10 Tips for New Microsoft Project Users

With all the “Top 10 Lists” out there on varying subjects, I thought it was time to create one for Microsoft Project. Most beginners that are given Project are simply thrown a copy of the program and maybe an 800 page book that reads like assembly instructions for a Space Shuttle.

In the real-world work place classes are just not an option, usually due to budget constraints. With the proper training and a good understanding of a few simple rules, the users frustration level can be drastically reduced to a tolerable level. So, here is my list of a few basic rules or guidelines to consider when working in Project.

1. Project is not Excel.

This may seem obvious but surprisingly when you first open a new project, most are inclined to think in terms of an excel spreadsheet.  After all, it’s been ingrained in our thought process since the dawn of Microsoft Office. While the grid-like layout of the “Gantt Chart” may look similar to excel, make no mistake, it is different. It may look similar but it behaves very differently. For example, Project will automatically change the start and end date. Let it. Remember, this is a scheduling tool and scheduling tools change dates based on other inputs. Not understanding how and why it does this will lead most newbies to abandon the software.  Stick with it and it will become a valuable tool.

2. Understand the basic scheduling formula.

(Duration = Work divided by Units)

This is a fundamental formula across all scheduling practices and thus is no different in Project. Understanding this formula and the definitions of the words themselves is vital in comprehending how Project schedules and manipulates tasks. Without an understanding of this formula, changes made by Project may seem obscure and unjustified. Knowing the formula may not stop Project from making changes to your scheduling, but it will help you better understand what changes to expect given certain modifications on your part.

3. Setting fixed types.

By default, Project will set the “units” as fixed, when in reality most often we would want the “work” as fixed. On a default set-up where either work, units or duration is fixed and you modify one of them, Project will recalculate the third but will not change the one that is fixed. Since most technical tasks are driven by the amount of work effort required, they should be set so the work type is fixed.  You would set the work type as fixed if you do not want overtime. So, if your order for units increases you can plug in the new quantity and since the work is fixed, Project will adjust the time and provide you with a new deadline for production. In the same respect you can change the fixed type to any of the three options so if your deadline gets pulled in, adjust the new duration while keeping the same quantity of units and Project will calculate the adjusted amount of “work” or hours needed.

 

4. Don’t assign everyone at 100%.

When you assign a resource or person to a task, the default in Project is 100%. This means that that resource or person will work solely on that assignment. In some situations this is okay, but it limits that resource to only that task for the duration of the task. This will result in erroneous numbers and timelines in Project. Also pay attention to assigning people or resources to concurrent (parallel) tasks. Although most of us like to think we can multi-task, in Project it just doesn’t work.

5. Minimize those constraints.

When you add constraints such as “Start no earlier than” or “Finish no later than”, you are actually telling Project not to schedule anything. While there may be legitimate uses for such constraints,  such as a dependency on an external event, the best practice is to let Project adjust the schedule. This is known as Dynamic Scheduling. Difficult or inflexible constraints may cause scheduling conflicts and force Project to ignore or eliminate a particular project schedule. If your sponsor (by sponsor I mean boss) mandates an end date then use Deadlines. Deadlines will flag a missed milestone but will not disable scheduling of the task.

6. Avoid estimating or guessing the Percent Complete.

Estimating the percent complete for a project is a practice you should avoid. This often becomes a habit and soon becomes a subject of abuse. The best practice should be to ask a resource (or manager) to report the actual work then calculate the remaining work. This will allow project to automatically (and correctly) calculate the percent of work completed. A point to remember is that; in project the percent complete actually means duration complete which is distinguished from work complete. Remember, we are using Project – not Excel. Before you make changes to work or units, make sure you understand the difference between work complete and duration complete.

7. Let your project program talk to you, and listen to what it says.

Think twice before you hit the “ignore” button when Project pops up an error message “This action will cause a scheduling conflict…” They are there to warn you of potential problems that may occur if you continue. Deal with the errors or conflicts immediately or their consequences will have long term effects. Not taking care of them now will make it more difficult to trace back later when these issues start stacking up.

8. Leveling is not a magic wand.

As anyone who has used automatic leveling can tell you, there is no real magic to it. Leveling simply delays the start or continuation of a task or tasks in a schedule until your resources are no longer over allocated.  It’s best to use some thought when first assigning resources to tasks. A common mistake is to assign a person full time to more than one task that is on the same scheduled time frame. If you are careful, leveling can work great for you, if not it can be a nightmare.

 

9. Tools are not communicators.

Considering the various collaboration tools in the Enterprise Edition of Project Management (EPM) environment including things like notifications and SharePoint, you may be inclined to think the tool can communicate for you. Wrong! Ninety percent of a project manager’s job is communication. PM tools may facilitate some communication and relieve us of some mundane tasks allowing us to spend more time communicating – but it will not replace it.

10. Knowing project management will not make you a project manager.

Project Management Institute (PMI) identifies 44 processes that a typical project manager performs. Project really only handles a few of these processes. Project makes a good manager better and a bad manager worse. Project will facilitate some of your routine scheduling tasks so that you can devote the bulk of your time to truly managing your projects.

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More Tech Tips and Tricks

In tech columns of the past, I mentioned that no one person knows everything about computers. If by chance you take your computer in for repair or upgrade to a geek that “claims” to know everything; grab your computer and run.

There’s no core curriculum for technology. Nobody teaches you the basics. You just pick stuff up as you go along. As a result, everybody, even experts, winds up with knowledge holes—things everybody thinks everybody else knows about the basics of computers but doesn’t.

Screenshots

*Especially if you’re a beginner (or an expert), it’s frequently useful to capture the image of what’s on the screen — an error message or diagram, for example.

*In Windows, PrintScreen key copies the whole screen image, as a graphic, onto your invisible Clipboard, so you can paste into an e-mail message or any other program (“This is what I’m seeing! What do I do now?!”). If you add the Alt key, you copy only the front or “active” window.

*On the Mac, press Command-Shift-3. (Command is the key with the propeller on it, next to the Space bar.) You hear a snapshot sound, and you get a graphics file on your desktop—a picture of the entire screen image.

*If you press Command-Shift-4 instead, you get a crosshair cursor; you can draw across just one portion of the screen. Or, if you now tap the Space bar, you turn the cursor into a little camera icon. You can now click on just one window or toolbar that you want to copy.

*In both cases, you can hold down the Control key to copy the image to the Clipboard instead of leaving a file on the hard drive.

E-mail

* If you get a message from your bank or eBay about a problem with your account, it’s probably a “phishing” scam. It’s a fake, designed to lure you into typing your name and password so the bad guys can have it. Delete it. If you’re concerned, visit the institution’s Web site in your browser by typing in its address (like Citibank.com) — not by clicking the link in e-mail.

* Before you pass on any amazing item you get by e-mail—Obama’s a Muslim, the bubble boy wants greeting cards, the Nieman-Marcus $400 cookie recipe — first check it out at Snopes.com, the world clearinghouse for Internet scams and rumors.

* If a blue underlined link shows up in an e-mail message, you can mouse over it without clicking to see what Web site it plans to open.

* If you get a message from someone you know that relates a horror story about being mugged in England (and needing you to wire money immediately), delete it. It’s a popular scam — even if it’s the correct e-mail address of someone you know.

* File too big to send by e-mail? Then use yousendit.com or transferbigfiles.com. You can transmit huge files, using the site as a free intermediary parking space.

Editing Text

* On your keyboard, there’s a difference between the Backspace and Del keys. Press Backspace to delete the typed character to the left of the blinking insertion-point cursor, as usual. Pressing Del, however, removes the character to its right.

* In Microsoft Word, when you paste in text from another document—say, a Web site — you may not want all the boldface, colors, fonts and other formatting from the original source. Instead of using the regular Paste command, in that case, open the Edit menu and click Paste Special. Click Unformatted Text. You’ll get just the text, without the fanciness.

Web

*Don’t reach for the mouse to go back to the previous Web page. Just tap the Backspace key. (Alt+left-arrow key also works for Back, and Alt+right-arrow for Forward. In this article, if you have a Mac, substitute the Option key for Alt.)

* After you type a word or phrase into a Search box, don’t click the Search button. Just press the Enter key.

(The Enter key also works to click “Go” after you’ve typed an address, or the highlighted button, like “O.K.” or “Print,” in most dialog boxes. Yes, there are people who don’t realize that.)

* On brand-name Web sites (eBay, Facebook, Amazon and so on), click the upper-left logo to return to the site’s home page.

* At translate.google.com, you can choose languages you want to translate from and to. Then you paste in some copied text (or the address of a Web site). In a flash, the text is translated — roughly, to be sure, but at no charge.

* Who needs a dictionary? In the Google search box, type “define schadenfreude” (or whatever the word is). Press Enter.

Computers

* The Esc key (top left of the keyboard) means, “close this” or “cancel this.” It can close a menu or a dialog box, for example.

* You can duplicate a file icon (instead of moving it) if you press the Alt key as you drag it out of its window.

* You can switch among open programs by pressing Alt+Tab (or Command-Tab on the Mac). On the Mac, the much less known Command-tilde (the ~ key, upper left corner) switches among windows in a single program.

Mac Specials

* Anything you can print, you can turn into a PDF document — an amazingly convenient feature. Choose the Print command — but instead of choosing Print, click the PDF pop-up menu and choose Save as PDF.

* It’s often very useful to have a document, Web page or e-mail message read aloud to you — to “proof-listen” to it, for example, or just to listen to an article while you’re getting dressed in the morning. In the Speech pane of System Preferences, turn on “Speak selected text.” Click Set Key to choose a key combination. Pressing it makes the Mac read anything on the screen, at the rate, and in the character voice, that you’ve specified.

In previous articles I encouraged feedback about additional tips you would like to see. Then, as now, I invite you to expand the collection by emailing me your suggestions at pailwriter@outlook.com.

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

Short Cut Keys

Previously we discussed the function keys located at the top of your keyboard; this week will discuss the “short cut” keys, a combination of key strokes from the main body of your keyboard.

Some general keyboard-only options will replace some of the mouse click buttons. “Now why would I want to know how to do things on the keyboard that my mouse already does” you might ask. There are a number of reasons for this such as your mouse just died but you still need to finish this document before going out and purchasing a new mouse. Using the keyboard shortcut keys will help you accomplish this task. With that said, let’s learn some keyboard shortcuts.

Of course most of us are familiar with the often used shortcut key combinations: Ctrl + A = Select all, Ctrl + C = Copy, Ctrl + V = Paste, Ctrl + B = Bold, Ctrl + U = Underline and Ctrl + I = Italic. Pressing and holding the Ctrl key while pressing the appropriate letter on your keyboard will alter the text you have highlighted in the respective manor. If you do not have anything highlighted then it will only apply the changes to to space your cursor is presently at. This would be an option for the bold, italic or underline options if you want to start with that font enabled from this point on. Pressing these combination keys again will toggle the option off.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the less commonly used shortcut combinations. Ctrl + X will cut or delete the highlighted text or images and Ctrl + Z will undo your last action. Pressing the Ctrl + Esc button will open the Windows Start menu and just pressing the Esc button will close it. Pressing the Shift key and the F10 key will open a context menu. Shift plus F10 opens a shortcut menu much like the “right” click button does on your mouse. Alt plus Tab switches to another running program. On a side note, using Ctrl + Tab will switch you between different open documents within a particular program. For example; if you have multiple Excel sheets open, you can switch or pivot between the open spreadsheets using this keyboard shortcut. Pressing the Alt + F4 will close the program.

When you have a program open you can press the Alt + Shift key to open its window’s menu. Pressing the Alt + F6 will toggle between the “Find” dialog box and the document. So if you are looking for a particular part or word and want to toggle between these two to follow the suggestions in the “find” dialog you can do so with this shortcut.

Pressing the Shift key 5 times in quick succession toggles the Sticky-keys on and off. Okay, before you get all flustered and pour syrup on your keyboard to make them sticky, here is what the term “Stick-Keys” means. They are an accessibility feature on most Graphical User Interfaces (GUI’s) to assist users who have physical disabilities. Basically this option will “serialize” keystrokes alleviating you from having to press multiple keys at a time.

Now let’s take a look at that infamous “Windows” key on your keyboard. It’s there, one on each side of your space bar and we know that when pressed it will open the Windows Menu, “but what else can I do with it?” I’m glad you asked. Below is a brief list of options to use the Windows key and their outcomes. For the sake of making it easier to follow we will call it the Logo key.

Logo + R = Run a dialog box

Logo + M = Minimize all

Shift + Logo + M = Undo minimize all, or maximize

Logo + E = Open the Windows Explorer. (Note this is not Internet Explorer but rather it opens the “explorer” much like when you double click on “My computer.”

Log + F = Find files or folders

Logo + D = Minimize all open windows and show the desktop.

Ctrl + Logo + F = Find Computer – okay at this point you are probably thinking “Oh my, the computer guy is losing it, I don’t need to find my computer, it’s sitting right here in front of me.” And you would be correct on the latter part of that, but this is an option for you to find computers near you (on the same network) as your computer. This is one of the options to set up file sharing with another computer.

If you want to insert a CD/DVD ROM in you computer but do not want the “auto-play” or “auto-run” to start, simply press and hold the Shift key while closing the DVD ROM drive. Wait a few seconds while holding the shift key for the DVD drive to spin up and recognize the DVD. Now you can go to “My Computer” on the desktop and tab over to the DVD drive then press Shift + F10 to open the drop down menu and select “open” to view the contents of the DVD.

A side note for Firefox users – Are you getting annoyed with those ever so irritating little pop-up boxes asking you to share your location. If so, here is a tip on how to disable that feature so you can get straight to the site you intended to reach.

Open Firefox, in the address bar (where you normally type www.google.com or what ever site you are going to) and type in “about:config” Don’t type in the quotation marks,just the words. Next you will be taken to a confirmation screen where you will need to click on the “I’ll be careful, I promise” button. Yes, it actually says that. Once you click on this button you will be presented with a list of options to modify. Here we are looking for the “geo.enable” option. You may scroll down the list if you like or just simply type “geo.enable” in the address bar provided. Once you are here simply double click the “geo.enable” line and you will notice that it changes from “True” to “False.” Now you can close this tab as your changes are automatically applied. Restarting Firefox is not necessary.

I know this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as shortcut keys go, but we have to start somewhere and there will be more to follow in later issues so stay tuned. If you find any or all of these helpful then bookmark this page and come back to it as often as needed.

 

 

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

Google Tricks

Google, the world’s most popular search engine, has a lot more to offer than you may have realized. Everything from rolling your web page to getting your local weather can be done by using “off the wall” commands in the Google search bar.

Here are 15 Google tips and tricks; some are fun while others are actually productive. In the following steps type only what is in the quotation marks exactly as you see it. Do not put in the quotation marks.

1. Type “set timer for 5 minutes” or however many minutes you would like and Google will start a countdown timer. At the end it will set off an audible alarm so be sure to have your volume turned up.
2. Type “Calculator” to open a scientific calculator
3. Type “tip calculator” to a tip calculator program
4. Type “Mortgage Calculator” to open a mortgage calculator
5. Type “Google 1998” and you will be transported to a retro 90’s version of Google
6. Type “pizza vs cupcake” and Google will show you a nutritional comparison of your favorite foods.
7. Type “sycophant etymology” for the meaning and history of the word.
8. Type “zeg rush” to play a quick game in Google when you get bored.
9. Type “define anagram” for the definition of any word. Replace the word “anagram” with whatever word you want to define.
10. Type “do a barrel role” and Google will do a complete roll then stop.
11. Type “founder” before the name of a company to find out details of the company.
12. Type “sunrise Fort Sill” to get the sunrise time, change the location to any place to see the time for that location.
13. Type “Delta flight 815” to see the flight information. Change the airline and flight number to whichever you want to check on.
14. Type “Christmas Day 2016” in Google to find what date a holiday falls on. Change the holiday to whatever you want and year to whatever year you want.
15. Type “intitle:herbs” to search for the word herbs that is only found in the title and not the content of a web page.

As you can see there is a lot you can do with Google and still more options than we can list here.

Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin and is home based in Mountain View, CA. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. and has since spurred its own companies such as You Tube, AdMob, ITA software and others.

You can also become an affiliate copy writer for Google via the “Google Ad Sense” program and make money placing ads on Google for other companies.

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

Tracking expiration dates by color code ‘automatically’ in excel

Have you ever wondered how to automatically highlight expired dates and dates that are less than 30 days from expiration? An option in excel called “conditional formatting” holds the key to this task. If you are an avid excel user tracking calibration dates, evaluation dates, birthdays, shipping, expenses or a number of other date related content, then you will definitely benefit from this tip.

In this article we are going to walk through the steps to have excel automatically change the color of a cell or the color of a font after a certain date has passed. Consequently, every time you open your spreadsheet it’s automatically updated with the appropriate color changes.

For example, you are monitoring calibration dates and want to know at a glance (by color code) what equipment is past due for calibration and which is coming due. The following steps will walk you through making these changes.

First open a new blank excel sheet to work from. Put in cell A1 the word “Equipment” and in cell B1 put “Due Date.” Now populate cells A2 through A5 with various equipment names and populate cells B2 through B5 with various dates. For this example it’s best to put in varying dates from last year, some from the current week and some from the months or years ahead.

Select the Home tab in the toolbar at the top of the screen if you are not already there. When you open excel it should default to this screen. Now select the cells that you want to apply the formula to such as the cells in column B. You can select the entire column by clicking on the B in that column. From the top tool-bar in excel click on Conditional Formatting and choose New Rule from the drop down menu. When the next dialog box opens click on the option “Format only cells that contain”. This will change the options in the dialog box. On the bottom half of the dialog box, click “Cell Value” from the first (far left) drop down menu. Select “Less than” from the second drop down menu then put your cursor in the text box to right of that and enter the following formula without the quotes “=NOW( )+30”.

Next we will set the formatting we want to apply by clicking on the “Format” button in the bottom right corner of the dialog box. This one may be familiar to you if you have ever changed the color of a cell or text in excel and we will be doing the same thing here. Now select the color that you want the cell to shade to for items that will expire in the next 30 days by clicking on the “Fill” tab at the top of the dialog box and selecting the color from the color chart. (Note: if you don’t want to change the color of the box but rather you want to change the color of the font only then click on the “Font” tab and select your color from the color chart.)

When your color is selected, click the “OK” button and this will take you back to the “New Formatting Rule” dialog box. Now click on the Okay button here and it should take you back to the “Conditional Formatting Rules Manager” dialog box. If for some reason it does not then simply click on the Conditional Formatting option from the tool-bar at the top of the excel sheet and choose “Manage Rules” from the drop down menu. Here you will notice that the rule you just created is listed in the dialog box. The next couple of steps will seem like deja vu but what we are doing is simply creating 3 similar rules but with different formulas to produce a single action in excel.

From the “Manage Rules” dialog box click on “new rule.” From the top part of the dialog box again select “format on cells that contain” option and in the lower part of the dialog box select “cell value” in the first drop down menu and “less than” from the second dialog box. Now place your cursor in the formula text box and enter the following code, again without the quotation marks. “=NOW( )”

Next step is to click on the “format” button to change the color of the cell or font for this rule. If you want to change the color of the cell then click on the “fill” tab for changing the color of the font, click on the “font” tab and select the color of your choice. For this exercise we will select red. Click OK to save changes and this should return you to the new rule manager, click OK here as well.

Now we are back to the first level rule manager and you should see your two new rules listed here. Again, click on the “new rule” button and from the top part of the dialog box we are going to select the option “use a formula to determine which cells to format” as the rule type. In the formula bar that appears type in the following without the quotes, “=ISBLANK(B1)=TRUE”. Next click on the “format” button to select what actions will apply when the conditions of this rule are met. If you are changing the color of the cell then click on the “fill” tab, if you are changing the color of the font then click on the “font” tab. For the purpose of this example we are going to choose white for the fill color and “automatic” for the font color, depending on which you are doing. Click the OK button and then click the next OK button on the rule dialog box and you should be taken back to the rules manager dialog box.

There should be 3 rules listed now in order by creation with the newest on top. You should have 2 “cell value” rules and one “formula” rule. On the far right of each rule you will see a “stop if true” check box. Click on the check box for the “formula” rule but leave the other 2 rules unchecked. Now click the OK button to close the dialog box. Now, click the “Apply” button, then click the “OK” button.

Congratulations, you have just entered lines of code in excel to create a rule of conditions. Save the excel sheet as “test1” in a folder of your choice or on your desktop and close it. The next time you open the document the color rules will take effect. If you would like to play around with this try changing the date on your computer to another day in the past or future and re-open the excel sheet. Notice the cells change colors based on the date change.

With this new knowledge at hand you can make the changes to your existing documents by applying this process to the dates you want to monitor.

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

I Feel the Need, The Need for Speed!

Test your internet speed to make sure you are getting what you pay for. In today’s competitive market, internet speed is the focus of most ads. How do you know if you’re getting what the internet provider promised during the sale?

To make sure of this, let’s first understand the difference between speed, bandwidth and data.

Speed is the bit rate of the circuit while Bandwidth is the amount of “speed” available for use by the consumer. The bandwidth defines the maximum “data transfer rate” of a network or internet connection. This measures the amount of data that can be sent across a specific connection in a given time frame.

While bandwidth is often used to describe network speeds, it does not measure how fast bits of data move from one location to another. Considering that data packets travel over electronic cables, the speed of each bit transferred is negligible. Instead, bandwidth measures how much data can flow through a specific connection at one time.

When visualizing bandwidth, it may help to think of a network connection as a tube and each bit of data as a grain of sand. If you pour a large amount of sand into a skinny tube, it will take a long time for the sand to flow through it. If you pour the same amount of sand through a wide tube, the sand will finish flowing through the tube much faster. Similarly, a download will finish much faster when you have a high-bandwidth connection rather than a low-bandwidth connection.

Data often flows over multiple network connections, which means the connection with the smallest bandwidth acts as a bottleneck. Generally, the Internet backbone and connections between servers have the most bandwidth, so they rarely serve as bottlenecks. Instead, the most common Internet bottleneck is your connection to your ISP.

Now that the technical defining process is complete, we can focus on which service provider is correct for you. Today, you have several different choices for high speed Internet access. You can use: DSL, Cable Internet, Satellite Internet, Wi-Fi, or Cellular 3G and 4G networks.

An ever-increasing number of technologies are available to deliver high speed Internet access. This is making the market more competitive, leading to a nice combination of lower prices and ever increasing download speeds, so don’t be afraid to haggle the price and data packages (Interestingly enough, U.S. high speed Internet moves at a turtle’s pace compared to the speeds available in other countries.)

With that said, let’s take a look at some websites that offer free internet speed, bandwidth and data test to make sure you are getting what you pay for.

http://www.bandwidthplace.com/ – my personal favorite

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/speed-test.html

http://www.att.com/speedtest/

http://speedof.me/

A final note; when you sign up with an internet provider, make sure to test the available speed within the first few days of getting the service. This gives you a chance to file a complaint with the company, negotiate for a better price or cancel your service without penalty. Also test your internet frequently to make sure they are maintaining their promised service.

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

3 TIPS TO MANAGE YOUR EMAIL IN EASY TO FOLLOW STEPS

Like it or not, Microsoft Outlook is still the dominant email client in most office settings. Thunderbird, emClient and Inky are just a few of the alternative email clients available to users. The tips listed below are available (with some variation) in almost all email clients, but for the sake of popularity we will focus on the processes for Microsoft Outlook

In this article

Part 1. Setting up rules in Outlook to automatically organize your your email messages.

Part 2. Repeat email with a template

Part 3. A few keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

 

Part 1. Manage email messages by using rules

What is a rule? A rule is an action that Microsoft Outlook runs automatically on all incoming or outgoing messages, based on conditions that you have specified.

Create a rule based on senders or recipients of a message

You can create a rule from any message. The advantage of this method is that rules are suggested based on the message, sender or recipients. For example, when you start with a message, one rule that is suggested moves all messages from that sender to a folder that you choose.

1. Click the message for which you want to create a rule, and then on the Home tab, click Rules.

Suggested rules appear based on the message sender and recipients.

2. Do one of the following:
   • Click one of the suggested rules, click a destination folder, and then click OK.
   • For more rules options based on the sender, recipients, or subject of the message, click Create Rule.

If you chose Create Rule in step 2, the Create Rule box appears. Continue with the following steps.

1. Under When I get e-mail with all of the selected conditions, check the boxes for the conditions you want.
2. Under Do the following, check the boxes for the action you want the rule to take when the specified conditions are met.
3. Check the Move the item to folder
4. Click Select Folder and pick an existing folder or click New to create a folder to store the messages.

To add more conditions, actions, or exceptions to the rule, click Advanced Options, and then follow the rest of the instructions in the Rules Wizard.

5. Click OK.

Each time your email connects to the server to send and receive emails your rules will be applied. If you have emails from a certain person or group sent to a folder (as a rule you created) be sure to check those folders rather than just your in-box.

 

Part 2. Repeat emails with a template

If you are tired of using copy and paste or constantly rewriting the same or similar emails such as reminders, notices or invoices, well there is a solution for that. Creating a template email will save you countless hours on these repetitive assignments you may be tasked with each day, week or month. The following steps will walk you through it easily.

1. Create an email that you will need to regenerate on a regular basis.
2. From the Menu at the top of Outlook click on File – Save as – Outlook template
3. Name the template and click OK or Save.
4. To use the template simply click on New Items – Choose Form – and browse your “User Templates in File System” to find the email template you created.

Quicker tip – if you know the location (folder) that you saved the template to, simply browse to that folder and find the template that you created and double click on it. Note: the file will have an OFT extension. For example if you named the template file “notice1” then you will look for a file named “notice1.oft”.

 

Part 3. Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Listed below are a few short cuts for navigating in Outlook

Ctrl + 1 = Mail

Ctrl + 2 = Calendar

Ctrl + 3 = Contacts

Ctrl + 4 = Tasks

Ctrl + 5 = Notes

 

Ctrl + R = Reply to email

Alt + R = reply to all in email string or switch to the work-week calendar view

Alt + W forward email or switch to the weekly calendar view

Ctrl + M = F9 – send/recieve all

Alt + S = Send email

Ctrl + G = open the “go to date” dialog to jump to any date in the calendar

 

Most of the options and shortcuts listed above are fairly generic across the board on all email clients, but the exact process may vary a little. If you are running Thunderbird or a similar paid for or free email client, consult your help files for instructions on how to accomplish these tasks. If you have any questions or comments on things you would like to know more about, simply email me at pailwriter@outlook.com. I will make every effort to respond to all emails as quickly as possible.

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

Function Keys F1 – F12, what are they and how to use them

Welcome to the first edition of “Tech Made Easy.” This is where the rubber meets the road and tech short cuts are made easy.

Hello, my name is Aubrey Love and I am the newest edition to the Fort Sill Tribune as a contract writer. I have been working in the computer industry since the PC was invented back in the 70’s and am now a retired U.S. Army vet. In the past I have worked for such companies as Dell Computers in the Engineering Research and Development lab, NASA in the IT lab, Lockheed Martin in the Flight Simulator lab and various other businesses. I have written countless tech manuels/instructions, white papers and a book “Linux the Other Windows” and am currently writing “Linux Made Simple.” Over the years I have picked up a great deal of tips, tricks and shortcuts and look forward to sharing some of them with you.

Function keys are a time saver when you need to get a lot done with limited time to do so. Shortcut keys are a combination of two or more keys that simulate some functions of a mouse or other pointing devices.  On a side note, you may in some instances use the ctrl, alt and shift keys in conjunction with the function key as a functional shortcut.

In some work environments you are provided a cardboard template or a peel and stick label placed above or around your function keys to indicate what those keys will do within your specific work programs or software. This may be a database, a special word processer or personnel scheduling program designed specifically for your company. When you are working in those programs you will use the function keys in that manor but when you exit that program and open a more generic or commercial program such as Microsoft Windows or Excel your template should not apply and they will revert back to the default operations of the function and shortcut keys.

Taking a look at your keyboard you will notice a row of “F” keys at the very top. These are known as function keys. Most keyboards today are equipped with keys F1-F12. However some keyboards (especially the older IBM keyboards) may also have keys F13-F24.  The following is a list of the function keys and their basic definitions. Here we will be covering keys F1 through F12 only. Since keyboards with function keys F13 through F24 are no longer used, they will not be discussed in this article.

F1 – This one is almost always reserved as the help key. Most programs will display a help dialog box with a search option and index. Pressing the “Windows” key (located on the bottom row of your keyboard) plus the F1 key will open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.

 

F2 – In Windows this will highlight the name of any selected folder or icon on your desktop allowing you to simply start typing and rename the selected icon or folder. This is also used to enter the CMOS setup during the computer boot up process for some computer brands such as Dell Computers. It is not recommended to use this option unless you are quiet familiar with the internal settings of how your computer boots and runs. Pressing ALT + Ctrl + F2 will open a document window in Microsoft Word if that program is installed. Ctrl + F2 will display the “print preview” window in Microsoft Word.

 

F3 – This function key will open a search feature for most programs such as Microsoft Windows while you are at the Windows desktop.

While in MS-DOS mode or a Windows command line mode pressing the F3 key will repeat or retype the last command you typed in.

Pressing the shift key + F3 while in Microsoft Word and most other word processors will change the font from upper to lower case.

In Microsoft Outlook pressing the Windows Key + F3 will open the “Advanced” find/search window.

 

F4 – On older computers that are still running Microsoft Windows 95 through Windows XP will open the “find” window.

This function key will also open the address bar in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.

It will also repeat the last action performed within Microsoft Word version 2000 and newer.

ALT + F4 will close the program window currently active in Microsoft Windows.

For those of us who are constantly multi-tasking, pressing the Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active window in Microsoft Windows.

 

F5 – In all current Internet browsers, pressing the F5 key will refresh or reload the page or document window that you are currently viewing. If you have multiple tabs open it will only refresh the tab you are currently viewing and has no effect on the others until you click on those tabs and press the F5 key.

In Microsoft Word the F5 key will open the find, replace and go to window.

If you are using Microsoft PowerPoint, F5 will begin your slide show.

 

F6 – In Internet Explorer, Mozilla  Firefox and most other browsers will move the cursor to the “address bar.”

Ctrl + Shift + F6 toggles between other open Microsoft Word documents. On a side note pressing the ALT + Tab will toggle you between all open applications.

 

F7 – This will be a real time saver for someone that does a lot work in Microsoft Word or emails in Outlook. Pressing the F7 key will start the spell check and grammar check of your word document or email.

If you need a thesaurus simply highlight the word you would like to check and press the shift + F7 keys.

Caret browsing – no this is not referring to diamonds in your computer, this feature will place a moveable cursor in your web pages allowing you to select text with the keyboard. If you are not familiar with exactly how this works then I would suggest doing a little more research on it before you use it. However, in the interest of getting the most from your computer and if you are so inclined to experiment, go ahead and activate Caret browsing and try it out. After all, turning it off is just as easy as turning it on.

 

F8 – This one doesn’t really have a lot of function on the desktop but it can be a real life saver in the event that you are not able to boot into Windows successfully. If your computer just will not boot into Windows or you constantly get the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” then the F8 key may cure your problems. Simply power off your computer then reboot, on first boot you should hear one beep. This is good, that is a system self test and the single beep indicates all is well so far. Just after the single beep press the F8 key to be taken to a menu screen. If you were unable to boot into Windows successfully in the past attempts then you should use the up arrow keys to highlight the “Safe Mode” option and press the enter key. Once you have reached the desktop in safe mode you can now reboot the computer as you normally would and all should be fine. If not, press the F8 key again after rebooting and choose one of the system restore options.

 

F9 – While using Microsoft Word this option will refresh the word document.

When in Microsoft Outlook it will refresh your email account sending and receiving any pending emails.

If you are using a program named Quark 5 or later this function key will open the measurements toolbar.

 

F10 – In Microsoft Windows this function activates the menu bar of any open application.

Pressing the Shift + F10 provides the same function as right clicking (or left clicking if you are using a left hand mouse) on a hyperlink or any highlighted file or icon.

This function key will also allow you access to the hidden recovery partition on most Compaq, HP, and Sony computers.

The F10 key is also used to enter CMOS on some computers.

 

F11 – This will allow you to enter and exit the full screen mode in all current/modern Internet browsers.

This function key will also allow you to access the hidden recovery partition on most Dell Computers. In some instances you may need to press the Ctrl + F11 keys to activate this hidden recovery partition on Dell Computers.

This function key will also allow you access to the hidden recovery partition on most eMachines, Gateway and Lenovo computers.

 

F12 – If you are working in Microsoft Word this function key open the “Save as” window.

Most of us are familiar with the shortcut “Ctrl + S” to save the changes to a word document and Shift + F12 will do the same.

Pressing the Shift + F12 will open a document in Microsoft Word.

The Ctrl + Shift + F12 will print the currently open document in Microsoft Word. It will also preview a page in Microsoft Expression Web, if you are using that program.

 

So there is the short and to the point facts of how to save a great deal of time by simply making use of your function keys. One of the more prominent things I have learned over the years is that no one knows everything about computers and I really don’t anticipate any one person ever achieving that goal. With that said, if you have any shortcuts, tips or tricks that you would like to share for upcoming articles please feel free to contact me pailwriter@outlook.com

 

 

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com

Defining the Internet

Have you ever wondered what all those acronyms used on and about the Internet represent? Well, wonder no more. Below is a list of some of the basic and more commonly known acronyms that we use daily but may not know exactly what it stood for. There a lot more acronyms out there and we will cover them in later issues.

1. The Web vs. the Internet –

The Internet is a massive interconnection of computer networks. It is comprised of millions of computing devices that swap volumes of information back and forth. It’s not just computers, GPS units and cell phones also access the Internet as do car alarms, game consoles and even some home appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators.

The Internet started in the 1960’s as a military project, initially dubbed “packet networking” and later developed into “ARPANET.” During the 1970’s and 80’s while the “Internet” was still developing most business’ used the “Sneakernet,” a process where a file was saved to a floppy disk and then handed off to a “runner” who would deliver the file to the recipient. Since the runners wore sneakers “for running” the term sneakernet stuck. The Internet was NOT developed by Al Gore as he claimed some years ago.

The “Internet” houses layers of information, these layers are called “protocols”. The World Wide Web is the most popular of these layers. Other layers or “protocols” are; File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, Gopherspace, instant messaging and email. We will cover these additional protocols in later issues.

2. HTTP and HTTPS

HTTP is a technical acronym that means “HyperText Transfer Protocol”. This is the “language” of web pages. When your web page has one of these extensions, they should display your text, images and links in a web browser.

HTTPS is basically the same as above but the “S” indicates a secure connection. This means that the web page you are viewing has an added layer of protection/encryption to hide your passwords and other personal information. When you log on to a web site for your bank, email, or other data sensitive sights you should see the HTTPS preceding the web page name.

3. IP Address

Your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address will be either a 4 part or 8 part electronic serial number. An example of a 4 part would be Google’s IP address “74.125.224.72” (without the quotes) and an 8 part would be “21DA:D3:0:2F3B:2AA:FF:FE28:9C5A” which is a Microsoft Technet site. Any computer or other device that accesses the Internet is given at least one IP address. Regardless of what website you navigate to, or where you send that email to your computer and location are recorded with you IP address. It’s similar to your home address, when you mail a hard copy letter and put your return address on the envelope that would be like your IP address.

In the early days of the Internet, “www.whatever-website.com” did not exist. If you wanted to visit a web site you had to insert the actual IP address in the line. Like in the example above for Google the IP address would be “74.125.224.72” thus you had to input the number sequence to go to that web page. Just typing “Google” would not cut it. How did we keep it all straight? A “phone” book of course. Yes back in the day an Internet page phone book was published each year just as a home phone book was.

4. URL

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator’s. These are the web browsers of the Internet pages we visit. Instead of putting in the IP address, as mentioned above, we can now simply input the URL such as Google.com and be directed to the correct web page. URL’s work with the IP addresses to allow us to name, locate and bookmark specific web pages. URL’s use three parts to address a web page or file. The protocol, which is the “//:”, the filename/pagename itself and the host computer which ends in “.com, .net, .org” or something of this nature.

5. ISP

ISP is your Internet Service Provider. This is the company that provides you access to the Internet whether it be through a private company or a government entity. Your ISP will offer a variety of packages with different price ranges offering web access, email, hosting your own web page or blog and so on. The Internet connection speeds will also vary depending on the package you sign up for.

These days we also have WISP’s available. WISP is an acronym for Wireless Internet Service Provider. Most often these are available through you cell phone provider and offer much the same packages as a home based ISP.

Hot-Spots are wireless broadcasts of a business or personal home based ISP. These can be found at most restaurants, hotels, banks and other businesses.

6. P2P

P2P stands for “Peer to Peer”. It appears to be the most voluminous Internet activity or process in current times. P2P is the trading or sharing of files among millions of users. This is accomplished by installing specific software on your computer and voluntarily sharing specific photos, files, music, movies, ebooks and software programs with others.

This file sharing is fully legal for the most part, as long as what you share is your own work or you have release rights. Web sites such as Pirate Bay would be a good example of this file sharing in action. Some of the content on Pirate Bay is fully legal to transfer while other files on their site are “bootlegged”, meaning they are illegal copies.

7. E-commerce

E-commerce stands for “Electronic Commerce”. In short, it’s an on-line store as opposed to a “brick and mortar” store. If you have ever purchased anything on-line then you have used E-commerce. Everyday there are billions of dollars transferred on-line through these stores. Buying on-line has its advantages such as wider selection, cheaper prices and no sales tax. In turn it has its disadvantages such as not knowing exactly what your getting or the quality of the item until it arrives at your door.

8. Keywords vs Tags/Labels

Keywords can be one or more words to start your initial search. They help you find general or specific things on the Internet. In order to more define your search you can use quotes, hyphens or a colon.

Tags (sometimes called Labels) are “keywords” that you link to your website or blog to assist Internet surfers find your site. Item specific tags will get you a few hits from surfers while more vague tags will bring in a broader range of surfers.

9. Blogs or Blogging

A blog (aka web log) is an on-line version of a writers column. Both amateur and professional writers can publish blogs on any topic. A blog doesn’t have to be a written article, it can also be a collection of photos, art work or anything else you would like to post on-line. Anyone can start a blog and some people actually make a reasonable income by posting advertisement links on their blog page. You can create a blog for free at a number of locations such as WordPress.

10. Addons and Plugins

Addons are custom enhancements or modifications for existing/pre-installed software. A user will install addons to improve a particular program’s functions. An example would be adding a custom Ebay toolbar to your Internet browser or a new tool option in Excel. Most addons are free and can be downloaded from the Internet.

Plugins are typically for web browsers allowing special features to work or work better while surfing th e Internet. Examples include: Adobe Flash or Shockwave player, Microsoft Silver-light or Adobe Acrobat reader.

So here you have a quick breakdown of some of the more popular terms and their meanings regarding the Internet. Now you know a little history as well as the actual meaning of these acronyms.

If you have any short-cuts, tips or tricks that you would like to share for upcoming articles please feel free to contact Aubrey Love via email at pailwriter@outlook.com

Also visit my new “About me” blog at https://www.aubreywlove.com