CUSTOMIZE THE MENUS IN YOUR TOOLBAR
I use just a handful of functions in Microsoft Office’s toolbar menus. Is there some way to shorten the dropdown list or add the ones I frequently need?

Yes, to both questions. If all you want to do is shorten the list, click on Tools, Customize, move your cursor over the target toolbar menu, grab the icon you want to remove, and drag it off the menu.

Likewise, if you wish to add a function to the toolbar, go to the Customize screen and click on the Commands tab, which opens an array of function Categories (see screenshot below). Select the category containing the function you want to add, then click on the target icon and drag it to your toolbar.

But if you want to add or subtract a command to one of the dropdown menus on your toolbar (such as File, Edit, View, etc.), click on Rearrange Commands on the Customize screen and select the menu you want to edit in the box next to Menu Bar.

Then, under the Controls section, select the action you want to implement: Add, Delete, etc., and highlight the target function. After you’ve made all your changes, click on Reset to save them to your Normal.dot (or whichever template you use) and click on Close.

You also can customize the toolbar to keep track of the commands you use so only they appear in the dropdown menu. To initiate that customization, click on the Options tab and, under Personalized Menus and Toolbars, remove the checks next to Always show full menus and Show full menus after a short delay (see screenshot below). Finally, click on Reset menu and toolbar usage data to initiate the tracking feature.

If at any time you change the way you work with any Office application and want to reset the toolbar dropdown menu memory, click on Reset menu and toolbar usage data, and click on Yes (see screenshot below).

GET THE EMBARRASSING OOPS! OUT OF MEMOS
After an argument with a client, I drafted a memo that angrily pointed out why he was not only wrong but stupid. After reviewing it, I realized the memo was not a good idea, so I erased it and rewrote it, diplomatically explaining my position. But somehow, when he received the memo, it displayed both versions. Boy, was my face red! We’ve since worked out our differences, but what happened to cause the erased version of the letter to be displayed? And more important, how can I prevent that from happening again?

What happened is not that uncommon. In fact, several political upheavals and even lawsuits were triggered when ill-advised e-mails revealed hidden text—material that was supposedly edited out before it was sent.

What we’re dealing with here is information in e-mails and word-processing documents—collectively called metadata— which can include anything from format codes, added Comments and Tracked Changes, and text that has been formatted as hidden font. All this is designed to stay hidden beneath the visible part of the document unless commanded to appear—we’ll get to that later. But sometimes, for some mysterious reason, ordinary text that was normally deleted suddenly reappears when the document is printed or when the file is converted into a different format, such as Adobe PDF.

This situation is not limited to Word (Outlook e-mails can be written in Word); many applications, including the Web programming language HTML, are hidden, too, but the problem is more apparent, common and potentially dangerous in Word.

Some years ago Microsoft developed a tool to erase such data before a file was distributed, and it has since built such a tool into Office XP. To evoke the tool, click on Tools, Options and the Security tab and place checks in the boxes under Privacy options (see screenshot below).

When those options are checked and you try to save a document that used Track Changes, a pop-up advisory appears (see screenshot). If you click on Tell Me More, you’ll be presented with a full discourse on the subject. If you click on OK, the Track Changes will be saved—but now you are forewarned.

As an added safety measure, command Word to always show hidden text by clicking on Tools, Options and the View tab. Under Show and Formatting marks, place a check next to Hidden text (see screenshot below). Don’t check any other boxes under Formatting marks or your document will be filled with dots between words and paragraph marks (the backward P).

Despite all this talk of risk, don’t disparage hidden text; it has its practical uses. For example, you may want to distribute a memo that contains technical sections that some people don’t need to see. Instead of drafting two memos, just format the technical text as hidden by highlighting it, clicking in Format, Font, and checking the Hidden box (see screenshot).

To toggle between showing hidden text and hiding it, first uncheck the Hidden text box in the Options screen, and either place the Show/Hide tool in your toolbar or press Ctrl+Shift+*.

BLOCK MICROSOFT’S “ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM” POP-UP
Occasionally, when my computer malfunctions, a message pops up that says one of my programs has “encountered a problem” and asks to send Microsoft a report. I understand that the information helps Microsoft solve software bugs on future products and that I am not supposed to be running a security risk, but frankly I’m skeptical, so I usually click on the Don’t Send button. Am I not being a good citizen? What’s the scoop on this?

I think the risk is small, but that doesn’t mean there’s no risk. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Computer Incident Advisory Capability says that when your computer sends a “memory dump” to Microsoft, it sometimes could contain data from your hard disk.

If you wish to stop being bothered by those error pop-ups, you can block them by opening your Control Panel (Start, Settings, Control Panel) and clicking on System, Advanced, Error Reporting (see screenshot below).

As you see, you can either disable the pop-up entirely by checking Disable error reporting, or, if you want to send reports, you can choose whether you want them limited to the operating system, programs or both. And you can even select which programs you want monitored.

A BETTER WAY
The April column (page 83) reported a technique for maintaining an Excel cell reference when copying a cell’s formula to a different location. Reader Dhan Brar, finance manager of Kern Health Systems, Bakersfield, Calif., suggests an easier way, if you want to move the cell rather than copy it. Just drag the cell with the formula to the new location; the cell reference stays the same as in the original formula. To drag a cell, first select it and then hover your mouse cursor over an edge of the cell until it changes into four outward-pointing arrows, then click and drag.

USEFUL INFORMATION
Need to check the status of a flight? Google offers a free textmessage service that distributes flight status reports and other airline information. Just text message Google at 466453 (which spells Google on a cell phone’s keyboard) and enter the abbreviated airline name (for example, American Airlines is AA) and flight number, and Google will leave a text message on your phone.

The smallest, lightest projector for the traveling CPA: Toshiba’s TDP-FF1AU LED projector measures 5.5 by 2.2 by 4.0 inches and weighs 1.1 pounds (1.7 with its battery). Be advised that it needs a darkened room to produce a good image. It comes bundled with a 23-inch folding projection screen. Price: $699.

EXCEL SHORTCUTS
Chart selected data: F11
Format cells: Ctrl + 1
Remove borders: Ctrl + Shift + _
Fill down: Ctrl + D
Fill right: Ctrl + R
Copy formula above: Ctrl + '
Copy value above: Ctrl + "

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