import a table  
1. Click the insert menu , then objects a dialog box appears  
2. From the object type, select the type of object to insert e.g. adobe table  
3. The program in which the table was created in start and lets you to choose a table from it and return back  
to MS word. Alternatively clicks create from file, this lets you to browse for a file that contains the table  
you wish to insert - click OK and insert table  
Performing Arithmetic calculation in a Table  
It’s possible to perform calculations e.g. sum product and count, if a table has numerical figures.  
To perform calculations:  
1. Click the cell in which you want the results to be placed  
2. From the Table menu click a formulae dialog box is  
3. Type the formulae you want or select from paste function box  
E.g. to add figures in rows or column click sum  
The Total =sum (above). The word above is called the argument of the formulae and tells MS Word which cells  
in the table are to be worked on.  
Sorting MS Word allows one to sort a list of text, numbers or date in ascending or descending order  
1. Highlight the text list or table you want to sort  
2. From the Table menu , click sort  
3. Select the type of data to be used when sorting i.e. text number or date  
4. Click either ascending or descending order- Click OK .  
51  
INSERTING TABLE OF CONTENTS.  
A table of content is the first page on a document which has list of headings to various topics. You can  
use table of contents to navigate as a way of hyperlink to a given page. Table of contents can be  
created by choosing the heading styles — for example, Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 — that  
you want to include in the table of contents. Microsoft Office Word searches for headings that match  
the style that you chose formats and indents the entry text according to the heading style, and then  
inserts the table of contents into the document.  
Microsoft Office Word 2007 provides a gallery with multiple tables of contents styles to choose from.  
Mark the table of contents entries, and then click the table of contents style that you want from the  
gallery of options. Office Word 2007 automatically creates the table of contents from the headings  
that you marked.  
How to create a table of contents  
1. Click where you want to insert the table of contents, usually at the beginning of a document  
or select all the sub-topic with different styles.  
2. On the References tab, in the Table of Contents group, click Table of Contents, and then click  
the table of contents style that you want.  
NOTE For more options, click Insert Table of Contents to open the Table of Contents dialog box.  
Create a table of contents from custom styles that you applied  
Use this procedure if you already applied custom styles to your headings. You can choose the style  
settings that you want Word to use when it builds the table of contents.  
1. Click where you want to insert the table of contents.  
2. On the References tab, in the Table of Contents group, click Table of Contents, and then  
click Insert Table of Contents.  
3. Click Options.  
4. Under Available styles, find the style that you applied to the headings in your document.  
5.  
Under TOC level, next to the style name, type a number from 1 to 9 to indicate the level that you  
want the heading style to represent.  
NOTE If you want to use only custom styles, delete the TOC level numbers for the built-in  
styles, such as Heading 1.  
6. Repeat step 4 and step 5 for each heading style that you want to include in the table of  
contents.  
7. Click OK.  
52  
Update the table of contents  
If you added or removed headings or other table of contents entries in your document, you can  
quickly update the table of contents.  
1. On the References tab, in the Table of Contents group, click Update Table.  
2. Click Update page numbers only or Update entire table.  
INSERT EQUATION  
When you type an equation, Word automatically converts the equation into a professionally formatted equation.  
1. On the Insert menu 2007, in the Symbols group, click the arrow next to Equations, and then click Insert New  
Equation.  
CREATING A MULTILEVEL LIST.  
Multilevel list shows the list items at different levels rather than at one level e.g.  
You can create and define a new multilevel list style. You can use your new list style each  
time you begin a new multilevel list in a document. The new list style is added automatically  
to the gallery of list styles.  
STEPS  
1.  
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the arrow next to Multilevel List.  
2.  
Click Define New Multilevel List.  
Beginning with level 1, enter your number format, font, and position choices.  
Continue to define each level that you want to use in your multilevel list.  
NOTE When you define a multilevel list style, you can mix numbers and bullets in  
the same list. For example, in the Number style for this level box, you can scroll  
down and click a bullet style for a particular level.  
Click OK.The multilevel list style that you defined is automatically.  
To change level sequence, select the last list of item and go to “number icon”,  
then click “Change number style”  
3.  
4.  
53  
MAIL MERGE DOCUMENT  
Is the process of generating personalized letters or documents by combining a main document e.g. a letter  
with an existing data source such as the address book .The three files created to mail merge are :-  
i. The primary file (main document)  
ii. The secondary file (data source )  
iii. Merged file.  
You use mail merge when you want to create a set of documents, such as a form letter that is sent to many customers or a  
sheet of address labels. Each letter or label has the same kind of information, yet the content is unique. For example, in  
letters to your customers, each letter can be personalized to address each customer by name. The unique information in  
each letter or label comes from entries in a data source.  
The mail merge process entails the following overall steps:  
1. Set up the main document. The main document contains the text and graphics that are the same for  
each version of the merged document. For example, the return address or salutation in a form letter.  
2. Connect the document to a data source. A data source is a file that contains the information to be  
merged into a document. For example, the names and addresses of the recipients of a letter.  
3. Refine the list of recipients or items. Microsoft Office Word generates a copy of the main document for  
each item, or record, in your data file. If your data file is a mailing list, these items are probably recipients  
of your mailing. If you want to generate copies for only certain items in your data file, you can choose  
which items (records) to include.  
4. Add placeholders, called mail merge fields, to the document. When you perform the mail merge, the mail  
merge fields are filled with information from your data file.  
5. Preview and complete the merge (6). You can preview each copy of the document before you print the  
whole set. Follow the steps in the Illustration below using 2007 word Microsoft processor  
4
6
5
2
3
1
INSERTING GRAPHICS  
Working with graphics  
Graphics refer to non text images generated by a computer .This include photographic, drawing and graphs.  
You can insert information in form that is easier to understand and you can insert a graphical object from  
Microsoft clip gallery  
A scanner or by using drawing tools available in ms word  
Insert a clip art or a picture from Clip Gallery  
1. Position the insertion pointer where you want your object to be inserted  
2. On the insert menu point to picture then click clipart. click on the tabs to select on the category of objects  
i.e. clip art pictures sounds or videos  
3. Double click on the object you want or click it once then click the insert button  
4. Use the object place holders to resize your object if you place the mouse pointer on one of these holders.  
it turns into a two headed arrow , hold down the mouse button and drag to increase or reduce the objects  
size  
5. Click anywhere outside the object to remove the holders  
6. To remove your object to another position, click inside the object. The pointer turns in to an arrow head  
cross. Hold down the mouse button and drag your image to a new arrow.  
54  
Inserting an image from a scanner  
The computer must be connected to the scanner to complete this procedure .Scanner is data capture device  
that transforms a hand copy or real graphical object.  
1. Position the insertion pointer where you want your picture to appear.  
2. From the insertion menu point to picture and then click from scanner or camera.  
3. To scan follow the instructions that come with your scanner.  
4. When the image appears on your screen, you can edit and format it as required the same way you  
would with a clipart.  
Inserting a picture from another file  
1. Position the insertion pointer where you want your picture placed.  
2. From the insertion menu point to picture then click from file.  
3. Locate the file that contain the image you want to insert e.g. from your flash disk from a CD/DVD etc.  
4. Select the object you want to insert.  
5. Then click the insert button.  
6. When the image appears on the screen you can edit and format it as required the same way you would  
with a clip art.  
Editing and formatting a picture  
To format or edit a picture ,Ms Word provides the user with a picture editing tool bar that i.e. you adjust the  
brightness, contrast change it to black and white or grayscale and drop the image. Also you can resize the image  
using re-sizing tools. You can also use Rotational tool to rotate the image on a certain degree. You can also  
change the direction of the image if you drag the re-sizing tools and overlap to other side.  
Cropping - Refers hiding the unwanted item /details so that they do not come out when printing  
To display a picture tool bar: Click on view menu -Point to tool bar -Select picture or click on the image and the  
picture toolbar will pop-up ,above format menu(2007).To format a picture; Click select -Use commands on the  
picture Tool bar.  
ADDING A CAPTION.  
A caption is a line of text that appears below an object to describe it e.g.  
Figure 1 : Eiffel Tower  
Steps  
Select the object. Go to “Reference Menu”, and then click “Insert Caption”  
Type the Caption Message, and then click ok.  
CROSS-REFERENCE.  
Refers to items such as headings,figures,and tables by inserting a cross reference such as, “See  
Table 6 below” or “Turn to page 8”.Cross reference are automatically updated if the content is  
moved to another location. By default, cross reference are inserted as hyperlinks  
Create an index  
An index lists the terms and topics that are discussed in a document, along with the pages that they appear on. To create an  
index, you mark the index entries by providing the name of the main entry and the cross-reference in your document, and  
then you build the index.  
STEPS  
To create an index, you mark the entries, select a design, and then build the index.  
1. Mark index entries.  
To mark index entries, do one of the following:  
Mark words or phrases  
Mark entries for text that spans a range of pages  
55  
2. Mark words or phrases.  
•
To use existing text as an index entry, select the text. To enter your own text as an index entry, click  
where you want to insert the index entry.  
•
On the References tab, in the Index group, click Mark Entry.  
•
•
To create the main index entry that uses your own text, type or edit the text in the Main entry box.  
If you want, you can customize the entry by creating a subentry, a third-level entry, or a cross-  
reference to another entry:  
1. To create a subentry, type the text in the Subentry box.  
2. To include a third-level entry, type the subentry text followed by a colon (:), and then type the text  
of the third-level entry.  
3. To create a cross-reference to another entry, click Cross-reference under Options, and then type  
the text for the other entry in the box.  
•
To format the page numbers that will appear in the index, select the Bold check box or the Italic  
check box below Page number format.  
To format the text for the index, select the text in the Main entry or Subentry box, right-click, and then click  
Font. Select the formatting options that you want to use.  
•
To mark the index entry, click Mark. To mark all occurrences of this text in the document, click Mark  
All.  
•
To mark additional index entries, select the text, click in the Mark Index Entry dialog box, and then  
repeat step 3 through step 6.  
Drawing an object using an ms word drawing tools.  
Ms Word provides the user with basic drawing tools e.g. polygon lines, a circle, stars, banners callouts, etc  
If the drawings tool bar is not displayed  
Click on view menu -Tool bars -Click on drawing  
The tool bar will displayed which has button labeled auto shapes an arrow line, square and circle  
To draw a line, a circle an arrow or a rectangle  
1. Click on the appropriate shape button. the pointer changes to plus sign  
2. Place the pointer where you want appropriate shape and drag to the required.  
To draw an object using the auto shapes  
Click the auto shapes button a menu is displayed showing categories of shapes you can choose from  
Point to the category required then select the type of object you want /wish to draw  
Place the pointer where you want to draw that shape and drag to the shape  
Editing and formatting an object.  
You can resize, move, fill color and change the drawing outline  
To resize or move a drawing:  
1. Click anywhere inside it, the place holders appears.  
2. To move it, hold down the mouse button and drag.  
3. To resize it place the pointer at one of the place holders and drag.  
To fill the object with color and fill effects  
1. Click the object. the place holders appears  
2. click down the arrow of fill color button , the one that looks like a bucket pouring ink  
3. Select the color you want applied to fill the drawing with the texture gradient or pattern click the  
effects button from the resulting dialog box, select the appropriate fill effect.  
WATERMARK  
Watermarks are text or pictures that appear behind document text. They often add interest or identify the  
document status, such as marking a document as a Draft. You can see watermarks in Print Layout view and Full  
Screen Reading view or in a printed document.  
If you use a picture, you can lighten it, or wash it out, so that it doesn't interfere with document text. If you use  
text, you can select from built-in phrases or type in your own text.  
56  
1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark.  
2. Do one of the following:  
• Click a predesigned watermark, such as Confidential or Urgent, in the gallery of watermarks.  
• Click Custom Watermark, click Text watermark and then select or type the text that you want. You can  
also format the text.  
3. To view a watermark as it will appear on the printed page, use Print Layout view.  
Insert a watermark only on selected pages  
To insert a watermark only on selected pages, you must separate the document into sections. For  
example, if you want to apply a watermark only to the table of contents in a document, you must  
create three sections: a cover page section, the table of contents section, and the rest of the  
document text in its own section.  
1. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Show/Hide so that you can see the page breaks in  
your document.  
2. In Draft view, replace the page breaks surrounding the pages to which you want to add watermarks with  
section breaks.  
On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click Breaks, and then click Next Page under Section  
Breaks.  
Note When you insert a cover page in a document, it has a separate header so that you don't need to create a  
separate section for it if you're creating sections to add a watermark only to selected pages.  
3. Switch to Print Layout view.  
4. Double-click the document header area on the page where you want the watermark to appear. This  
opens the header.  
Microsoft Office Word places watermarks in the header even though they don't appear in the header.  
5. On the Design tab, in the Navigation group, click Link to Previous so that the headers are no longer  
linked.  
6. Double-click the document header area on the first page where you don't want the watermark to  
appear — for example, the first page of document text — and then repeat step 4.  
7. Click the page where you want the watermark to appear.  
8. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark and select the watermark  
that you want.  
57  
PRINTING A DOCUMENT  
Printing in ms word  
The main function of any word processor is to prepare documents for printing. This cannot be accomplished  
without a printer  
The choice of a printer depends on the quality of a hard copy desire.Before you print, it’s very important that  
you preview your document to confirm that no details are outside the printable area and that the document  
layout is ok.  
Using print preview  
To view a document before printing proceed as follows  
1. From the file menu, select print preview the mouse pointer changes in a symbol that resembles a magnifying  
glass you can click on the mouse button inside the document to increase or reduce the size of viewing.  
2. Click the close button or Esc key to return your document.  
To print  
From file menu, click on print .a dialog box appears where you can specify  
The type of the printer installed in your computer other than the default printer  
Whether to print the whole document or range in the page range, number of copies to print per page in the  
number of copies box then click ok to start printing  
Print queue  
A print queue is a list of documents waiting to be printed on the printer. In the print queue, you can  
see information such as the size of the document, who sent the document, and status information for  
printing.  
Print spooler  
Software that accepts a document sent to a printer and then stores it on disk or in memory  
until the printer is ready for it. This collection of dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) receives,  
processes, schedules, and distributes documents for printing. The term spooler is an acronym  
created from simultaneous print operations on line.  
58  
PRESENTATION  
WITH  
TRAINING NOTES  
59  
 
PRESENTATION.  
Presentation is the practice of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience or learner.  
A program, such as Ms PowerPoint is often used to generate the presentation content. An effective presentation is  
well prepared and carefully planned { Refer tips @ the end}. It often combines text, shapes, charts, color, sometimes  
sound or movies to produce a successful communication tool. A good presentation also should have time limit  
which the presentation should not exceed.  
EXAMPLE OF PRESENTATION PROGRAM  
∼
∼
∼
∼
∼
Ms PowerPoint  
Apple Keynote.  
Flash.  
Photoshop  
Libre Office/Open Office Impress/NeoOffice  
Impress.  
∼
Lotus Freelance Graphics is part of IBM's SmartSuite  
package.  
SoftMaker Presentations  
∼
∼
Lotus Symphony Presentations.  
∼
Corel Presentations.  
Ms PowerPoint  
Microsoft PowerPoint is a graphics presentation software package used for designing presentations quickly. It is  
one of an integrated software to Ms Office Suite e.g. Ms Word, Excel etc.  
Presentations can be used in certain situations to convey information more effectively.  
Examples of such situations:  
Marketing of internal company presentations.  
To deliver company results to a shareholder meeting.  
To report sales figures.  
To launch a new product into the market.  
In the induction of new employees into a company.  
Advertising in the media, trade fairs or exhibitions etc.  
With PowerPoint you can create:  
Overhead slides.  
Speaker’s notes.  
Audience handouts and an outline all in one single presentation file.  
PowerPoint has powerful wizards to help you create and organize your presentation step by step.  
Microsoft PowerPoint is also useful as an aid to Desktop Publishing.  
ACCESSING POWERPOINT.  
Go Start….All Programs…..select Ms Office Suite….Then PowerPoint.  
NB: PowerPoint has 3 windows, namely:  
∼
∼
∼
Microsoft PowerPoint window.  
Application window.  
Presentation window  
POWERPOINT OPTIONS  
There are four PowerPoint start-up options you can use when starting capturing the presentation’s contents. These  
are:-  
1)  
Blank Presentation:  
This option brings up the New Slide dialog box, which has 24 blank slide layouts. The slides are pre-designed.  
After choosing a layout, the user fills in the rest of the content.  
60  
2)  
The AutoContent Wizard  
The wizard allows you to select the type of presentation that you would like to create, and then prompts you for a  
title for your presentation as well as information about the topic that you have chosen.  
PowerPoint then provides a basic outline to guide you in organizing your content into a professional presentation.  
3)  
Design Template:  
This option gives you a list of presentation designs and other templates that have predefined slide colors and text  
styles.  
4)  
Open an Existing Presentation:  
Use this option to be able to choose an existing PowerPoint presentation i.e. one that has already been saved in  
the computer.  
CREATING A PRESENTATION USING:  
a) The AutoContent Wizard.  
The AutoContent wizard contains sample presentations for a variety of topics for example, a company meeting,  
status or team meetings, information kiosks, certificates, flyers, calendars of events, and also presentations you can  
use on the Internet.  
The wizard also contains templates from Dale Carnegie Training®, which give tips on how to become a better  
presenter.  
The wizard guides you to select from many new pre-built content templates and it provides ideas, starter text,  
formatting, and organization for your presentation.  
On the Startup dialog box that appears when you start PowerPoint, select the option AutoContent wizard.  
OR  
1. On the file menu, click New, and then click the General tab.  
2. Double-click AutoContent Wizard, and then follow the instructions.  
3. When you finish with the wizard, PowerPoint creates a sample presentation you can add your own words and  
pictures to and then displays it in Normal View.  
4. If you like you can work from Normal view, or you can switch to slide view by clicking the Slide View button at  
the lower left of the screen so as to be able to add other objects like pictures, drawings, sounds etc. to your  
slides.  
5. Use the scroll bar to move to other slides, and continue to type your text in place of the sample text.  
6. You can delete any extra slides that you do not need for the presentation.  
NB: The AutoContent Wizard is not available in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007. Instead, you can create your  
presentation quickly and easily by using templates. Office PowerPoint 2007 templates include different themes and layouts,  
including most of those that existed in the AutoContent Wizard. Templates give you a starting point and make it easier to  
complete your presentation quickly. You can modify a template's text and design, add a company logo, add your own  
images, or delete text or other content from the template.  
c)  
Using Blank Presentation  
Blank presentation is the default option whenever you open PowerPoint. Alternatively, if you want to view the rest  
of option; 2003-click “file Menu- then New” .The 4 options will be shown on your right-hand side.  
61  
ADDING SLIDES  
SLIDE:  
A slide is individual pages of your presentation that is supposed to carry the presentation content. It  
may contain text, graphics like clip art, tables, drawings, videos and animations etc.  
There are several ways on how to insert a new slide into your presentation:  
1. From insert menu, choose “New slide’  
2. Or click on the 1st slide and tab “enter key’ on your Keyboard.  
3. Alternatively, you can right-click on the 1st slide and choose “new slide”  
SLIDE LAYOUT.  
These are 24 pre-designed slides which can assist the user to modify the content inside a slide. After choosing a  
layout, the user is required to fill in the rest of the content. Found in “Home Menu”-2007  
COMPOSING THE PRESENTATIONS” CONTENT……Refer the end of ppt Presentation Tips!  
POWERPOINT VIEWS.  
PowerPoint has six views that help you to view and work on your presentations in different ways. The view buttons  
are usually located at the bottom of the presentation window {@ status Bar} in a form of icons. Also you can view  
them from “view menu”  
The different views are:-  
Normal view  
Slide view  
Outline view  
Notes Pages view  
Slide Sorter view  
Slides show  
The main views you use in PowerPoint are normal view, slide view and slide sorter view.  
To switch between the different views, click on the view buttons at the bottom of the screen.  
i) NORMAL VIEW:  
Normal view simultaneous displays the slide, outline, and notes views in their own, allowing you to see everything  
at once. These panes let you work on all aspects of your presentation in one place. You can adjust the size of the  
different panes by dragging the pane borders.  
In the Slide view you can:-  
×
×
×
See how your text looks on each slide.  
You can add graphics, movies, and sounds, create hyperlinks, and add animations to individual slides.  
You can work with the text in your presentation in Slide view, though you can only work with one slide at a  
time. When you open or create a presentation, this is usually the default view.  
In the Outline view, you can:-  
×
×
×
Rearrange bullet Organize and develop the content of your presentation.  
You can type all of the text of your presentation as you work with Microsoft Word.  
A slide icon appears to the left of each slide’s title. The text below each Slide title is indented. This is the  
same text contained in that particular slide.  
In the Notes view, you can:-  
×
×
Add speaker notes or information you want to share with the audience.  
Displays slides as you would see them in Slide View using the entire screen. It is in this form that the  
audience will view the final presentation.  
62  
SLIDE SORTER VIEW:  
Changing to this view allows you to:-  
Preview the entire presentation.  
Organize or rearrange the order of the slides in your presentation.  
You can also preview animations on the multiple slides by selecting the slides you want to preview and  
then clicking Animation Preview on the “Slide Show” menu.  
SLIDE SHOW.  
It is a test page which test-play how the presentation will appear during the actual show to the audience.  
ICONS AT THE BOTTOM OF SLIDE SHOW  
SAVING A PRESENTATION  
The work done is currently stored only in the computer memory (RAM). To save your work for future use it must be  
saved after creating.  
1. On the Standard toolbar, click on the Save button or click on this button{2007}  
The Save As dialog box appears.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
Ensure that the correct folder is selected, as well as the right drive.  
In the File name box, type in the name for the presentation.  
Click on the Save button.  
Note: You can save a presentation as a Web Page and reopen it again in Microsoft PowerPoint, without using any of  
the formatting or contents.  
Closing PowerPoint  
You can close Microsoft PowerPoint when you want to exit from the application.  
1.  
2.  
3.  
On the file menu, click Exit.  
If the presentation has not been saved then a dialog box appears asking if you want to save it.  
Click on Yes if you want to save.  
63  
INSERTING A CHART.  
A chart lets you graphically display data that is contained in table or spreadsheet.  
Charts help in summarizing information in graphical form and thereby make the information easier to  
comprehend. It also add an impact to your presentation.  
STEPS:  
Open a presentation or create a new presentation if necessary and click on the New Slide button.  
Nominate the slide Layout “with content”. The contents are displayed in iconic form and they represent  
different graphics e.g. table,chart,clip art etc  
The slide layout will change to conform to selected “slide Layout’  
PowerPoint launches Microsoft Graph, which is the application that is used to create and edit Charts.  
A datasheet and chart window will appear, and they contain default data. These will have to be replaced  
with your own data.  
It is the datasheet that will be used to change the default data on the chart.  
WORKING WITH THE DATASHEET.  
The datasheet is made up of rows and columns. A group of related data representing one row or column from the  
table is called a data series. In a datasheet, you can select an individual cell, a range of cells, or an entire row or  
column when you want to work with selected data.  
Selecting Items in Datasheet.  
Entering data into the datasheet, you can:  
a)  
Type your own data into the datasheet. The data entered in the datasheet is plotted on your chart at the  
same time.  
b)  
c)  
Copy and Paste a specified range of data or a worksheet.  
Import data from Microsoft Excel. This is especially useful when the data is already available in Excel and you  
want to avoid retyping it.  
Closing the datasheet:  
When you finish entering your data, click the View Datasheet button, or click the Close button.  
Note: The View Datasheet button is a ‘toggle’ button. This means that when the datasheet is on screen, clicking on  
this button will hide it from view; whereas if the datasheet is hidden, clicking on it will make it appear.  
Changing and Formatting a Chart.  
After creating a chart, you can select a new type of chart that will better suit the data; or format your chart type to  
achieve the results you want. A chart gallery lets you change your chart type and then automatically format the  
chart.  
64  
Changing the Chart type.  
1.  
2.  
3.  
Double-click on the chart to activate it.  
Click on the View Datasheet button.  
From the Chart menu choose Chart type, or click the Chart Type button. The Chart Type menu appears,  
displaying several Chart formats.  
4.  
Select the Chart type you want.  
Changing the Chart’s Appearance (Formatting):  
You can format any of these parts of the chart:  
The chart area  
The chart title  
The plot area  
The axes (y-axis, x-axis, z-axis)  
The legend  
The gridlines etc  
To format any of these parts of the chart:-  
1.  
2.  
Select the part of the chart that you want to format by clicking on it.  
Choose the relevant command on the Format menu.  
For example, to format the legend, click on the legend and select Format Legend from the Format menu.  
This option changes depending on what part of the chart has been selected.  
Alternatively, you may select the legend and click on the right-mouse button, then choose Format Legend.  
From the dialog box that appears, choose the desired option.  
Excluding Data from a Chart:  
In some cases, you may want to create a chart that leaves out some data or text that is contained in the datasheet  
or table.  
You can exclude data from your chart without deleting it from the datasheet by clicking the Exclude Row/Column  
command.  
1.  
2.  
3.  
View the datasheet by clicking on the View Datasheet button.  
Select the Row or Column to be excluded.  
From the Data menu, click Exclude Row/Column.  
The exclude row or column turns gray in the datasheet and that data series is excluded from the chart.  
Note: When you want to include the data again in the chart, click Include Row/Column.  
INSERTING CLIP ART PICTURES IN A PRESENTATION  
When you incorporate the appropriate Clip Art image, your presentation will look much better, and also easy to  
understand. Clip Art images are contained in Microsoft Clip Art Gallery. This is where we choose the images to use  
in the presentations.  
The new Clip Art Gallery in PowerPoint 2000 can also store sounds and movies. If you use a picture, sound, or  
movie often, you can add it to the Clip Art Gallery for easy access.  
To insert clip Art do the following:-  
1. Select an empty.  
2. Choose a Slide layout with title & content.  
3. On the content, select icon for Clip Art.  
4. Insert a word in a query box and click “Go”  
65  
SCALING THE PICTURE:  
Scaling means resizing an entire object e.g. picture by a certain percentage. Even though you can resize an object  
by dragging its resize handles, the scale command can be used to resize an object numerically.  
Select the object you want to resize.  
On the Format menu, click Picture, and the click the Size tab.  
Under Scale, enter the percentages you want in the Height and Width boxes.  
Click the Preview button if you wish to see the new size before leaving the dialog box and click OK.  
Click a blank area to deselect the object.  
CROPPING THE PICTURE:  
Cropping is trimming a portion of a picture, so that you don’t some parts. Basically, the original picture is not  
altered in any way. Photos are often cropped to focus attention on a particular area of the photo.  
Steps:  
1.  
2.  
Click on the picture that you want to crop.  
From the Picture toolbar, select the Crop button.  
3.  
4.  
5.  
Click the pointer changes to a cropping tool.  
Positions the centers of the cropping tool on any of the resize handles and drag to achieve the required size.  
Click on a blank area to deselect the picture.  
To restore the proportions of a resized picture:  
1.  
2.  
3.  
Select the picture you want to restore to its original size.  
On the Picture toolbar, click Format Picture.  
Click the Size tab, and then click the Reset button.  
INSERTING A MICROSOFT WORD TABLE  
You can insert other types of objects like Microsoft Word tables, Excel worksheets or charts, Word Art objects,  
scanned photographs or other applications into PowerPoint using the Insert command on the menu.  
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  
Open the slide on which you want to add a table.  
From the Insert menu choose Picture, then Microsoft Word Table or use a proper slide layout.  
Type in the number of rows and columns required.  
Type in your information in the grid that appears.  
After you finish typing in the information, click outside the grid to return to your presentation.  
N/B: Once the table is in place, you can perform all sorts editing & formatting like font formatting, re-sizing  
sorting, calculations, enhancing, aligning text and numbers and so on.  
INSERT DRAWING OBJECTS.  
These are non text objects like squares, rectangles, polygons, lines, ellipses, text boxes or even combine different  
shapes. These are referred to as AutoShapes.  
1.  
2.  
Select a drawing tool from the Drawing toolbar 2003 or insert menu-then shapes {2007}.  
To get a wider selection of drawing tools/shapes click on the AutoShapes button.  
66  
PowerPoint 2003 & 2007 contains many new AutoShapes categories to help you create diagrams of web sites,  
networks, office layouts, and more.  
When you click on any of the buttons, the mouse pointer changes to a plus symbol.  
3.  
4.  
Drag the plus pointer to the slide in order to draw the object desired.  
When you finish drawing an object, it is automatically selected. You will see the fill handles that indicate that  
the drawing is selected.  
Tips:  
1.  
To draw a proportional object hold down the shift or CTRL key while you draw. For example,  
To draw a perfect square or circle, select the rectangle and oval tools respectively and hold down the Shift key as you  
drag.  
To draw an object from the center outward, hold down the CTRL key while you draw.  
Editing a Drawing Object.  
1.  
2.  
To edit a drawing object, click on the drawing object to select it.  
Click the relevant command from a menu or toolbar. Editing an object may involve moving it, copying, cutting  
and pasting.  
Resizing the Drawing Object.  
1.  
2.  
Drag the resize handles (the fill-handles).  
A dotted outline of the drawing or shape appears as you drag showing you the new size.  
Rotating a Drawing.  
1. You can rotate an object 90 degrees to the left or right or to any other angle.  
2.  
It is possible to rotate one object, a set of objects, or a group of objects. If you rotate an AutoShape that has  
attached text, the text rotates with the shape. For example, to rotate an object 90 degrees to the left:  
Select the object you want to rotate.  
1.  
2.  
On the Drawing toolbar, click on the Rotate Left button.  
Grouping or Ungrouping Objects.  
Grouping objects means combining them so you can work with them as one single object. This technique can  
help you build complex drawings.  
You can then rotate, and resize or scale all objects in a group as a single unit.  
You can also change the attributes of all objects in a group at one time. For example, you might change the fill  
color or add a shadow to all objects in the group.  
You can ‘ungroup’ a group of objects at any time, and you can easily ‘regroup’ them by selecting any one of  
the objects that was previously grouped.  
To Group Objects.  
1.  
Select the objects you want to group. To do this, click on each of the objects while holding down the Shift  
key.  
2.  
3.  
On the AutoShapes toolbar, click on the Draw button.  
Choose the option Group.  
OR  
4.  
With the cursor inside the selection, click on the right mouse button and select Grouping.  
N/B: To insert other types of objects click on the Insert Object command and make your selection from the grid.  
ORGANIZATION CHARTS.  
An organization chart is constructed along similar lines to a family tree. In most organizations, it is constructed to  
show lines of authority and all the workers and their titles. Organization charts may also be used to illustrate  
processes or procedures in an organization  
There are different types of organization charts but the most common are ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ organization  
charts.  
67  
An example of a Vertical Organization Chart.  
Chief Executive  
Supplies  
Transport  
Training  
Procurement  
Stores Officer  
PowerPoint uses a program called ‘Microsoft Organization Chart’ to insert organization chart objects in your  
presentation slides.  
Why use Organization Chart.  
The reasons for creating an organization chart may vary depending on individuals or the type of presentation, but  
in most cases the reasons are:-  
To show relationships between staff and departments.  
To define lines of authority and responsibility in an organization etc.  
Step-by-Step.  
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
Open the presentation for which you want to add an organization chart.  
Display the slide you want to add an organization chart to in Normal or Slide view  
Use appropriate slide layout i.e. Title & Content or Go to insert menu and select chart.  
With 2007 & 2010 choose “insert smart Art Graphics, then hierarchy’  
Regardless of whichever method used, a blank new slide appears with a placeholder for the organization chart.  
1.  
Double-click on the placeholder in order to insert the organization chart. Once this is done, the application  
Microsoft Organization Chart is launched.  
An organization chart is displayed in the window and it has two levels.  
The top level of the chart is open and ready for you to enter your information. This information is usually typed into  
a Chart box.  
Entering Text into the Chart Box  
1. Select the chart box in which you want to type in information.  
2. Click inside the chart and select the placeholder text. These are the words ‘Type name here’ or ‘Type title here’.  
3. Type in your own text. As you continue typing, the chart box expands to fit the text.  
You can use the up arrow or down arrow keys to move between the placeholders text lines.  
After entering all the text in the chart, you can be able to modify the chart to meet your specific needs.  
To Add a Chart Box to an Organization Chart  
In most cases, a typical organization will have more than just four employees, and so the number of chart boxes  
displayed will not be enough to include all their names and titles. There is need therefore, to add more chart boxes.  
68  
Procedure:  
1. Click a chart box type on the Organization Chart toolbar.  
The chart boxes shown below are used to add different levels to the chart.  
To add lower levels to the chart, click on Subordinate, and to add higher levels click on Manager. For employees on  
the same level, use the Co-worker buttons. To add an assistant, click on the Assistant button.  
2.  
3.  
Select the chart box you want to attach it to and click inside it.  
If you want to delete the chart box, select it and then press the Delete key.  
Edit Organization Chart.  
1. To change the style or structure of an organization chart.  
The current chart type appears in the traditional style, i.e. with one Manager at the top and Subordinates below. However, some companies  
may have Co-Managers at the top, and so the chart style would have to reflect this. Other people or companies favor a horizontal chart as  
opposed to a vertical one.  
2.  
Editing may involve rearranging the chart boxes. This can be achieved by moving some chart boxes to different locations or deleting  
some chart boxes.  
This action may be necessitated when for example; someone changes jobs or leaves the organization; or when new people join the  
organization.  
3.  
You can also edit the text in the chart title, chart boxes and text labels.  
Step-by-Step.  
Editing the Chart title and Chart boxes  
To edit or format a chart box or chart title or chart box must be selected first.  
To select the Chart title:  
×
×
×
×
Position the pointer to the left of the Chart Title text.  
Drag to select the chart title text.  
The chart appears selected or highlighted.  
Type in the text and click on a blank area of the window to deselect the title.  
To select a Chart box:  
×
Click inside an individual box to select on box.  
To select more boxes, choose a command from the Select submenu which is on the Edit menu such as All, All Managers, Lowest Level etc.  
Rearranging the Chart boxes  
1.  
2.  
Click a blank area on the chart window to ensure that no chart box is selected.  
Drag the box that you want to move to the bottom of the chart box where you want to place it.  
Changing the Styles  
1.  
2.  
After selecting the chart boxes whose style you want to change, click on the Style menu.  
Select the style from the ensuing options.  
Note that you can have a combination of styles in your chart.  
A chart with a modified structure showing a combination of styles  
Managing Director  
Production Manager  
Marketing Manager  
Finance Manager  
Chief Engineer  
Chief Designer  
Advertising Manager  
Sales Manager  
Chief Cashier  
Chief Accountant  
69  
Format an Organization Chart.  
All elements of the organization chart can be formatted. These include the chart title, chart boxes, the connecting  
lines etc.  
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
Select the words ‘Chart Title’ or any text that may have been typed in the chart title section.  
On the Text menu, select Font.  
The Font dialog box appears.  
Choose the Font, the Font style and the font size preferred.  
Formatting the Chart Boxes.  
There exist possibilities to change the different elements of the chart boxes like the Color, Border style, Border  
color, Border line style, Shadow etc to suit individual tastes and requirements.  
Steps:  
1.  
2.  
•
Select individual chart boxes by clicking on each of them.  
From the Boxes menu, point to any of the options available thereon to format the chart boxes:  
Color – allows you to choose or change the color of the chart boxes.  
Shadow – adds a shadow to the chart box.  
•
•
•
Border style – to choose style for the border e.g. dotted lines or broken lines.  
Border color – to change the color of the border.  
•
3.  
Border line style –  
Once the formatting is done, click a blank area of the chart window to deselect the chart boxes.  
Formatting the Connecting Lines  
Connecting lines are the lines that connect the chart boxes. These lines can be formatted to a different thickness or  
style.  
1. On the Edit menu, point to Select and then click Connecting Lines.  
The chart’s connecting lines are dotted, indicating that they are selected.  
2. On the Lines menu, there are options for formatting color, thickness and style.  
Click on any of the options and choose the type of format that you prefer.  
3. Click a blank area in the chart window to deselect the connecting lines.  
Add a connecting line to the Organization Chart:  
Sometimes you want to show a unique relationship between chart boxes in your organization chart that is currently  
not represented.  
Usually, a dotted line can be used to indicate that the manager has some measure of authority over the  
subordinate, but the exact nature of that authority is not usually indicated in the chart.  
You can draw independent lines between any chart boxes.  
Steps:  
1. If the drawing tools are not visible, then on the View menu, click Show Draw tools. The drawing tools usually  
appear on the right side of the organization chart toolbar.  
2. Click the ‘Auxiliary Line’ button.  
3. Position the cursor (which is cross-shaped) at the edge of the chart box you are drawing the line from.  
4. Drag to the edge of the chart box you are drawing the connecting line to.  
Note;  
You can draw other types of lines like horizontal or vertical lines, diagonal lines or even rectangles by using the  
other buttons on the drawing toolbar.  
70  
Add a Text Label to the Organization Chart:  
A text label is any extra text that is added to the chart that is not necessary within a chart box. This may be some  
form of explanation say, about a unique relationship or a note to draw attention to a certain fact etc.  
Steps:  
1.  
2.  
3.  
On the organization chart toolbar, click the Enter Text button.  
Position the cursor where you would like to place your text and click to place the insertion point.  
Type in the text.  
Managing Director  
Production Manager  
Marketing Manager  
Finance Manager  
Chief Engineer  
Chief Designer  
Advertising Manager  
Sales Manager  
Chief Cashier  
Chief Accountant  
A chart showing a connecting line and text label  
Exit Microsoft Organization Chart.  
As mentioned earlier, Microsoft Organization Chart is the program that enables us create, edit or format an  
organization chart in PowerPoint. If we are to continue using PowerPoint for creating other slides, we need to exit  
from this program.  
Step-by-Step.  
1. On the File menu, click Exit and Return to ‘Presentation’ or choose Close and Return to ‘Presentation’. You will  
get a dialog box.  
2. Click the Yes button to update your presentation. This will ensure that the chart (and any changes made to it) is  
updated in your slide.  
3. Click on a blank area to deselect the chart object.  
PRINTING A PRESENTATION.  
You can print slides from a presentation when you want to get hard copies of them.  
In addition, you can also print speaker notes, audience handouts, outlines etc.  
How  
When printing a color presentation on a B/W printer, it is advisable first preview the slides in either grayscale (i.e.  
showing all the shades of gray) or in pure black & white before printing because you need to be sure that what you  
are printing is going to be legible.  
You may also have used some dark text against a shaded background, which when printed may not be legible at all.  
To preview and change what slides will look like when printed in black and white:  
×
×
×
To preview the slides in pure black and white, hold down SHIFT and click Pure Black and White Preview on  
the standard toolbar.  
Another method is to right-click the slide or object you want to change, point to Black and White on the  
shortcut menu, and then click the option you want.  
To preview the slides in grayscale, click Grayscale Preview on the Standard toolbar.  
71  
×
×
Here, you can change more than one object at a time by holding down SHIFT while you click each object  
and then clicking and option. You can also mix black-and-white options on the same slide.  
The slide switches from color to Black and White or Grayscale view depending on the options chosen.  
To return to the previous view in color, click on the button again.  
1. From the File menu, click on Print.  
2. To print in grayscale, select the Grayscale check box.  
To hide all shades of gray and print in pure black and white, select the Pure black and white check box.  
3. From the dialog box under the Print what section, choose what you want to print e.g. Slides, Handouts, Notes  
Pages, Outline and so on.  
4. Click OK.  
ANIMATING SLIDE TEXT AND OBJECTS.  
1. Animation effects are usually added to slides so as to add interest to the presentation.  
2. To assist the presenter to control the flow of information and to focus on important points.  
Slide Text refers to any text that appears on the slides.  
Slide Objects refers to all other objects like drawings, Clip Art pictures, charts, tables and so on that are included in  
the slides.  
Animating Slides text and objects means adding special visual effects or even sound effects to text or an object on a  
slide. For example, you can have the text appear one word, or letter at a time from the top of the screen.  
Animating Slide Text:  
1. Open the presentation file and switch to Slide Sorter View.  
2. Click once on the slide you want to apply Animation effects to.  
3. To quickly build slide text or objects, you must be able to view the Animation Effects toolbar.  
Position the mouse pointer inside the toolbars and click the right mouse button. Then select the Animation  
Effects toolbar.  
4. Using the toolbar, you can quickly apply preset Animation effects to your slides.  
Some of the effects include the Typewriter effect, Flash once, Camera effect, Drive-in effect etc.  
Click on the effect that you would like to apply to the text on the slide.  
Microsoft PowerPoint places an animation symbol below the selected slide. This shows you that the text therein  
is animated.  
5. To apply other Animation effects that are not shown on the Animation effects toolbar, click the Text Preset  
Animation box on the Slide Sorter toolbar. From the drop-down list choose the effect that you want to apply e.g.  
Fly from Top.  
6. To view the animations applied, click the Slide Show button  
OR  
Click on the Animation Preview button on the Animation Effects toolbar.  
7. If you used the first method to view animations, click the mouse button to proceed from one point to another  
or from slide to slide.  
8. Press the ESC key to end the slide show.  
72  
N/B: To animate the title, click the Animate Title button found on the Animation Effects toolbar.  
To animate the text one word or paragraph at a time:  
1. With the slide in Slide view, select the option Custom Animation from the Animation Effects.  
The Custom Animation dialog box appears.  
2. To set Animation effects, click on the Effects tab.  
3. Under the Entry animation and sound area, select the animation you would like.  
4. Also select what should happen after the animation e.g. Hide or Don’t Dim etc in the After animation section.  
5. In the Introduce text area, click the drop-down arrow, and then click the option you would like e.g. by word.  
The option sets the text to appear one word at a time during a slide show.  
6. Click on OK.  
7. When you switch to Slide show the new animation effect will display automatically.  
ANIMATING SLIDE OBJECTS:  
It is possible to animate objects on a slide just like text.  
For objects with text, you can either animate the text in the object or animate the text and objects together.  
When you animate the text in the object, the object remains unaffected.  
Steps:  
1. Switch to Slide view and select the slide that contains the objects you want to apply the animation effects to.  
2. Select the shapes or objects that you want to animate.  
3. From the Animation Effects toolbar, choose Custom Animation to get the custom animation screen.  
4. Choose the settings you want.  
5. Preview the animation set by clicking on the Preview button and then click on OK.  
SETTING SLIDE TRANSITIONS AND SLIDE TIMINGS.  
A Slide Transition is a special visual effect that is used to introduce a slide during a slide show. Slide transitions are  
usually added to slides to create added impact to a presentation.  
Examples of slide transitions include effects like Wipe Down, Box in, Cut, Checkerboard Across, Dissolve, Fade Out,  
Cover Down etc.  
Slide Timing refers to the length of time a slide appears on the screen. If you don’t want to manually move through  
a slide show by clicking on the mouse button, you can set the length of time a slide appears on the screen. This  
allows the presenter to be in control of time during a presentation.  
Step-by-Step.  
1. Click the Slide Sorter view button so as to view all the slides.  
The Slide Sorter toolbar is activated.  
2. From the Slide Sorter toolbar, click on the Slide Transition Effects box and select a transition effect from the  
list.  
3. However, if you are in Slide view, choose the option Slide Transition from the Slide Show menu.  
4. In the Effect box, select the transition you want.  
5. Change the transition speed if necessary.  
6. Click on Apply. If you want to apply the transition to all the slides, click on Apply to All.  
Just like with animations, Microsoft PowerPoint places a transition symbol below the selected slide. This shows that  
the slide has a transition effect.  
Applying Slide Timings:  
There are two ways you can set slide timings on the screen.  
•
By setting the time manually for each slide, and then running the slide show and viewing the  
you set.  
timings  
•
By using the rehearsal feature, where you can record timings automatically as you rehearse.  
73  
You can also adjust the timings you’ve already set and then rehearse the new ones.  
Setting Slide Show timings manually:  
1.  
2.  
3.  
In Slide view or Slide Sorter view, select the slide(s) you want to set the timing for.  
On the Slide Show menu, click Slide Transition.  
Under Advance, click automatically after, and then type in the time you want the slide to appear on the  
screen.  
4.  
5.  
6.  
To apply the timing to the selected slides, click Apply. To apply the timing to all the slides, click Apply to All.  
Repeat the process for each slide you want to set the timing for.  
To view the timings, click Slide Show.  
Notes:  
•
•
In Slide Show, a mouse click always advances a slide, even if the timing set for that slide has not yet elapsed.  
If you hold down the mouse button, you prevent a timed transition from occurring.  
Setting Rehearsed Slide Timings:  
You can also set slide timings using the Rehearse Slide timing feature.  
This means that you can rehearse the slide show and adjust it accordingly.  
1.  
On the Slide Show menu or toolbar, click Rehearse Timings. The Slide Show begins in rehearsal mode and the  
Rehearsal dialog box appears at the bottom of the screen.  
The slide time begins running as soon as the first slide appears.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
Click the Next button as soon as you are ready to go to the next slide.  
When you reach the end of the slide show, a dialog box appears showing you the total time for the slide show.  
Click Yes to accept the timings of No to try again.  
As with animations and transitions, you can see the slide timings for the slides when in Slide Sorter view.  
×
You can click the Repeat button to restart the process if the Slide timings are not appropriate for your  
purposes.  
Tip: If you know the timing you want for a slide, you can enter it directly in the Rehearsal dialog box.  
CREATING A SLIDE SHOW.  
There are two ways to advance your slide show, automatically or manually.  
Clicking the mouse manually moves your slides through the slide show.  
The Automatic Advance timing feature moves your slides through the slide show automatically. It keeps  
the slides for the time you specified in the Advance box.  
Step-by-Step.  
1. On the Slide Show menu, click Set Up Show.  
2. Select the Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ check box.  
3. In the Slides area, select the slides you want to show. If you want all the slides, choose All. If you just want to  
view particular slides, then type in the slides in the appropriate section.  
4. In the Advance slides area, click the Use timings, if preset option i.e. if you would like the show to run  
automatically. Click OK.  
The slide show runs through your presentation, using the slide timings that you set in the Slide Transition dialog  
box.  
ENTERING SPEAKER NOTES.  
Purpose  
Speaker Notes are the notes that a presenter uses as ‘cue cards’ or reminders in the course of giving a slide show.  
These notes are usually printed and they help the presenter to remember key points during a presentation.  
Each slide has a notes page that includes a smaller version (miniature) of the slide and space for speaker notes.  
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You can create notes pages while you’re creating your presentation and then use them a speaker notes when  
delivering the presentation.  
Step-by-Step.  
1. On the View menu, click Notes Page.  
2. Click inside the Notes box, and then type in your notes for the current slide.  
3. To enlarge the view of the Notes box, click the Zoom box and choose slide.  
4. Use the scroll bar to move to other slides you want to add notes to.  
S
L
I
D
E
M
A
S
T
E
R
.
A master Slide is a special slide or page on which you define formatting for all slides or pages in your presentation.  
Step-by-Step.  
1. Select Master from the View menu, and then click Slide Master.  
The Slide Master appears. It shows the different areas of the slide e.g. the title, date, footer, and number areas as  
well as the text area.  
2. You can use the slide master to format the title and the main text on your slides including fonts, size, color etc.  
If you would like to have a picture or object appear on every slide, add the object to the slide master.  
You can also create other types of master in the same way. These include:-  
Title masters  
Handout masters  
Notes masters  
Inserting Headers and Footers:  
You can use headers and footers to add information such as the date and time of the presentation, the slide or  
page number.  
1. On the View menu, click Header and Footer.  
2. In the Header and Footer dialog box, ensure that the Slide tab is selected.  
3. Select the options you want. For example, to add footer, select the check box for footer, then type in your text  
in the space provided.  
4. Click the Apply to All buttons, to add the information to all the slides.  
5. You can change the position of the footer or number by dragging it to a new position. You can also format the  
text in all areas of the slide.  
6.  
7.  
To return to your slide, click Close on the Master View toolbar.  
All the slide(s) will have the formatting specified in the slide master, together with the footer, drawing, page  
number etc.  
Note: Do not delete or add characters in the date, time, and slide number placeholders. If you do, the placeholders  
will no longer be usable.  
Using the Pack and Go Wizard.  
When you want to run a slide show on another computer, you can use the Pack and Go Wizard.  
The wizard ‘packages’ together, on a disk, all the files and fonts used in the presentation.  
When you intend to run your show on a computer that doesn’t have PowerPoint installed, it also packages the  
PowerPoint Viewer on the disk.  
Step-by-Step.  
1. Open the presentation you want to save to disk.  
2. On the File menu, click Pack and Go.  
3. In the first step select the files that you would like to pack. Then click on Next.  
4. Choose the destination for the file. This can be either the A: or B: drives or even a folder on the hard disk itself.  
Click on Next.  
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5. Choose whether linked files and true type fonts should be included in your presentation.  
In a presentation file, some of the information or objects are contained in a different file. The presentation file is  
referred to as the destination file whereas the other file is known as the source file. If the files are such that  
whenever the information in the source file is updated, then the information in the destination file is also updated,  
then the files are referred to as linked files.  
6. Click on Next.  
7. Depending on whether the destination computer has PowerPoint Viewer installed or not, selects the relevant  
option and click on Next.  
8. Click on Finish.  
9. Click on OK.  
The presentation is now ‘packed’ and be used on a different computer.  
Tip:  
If you make changes to your presentation after using the Pack and Go Wizard, just run the wizard again to update  
it.  
Unpacking a Presentation.  
When you want to run a slide show on another computer, you may also want to run a slide show on a computer  
that does not have PowerPoint installed using the PowerPoint Viewer on the disk.  
However, before ‘unpacking’ a presentation, you must have used the “pack and go” wizard to package your  
presentation.  
Step-by-Step.  
1.Open the window explorer program.  
2.Open the folder in which you packed the presentation. If you packed the presentation to a disk drive, insert the  
disk into the drive and access it.  
3.In windows explorer, go to the drive where the disk is located.  
4. Such files cannot be opened from the Explorer window until they have been extracted (unpacked).  
5.Double-click on the file Pngsetup.exe.  
6.Type in the destination you want to copy the presentation to.  
Note that you must know the name of the folder well in advance before unpacking the presentation as it is not  
possible to browse and select a folder at this stage. Click on OK.  
Using the PowerPoint Viewer:  
If the machine you are unpacking the presentation to does not have PowerPoint installed then you have to include  
the PowerPoint viewer when packing the presentation.  
To run slide show, double-click the PowerPoint Viewer Ppview32 when in Windows Explorer and then click the  
presentation you want to run.  
PRESENTATION TIPS.  
An effective presentation is well prepared and carefully planned. The way you write an essay should also be applied  
to writing the contents of the presentation i.e. the Head, Introduction, Body and conclusion. This means the 1st  
slide is referred to “Title Slide”, and the 2nd slide “intro” slide, while the others are normal slide accept the last slide  
“Summary Slide”  
A good presentation often combines text, shapes, charts, color, sometimes sound or movies to produce a  
successful communication tool. It is more than just slides that contain text and shapes.This is in cognizance of the  
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fact that most people retain 40%-50% more information when they see and hear simultaneously rather than from  
just listening.  
Notes.  
Effective presentations have some common characteristics, which should improve communication between the  
speaker and the audience.  
Simplicity  
Good presentations are simple and to the point. They are not long-winded and boring or complicated.  
They are easy for the speaker to present and easy for the audience to grasp.  
A long-winded and complex presentation usually ends up confusing the audience contrary to expectations.  
Visuals  
Good presentations make use of a lot of visuals i.e. graphics, pictures, clip art, charts and so on.  
These generally serve the purpose of:  
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
Attracting attention to the pertinent points of a presentation.  
Helping relieve stress and ‘eye fatigue’ from too much reading.  
Making your presentation more interesting.  
A visual can tell the audience much more about the subject matter that a slide full of text. This is  
with the old adage “A picture says more than a thousand words”.  
in line  
Colour  
A good presentation usually has a lot of color. Compared to a black and white presentation, a color presentation  
attracts a lot of attention.  
However, the use of color must be judicious; otherwise the presentation will end up being overly ‘colorful’ and too  
flashy.  
Having determined the characteristics of an effective presentation, the next logical step is to create the  
presentation using the tools that have been covered in the previous sessions.  
There are some steps that need to be followed in the creation of an effective presentation.  
The three steps to an effective presentation are:  
1)  
2)  
3)  
Plan  
Prepare  
Execute  
PLANNING A PRESENTATION.  
You need to develop an overall plan for your presentation before you begin writing it down.  
Organize the entire presentation in your mind and sketch the outline of your presentation on paper.  
At this stage of planning, the following aspects of the presentation need to be considered:  
1)  
2)  
3)  
4)  
5)  
The Message  
The Style  
The Length  
The Output  
The need for related materials.  
Message  
This is the most important part of your presentation. It is important for the presenter to know the subject well.  
Therefore, define the purpose of the presentation and plan your main points carefully, focusing on essentials.  
Also, set the goals you want to be achieved by the end of the presentation.  
In PowerPoint, you can create an outline from scratch using Outline view or you can choose a Sample Outline using  
the AutoContent wizard.  
Some of the samples include Financial Report, Business Plan, Launching a Product, General etc.  
77  
Style  
The style can be formal or informal. This depends on the intended audience.  
It is a good idea to do a background study of the make up of your audience before you decide on the style. Also,  
choose a style that compliments your audience. Generally, the style conveys the tone of the presentation.  
Length  
Determine the amount of time or duration you have to present your presentation. This is so as to develop or come  
up with the right number of slides.For instance, it does not make sense to have a large number of slides for a 10-  
minute presentation; neither does it make sense to have too few slides.  
The recommended length for a presentation is 30 minutes or less. If your presentation is going to last more than  
that, provided a break halfway through for the audience.  
Output  
This should reflect the presentation style.  
Some recommendations or preferences are:  
Black and White overheads for informal presentations.  
Color overheads for a formal meeting.  
35-mm slides for professional meetings where computers are not available.  
Related Materials:  
They are an important part of the presentation. These include material like audience handouts, notes pages and speaker’s  
notes.  
They serve the useful purpose of:  
Helping the presenter to stay on track during the presentation e.g. using speaker’s notes.  
Helping your audience follow along with your presentation and be able to take notes at the same time e.g. using  
audience handouts.  
Having considered all the above, the end product of the planning stage should be a sketch or a rough outline for the  
presentation.  
Preparing the Presentation  
This stage involves translating the planned sketch into slides and choosing a presentation layout.  
Choose a layout design that will display the content of the presentation.  
Layout Design  
Abide by the qualities of simplicity, contrast and consistency.  
For a conservative image use simple colors lines and borders whereas for a flashy style use flashy colors, curves and shapes.  
Keep all textual matter brief and include graphics wherever possible.  
Designing Visuals  
The type, style and placement of the visuals should compliment the content.  
For example, use bulleted lists, charts, drawings, tables, worksheets, Clip Art or pictures where appropriate.  
Other Layout Essentials  
Include slide numbers, headers and footers to help reinforce the same message on each slide or handout page.  
Incorporate appropriate transition effects, build effects etc. and add speaker’s notes to your presentation.  
Finally, run through the presentation and re-sequence the slides as needed.  
Executing the Presentation  
The following areas have to be looked at:  
Equipment  
Before the actual presentation, ensure that audiovisual equipment like projectors are functioning properly.  
Ensure that there is a proper focus of visuals e.g. the overhead projector screen being used is well positioned and in full  
view for all the audience.  
Practice using the machines or equipment in advance at the venue to familiarize yourself with them.  
78  
Light and Sound  
Reduce sources of external noise if possible. These can be loud voices from the corridors, noisy printers and machines  
etc. this is to avoid unnecessary distractions to your audience.  
Ensure that there is enough light at the venue t avoid eye-strain.  
Audience  
Involve the audience in the presentation. This can be done by:  
Asking questions and inviting questions from the audience.  
Timing the presentation and pausing at appropriate stops to allow for discussion etc.  
o
o
Invite and act on feedback. Feedback from the audience can be verbal or non-verbal.  
Voice/Mannerism  
Make effective use of voice. Use a moderate voice, do not use a voice that is too loud or too soft.  
Also, vary the tone in your voice to capture interest.  
Avoid distracting mannerisms like twiddling fingers, picking your nose or teeth in public, throwing your hands about  
etc. These can actually end up offending or putting off the audience instead.  
Rehearse  
Rehearse the presentation with yourself as the audience.  
Rehearse with a friendly audience in the actual venue or time yourself.  
79  
 
Spread sheets.  
Spreadsheets are a ledger sheets that lets the users to enter, edit and manipulate numeric data.  
There are two types of spreadsheets namely:  
1. The manual spreadsheet.  
2. The electronic spreadsheets.  
Manual spreadsheet is the most commonly used type by book- keepers as a ledger book with many  
sheets of papers divided in rows and columns on which various amounts of money are entered  
manually using a pen or a pencil.  
Electronic spreadsheet is prepared using a computer program that enables the user to enter values  
in rows and columns similar to the ones of manual spreadsheet and to manipulate them  
mathematically using formulae.  
Advantages of using electronic spreadsheet over manual spreadsheet  
1. The electronic spreadsheet utilizes the powerful aspects of the computer e.g. speed ,  
accuracy, and efficiency to enable the user quickly accomplish tasks  
2. It offers a larger virtual sheet for data entry and manipulating e.g. the largest paper ledger  
you can get is the one that doesn’t exceed 30 columns and 51 rows while with an electronic  
spreadsheet , at least ledger has 255 columns and 255 rows  
3. It utilizes the larger storage space on the computer storage devices to save and retrieve  
documents  
4. It enables the user to produce neat work because the traditional paper, pencil ,rubber and  
calculators are put aside. All the work done is edited on the screen and final clean copy is  
printed. With a hand written spread sheet, neatness and legibility depends on the writers  
hand writing.  
5. Electronic spreadsheet have a better document formatting capabilities  
6. Electronic spreadsheet have inbuilt formulae called functions that enable the user to quickly  
manipulate mathematical data  
7. It automatically adjusts the results of a formulae if the values in the worksheets are  
changed .This is called automatic recalculation feature. For the manual sheet, changing one  
value from another means rubbing the results and writing the correct one again.  
Examples of spreadsheets  
∼
∼
∼
∼
VisiCalc ; was the first type of spreadsheet to be developed for personal computers  
lots 1-2-3 ; this is an integrated software with spreadsheets module , graphs and data base  
Microsoft Excel  
VP planner.  
∼ Quattro Pro  
∼ Open Office.org Calc  
∼ Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets  
∼ PlanMaker Mobile spreadsheet program  
The spread sheet that will be considered for our case study is Microsoft Excel  
Components of spreadsheets  
Spreadsheet has three components:  
1. Worksheet.  
2. Data base.  
3. Graphs.  
80  
1. Worksheet  
It is the component in which data values are entered and is made up of rows and columns. The  
intersection between a row and a column is called a cell. A row is a horizontal arrangement of cells  
while a column is labeled with a letter. Each cell is referred using the column label followed by the  
row labeled e.g. cell B 3, has the value of 20  
N/B a group of many worksheets make up a work book  
A
B
C
D
E
F
1
2
3
4
20  
Row 3  
Column E  
Fig 1 above; worksheet & below shows sheet 1 to3.  
2. Data base  
Data values can be entered in the cells of the spreadsheet and managed by special excel features  
found on the data menu .These features were incorporated in the Excel but they actually belong to  
data base management software. One of such features is filtering records, using forms, calculating  
subtotals, data validation, pivot tables, and chart reports.  
If the data values, for the same entity (related values) are entered on the same row, they form a  
record. A worksheet can be manipulated to some extent as a database that has data records entered  
in it. The table below shows a work sheet having three records Bill, Mary & Jung  
A
B
C
D
E
F
1
2
3
4
Name  
Bill  
Mary  
Jung  
ID No  
123454  
234560  
023456  
Age  
25  
18  
45  
Nationality  
Kenyan  
Ugandan  
Korean  
NOTE:  
A spreadsheet file is instructed in such a way that it can be visualized as a table of records. That is  
why such a file can be imported in to a data-base program  
3. Graphs  
It is a pictorial representation of the data base on a work-sheet. Most spreadsheet refer to graphs as  
charts  
A chart enables the user to present complex data elements from worksheet in a simple in a simple  
easy to understand format .Examples of charts are; Pie chart, line chart, and bar chart .it is easier to  
generate charts when working with a spreadsheet  
Example of a pie chart  
81  
APPLICATION AREAS OF SPREADSHEET  
a) Statistical analysis  
Spreadsheet provide a set of data analysis tools that can be used to save steps when developing  
complex statically or engineering analysis .The user is expected to provide the appropriate data and  
parameters for each analysis .The statistical tools then uses appropriate automated statistical or  
engineering functions and then displays results in an output table. Some of the tools generate charts  
in addition to the output tables.  
Because most of these tools are complex, the user needs to have the statistical background  
knowledge before attempting to use the tools.  
Examples of some simple statistical functions  
i.)  
Average – is used to calculate the mean of a set of values  
ii.)  
Median – is used to return the value in the middle of a set of values e.g. 10,20,30,40,50, 60  
The average of a set is 35 and its median is also 35.Median is found by taking the average of the two  
numbers at the centre of the set in this case 30 and 40.  
b) Accounting  
Many accountants find the spread sheet a useful tool to use in recording daily transactions and  
keeping records. Spreadsheet provides a user friendly environment for financial management and  
they come with in built functions that make an accountings task easier e.g. spreadsheet can be used  
by accountants to do the following:  
To track the values of assets over time (depreciation and appreciation )  
To calculate profits  
To prepare budgets  
Other formulae like sum, average products etc enable the accountant to carry out his daily work  
without any problem.  
c) Data management  
Spreadsheets enables the neat management of data into tabular structure .Related data can be typed  
on the same worksheet when data is on different worksheets can be linked to enhance accessibility.  
Data management functions include sorting, filtering (displaying only the required items) and using  
forms to enter and view records.  
d) Forecasting (“what if” analysis)  
The automatic recalculation feature enables the use of “what if” technique. This involves changing  
the value of one of the arguments in a time formulae to see the difference the change would make  
on the result of the calculation e.g. a formulae to calculate a company profit margin may be as  
follows ;-  
Profit = (total units sold - sales price) - (total units bought x cost price – operating expenses)  
This method can be used for financial forecasting, budgeting, stock, portfolio, analysis, cash flow etc.  
CREATING A WORKSHEET /WORKBOOK USING MS- EXCEL.  
To start MS Excel menu  
i.)  
Click to start button  
ii.) Point to programs  
iii.) Select Microsoft Excel from the programs menu.  
This procedure may vary slightly depending on the version of excel you are using or the computer’s  
hardware and software configuration windows environment allows a person to place shortcuts to  
programmers executable (exe) in various places like the desktop. If the excel shortcut is on the  
desktop, simply double click it to start the application.  
82  
The MS application window.  
Menu bar  
Title bar  
Formatting toolbar  
Standard toolbar  
Formulae  
Name box  
Column header  
Cell pointer  
Row header  
Work sheet  
Vertical  
scroll  
Horizontal  
scroll  
Worksheet label  
Excel Is made up the following components:  
Title bar – has the title of the application and control button, minimizing and maximizing and closing  
the application.  
Tool bar- Are the Standard and Formatting toolbar. The most important thing is be able to identify  
each tool bar by its icons.  
Standard tool bar - Has shortcut to the commonly used command like copy, paste print and save  
Formatting tool bar –Has shortcuts to the commonly used commands found on the formatting menu  
options like font type, font size B (bold) I (italics) U (underline) indentation and font colors.  
Formulae bar – It enables the used to enter or edit formulae or attain a cell. You can identify the  
formulae bar because it has an equal sign or FX  
The name box to the left of the formulae bar displays the position of the current cell. if the formulae  
bar is not available , click on view menu then formulae bar  
A check mark appears on the left of the selected item to show that it is now displayed on the screen.  
Cell pointer – It marks the position of the current cell or the insertion point. It is a special cursor that  
is rectangular in shape and makes the current cell pointer as if it has darker boundaries.  
The worksheet – Consists of cells, rows, and columns. Data is entered here for manipulation  
Status bar – Shows processing state of the application e.g. on its left is the word ready which shows  
that the spreadsheet is ready to receive the user commands.  
Worksheet labels – These are usually of the formatting sheet 1, sheet 2, etc. it may have several  
sheets it’s also possible to rename the sheet by right clicking on the labels then choosing rename  
command from the shortcut menu that appears.  
The active sheet (one being used) has its appearing lighter in color than the rest to move to a  
particular sheet in the workbook, simply click its sheet label.  
Vertical and horizontal scroll bars - Clicking the arrows at their ends move the worksheet vertically  
and horizontally on the screen respectively.  
WORKSHEET LAYOUT  
It has the following components:  
Cells- An insertion between a row and a column  
Rows- Horizontal arrangements of cells  
Columns- Vertical arrangements of cells  
Range – Is a group of rectangular cells that can be selected, manipulated as a block.  
83  
NAVIGATING MS EXCEL SCREEN.  
1. Click the cell D5. The pointer immediately moves to the cell and the name box reads D5.  
typing on the keyboard now inserts entries in cell D5 as long as the pointer is still there  
2. Click letter A that heads the 1st column, notice that the whole column is highlighted  
3. Double click cell E1O. The text cursor forms in the cell and now type characters inside the  
cell. Also the status bar will now read “Enter”, which means that ms excel has accepted you  
to enter a value in the cell.  
4. Click the down arrow on the vertical scroll bar .The worksheet moves upwards on the screen.  
The opposite happens when you click the up arrow on the vertical scroll bar.  
5. Click the right button on the horizontal scroll bar. The work sheet moves upwards on the  
screen. The opposite happens when you click on the left button on the horizontal bar  
6. Press the right arrow key on the keyboard. The cell pointer moves one column to the right on  
the same row. These can also be done by pressing the key tab once.  
7. Press the left key on the keyboard. Notice that the cell pointer moves one column to the left  
on the same row. Pressing shift +tab give the same results.  
8. Press the up arrow key on the key board. The cell pointer moves one row up on the same  
column.  
9. Press down the arrow key on the key board. The cell pointer moves down one row on the  
same column.  
10. Press the end key, the status bar will display the message “end” if you press the right key  
arrow , the cell pointer will move right to the last cell on the row . If the left up or down keys  
were to be pressed instead the cell pointer would move to the last cell to the left top or  
bottom respectively .  
11. Pressing ctrl +home moves the cell pointer to the first cell of the worksheet i.e. cell A.  
CREATING A WORK SHEET  
It consists of starting a spreadsheet program and entering data in the cell of current worksheet.  
However a person can decide to create a worksheet either by using general formulae of from a  
specially performatted spread sheet document called a template.  
USING A GENERAL FORMAT  
When a spreadsheet program is running it will present the user with a new blank screen of rows and  
columns .The user can enter data in this worksheet and save it as a newly created work. If this is not  
available then click file menu option and the “New” command. The dialog box will be displayed on  
the screen. On the general tab, double click the workbook icon; enter data in the new worksheet  
created.  
USING A TEMPLATE  
Click the file menu then command on the spreadsheet solutions tab click the template that you wish  
to use.  
Note: if the template was saved previously, on the hard disk it will open as soon as a new worksheet  
with all preformatted features present allowing the user to enter some data. However some  
templates may require the original program installation disk in order to be able to use them because  
they may not have been copied to the hard disk during program installation  
EDITING A CELL ENTRY  
This means changing the contents of the cell. Before the contents in a cell can be changed, the cell must be selected by  
making it in the current cell.  
To edit a cell entry proceeds as follows:  
•
•
•
Move the cell pointer to the cell you wish to edit.  
Double click the formulae bar for the text cursor to appear in the bar. The status bar message changes to edit.  
Use the key board to delete and add contents to the formulae bar then press enter key to apply .click the save  
button on the standard tool bar to save the edited changes.  
84  
SELECTING A RANGE  
Working with one item at a time is tedious and time consuming using a range saves time when  
working with a large amount of data.  
A range: is a rectangular arrangement of cells specified by the address of its top left and bottom right  
cells, be separated by colon (: ) e.g. range A1: F12  
SELECTING MULTIPLE RANGES.  
When using a mouse, you can select more than one range without removing the highlight from the  
previous. To do this hold down the shift key or the ctrl key while you click on the row header of the  
second range you want to highlight  
1. shift key will cause all columns /rows between the selected and the newly clicked cell to be  
highlighted  
2. ctrl selects individually clicked cell or range  
HIDING ROWS AND COLUMNS  
You can hide some rows or columns in order to see some details which do not fit on the screen. To do  
this :-  
1. Highlight the columns you want to see to hide  
2. Click format menu, point on row or column and click hide command.  
The steps to unhide columns and rows in Excel are:  
1. Select the columns/rows adjacent to the hidden columns/rows/  
2. Choose Format menu.  
3. Select column/row option.  
4. Choose Unhide command.  
Freezing columns and Rows  
Once you’ve finished creating the worksheet structure – labels and formulas – you’re ready to enter  
data. The first few columns and rows are just fine, but as you scroll to enter data in later columns or  
rows, the labels shift out of view. Instead of memorizing the labels, freeze the label columns and row,  
so they remain visible as you scroll through the rest of the worksheet. You can freeze just a row or a  
column as well.  
Freeze columns and Rows.  
1. Click the cell that intersects the rows and columns you want to remain visible on screen.  
2. Click the Window menu, and then click Freeze Panes.  
3. Edit and scroll the worksheet as usual.  
Unfreeze Columns and Rows  
1. Click the worksheet that you want to unfreeze.  
2. Click the Windows menu, and then click unfreeze Panes.  
SAVING A WORKSHEET  
One has to save a work book with a unique name on the storage device like a hard disk. The steps  
below can be used to save a workbook:  
•
Click a file menu option then select and save as command alternatively a save dialog box  
appears on the screen  
•
Select location in which your work book will be saved in save and click the save button and  
save  
85  
RETRIEVING A SAVED WORK BOOK  
•
•
Click file menu option then click open command dialog box appears on the screen.  
Click the look in drop down list arrow and select the drive or folder where the work book  
was saved.  
•
Double click the icon of the work book you want to save and the work sheet will be displayed  
in ms excel window.  
CLOSING A WORK SHEET -Click the file then close command  
EXITING FROM THE SPREAD SHEET -Click file then exit command  
CELL DATA TYPES  
There are four basic types of data used in spread sheet  
1. Labels  
2. Values  
3. Formulae  
4. Functions  
a) LABELS  
Any text or alphanumeric characters entered in cell are viewed as labels by spreadsheets  
Program .Sometimes numbers can be formatted so that they can be used as significant digit in  
number e.g. ‘1990 .Labels aligned to the left of the cell and cannot be manipulated mathematically.  
b) VALUES  
These are numbers that can be manipulated mathematically e.g. current date number (0-9) special  
symbols or text.  
c) FORMULAE  
These are “user- designed mathematically expression” that create a relationship between cells and  
return a value in a chosen cell.Ms excel formulae must start with =sign e.g. =sum (B3+D4) adds the  
contents of B3&D4 and returns the sum value in current cell. Excel formulae use cell address and  
arithmetic operators like plus (+) for addition, minus (-) for subtraction asterisk (*) for multiplication  
and forward slash (/) for division.  
Using cell address also called referencing enables Ms excel to keep calculation accurate and  
automatically re-calculates results of formulae in case the value in a referenced cell is changed .This is  
called automatic recalculation.  
d) FUNCTION  
These are in -built predefined formulae that the user can quickly use instead of having to create a  
new one, each time a calculation has to be carried out. To add the contents of the cell B3 and D4, the  
sum function can be used as =sum (B3:D4).It is an inbuilt formulae.  
CELL REFERENCING  
It identifies a cell or range of cells on the worksheet and show MS Excel where to look for values or  
data needed to use in formulae.  
Ms excel uses the A1 cell referencing style. This means a cell is identified by its column label followed by the  
row number also R1, GI can be used. In this case, cell is referred by its row number, by its column number.  
e.g.  
A1 style  
B2  
R1 C1 style  
R2C2  
C10  
R10C3  
E20  
R20C5  
1ICI1is useful when automating commonly repeated tasks using special recording programs called macros.  
86  
RELATIVE REFERENCING  
When performing tasks that require cell referencing, you use formulae whose cell reference keeps  
on changing automatically depending on their position in the worksheet .e.g. A1+B1 in cell C1 if  
copied to cell C2 formulae changes to A2+B2.  
ABSOLUTE REFERENCING  
Refer to cells in a specific location of worksheet even if they are copied from one cell to another.  
To make another formulae absolute add a dollar ($) sign before the letter or number such as $B $10  
In this case both column and row reference is absolute.  
Referencing using labels and names.  
Labels of columns and rows on the worksheet are used to refer to cell that fall in this column and  
rows .Its possible to create a name that describes cell or range, then use it instead of having to  
specify a range actual cell reference e.g. the formulae =sum (second quarter profit ) might be easier  
to identify than =sum (A10: (20)  
Names can also be used to represent the formulae of values that do not change (constant) e.g. use  
name Tariffs to represent the import task amount applied to imports.  
To create a named range:  
Select a range to be named  
Click inside the box to move the cursor inside. Delete the cell reference that is there and type  
a name for the range.  
Press Enter key to apply.  
BASIC FUNCTION AND FORMULAE.  
A. Statistical functions  
1. Average:  
Return the mean of a set of value which can be numbers, arrays or references that  
contain numbers.  
=Average (D10:E10)  
Count numbers of cells that contain values within a range  
=Count (A10:E10).  
2. Count:  
3. Max: Returns the largest value in a set of values. It ignores text and logical value.  
=Max (A10:E10).  
4. Min:  
Returns the most frequent occurring value in a set of value.  
=Min (A10: E: 10).  
5. Mode:  
6. Rank:  
Returns the most frequently occurring value in a set of value  
=Mode (A10:E10)  
Returns the rank of a number in a client by comparing its size relative to the  
others.  
Rank (AZ: A1:AS1)  
B. Logical functions.  
1.  
2.  
IF:  
Returns specific value if a condition is evaluated and found to be true  
and another value if it is false.  
Counts the numbers of cells within a specified range that meet the  
given condition or criteria.  
Count If:  
3. Sum if adds value in the cells specified by a given condition or criteria.  
C. Mathematical functions  
•
Sum adds values range in a range of cells as specified and returns the results in the  
specified cell = sum A10:E10.  
87  
•
Product multiplies values in a range of cell and results the results in specified cell  
product+A10: E10.  
EDITING A WORKSHEET  
Copying and moving data  
Copying data  
Moving data  
i. Highlight the cell or range  
ii. Click edit – cut command  
iii. Select the cell you want to place a copy  
iv. Click edit – paste command.  
i. Highlight the range  
ii. Click edit – cut command  
iii. Specify the location you want to move  
iv. Click edit – paste command  
Worksheet formatting  
Refers to enhancing the appearance of the worksheet to make it attractive.  
1. Formatting a text  
i.) Highlight the cells  
ii.) Click cell –cells command  
iii.) Select font tab  
iv.) Select font type i.e. time new Romans –click Ok  
Formatting numbers  
i. Highlight the cells click format – cell command  
ii. Select cell command  
iii. Select the number tab you can choose number format  
Type:  
Meaning:  
General.  
Number.  
Currency.  
Accounting.  
Date.  
Cells have no specific number format  
Used for general display of numbers  
Displaying general monetary  
Lines up currency symbol and decimal points  
Displays date in chosen format  
Time.  
Displays time in chosen format  
Percentage.  
Multiplies the value to be treated as text even when numbers are  
entered  
Text  
Custom  
format cell to be extracted as text even when numbers are entered  
For a number format not predefined in Ms Excel select custom then  
define the pattern.  
FORMATTING ROWS AND COLUMNS  
Changing column width  
i.  
move the pointer to one of the cells of the column  
ii. click format –column – width command  
iii. type the width then click OK  
Changing a row height  
i.  
Click format –row –height  
ii. Type height  
iii. Click Ok.  
Inserting Rows and Columns:  
i.  
Click insert – columns or  
ii. Click insert –cells  
88  
iii. Select the entire row or entire column option to insert a row or column.  
Global worksheet formatting:  
Global refers to the entire worksheet. Two methods can be used to select a worksheet  
i. click the top corner of the worksheet that has a blank column header  
ii. press ctrl +A on the keyboard  
Using auto format:  
Allows the user to apply the one of sixteen sets of formatting to a selected range on the worksheet  
i.  
Select a range  
ii. Click format – auto format command  
iii. Click Ok  
DATA MANAGEMENT  
At times it becomes necessary to use advanced data management tools to manage large data stored  
on worksheets.eg for the worksheet particulars order using a method called sorting for easier access  
to data items other methods of data management include use of filters, total subtotal function and  
forms.  
Sorting:  
1.  
Highlight the range that u wish to sort by clicking its column header letter.  
Click data then sort to display the dialog box notice that the sort by field is already reading the  
field that a selected. This field is called the criteria field.  
2.  
3.  
Select the field to be used as the key for sorting and the sort order as descending or ascending then  
click ok.  
Filtering data  
Is quick and efficient method of findings and working with a subset of data in a list? A filtering list  
will only display the rows that meet the conditions or criteria u specify ms excel has to commands.  
4. Filtering list:  
i.The auto filter: it uses simple criteria and include filter by selection  
ii.Advance filter: it uses more complex criteria  
AUTO FILTERS  
Click a cell in the list that is to be filtered usually the list is in a column. On the data menu, point to  
filters and then click Auto filter  
3. Display only the rows that contained value click the arrow in the column that contains the data you  
want displays.  
4. Click the value that be displayed by the filter from the drop down list.  
NB: Sometimes while looking thru a list of value on a large worksheet, u may come to value of  
interest and want to see all other occurrences of the value then click auto filter on the standard  
toolbar ms-excel turns on auto filter and then list to show only the rows u want.  
Subtotal functions  
Consider the following scenario a company that has many salespersons will need to know how much  
each of them should be paid at the end of a period by looking at individual sales volume. Also the  
grand total for all the payment has be calculated. Therefore if the salespersons are held in a list there  
would be need to calculate the amount due 2 each of them these can be called a subtotal in the list.  
89  
ALL THE SUB-TOTALS CAN THEN BE CALLED TOGETHER TO MAKE THE GRAND TOTAL E.G  
Ms-Excel can automatically summarize the data by calculating subtotals. The list must have labeled  
column and must be sorted on the columns for which you want subtotals.  
Click the cell in the list that will have  
subtotals  
NAME  
AMOUNT  
OWED  
On date menu click subtotals to see the dialog box  
In the each change in box select name from the  
drop down list coz we want a subtotal 4 each  
names.  
In the use functions box select the sum function the  
select the list for which subtotals will be inserted in  
the add subtotals because by checking the  
appropriate label. In this case it is the amount owed  
field  
Steve  
Joy  
6000  
3000  
2000  
5000  
800  
Steve  
Virginia  
Joy  
Click ok button to apply the list will now have  
subtotals inserted.  
Stephene  
200  
Totals function  
Use the auto calculates feature in Ms-Excel to automatically show the total of a selected range. When  
cells area selected, ms-Excel display the sum of the range on the status bar. Right clicking this  
function displays other functions like min, max and average that can also be used.  
To find the total of a range, highlight it then click the auto sum icon on the STD toolbar.  
FORMS  
It is special prepared template that the users can use to enter data in a worksheet. It is specifically  
formatted to enable the user to enter data in a format that is more convenience to them. If data is  
collected on paper by entering in the computer, then a form can be created to have the layout of the  
data on the paper to quicken data entry procedures or display a form click data the form.  
CHARTS/GRAPHS.  
These are graphics or pictures that represent values & their relationships. Charts help the reader to  
quickly see trends in data and to be able to compare and contrast aspects of data.  
Types of chats  
×
×
×
Line charts represent data as lines with markets at each data value in the X-Y plane.  
Column charts-represent data as a cluster of columns comparing values a cross categories.  
Bar-charts-Data values arranged horizontally as clustered bars compared values across  
categories  
×
×
Pie charts- Displays the contribution of each value to a grand total.  
Scatter charts- Compares parts of values on the same axis.  
To view types of charts right click the charts object then select the chart type command.  
Creating a chart  
90  
1. Select the range of values of which you want to create a chart  
2. Click the chart wizard button on the standard toolbar and the chart wizard dialog box will  
open  
3. Click the type of chart you wish to create if the office assistant appears close it. The charts  
sub-type preview will show several style of the selected chart type.  
4. Click the next button to move to the dialog.  
5. Click the series tab then the collapse dialog button on the category labels text box. This will  
shrink the dialog box so that only the category labels text box is shown. Highlight the data  
labels from the worksheet.  
6. Click the expand dialog button to bring the full dialog box in view then click the next button.  
In step 3 of the wizard use the appropriate tabs to type the title of the chart, show a; legend  
select whether to display gridlines or not etc. After all these click the next button.  
7. At step 4 determine weather the chart will be inserted in the current worksheet or a new  
worksheet then click finish button.  
MOVING AND RESIZING A CHART.  
Once the chart is created, its size and location can be changed in the worksheet. The chart element is  
endorsed inside a boundary called the chart area and hence both can be re-sized independently.  
Simply click the object you wish to resize and use the object handle just like in objects to drag to size  
and use the object to drag to size. To move the chart, click inside the chart area then drag to the  
desired position.  
Data ranges.  
Is a rectangular block of cells that provides the base data that is used to create the chart. In charting,  
a data range is referenced as an absolute range e.g.  
Sheet 1&B2$C$8 which means that the base data is found on worksheet and absolute range B2: C8  
To see the data range of a chart right click it then select the source data command.  
Label  
Each representation of data on a chart can either be labeled by a value on text label in a bar chart  
that compares the height of pupils each bar be given a value label to make it more readable.  
To label:  
Right click the chart then select the chart options command from the shortcut menu. Click the labels  
tab and choose whether you want value on text label then click ok button to apply.  
HEADING AND TITLES  
Each chart must have a heading showing clearly what and how to merge a chart  
PRINTING WORKBOOK  
Printing in spreadsheets is almost the same as printing in a word processing. Most spreadsheets allow  
the user to print an entire workbook, worksheet, chart or selected range. Before sending the work to  
a printer, you need a preview it so that you make any necessary adjustments.  
Print preview.  
Display the worksheet chart or select range exactly the way it would appear when printed.  
To display worksheet, chart or selected range.  
1. Click the print preview button on the std tool bar  
2. The worksheet will be displayed in the print preview window with the status bar reading preview.  
3. To make any page adjustment, click the setup button to set up the following:-  
i.)  
Page orientations and scaling.  
ii.) Margins.  
91  
iii.) Headers and footers.  
iv.) Sheet options such as rows and column headings, gridline.Send page order are used to specify  
how multiple sheets are to be printed.  
4. To print, click the print options to display print dialog box.  
5. Select printer the name box in this dialog box enables a person to select the printer that will be used  
to prints the doc. All the printers that are installed on the comp. will be available here.  
6. The print what options are:-  
Selections: This prints the selected worksheet are.  
Workbook: Prints all the worksheet in the workbook  
Selected chart: Prints the selected chart only.  
ACCESS  
Definition:  
92  
 
∼
∼
It is a collection of information that is related to particular subjects.  
It is an organized collection of data. It is considered organized because the data is stored in  
categories that are accessible in a logical or practical manner.  
∼
It is a collection of structured and related data items organized.  
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DBMS).  
This is an Application software or program designed to manage a data base or collection of database  
files known as databank.  
Is a special program used in facilitating the creation, organization and maintenance of database.  
FUNCTIONS OF DBMS.  
1. It allows the user to add or delete records.  
2. Organize data for easy access, retrieval and manipulation of records.  
3. It updates or modifies existing records/files.  
4. Acts as an interface between a database and other applications programs.  
5. Ensures security for the data in the database by safeguarding it against unauthorized access  
and corruption.  
6. Keeps statistics of data items in a database.  
EXAMPLES OF DBMS.  
∼ Ms Access.  
∼ Oracle.  
∼ Lotus approach.  
∼ Ms FoxPro.  
∼ Database for Db4  
DATABASE MODELS.  
Databases are classified according to the method used to organize data. The main database models  
are:  
Flat files.  
Hierarchical model.  
Network model.  
Relational model.  
Object oriented model  
FLAT FILE MODEL.  
In a flat file model, a database holds only one set of data and it is not different from the manual files  
e.g. the teachers assessment reports consist of student performance.  
HIERARCHIAL MODEL.  
In this model, data items are arranged in a hierarchical or tree form. To access level two data items,  
you have to first access level one data items. The first level is called the root component  
NETWORK MODEL.  
Links are used to express the relationship between different data items forming a network of items.  
Access to one item may be through multiple paths and from any item.  
RELATIONAL DATABASE MODEL.  
Comes from the word relate. Related data items are stored together in structures known as  
tables/relations. This is the most common type of model used on mini-micro computers.  
Relationships can be created between tables such that a record or records from one table relates to  
another or other records in the another table.  
93  
OBJECT ORIENTED MODEL.  
It is where a record is stored as an object and each object is independent.  
COMPONENTS OF DATABASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE.  
Most database software contains a collection of features that provides the user with a means to  
manipulate data in a database. They are as follows:-  
i)  
Table/ files Structure.  
It is a database structure that is used to hold related records.  
They are organized in rows and columns with each row representing a record while each column  
representing common fields in each record.  
ii)  
Querry/Quarries.  
It is a database tool used to search for or question a database on specific records.  
Is a question posted to the database. It returns a result for the user that is known as a dynaset.  
The query statements are written using a special language called structured query language  
(SQL).The user creates a query by writing structured query language statements.  
iii)  
Forms/screen Inputs.  
It is a graphical interface that resembles the ordinary paper form used to collect data.  
A database form enables the user to view and enter data into a table.  
iv)  
Reports.  
Are Ms-access objects used to reorganize and group data, make data analysis etc.  
It provides the user with a means to specify the output layout or what is to be output/printed in a  
report.  
v)  
Macros.  
This are MS-Access objects used to automate command tasks.  
vi)  
Programming modules.  
It is a selection where codes are written and procedures stored together as a unit.  
DATA ORGANISATION IN A DATABASE.  
vii) Field: Is a character or a logical combination of character that represent a data item.  
viii) Records: Is a collection of related fields that represent a single entity.  
ix) Tables/Relations/Files: Is a collection of related records.  
x)  
Database: Is the highest data organized hierarchy that holds all related files or records.  
CREATING A DATABASE USING MS-ACCESS.  
MS-ACCESS is a package in Ms-Office Suite used for creating and manipulating database.  
94  
STARTING MICROSOFT ACCESS.  
From window desktop,  
Click START button-then all programs.  
Select Ms Access from Programs menu.  
In the dialog box that appears, click Blank access database.  
Select the location where the database will be created.  
Type the database name then click “Create”.  
Specify the name and location where the database will be stored.  
Choose the type of object you wish to create such as Tables, Forms, and Quarries etc.  
MICROSOFT ACCESS LAYOUT.  
Access application window has a title bar, menu bar, tool bars and status bar. However, instead of  
having a work area like that of Ms-word and Excel, it provides the user with an object window from  
which you can choose the type of an object to work with e.g. Table,Forms,Reports etc.  
Exiting from Access.  
Like any other applications you can exit from Ms-Access by pressing Alt + F4 or the file menu or Office  
button2007,then click Exit.  
Guideline on designing good database.  
1.  
Carefully study the requirements of the user in order to define all the data inputs, outputs and  
relationships required.  
2.  
3.  
Design a draft database on the paper to determine the number of files or tables required.  
Divide the information into separate fields, records and tables to allow flexibility in manipulating  
the database. This process is known as normalization and it is done in order to avoid repetition of  
data entries.  
4.  
5.  
6.  
Define a field for each table that will be used to identify each record uniquely. This field is known  
as the “Primary Key”.  
Give the most important fields the 1st priority when constructing a table structure. Important  
fields are those that are used in sorting and querying the database e.g. ID No, Reg No etc.  
Design data entry forms needed for the database.  
CREATING A TABLE STRUCTURE.  
To define a table structure:-  
In Ms Access objects window, click the Table Tab, then New.  
95  
In New table dialog box, select “Design View”.  
Using the grid, enter a unique name for each field in the table. A field name must start with a  
letter and can be up to a maximum of 64 characters including letters, numbers, spaces and  
punctuations.  
Choose appropriate data type before adding the next field. By default, Ms Access inserts Text  
as a data type.  
Save the table by clicking Save button on the standard toolbar or save from file menu/office  
button 2007.  
Access will ask you whether you want to create a primary key, then click “Yes”  
DESCRIPTION OF FIELD DATA TYPE.  
The type of data to be used in a database must be clearly defined for the purpose of manipulation and  
storage e.g. if a field is to be used for calculation, it must be defined as a Number.  
The data types allowed in Ms Access includes:-  
1. TEXT  
It includes: - Alphabetic letters  
Numbers.  
Spaces.  
Punctuation  
It is used for fields that don’t need to be used for calculations for example names, places,  
identifications, numbers etc.This type of field accommodate a maximum of 255 characters.  
2. NUMBERS:  
Are fields made up of numeric numbers 0 to 9 that are to be manipulated mathematically.  
3. MEMO:  
It is a field made up of alphanumeric data. Instead of using text, use this data type if you need to enter several  
paragraphs of text as it accommodates a maximum of 32,000 characters.  
4. DATE/TIME;  
Used to identify a field as either a date or time. This is because date/time values can be manipulated  
mathematically in a database e.g. you can calculate the age of a person from the day of birth to the current age.  
5. CURRENCY:  
This is used to identify numeric values that have decimals or fractions. Used especially when dealing with  
monetary values such as fees balance, amount sold etc.  
6. AUTONUMBER:  
Is a numeric value used if you wish Ms access to automatically increase the value in a field e.g. when entering a  
list of 50 candidates and have a field labeled candidates number, the numbers will increase by one every time  
you enter a new record.  
7. YES/NO:  
This is a logical field where an entry is either Yes or No, True or False e.g. a field may require you to answer  
whether you are male or female.  
8. OLE Object:  
OLE stands for Object Linking and Embedding. This type of field is mostly used with graphical user interface  
applications for inserting graphical objects such as pictures, drawings, charts etc.  
FIELD PROPERTIES  
As you create more and more complex tables, you will find a need to use field properties to specify  
finer details related to fields and table entries expected. Field properties depend on the type of field  
96  
selected e.g. when you click on a text field, then the General tab, you will see properties associated to  
text data type.  
FIEL SIZE.  
It allows the user to set the number of character in a field instead of the default 50.  
For numeric fields we use properties such as integer, long integer, byte, single and double.  
Single & longer integer accepts numbers with no decimals.  
Byte only accepts numbers between 0 $ 255.  
Single and double accepts numbers with decimals. Single accommodate up to 38 decimal places while  
double accommodates up to 308 decimal places.  
FORMAT;  
This determines how information appears on the screen when printed e.g. you can format a number to  
scientific, currency, percentage or general format.  
DECIMAL PLACES.  
These are for numbers and currency fields. You can specify the number of decimal places.  
INPUT MASK:  
It automatically format the field entry into a specified format e.g. if you enter a number such as  
05000100409875 and input mask is set as 000-(00000)-00000,it is automatically displayed as 050-  
(00100)-409875.This property is mostly used to format and address entries.  
Most used format and address entries are:  
i)  
Caption:  
Is a more descriptive name for a field to be used in a table or a form display e.g. the caption for  
StuName could be Student Name.  
ii) Default Value  
Is a value that appears automatically in the data sheet or form if nothing is entered by the user  
to change it.eg =Date ( ) automatically displays the current date in a date field.  
iii) Validation Rule  
Logical expression that restrict the values to be entered in a field for example, if you want to  
restrict marks entered in a field to value between 0 – 100,type>=0 and<=100.  
iv) Validation Text  
Is a message that appears once validation rule is violated for example you may create a  
validation text for the above validation rule to display “enter a no between 0 & 100” whenever  
the user enter a value outside this range.  
v) Required.  
Determines if an entry must be made in the field before you proceed to the next field or record  
e.g. if a primary key is required you must enter it before you proceed.  
vi) Allow Zero Length  
This allows the user to proceed without making any entry in the field set as zero length.  
vii) Indexed.  
An Index facilitates the organization of records for easy search. A primary key is an example of  
an index set to number duplicates.  
viii) Primary Key & Indexes  
An index is a key used to speed up searching and sorting records in a table, while a primary key  
is an index that uniquely identifies each record stored in the table. A primary key prevents the  
user from making null or double entries into a table. Access uses the primary key to order  
records and control redundancy. Once a field is set as primary key, the datasheet is  
automatically indexed or sorted using the primary key.  
TO SET A PRIMARY KEY:  
97  
1. Open the table in Design View.  
2. Select the field you want to set as the primary key by clicking the row header to the left of the field  
Name.  
3. Click set primary key button on the tool bar.  
TO SET ANOTHER FIELD AS AN INDEX OTHER THAN PRIMARY KEY  
1. Open the table in design view.  
2. Click the indexes button next to the primary key. The index design grid is displayed on the screen.  
3. In the index Name column, type the name of the index.  
4. In the field Name column, select the corresponding field name.  
5. In the sort Order column, select Ascending or Descending and then close the window.  
MANIPULATING DATABASE IN TABLES.  
1. Adding new records.  
In Access, a record entry into a table is automatically saved once you move to a new row.  
To enter records into a table:  
i) Double click the table icon. The table is displayed in a datasheet view.  
ii)On Insert menu, click New Record. The following symbols will appear at the row header.  
An Arrowhead Indicates that no new data entry or edit is pending  
Pencil Symbol: Indicates that the current record entry is not yet saved.  
Asterisk Symbol: Marks a blank record below the current entry.  
Record Locked: Indicates that the current record is being edited by another user in a multi-user or  
networked environment.  
2. Deleting records.  
Click the record you want to delete.  
On the Edit menu, click Delete, a message appears, then click yes to confirm deletion.  
3. Editing Fields  
Double click the field you want to edit. Replace the cell content.  
4. Searching for Records.  
To find and replace a field:-  
On the Edit menu, click Find or replace. In the Find What and Replace With boxes, type the field to  
search for and replace with respectively.  
NOTE: You can use wildcards e.g. asterisks (*) if you are not sure of the search phrase e.g. if you wish to  
search for all names that start with letter K in a students table, type K* .All names that starts  
with letter K such as Ken, Kennedy, Kleberson will be displayed.  
5. Copying and Moving records.  
Select the records to be copied or moved.  
On the Edit menu, click copy to create a copy or cut to move.  
Open the target datasheet on the edit menu, click Paste.  
6. Sorting Records.  
In a datasheet view, select the records to be sorted.  
On the Records menu, point to filter.  
Select the type of filter you want to apply.  
98  
In the datasheet, click a down arrow of the field to set the filter option.  
Click Apply filter button on the toolbar.  
In the index name column, type in the name you want to give the index.  
In the Field Name column, click the cell to display a field to use as an index.  
In the sort Order column, select either ascending or descending.  
In the lower portion, specify whether you want to make the field a primary key by selecting Yes for  
primary and unique, and ignore Nulls to ensure that data is entered into the dialog box. Then Close  
the dialog box.  
MODIFYING A DATABASE.  
i) Modifying Datasheet:  
Point to the column border between rows in the header and drag.  
To adjust row height:  
Point to the border between two rows in the row header and then drag. Alternatively, use the format  
menu, then row height.  
To re-order fields.  
Select the column of the field you wish to move by pointing to the desired file name.Drag the column  
right or left to the top of the field where you want your field to appear and then drop.  
ii) Modifying Table Structure  
Once you create a table, you may need to add more fields, remove some fieldstrip-order the fields or  
change fields data types and properties. Before you modify the table, it is important to save a copy to  
avoid losing everything in case you make a mistake  
To make a Copy for your table:  
On the File menu, click Save as/Export. In the dialog box that appears, choose whether to save to  
another (external) database or the current database. Type a new name for your table and click Ok.  
To modify the original table.  
Open the table in design view by clicking the button that looks like a pencil and set square placed on  
the edge of a ruler. Select the fields to be modified and make the necessary changes. Click the save  
button to save the changes.  
NOTE: If a table contains data and you make changes to the field data type, Ms Access may refuse to  
implement the changes. To avoid this problem exit without saving and delete all the records from the  
table then return to the design view. You can then import a copy or copies of tables you backed up.  
iii) Importing Tables.  
On the file menu, point to Get External Data and then click import.In the dialog box that appears, select  
the database you wish to import data from, then click the import button objects dialog box is  
displayed.In the objects dialog box displayed, click the Tables tab.Select the table(s) you wish to import,  
then click ok  
FORM DESIGN.  
A form is an interface that enables the user to view and make data entries into an underlying table or  
query more easily. In Ms Access a form is designed using graphical objects called “controls” which is a  
visual object such as a text box, check box, command button or shapes that you place on a form design  
grid to display data or perform actions.  
There are two types of control you can place on the grid:  
i) Bound control: Is one whose source of data is a field in a table or query  
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ii) Unbound control: Is a control that is not connected to any data source.  
N/B: You can design or modify a form layout by dragging these controls to the required  
Position.  
CREATING A FORM LAYOUT USING FORM WIZARD.  
Using a form wizard, you can create either a columnar, a tabular, a datasheet or a justified form layout.  
COLUMNAR FORM:  
The fields for each record are displayed down a column i.e. each value displays on a separate line with  
field labels to the left.  
TABULAR:  
Records are displayed from left to right across the page and labels appear at the top of each column  
and each row represents a new record.  
DATASHEET  
JUSTIFIED  
:
:
The form resembles a table datasheet window.  
One record occupies the whole form.  
Procedures.  
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Open the database for which the form is to be created e.g. “SALARY”.  
Click the form tab then, New from the “New form box” that appears. Click form wizard.  
Select the table you want to create a form from the New, a dialog box appears.  
Click the name of the table or query that includes the data you want to add into the form and  
then click ok.  
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From the fields list window, select the field to add into the form by clicking the > button or click  
>> to add all fields, then Next.  
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From layout dialog box, select the layout you wish to use e.g. standard, then click next.  
In the Form title dialog box, type the name of the form then click Finish.Ms Access will  
automatically display the form on the screen.  
Creating a form using auto form wizard.  
The wizard creates a form for you automatically by asking you very minimal question.  
The form includes all the fields from the selected table.  
To construct an Auto form tabular:  
Make sure your database is open. Click the form tab, then New.  
In the New form dialog box, select an auto form layout e.g. columnar.  
In “choose the table or query where the object data comes” select the table you wish to create a form,  
and then click ok .The form with all fields will be displayed.  
Click the “save’ button to save the form.  
Creating a form from Scratch.  
Open your database.  
In the database window, click the form tab then New.  
From the New form dialog box, select Design View.  
In the “choose the table or query where the object data comes, select the table you wish to create a  
form from, then click OK. Form with controls for all fields is displayed.  
To add controls into a form.  
Click the view menu, and then field list command. The field of the table you selected is displayed.  
Drag and drop each field and arrange them on the grid.Save the form by clicking on the save button.  
Data manipulation into a form.  
i) Adding and displaying records  
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The form provides the user to navigation buttons located at the bottom that can be used to navigate  
the form.  
Functions of buttons summarized from left to right  
1. Displays the 1st record in the table e.g. Raila.  
3
4
1
5
2. Displays the previous record.  
3. Displays the next record.  
4. Displayed the last record.  
5. Used to add a new record.  
2
FORMATTING CONTROL  
To format controls on a form  
1. Open the form in Design view.  
2. To re-size, click the CTRL then position the pointer on the outline of CTRL then drag the  
required size.  
3. To move, click CTRL and position the pointer onto the place holder on inside CTRL, then drag to  
the required location.  
QUERING A DATABASE  
A Query is a database feature that enables the user to display specific records as well as perform  
calculation on fields from one or multiple tables. Queries are the fastest way to search for information  
in a database. You can analyze a table or tables by using either a Select query or an Action query.  
Select Query.  
It is the most common type of query used for searching and analyzing data in one or more tables.  
It lets the user specify the search criteria and the records that meet those criteria are displayed in a  
dynaset or analyses depend on the user requirement.  
Action query.  
These are queries that are used to make changes to many records at once.  
Are mostly used to delete, update, add a group of records from one table to another, or create a new  
table from another table.  
Types of action queries in Ms Access.  
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•
•
Ensure that database you want to create a query is for is open.  
Click the Query tab, then New.  
In the New query dialog box, choose either to create a query from in Design view or using a  
wizard.  
•
To design form scratch, click Design View. The show Table dialog box appears from which you  
can add a table or tables you wish to create a query from.  
Click the table from the table/query list and then click Add.  
Click close to close the show Table dialog box.  
The query design grid opens. In Ms –Access, it is called Query-By-Example. This lets the user to  
design a query.  
•
•
•
Parts of the query grid.  
Field Row:  
Fields from a table or tables to be used are arranged in this row. Each  
Field should occupy its column.  
Table row:  
Indicates the table providing the fields.  
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Sort row:  
By clicking the down arrow in the sort cell, you can specify the sort order i  
i.e. ascending, descending or no sort  
Show row:  
By clicking the show box, you specify whether to display the field in the  
Query results. When the box is not checked the field will not be displayed.  
Criteria row:  
This is where you type conditional statement that will be used by the  
Query to display specific records.  
Or row: Used to specify an alternative condition e.g. you want display records  
With a field called city, with items like London or Nairobi, type London in criteria cell  
and Nairobi in the Or cell.  
To add fields into the query grid.  
Open the query in Design View.  
From the field list of the underlying table, drag each field and place it in the field row.  
SPECIFYING THE SEARCH CRITERIA  
In order to search for a particular set of records, you have to enter a conditional statement or  
statements in the criteria row e.g. if you have a table called Workers with one of the fields as salary,  
you can display all the workers earning more than Kshs 1,000, by typing >1000 in the criteria row,  
salary column.  
To define criteria, use either relational or logical operators  
Relational operators include:  
Less than (<)  
Greater than (>)  
Greater than or Equal to (>=)  
Less than or Equal to (<=)  
Not Equal to (<>) and Equal to (=)  
Logical operators include AND, OR and NOT.  
OR:  
Used if you wish to get either on of to value e.g. if you wish to get those workers either in  
London OR Nairobi  
AND:  
Used to display values in a specific range e.g. to display records from the workers table with  
salaries above 4000 but less than 6000, type >4000 AND < on the criteria row in the salary  
column. All the employees who meet this condition will be displayed.  
If you want to display data in a particular range, use the word Between e.g. instead of typing  
>4000 AND<6000, type Between 4000 And 6000  
To display records you are not sure of the field name but at least you can remember a few  
characters, use LIKE and the WILDCARDS.  
Wildcards: This are special symbol mostly an asterisk and a question mark (?) used in place of  
other character e.g. for one to display all names starting with “SM” followed by any other  
character, type Like SM?  
Like */*/2010 lists records created in 2010 regardless of the day or month.  
SAVING AND RUNNING THE QUERY.  
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o
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Click the save button on the standard toolbar or save command from the file menu.  
In the name box that appears type in the name of the query then click ok.  
To run the query in design view, click the run button on toolbar (!) or Run command from the  
query menu.  
o
You can also view the results of your query any other time by selecting the query, then clicking  
the open button from the database window.  
Sorting the Dynaset.  
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o
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In the sort row, click the down arrow that appears to specify the sort order i.e. ascending or  
descending of the desired field.  
Display the dynaset.  
MODIFYING AND UPDATING A QUERY.  
To delete fields from the query grid:-  
o
o
o
o
Open the desired query in design view.  
Select the field column you wish to delete.  
Choose Delete from the edit menu.  
Click the save button to save the changes.  
To adjust the column size in a Query:  
o
Open the desired Query in Design view.  
o
Position the mouse pointer at the boundary that separates columns, and then drag it to the  
required size. Alternatively double click the boundary to outfit cell content.  
Click save button to save the changes.  
o
To modify a criteria statement, select query:  
o
o
o
Open the desired query in Design view.  
Modify the criteria statements as desired.  
Click the save button to save changes  
To test whether the changes have been effected, click the Run button to display the results of the  
query.  
Performing calculation in a query.  
Unlike tables, queries let the user perform mathematical calculations on numeric data. You can  
perform calculation in a query by using the Total Function or creating basic formulas  
i ) Creating basic formulas:  
To create a formula that calculates the total marks in an underlying table e.g. exam table.  
i)  
Open your query in Design view.  
ii)  
In an empty cell, type an expression that includes a field name such as Amount:[Quantity]*[Unit  
price]  
iii) You can then set the criteria and other query option.  
iv) Save the query and run it. The results of the calculation will be displayed in the dynaset. However  
this field is not added to the underlying table(s) because query results must always be based on the  
most current data in the database.  
ii) Using Total functions:  
With a query, you can analyze the entire record field using the inbuilt functions such as Sum, Average  
Minimum and Maximum etc.To use the total functions:  
i) Open your query in Design view.  
ii) Click the total button on the query toolbar.  
iii) Select the field you want to analyze.  
iv) For each field to be analysed,click its cell in the total row, and then select any of the functions:  
a) Sum:  
b) Min:  
c) Max:  
adds all the numeric data items  
Returns the minimum value from the field column.  
Returns the maximum value from the field column.  
d) Count: Returns the number of items field column.  
e) Average: Calculate the mean of all numeric data items in the field columns  
v) Set criteria and other option, then click preview the result.  
vi) Save the query.  
PRINTING A QUERY.  
1. Open the database containing the query you want to print.  
2. Click the query tab then query you want to print.  
3. On the file menu, click print. Set the print options, and then click the ok button.  
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CREATING QUERIES BASED ON MULTIPLE TABLES.  
When you use field from more than one table in a query, there should be a common link or relationship  
between the tables. There are three types of relationship:-  
i)  
One-To-One relationship: This is for a particular field in one table (the main table), there is only  
one matching record in the related table and vice versa.  
ii) One-To-Many: For a particular field in one table, there are several  
matching records in  
another table. This is the most Common type of relationship e.g. a person may  
make one order, or several order for this instance, there is only one record  
with that person’s details say in customer’s table, yet there are several records  
related to the same person in the order table.  
iii) Many-To-Many:  
For particular records in one table, there are several matching  
records in the other table and vice versa.  
Defining Relationship between Tables.  
1. Make sure your database is open.  
2. From toolbar menu, choose Relationship. The relationship dialog box will appear.  
3. Select the tables to add, then click the add button.  
4. To create relationship, click on the common field and drag it to the 2nd table. The fields used to  
create the relationship dialog box.  
5. To Enforce Referential Integrity, right click the line joining the two tables, then click Edit. An  
edit relationship dialog box will appear.  
6. Make sure enforce referential integrity is checked to ensure that all records entered in the  
related table exist in the primary table.  
7. Click ok to close edit relationship dialog box.  
To create a query based on related tables.  
i.  
Start the database window and click the quarries tab.  
ii. Select design view and click ok.  
iii. From the show table dialog box, click the tables you want to base your query on and then click  
add.  
iv. Relationship between various tables will be displayed. Add the fields from both tables into the  
QBE grid.  
CREATING REPORTS AND LABELS.  
Reports:  
Labels:  
Are used to summarize and present information from a database.  
Are used for identity purpose.  
A good database software should enable the user to generate reports and labels.  
Creating Reports:  
Like in forms, a report layout is also designed by placing controls on to the report designer.  
PARTS OF A REPORT:  
Report Header: Contain unbound controls that display title of the report.  
Page Header:  
Contains heading or labels data items to be displayed in every column.  
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Detail:  
Holds bound controls that display data items for the table or query it was  
created from.  
Page footer:  
Holds a control that is to be displayed on every page such as the page number  
and date e.g. = Now ( ) displays the current date and time as set in the system  
clock.  
Report Footer:  
Used to display summary from a report such as the grand total for numerical  
data in a particular field column.  
Creating a report using a report wizard.  
1. Ensure that the database is open.  
2. Click the report tab then New.  
3. In the New Report dialog box, click Report Wizard then ok.  
Select a table or a query then the field to be added the report then click “Next”.  
The wizard asks you whether you wish to add grouping. Grouping is used to classify records using a  
particular field e.g. to categorize books in a library database according to ISBN No, double click the field  
then click Next.  
In the dialog box that appears, select the sort option if you want to sort the records. You can also click  
the summary option button. If in case you want Ms Access to perform calculations on numerical fields.  
In summary options dialog box, select the summary option you want to perform e.g. sum, Average  
etc.Click ok to close the summary option dialog box.  
In the layout dialog box, select the type of layout such as “stepped” and click “Next”.  
In style dialog box, specify the report style by selecting either bold, casual etc  
Finally enter the name of your report then click finish. The report will be displayed on the screen in  
print preview mode.  
CREATING A REPORT IN DESIGN VIEW.  
Just like with forms, you can create a report in design view by placing controls on the report grid.  
-In the database window, click the Report tab then New.  
In the New Report dialog box, click Design View.  
Click the name of the table or query you want to generate a report from.  
Click the Ok button. You will get a report design grid where you can place data controls.  
From the view menu, click field list.  
To design the layout, drag each field from the field list to the layout grid and drop it where you want  
the data column to appear.  
Once you finish placing controls, click the save button.  
In the save as dialog box, enter the name of the report and click ok.  
To view the report, click the print preview button. Alternatively click print preview from the file menu.  
Modifying a report layout.  
a)  
To modify Header & Footer  
i) Open the report in design view  
ii)Click the report header or footer you want to modify.  
iii) Make the necessary changes and then click the save button.  
iv) Click the print preview  
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INTERNET & E-MAIL  
The term internet is derived from “International Network of computers.  
It is a global network that connects millions of computers all over the world.  
The other names for Internet are:  
The Net.  
The Information Superhighway.  
Cyberspace.  
WWW.  
WAN etc  
Internet is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and  
government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and  
optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services,  
such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to  
support electronic mail.  
HISTORY  
It was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969  
and was first known as the ARPANet. The original aim was to create a network that would allow users of  
a research computer at one university to be able to "talk to" research computers at other universities. A  
side benefit of ARPANet's design was that, because messages could be routed or rerouted in more than  
one direction, the network could continue to function even if parts of it were destroyed in the event of a  
military. Therefore the Internet is the world’s largest computer net-work.  
Intranet  
An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. The main purpose of an intranet  
is to share company information and computing resources among employees. An intranet's Web sites  
look and act just like any other Web sites, but the firewall surrounding an intranet fends off  
unauthorized access.  
An intranet uses TCP/IP, HTTP-A network based on TCP/IP protocols (an internet) belonging to an  
organization, usually a corporation, accessible only by the organization's members, employees, or  
others with authorization. It may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also use leased  
lines in the wide area network. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more  
gateway computers to the outside Internet. An intranet can also be used to facilitate working in groups  
and for teleconferences.  
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TYPES OF NETWORKS  
There are about eight types of networks which are used on the bases of their scale and scope,  
historical reasons, preferences for networking industries, and their design and implementation issues.  
LAN and WAN are mostly known and used widely. LAN-Local Area Network was first invented for  
communication between two computers, and it operates through cables and network cards.  
Later WLAN, Wireless local area network was formed through LAN concept, where there are no wires  
involved in communication between computers. Instead, Wireless LAN cards are required to connect to  
wireless network. LAN is the original network out of which other networks are formed according to  
requirements. They are as follow.  
LAN - Local Area Network  
WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network  
WAN - Wide Area Network  
MAN - Metropolitan Area Network  
SAN - Storage Area Network, It can also refer with names like System Area Network, Server  
Area Network, or sometimes Small Area Network  
CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, and often Cluster Area Network  
PAN - Personal Area Network  
DAN - Desk Area Network  
LAN: Local Area Network  
LAN connects networking devices with in short spam of area, i.e. small offices, home, internet cafes etc. LAN uses  
TCP/IP network protocol for communication between computers. It is often but not always implemented as a  
single IP subnet. Since LAN is operated in short area so It can be control and administrate by single person or  
organization.  
WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network .  
A LAN, local area network based on wireless network technology mostly referred as Wi-Fi. Unlike LAN, in WLAN  
no wires are used, but radio signals are the medium for communication. Wireless network cards are required to  
be installed in the systems for accessing any wireless network around. Mostly wireless cards connect to wireless  
routers for communication among computers or accessing WAN, internet.  
WAN - Wide Area Network  
As “word” Wide implies, WAN, wide area network cover large distance for communication between computers.  
The Internet it self is the biggest example of Wide area network, WAN, which is covering the entire earth. WAN is  
distributed collection of geographically LANs. A network connecting device router connects LANs to WANs. WAN  
used network protocols like ATM, X.25, and Frame Relay for long distance connectivity.  
MAN - Metropolitan Area Network  
This kind of network is not mostly used but it has its own importance for some government bodies and  
organizations on larger scale. MAN, metropolitan Area Network falls in middle of LAN and WAN, It covers large  
span of physical area than LAN but smaller than WAN, such as a city.  
CAN - Campus Area Network  
Networking spanning with multiple LANs but smaller than a Metropolitan area network, MAN. This kind of  
network mostly used in relatively large universities or local business offices and buildings.  
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SAN - Storage Area Network  
SAN technology is used for data storage and it has no use for most of the organization but data oriented  
organizations. Storage area network connects servers to data storage devices by using Fiber channel  
technology.  
SAN - System Area Network  
SAN, system area networks are also known as cluster area network and it connects high performance computers  
with high speed connections in cluster configuration.  
TYPES OF LAN  
a) CLIENT SERVER: Consists of requesting micro-computers called ‘client’ and supplying  
devices that provide services called “server”  
b) PEER-TO-PEER: A LAN in which all micro-computers on the networks communicate  
directly without one relying on the server.  
HOW INTERNET WORKS.  
Internet data is sent in packets. If a message is large, it is divided into several packets.  
Each packet carries the address of a sender and the receiver (host).  
Each packet is numbered in the correct order, so that when it is put back together, it come out in  
the correct order like it was before being sent.  
INTERNET WINDOW  
Maximize  
Navigation Toolbar  
Close  
Minimize  
Title Bar  
Search engine box  
Menu Bar  
Address-URL  
S
c
r
o
l
L
i
n
k
s
l
b
a
r
Current page is shown in Title  
bar and Task bar  
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REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNET CONNECTION.  
1. Telecommunications Facilities:  
These are things like computers, telephone lines& exchange transmission stations,  
Satellite wireless telecommunication such as mobile phones, PDA’s Tablets and  
Notebooks. Global system for mobile (GSM) provides a wireless connectivity to  
mobile devices user known as General Packet Radio Svs (GPRS)  
.
2. MODEM:{Modulator-Demodulator}  
This is a special interface card that enables a computer to  
Send and receive data on telephone lines. So a computer is connected to the internet  
using a telephone line that has a dial a remote computer via this device called modem  
During Modulation, data is transmitted from digital to analog form so that it can be  
transmitted on a telephone line  
At the receiving end, data is changed from analogy to digital in a process called  
Demodulation.  
3.  
Internet Service Provider[ISP]:  
This are companies that offer and support internet services to the end of user  
[subscriber] examples are Jambonet,KDN,Africaonline,American online etc  
4. Internet Software:  
Internet connects millions of computers and, other  
telecommunication devices that have different configurations in terms  
of hardware/software. So to achieve this communication barrier  
between these devices, we need special software called a protocol.  
WHAT IS A PROTOCOL?  
Is a set of rules that govern how two computers can send and receive data over the internet. In  
layman’s language a protocol is to computer’s communication as what language is to human being.  
There are 2 protocols that are used over internet:-  
i) Transmission Control Protocol(TCP)  
ii) Internet Protocols (IP)  
TCP: Governs how data is transmitted from one place to another while it determines the addressing  
system on the internet  
IP: Determines the addressing system on the internet  
INTERNET TERMS  
1.  
WEB BROWSER: A web browser is an application software used for retrieving,  
presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. Each web page in the www  
is based on an HTML file. A web browser decodes the information in an HTML file and displays a web  
page on your computer screen according to its instruction (this is called downloading). Hyperlinks  
present in resources enable users to easily navigate their browsers to related resources-gate their  
browsers to related resources. It enables the users to use the computer to view WWW documents and  
access the Internet. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Safari, Opera represent some browser as shown  
below:  
(1) Internet explorer (2) Mozilla Firefox (3) Opera (4) Google Chrome (5) Navigator (6) Safari.  
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2. WEB SITE:  
A website is a collection of web pages (documents that are accessed through  
the Internet) maintained by an organizations, colleges, universities, companies,  
individuals. A web page is what you see on the screen when you type in a web  
address, click on a link, or put a query in a search engine. A web page can  
contain any type of information, and can include text, color, graphics, animation  
and sound.  
3. WEB ADDRESS/URL:  
Unique address that one can use to enable access website of an  
organization e.g.  
Zone/domain  
Host Name  
http://www.eastandard.net  
Definition of URL  
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator, previously Universal Resource Identifier) is the unique address for a  
file that is accessible on the Internet. A common way to get to a Web site is to enter the URL of its  
home page file in your Web browser's address line/bar. However, any file within that Web site can  
also be specified with a URL. Such a file might be any Web (HTML) page other than the home page, an  
image file, or a program such as a common gateway interface application or Java applet. The URL  
contains the name of the protocol to be used to access the file resource, a domain name that  
identifies a specific computer on the Internet, and a pathname, a hierarchical description that  
specifies the location of a file in that computer. An example of a URL is:  
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt  
4. HOME PAGE:  
The first page to load/open when you double click your web  
browser.  
Also refers to the first page of a company’s’ website  
N/B: You can set/customize your homepage  
5. WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW):  
Collections of websites on the internet. It represents the part of  
Internet which uses (linking) HTML pages.  
6. History  
Each browser remembers the websites and web pages that you have visited.It keep a record of each  
web page as it is downloaded. Use forward or Backspace to view history. Also click on History menu of  
the browser window.  
6. HTTP:  
HTTP, short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, is the protocol for transferring hypertext documents that  
makes the World Wide Web possible. A standard web address (such as http://www.google.com/) is  
called a URL; the prefix (http in the example) indicates its protocol.  
It is the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted  
and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various  
commands. For example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command  
to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page  
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HYPERTEXT:  
Is a system in which different types of documents such as text, images or sounds are linked and can be  
accessed using a "browser".  
HTML:  
Hypertext Markup Language- It is the code in which the World Wide Web documents are written,  
which uses "tags" to tell browsers which parts of a Home Page are icons, displayed as links or have  
hierarchical importance etc.Web designers normally uses HTML as one of the Web –designing program.  
IP ADDRESS: This is the address (numeric address) of a computer which is connected to the Internet;  
this is also called the Internet address.  
Your IP address is 196.202.211.233  
HOST:  
This represents a computer on a network that contains services available to other  
computers on the network.  
PLUGINS  
In computing, a plug-in (also called plug-in, add in, add-in, add-on, add-on, snap-in or snapin, consists  
of a computer program that interacts with a host application (a web browser or an email client, for  
example to provide a certain, usually very specific function.  
Examples of plug-in are:  
1.  
2.  
Adobe Acrobat Reader (for .pdf files)  
Java Virtual Machine (JVM to run Java  
applets)  
9. "Pop-Up Killer" software (to reduce the  
annoying advertisements)  
3.  
4.  
Macromedia Flash Player (to run .swf  
movies)  
Macromedia Shockwave Player (to run  
heavy-duty .swf movies)  
10. Anti Virus software  
11. Optional browser toolbars, like Google  
toolbar, Yahoo toolbar, or  
StumpleUpon toolbar  
5.  
6.  
Real Audio Player (to listen to .ram files)  
Apple Quicktime (to see 3d Virtual Reality  
schematics)  
Windows Media Player (to run a variety of  
movies and music formats)  
Windows Win Amp (to play downloaded  
.mp3 and .wav files)  
12. WinZip (to compress/decompress  
downloaded files)(although technically  
not plug-ins, WinZip and AV software  
work as silent partners to help you  
download web files, and to prevent  
nasty programs from infecting your  
computer)  
7.  
8.  
N/B: To access a web site, type the full address of a web site then press ENTER key on the keyboard.  
Some websites allows free access to all the pages by all visitors. However, other requires users to be a  
member, hence a new visitor has to register (SIGN UP) by filling online form. This process gives the visitor a  
“user name” & a “password” that can be used to “SIGN IN/LOG IN” on the web site for every successive  
visit. A good example is FACEBOOK.After typing the correct web address/URL of a site on the ADDRESS  
BAR of the browser, one should follow the LINK/HYPERLINK.  
HYPERLINK & SEARCH ENGINES  
HYPERLINK  
Hyperlinks are the programmatic commands to 'jump-to-another-page' in your web browser.  
This is a text, picture or a kind of icon/image of an electronic document that allows other web pages to  
open when the link is selected. Also referred to as a Link. which is a selectable connection from one  
word, picture, or information object to another. The most common form of link is the  
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highlighted word or picture that can be selected by the user resulting in the immediate delivery  
and view of another file.  
How can one identify a link/hyperlink?  
When you move around your cursor, at some areas or point it turns into a hand with a pointing finger  
if place in front of that text or picture or any kind of image.  
Hyperlink Tip: if you also hold CTRL while you click on a hyperlink, the target web page will load into a separate tab page of your browser.  
As you surf the web, your browser stores the sites and pages that you have already visited. You will notice the hyperlink you  
previously selected are coloured differently.  
SEARCHING WEB CONTENTS  
The Internet is a big forest of web pages and web sites. So searching for a particular item can  
therefore be a big nightmare. To make the work a bit easier, special web sites that maintain list of  
Hyperlinks are available. They have designed tools for searching hence are called Searching Engines.  
They have special programmes called Robots/Spiders that traverse the entire web/networks from one  
hyperlink to the next, and when they find new materials, they add them to their database. Examples of  
searching engines are: - Google search, Yahoo search, Bing, Baidu, ASK.com, etc.  
SEARCH ENGINES  
These are Tools designed to search for information/ database created by the search provider. The results  
after search are called HITS or results after search. The information may consist of Web pages,  
images, information and other types of files.  
One important element that distinguishes one search engine from another is the way they make  
the information stored in their database available. Other factors to look when choosing a web  
search engines are:  
1. Speed or response  
4. Position of relevant Hits.  
2. Total number of Hits  
3. Number of relevant Hits.  
5. Presentation of Hits.  
DOMAIN  
A domain name is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or  
control in the Internet, based on the Domain Name System (DNS). ) On the Internet, a domain consists  
of a set of network addresses. This domain is organized in levels. The top level identifies geographic or  
purpose commonality (for example, the nation that the domain covers or a category such as  
"commercial"). The second level identifies a unique place within the top level domain and is, in fact,  
equivalent to a unique address on the Internet (an IP address). Lower levels of domain may also be  
used.  
COMMON DOMAINS  
Domain  
.com/.co  
.ac  
.org  
.mil  
TYPE  
Commercial institutions  
academic institutions  
Non profit making organizations  
Military institutions  
.gov  
.net  
Government institutions  
Networking organization  
NOTE: Sometimes another 2 letter-extension is added after this dot com to show the country where  
the site is located e.g. www.savechildren.org.uk  
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INTERNET NAVIGATIONAL TOOLS  
Navigation tools allow users to find their way around a website or multimedia presentation.  
They can be hypertext links; clickable images or icons; or image maps, Backspace & Forward  
tools present in a web browser. Navigation tools are usually present either at the bottom or  
top (or both) of each page or screen, and typically allow users to return to the previous page,  
move forward to the next page, jump to the top of the current page, and return to the home page.  
1.  
TOOL BAR.  
g
f
h
a
b
c
d
e
a). BACK SPACE: The button takes you Backward through the web pages you have already visited.  
b). FORWARD: This button takes you through the web pages you have already visited.  
c). STOP: Stops page loading.  
d). REFRESH: Reload/refresh the current page.  
e). Home: Load a default page (Home Page).  
f). SEARCH: Opens the search panel in the Explorer window  
NB-This gives you access to features that help you connect to search engine like  
Google.  
g). FAVOURITE: Opens the favorite panel, which allows you to create access and manage your  
favorite sites on the web.  
h). ADDRESS BAR/URL: Allows you to type in the address of a known website and go directly to.  
2. Location bar {also see h above}  
The location bar, below the tool bar, is a box labeled “Location,” “GoTo,” or “Address.” You  
can type in a site’s address, and press the Return or Enter key to open the site.  
3. Status bar  
The status bar is located at the very bottom of the browser window. You can watch the  
progress of a web page download to determine if the host computer has been contacted and  
text and images are being downloaded.  
4. Scroll bar  
The scroll bar is the vertical bar located on the right of the browser window. You can scroll up  
and down a web page by placing the cursor on the slider control and holding down the mouse  
button.  
5. Flipping pages  
There are several ways to Flipping pages. One is to provide next/previous links or  
Simply add a link to the next page at the end of a page. You can also provide a list of all pages  
within that sequence eg).  
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6. Navigation within a page  
Many sites prefer longish pages. Sometimes a good reason for longer pages might be that the  
author expects that users will print the information before reading. Each page consists of  
chunks, which are listed in a little table-of-contents (TOC). This in-page-TOC is often  
somewhere in the beginning of a page, so you can see, what the page is about and also may  
click on the TOC-items to instantly jump to that chunk without having to reload the page.A  
good example is Wikipedia website.  
7. Splitting a story into pages  
NB: All navigational aids should follow three principles:  
1. They should provide information for orientation.  
2. They should be easily distinguished from actual content.  
3. Their function and their role in the overall site content should easily be comprehensible.  
APPLICATIONS OF INTERNET.  
1. Supports Electronic mails (e-mails) as this is one of the web based services. For example  
Yahoo.com  
2. E-commerce.  
3. E-learning  
has yahoo mail, Google.com has Gmail etc.  
4. News media on the web  
5. Music & entertainment on the net.  
6. Chatting on the net (online chatting)  
7. Resource materials for reference e.g. Bookboon, 4share etc  
8. Software downloads such like drivers & plug ins.  
9. Teleconferencing. etc  
EMERGING ISSUES  
Although internet is such an important resource, it has also brought with it some challenges. These  
includes:-  
1 Accessibility of dirty sites; E.g. pornography by the youth hence changes the morals. These can lead  
to premarital sex; drug and substance abuse. The solution to this is to restrict the offensive sites using  
filter programmes like cyber patrol, cyber sitters or Net nanny.  
2. Security & Privacy: Internet has made easy for criminals to illegally access organizations private  
information hence posing security concern.  
3. Spread of malicious software: These include viruses like Trojan horse and worm. They cause  
frustration and loss of data. The solution is to install internet security programs and update them  
regularly.  
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SECURITY THREATS & CONTROL MEASURES.  
1. Viruses:  
It is a destructive program that attaches itself to other files. It installs itself without permission on the  
computer when the files are opened for use. It may cause havoc on computer like deleting data on  
storage devices or interfere with proper functioning of computer system.  
TYPES OF VIRUSES.  
i)  
Boot Sector Viruses: Destroys booting information on storage devices.  
ii) Hoax Viruses: Comes as e-mail with an attractive subject that launches itself when e-mail is  
opened.  
iii) File Viruses: Attach themselves to files  
iv) Trojans: They appear to perform necessary function but perform other undesirable activities in  
the background without your knowledge.  
v) Worms: These viruses stick in the computer memory.  
vi) Back-doors: May be a Trojan or a worm that allows hidden access to a computer system  
Control of Viruses.  
1. Install latest version of anti-virus software and continuously update.  
2. Avoid foreign external storage devices like flash disk, memory cards, camera, phones etc.  
3. Scans mails with an attachment.  
2. Computer errors and accidental access.  
Threats to data and information come from people making mistakes. Printing sensitive reports  
and unsuspectingly giving them to unauthorized person.  
Errors and accidental access to data information may be as a result of people accessing to  
features they aren’t familiar with.  
Control measures against computer errors and accidents  
1. Give various file access privileges in roles to end users and technical staff in the organization.  
2. Set up a comprehensive error recovery strategy in the organization.  
3. Theft  
Control against theft.  
Employ guards 2 keep watch over data information centers backups  
Burglar proofing the comp room  
Reinforce weak access points like the windows doors in roofing and metallic grills and strong  
padlocks.  
Create backups in locations away from the main computing centre.  
COMPUTER CRIMES  
1.  
Trespass  
Its illegal physical entry 2 restricted places where comp. software hardware back up data is kept.  
2.  
Hacking  
Is internationally breaking codes and passwords to gain unauthorized entry to computer systems  
data I information files.  
3.  
Tapping  
Is sending an intelligent program on a host comp that sends him information for the computer  
spying.  
4.  
Cracking  
Refers to the use guess work over and over again by a person until he/she finally discovers a  
weakness in security policies or codes of the surface.  
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5.  
Means making illegal copies of copyright software, information or data.  
6. Fraud  
Piracy  
Is the use of computers 2 cancel information or cheat other people with the intention of gaining  
money or information.  
7.  
Sabotage.  
Is the illegal destruction of data information without information with the aim of crippling services  
delivery or causing loss to an organization.  
8.  
Alteration  
Is the illegal changing of data information without permission from the authorization.  
Audit trails.  
Is the study of information by experts so as to establish and find out all the weaknesses that could  
lead to security threats.  
DATA SECURITY & CONTROL.  
This is the protection of data from any lose. It involves:-  
i)  
Protection of data and information against unauthorized access or modification.  
ii) Denial of data and information to unauthorized user.  
iii) Provision of data and info to unauthorized user.  
iv) Data security also involves all the measures that will be taken to detect document and counter the  
treats to data and information.  
WEB HOSTING TUTORIAL.  
1. WEB HOSTING  
How does the Internet work? How can I have my own Web Site? What is a Web Host? What is an  
Internet Service Provider?  
What is the World Wide Web?  
•
•
•
The Web is a network of computers all over the world.  
All the computers in the Web can communicate with each other.  
All the computers use a communication protocol called HTTP.  
How does the WWW work?  
•
•
•
•
•
Web information is stored in documents called web pages.  
Web pages are files stored on computers called web servers.  
Computers reading the web pages are called web clients.  
Web clients view the pages with a program called a web browser.  
Popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Firefox.  
How does a Browser Fetch a Web Page?  
•
•
•
A browser fetches a page from a web server by a request.  
A request is a standard HTTP request containing a page address.  
An address may look like this: http://www.example.com/default.htm.  
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How does a Browser Display a Web Page?  
•
•
•
•
All web pages contain instructions for display.  
The browser displays the page by reading these instructions.  
The most common display instructions are called HTML tags.  
HTML tags look like this <p>This is a paragraph.</p>.  
What is a Web Server?  
•
•
•
•
•
The collection of all your web pages is called your web site.  
To let others view your web pages, you must publish your web site.  
To publish your work, you must copy your site to a web server.  
Your own PC can act as a web server if it is connected to a network.  
Most common is to use an Internet Service Provider (ISP).  
What is an Internet Service Provider?  
•
•
•
•
•
•
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider.  
An ISP provides Internet Services.  
A common Internet service is web hosting.  
Web hosting means storing your web site on a public server.  
Web hosting normally includes email services.  
Web hosting often includes domain name registration.  
Summary  
If you want other people to view your web site, you must copy your site to a public server.  
Even if you can use your own PC as a web  
server, it is more common to let an Internet  
Service Provider (ISP) host your site. Included  
in a Web hosting solution you can expect to  
find domain name registration and standard  
email services.  
ii)  
Software Expenses  
Remember that server-licenses often are  
higher than client-licenses. Also note that  
server-licenses might have limits on number of  
users.  
2. WEB HOSTING PROVIDERS  
iii) Labor Expenses  
Intro: To make your web site visible to the  
world, you'll have to store it on a web server.  
Don't expect low labor expenses. You have to  
install your own hardware and software. You  
also have to deal with bugs and viruses, and  
keep your server constantly running in an  
environment where "everything could  
happen".  
a) Hosting your own Web site  
Hosting your web site on your own server is  
always an option. Here are some points to  
consider:  
b)  
Using an Internet Service Provider  
i) Hardware Expenses  
Renting a server from an Internet Service  
Provider (ISP) is a common option.  
Most small companies store their web site on  
a server provided by an ISP. Here are some  
advantages:  
To run a "real" web site, you will have to buy  
some powerful server hardware. Don't expect  
that a low cost PC will do the job. You will also  
need a permanent (24 hours a day) high-speed  
connection.  
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Connection Speed  
Front Page Extensions.  
Most ISPs have very fast connections to the  
Internet.  
If you use FrontPage to develop your web site,  
make sure your ISP supports FrontPage server  
extensions.  
Powerful Hardware  
Database Access.  
ISPs often have powerful web servers that can  
be shared by several companies. You can also  
expect them to have an effective load  
If you plan to use data from databases on your  
web site, make sure your ISP supports the  
database access you need.  
balancing, and necessary backup servers.  
Security and Stability  
Web Hosting Domain Names  
ISPs are specialists on web hosting. Expect  
their servers to have more than 99% up time,  
the latest software patches, and the best virus  
protection.  
A domain name is a unique name for your web  
site.  
Choosing a hosting solution should include  
domain name registration.  
Your domain name should be easy to  
remember and easy to type.  
THINGS TO CONSIDER WITH AN ISP.  
24-hour support  
3. WEB HOST DOMAIN.  
A domain name is a unique name for a web  
site, like w3schools.com.  
Make sure your ISP offers 24-hours support.  
Don't put yourself in a situation where you  
cannot fix critical problems without having to  
wait until the next working day. Toll-free  
phone could be vital if you don't want to pay  
for long distance calls.  
Domain names must be registered. When  
domain names are registered, they are added  
to a large domain name register. In addition,  
information about the web site, including the  
IP address, is stored on a DNS server.  
DNS stands for Domain Name System. A DNS  
server is responsible for informing all other  
computers on the Internet about the domain  
name and the web site address.  
Daily Backup  
Make sure your ISP runs a daily backup  
routine; otherwise you may lose some  
valuable data.  
Registering a Domain  
Traffic Volume  
Domains can be registered from domain name  
registration companies.  
Study the ISP's traffic volume restrictions.  
Make sure that you don't have to pay a  
fortune for unexpected high traffic if your web  
site becomes popular.  
These companies provide interfaces to search  
for available domain names, and they offer a  
variety of domain name extensions that can  
be registered at the same time.  
Bandwidth or Content Restrictions.  
Study the ISP's bandwidth and content  
restrictions. If you plan to publish pictures or  
broadcast video or sound, make sure that you  
can.  
Choosing a Domain Name  
Choosing a domain name is a major step for  
any individual or organization.  
E-mail Capabilities.  
New domain name extensions and creative  
thinking still offer thousands of excellent  
domain names!  
Make sure your ISP supports the e-mail  
capabilities you need.  
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When choosing a name, it is important to  
consider the purpose of a domain name,  
which is to provide an easy way to reach your  
web site. The best domains have the following  
characteristics:  
This is not a real domain name, it is a directory  
- and you should try to avoid it.  
Directory domains are not desirable, especially  
for companies.  
Typically, directory domains are used for  
personal web sites and free web sites  
provided by an ISP, you may have seen  
www.theircompany.com/~username as an  
address.  
Short - People don't like to type! A short  
domain name is easier to type, read, and  
remember.  
Competition in domain name registration has  
resulted in a dramatic decrease in pricing, so  
domain sharing is not common, since it is  
possible to register a domain name for only  
$15 per year.  
Meaningful - A short domain is nothing  
without meaning, 34i4nh.com is not easy to  
enter or to remember. Select a domain that  
relates to your site in a way that people will  
understand.  
Expired Domains  
Clear - Clarity is important when selecting a  
domain name. Avoid a name that is difficult to  
spell or pronounce.  
Another source for domain registrations is  
expired domains.  
When you register a domain, think of it as a  
rental, assuming there are no legal or  
Exposure - Names that are short and easy to  
remember are an asset. In addition to visitors,  
also consider search engines. Search engines  
index your site and rank it for relevance  
against terms people search for. In order to  
maximize your sites exposure, consider  
including a relevant search term in your  
domain. Of course, only consider this if it still  
maintains a short, clear and meaningful  
domain name.  
trademark issues with the domain name, you  
are free to use it as long as you continue to  
pay the yearly fee (you can now register in  
advance as many as 10 years). Some people  
register domains as speculators, hoping that  
they can later sell them, while others may  
have planned to use a domain and never had  
the time. The result is that domains that were  
previously registered become available again.  
Sub Domains  
Use Your Domain Name  
Most people are unaware that they use sub  
domains daily. The famous "www" of the  
World Wide Web is an example of a sub  
domain. Sub domains can be created on a DNS  
server, and they don't need to be registered  
with a domain name registrar, of course, the  
original domain name needs to be registered  
before a sub domain could be created.  
After you have chosen and registered your  
own domain name, make sure you use it on all  
your web pages, and on all your  
correspondence, like e-mail and traditional  
mail.  
It is important to let other people be aware of  
your domain name, and to inform your  
partners and customers about your web site.  
Examples of sub domains used on the internet  
are http://store.apple.com and  
http://support.microsoft.com.Sub domains  
can be requested from your web hosting  
provider.  
4. WEB HOSTING CAPACITIES  
Make sure you get the disk space and the  
traffic volume you need.  
False Domain Names - Directory Listings  
How Much Disk Space?  
Some providers will offer you a name under  
their own name, like:  
www.theircompany.com/yourcompany/  
A small or medium web site will need between  
10 and 100MB of disk space.  
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If you look at the size of HTML pages, you will  
see that the average size is very small. But if  
you look at the size of the images used inside  
these pages, you will often find the images  
larger than the page.  
and 7000 characters per second, or about 1 to  
5 pages of written text. One kilobit (Kb) is  
1024 bits. One megabit (Mb) is 1024 kilobits.  
One gigabit (Gb) is 1024 megabits.  
These are connection speeds used on the  
Internet today:  
Expect each HTML page to take up between 5  
and 50KB of disk space on your web server,  
depending on the use of images or other  
space-consuming elements.  
Before you sign up with a host provider, surf  
some other web sites on their servers, and try  
to get a good feeling about their network  
speed. Also compare the other sites against  
yours, to see if it looks like you have the same  
needs. Contacting some of the other  
If you use a lot of images or graphic elements  
(or sound files or movies), you might need  
much more disk space. Make sure you know  
your needs, before choosing a web host.  
customers is also a valuable option.  
Monthly Traffic  
A small or medium web site will consume  
between 1GB and 5GB of data transfer per  
month.  
Calculate the following: average page size *  
expected page views per month  
Example: If your average page size is 30KB and  
you expect 50,000 page views per month, you  
will need 0.03MB * 50,000 = 1.5GB.  
Larger, commercial sites often consume more  
than 100GB of monthly traffic.  
Before you sign up with a host provider, make  
sure to check this:  
• What are the restrictions on monthly  
transfer?  
• Will the web site be closed if it exceeds the  
volume?  
• Will you be billed a fortune if the web site  
exceeds the volume?  
• Is upgrading a simple task?  
Connection Speed  
In the early days of the Internet a T1  
connection was considered a fast connection.  
Today connection speeds are much faster.  
1 byte equals to 8 bits (and that's the number  
of bits used to transport one character). Low-  
speed modems can transport from about 14  
000 to 56 000 bits per second (14 to 56 kilobits  
per second). That is somewhere between 2000  
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E-MAIL-{Electronic Mail}  
Every system in internet support some sort of mail services, meaning that you can send and receive  
e-mail. The first e-mail was sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971. Internet mail address have two parts  
separated by @ sign e.g. deno@yahoo.com.  
The part before the @ is the mail box address or ID, which is your personal Name and the part after  
@ is the domain where the user belongs ,and is always required for all SMTP e-mail addresses and  
was first used by Ray Tomlinson.  
Some electronic-mail systems are confined to a single computer system or network, but others have  
gateways to other computer systems, enabling users to send electronic mail anywhere in the world.  
EMAIL ACCOUNTS  
Once you've got an email account, you can store your emails on the internet, or store them on a  
computer, laptop or another internet-connected device.  
If your email is stored on the web, it's called 'webmail'. To access a webmail account, you get onto  
the internet, go to the website where your webmail is hosted and 'log in' or 'sign in' with your  
username and password.  
SMTP  
Short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, SMTP is a communications protocol that sends e-mail  
messages from one server to another over port 25. The messages can then be retrieved from a server  
with either POP or IMAP.The @sign, is part of every SMTP email address  
SAMPLE OF E-MAIL WINDOW  
Click here to delete  
Click here to  
Click here to  
compose letter  
mail(s) after selecting  
the box below  
check your mail  
Click here to  
view drafted mail  
Click here to  
View sent  
mail  
New  
folders  
Mails with attachments  
N/B:  
All mails in the in-box  
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E-mail page- layout do keep changing to form something referred to as “version” i.e. the above  
Mail is in yahoo mail classic version  
WRITING A MAIL  
Referring to the above illustration, when you click “NEW”, the window below will open. This window  
allows you to create a new mail for sending. Also you can attach/upload files {photos, pdf documents,  
scan documents etc}  
You can save your mail as a  
draft for future sending  
Send Button  
Principal addressee. Type  
full e-mail address of the  
person you are sending to  
Carbon/Circulated  
copy  
Blind Carbon  
Copy  
For  
Upload/Attach  
Write the Topic  
Text area. Type your letter here  
STEPS ON HOW TO ATTACH A DOCUMENT(S)  
i.  
Click “ATTACH FILES” Above  
ii.  
Choose “BROWSE”. N/B you can attach as many file as possible  
iii.  
Identify where the document is stored i.e. either in “My Documents”, “Desktop”, “My  
Network”, “Flash disk “or any other local /external storage place.  
Select the file to be attached, and then click “ATTACH FILES”  
iv.  
6
1 6 1 1 0 2  
7 8 4 5 5 8  
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