Convert to Word 2007
Word 2007 is drastically different from previous versions. Most visibly, the user interface has been completely reworked and the file format has changed. The enhancements far exceed these changes; however, and as you work to create new documents or convert existing ones, exciting new features will be found in every area. New terminology has also been introduced representing the new features and new look. In essence, the new Word 2007 simplifies creating professional documents.
The New User Interface On Word 2007
The objective of the new interface is a more intuitive method of working with documents. The Title Bar has been changed to display the Microsoft Office Button at the left, followed by the Quick Access Toolbar. The document name and application are centered on the Title Bar, with the minimize, restore/maximize, and close application buttons remaining at the right end. New, Open, Save and Print can be found by clicking the Microsoft Office Button. In Word 2007 the Options button is now located on the Microsoft Office Button, as well. The Quick Launch Toolbar displays the Save, Undo and Repeat commands by default, but this can be easily customized to include frequently used commands.
Located below the Title Bar is the Ribbon, where the Menu Bar was previously displayed. The Ribbon consists of Tabs where commands and tools are organized. By default the Home Tab is active when Word 2007 is launched and it displays groups for the most common commands, Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles, and Editing. Other tabs include Insert, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review, and View. Clicking on a tab displays that tab's commands buttons which are organized into groups. Commands that are infrequently used are not represented as a button in the group, but can be found by clicking the Dialog Box Launcher at the right end of the group's title bar. Additionally, contextual tabs display on the Ribbon to provide tools for specific features. For instance, if a chart is accessed in a document, a contextual tab, Chart Tools, displays providing tools for the design, format and layout of the chart.
Word 2007 also introduces galleries of thumbnails that give you a picture of choices available for a particular option. Pointing to a thumbnail in a gallery shows the effect of that choice on the document. This is a very beneficial new feature called live preview.
Other changes have been made which affect the way we view and compose documents. The Normal view has been replaced with the Draft view. To display the Style Area Width in the Draft view, change the default setting under the Advanced Options feature of the Microsoft Office Button. By default, the Status Bar displays Page Number, Word Count, View Shortcuts, Zoom and the new Zoom Slider. The Status Bar can be easily customized with a right-click which displays a list of items that can be turned on or off.
File Format
The default file format for Word 2007 is .docx. The XML format of Word, Excel and PowerPoint provides significant reduction in document size, improved data recovery for corrupt documents and the ability to use the files with external systems. The information is transportable and can be shared and reused easily.
Because of the different file format, documents created with previous versions of Word can be opened in Word 2007, but the new features of Word 2007 will not be available. The document name will appear on the Title Bar with [Compatibility Mode] displayed to its right. Documents can be worked on in Compatibility Mode or converted to the Word 2007 file format using the Convert feature after clicking the Microsoft Office Button. The document can be saved with the new document format to write over the existing document, or "saved-as" to save the document in the new format as a different file.
Documents created in Word 2007 cannot be opened in a previous version of Word until the Compatibility Pack for Office 2007 has been installed. This compatibility Pack is a free download from Microsoft Office Online. Although Word 2007 documents can then be opened, the Word 2007 templates cannot be opened.
Since older file formats of Word cannot support some of the new Word 2007 features a new element called Compatibility Checker has been provided. The Compatibility Checker is helpful when collaborating with someone using an older version of Word.
The Compatibility Checker in Word 2007 provides a list of any text in the document that may not appear the same or be fully editable if the document were opened in older versions of Word. The Compatibility Checker is launched in a save as operation from one of the XML formats to an older file format, such as .doc or when the Run Compatibility Checker is used on the Office Button Prepare menu.
The Compatibility Checker tells you that certain content in your document will change if the document is converted to an older version (.doc). If the document needs to be re-converted to Word 2007, this content can get back into Word 2007 mode using the refresh feature in Word 2007. Understanding Compatibility Mode and the Compatibility Checker is critical to the success of an upgrade to Office 2007.
