Word 2013

I am having so much fun learning the new Office 2013. I'll have more updates as I get to know it better. In the meantime, here's a preview of Word...

E-mail Merge using Microsoft Word

People have been asking for this in Lotus Notes for so long. Now that UNL is converting to Outlook for our e-mail, I can finally show everyone how incredibly easy this is. This video includes both 2010 for Windows and 2011 for Mac. 

For this example, I'll be using Word for my message, Excel for my data source and Outlook to send the email.

In Microsoft Word, you can use an existing letter or type a new one from scratch. I already have a letter I'd like to repurpose for this message.

1. In Windows, click the Mailings tab.On the Mac, go to the Tools menu and select Mail Merge Manager.
2. In Windows, click Start Mail Merge and select E-mail Message.On the Mac in the Mail Merge Manager, click Create New and select Form Letters.
3. Click on Select Recipients and select Use Existing List.On the Mac in the Mail Merge Manager, select Get List and Open Data Source...
4. Navigate to find your list. When using Excel, you'll be asked to select which worksheet to use.
5. In Windows, select the fields to replace and click the words Insert Merge Field and select the name of the field to insert.On the Mac, from the Mail Merge Manager, simply drag and drop the field to its proper location.
6. Click to Preview Results (View Merged Data on the Mac) and double check everything is okay.
7. Use the record selector to double-check to be sure everything is in the proper location.
8. When satisfied, go to Finish & Merge and Send E-mail Messages.On the Mac, select Generate e-mail messages in the Mail Merge Manager.
9. Select the field which contains the e-mail address.Type the Subject line you'd like to appear on the e-mail message, and then click OK (Mail Merge to Outlook on the Mac).

Back in Outlook, in the Sent Items folder, you'll find all the e-mails that have been sent.

Free Office webinars every Tuesday

My favorite word is "free" and here's some free, but quick tips from Microsoft.

Send a Calendar via E-Mail

Being able to view my coworkers’ free/busy time is a great time-saver when I want to schedule a meeting with them. But there are times when I need to schedule a meeting with someone outside of my organization. When that’s the case, I send them a copy of my calendar for the time period requested so they can match their free time with mine.

To send someone your calendar…

1. In a new e-mail message or a reply, click in the body of the message.
2. On the Message tab, Include group, click Attach Item and select Calendar.
3. In the Send a Calendar via E-Mail dialog box:
   1. Specify which calendar to include (if you manage more than one).
   2. Specify the date range. If you don’t see the option you need, select Specify Dates to choose the beginning and end of the date range.
   3. Select the amount of detail to include.
   4. If you only want to include working hours,
      select ☑ Show time within my working hours only.
4. Click OK.

The calendar will be added to your message as a neat and easy-to-read table, making it easy for the recipient to select a time that works for both of you.

Why I have been M.I.A.

UNL (and the entire University of Nebraska system) is changing from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Outlook and Office 365. It's been a major undertaking and we'll be at this for a while. This has drawn my attention away from my blog and I apologize. I'll begin posting again, but you will now notice I'm including Outlook with my tips.

See What's Coming in Windows 8

The Consumer Preview is here. http://win8.ms/dthzvf.

Take Attendance in Excel (and so much more)

In training, I need to take attendance. I can have a list in Excel that looks like the one below. But, by using Conditional Formatting, I can get a better looking list that is easy to filter/sort to what I need. Here’s how I do that.

The first step is to change how I use the “Attended” column. Instead of x’s, I need to enter 1’s and 0’s. Excel is designed around the use of numbers and this will only work if I do the same. In this instance, I use 1’s for those who have attended and 0’s for those who were absent.

1. Select the column with the values to format. In my example, I selected column D.
2. On the Home tab, Styles group, click Conditional Formatting and select the 3 Symbols (Uncircled) under the Indicators options. (It's the green check, yellow explanation point and red X.)

You will see the icon and the value listed in the column together. Now to hide the value.

1. Click Conditional Formatting again and this time select Manage Rules… at the bottom of the gallery to open the dialog box
2. Click the Edit Rule… button.
3. Select the Show Icon Only check box. Click OK to finish the rule, and OK apply.

The bonus is now you can filter/sort on this column. Turn on the Filter (on the Data tab) to view the filter arrows on each column heading. Click the filter for your column, move to Filter by Color and select to view only those who attended or get a list of those who were absent.