Technology Q&A

by Stanley Zarowin

Excel translates a date into a day…Change Word’s format defaults…
Power to the traveler…Make reading easier for those with dyslexia…
Straighten a bent plug-in pin…What I learned from two readers…Shortcuts

EXCEL TRANSLATES A DATE INTO A DAY
I have a delivery schedule in an Excel file, and on a regular basis I have to determine the day of the week of a future date. Does Excel have a way to speed the operation?

I asked a colleague, and he surprised me with a simple solution.

Highlight the target cells, click on Format, Cells and the Number tab. Then click on Custom. In the box in the Type column, type dddd for the full name of the week and ddd for abbreviated names…

…and it does the job automatically.

CHANGE WORD’S FORMAT DEFAULTS
I’m trying to change my Word document defaults—such as the font and tab settings—and my computer keeps telling me I can’t change my Normal.dot characteristics. I even went to Help (F1) and followed the instructions, but no luck there either. Help!

I think I know what you’re doing wrong. Let’s back up a bit. Your goal is to change Word’s Normal.dot; that’s the template for all new Word documents created on your computer. If you try to create a document and name it Normal.dot, your computer will flash this screen:

There are two ways to change your Normal.dot. I think when you tried to open the existing Normal.dot, you probably did not open the real one. For example, if you do a search in Explorer, you’ll probably find a few of them—each in a different location. The one you want is in C:\Documents and Settings\Your user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dot. When you change that file and save it, it will be your new default.

There’s another way to change the default, which some users believe is easier: Open a new document and click on Format, Styles and Formatting, bringing up this screen:

If you right-click on Normal, a new screen appears with a Modify button. Click on it and use the Modify Style screen that appears to change the Normal.dot defaults. When done, click on OK and you have a new, custom Normal.dot default.

POWER TO THE TRAVELER
I travel a lot and one of my great frustrations is searching for a free electrical outlet in an airport to recharge my laptop and cell phone. Suggestions?

There’s a product for people like you. The XPower PowerSource Mobile 100, a pocket-size rechargeable lithium-ion battery, can recharge a laptop to run for two hours, a cell phone for 12 hours or a BlackBerry for 34 hours. It can be recharged 300 times before the battery needs replacement. It comes with two sockets for USB cords and has a standard AC outlet so you don’t need any additional adapter plugs. The $129 device weighs about a pound. (Details: www.xantrex.com. )

MAKE READING EASIER FOR THOSE WITH DYSLEXIA
I have a mild case of dyslexia, which, among other things, makes reading a little difficult, especially reading the small, crowded type in spreadsheets. Do you have a recommendation?

I have several. Most people with dyslexia or light-sensitive eyes find text on a white background—whether on a computer screen or paper—somewhat difficult to read. Adding a faint yellow tint to the page cuts down the reflected glare and makes focusing easier, whether or not you have eye problems.

In Word, add the tint by clicking on Format, Background and then the color marked by the arrow (see screenshot).

In Excel, first highlight the entire worksheet by pressing Ctrl+A, then click on the Fill Color (paint bucket) icon and then the light yellow panel (see screenshot).

For help reading printed material, buy an 81/2-by-11 yellow-tinted transparent plastic sheet at an office supply store and lay it over what you’re reading to remove the glare.

Another problem is the type size. While you can’t do anything about printed material, you can adjust the computer’s font size quite easily. Although I generally use 12-point type, for ease in reading I enlarge my personal view (without changing the document’s format settings) by clicking on the Zoom icon (see screenshot).

If you don’t have that icon on your toolbar, click on Tools, Customize and under the Commands heading, grab the Zoom icon (see screenshot) and drag it onto the toolbar. Do the same for Excel.

Enlarging the spacing between lines of type helps, too. I find two-line spacing too much and one-line spacing too little, but hidden among Word’s little formatting adjustments is 1.5-line spacing, which I find just right. To access it, click on Format, then Paragraph and the Indents and Spacing tab. Under Line spacing, click on the down arrow to engage Multiple, and then dial the spacing to 1.5 (see screenshot).

For convenience, you can place the Line spacing icon in your toolbar (see screenshot).

However, that icon is well-hidden: Look under the Commands tab and under Format; it’s the next-to-last icon in the lengthy list.

STRAIGHTEN A BENT PLUG-IN PIN
Although I’m not particularly handy, that doesn’t stop me from tinkering inside my computer and setting up peripherals. However, when I have a cable or a component with plug-in pins and make one false move when I’m trying to insert it, a pin gets bent. How can I get it straight?

First, I salute your independence and courage. Simply empty the lead from a 7-millimeter mechanical pencil and gently insert the bent pin in the hollow tip to straighten it. It works every time.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM TWO READERS
In the September column (page 80), I reported on an Excel shortcut for putting the equal (=) sign in a formula. Ron Freeman, CPA (inactive), accounting manager for CityForest Corp. of Ladysmith, Wis., suggested another way: Put the equal sign in the toolbar for easy access.

To do that, click on Tools, Customize, the Commands tab and then on Insert. Far down on the drop-down list are all the basic arithmetic functions (see screenshot). Drag the ones you want to the toolbar.

Someone else recently asked me why this screen sometimes pops up when he closes some, but not all, Excel files—even when he doesn’t make a change in the spreadsheet:

Quite frankly, I didn’t know. But reader Alan Hyde, a CPA at the Park West Gallery in Southfield, Mich., went searching on Microsoft’s Knowledge site and discovered that when you close any worksheet with a volatile function—such as SUMIF, NOW, TODAY or OFFSET—the ominous screen will be triggered whether or not you changed anything. So rest assured that the screen’s appearance is not a sign of trouble.

SHORTCUTS
Windows: Alt+F4 to close and quit file.
Windows: Alt+Space to display the main window’s System menu. From the System menu you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize or close the window.
Windows: Alt+Tab to switch between open programs.
Windows: Ctrl+Esc to open Start menu.
Windows: Shift+Delete to delete item permanently.
Word: A quick way to open Page Setup: Double-click on the horizontal or vertical ruler.

Stanley Zarowin, a former JofA senior editor, is now a contributing editor to the magazine. His e-mail address is stanley.joatech@gmail.com.