Unit 4. Application Software

Word Processing and Desktop Publishing Software

Word Processing Software

A word processor provides tools for creating, editing, and formatting text-based documents. Leading word processing programs include Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, and Lotus WordPro. In a typical word processor interface, you will find a document area, menu bar, toolbars, rulers, scroll bars, and a status bar.

While entering a text, a blinking insertion point in the document window shows you where characters will be placed as you type. The Backspace and Delete keys let you remove characters quickly. An AutoCorrect feature can correct some errors as you type. To perform most kinds of editing or formatting on text, you must first select the text; then any editing or formatting commands you issue are applied to all the selected text.

A word processor allows you to format the text. Character formats include fonts, type size, type styles, and color. Paragraph formats include line and paragraph spacing, indents and alignment, borders, and shading. Document formats include margins, page size and orientation, headers, and footers.

Word processing programs have special features. They enable you to add graphics and sound files to your documents. You can use a spell checker, grammar checker, and thesaurus to improve the language of a word-processed document. Using mail merge, you can combine a form letter with contents from an address database and create a separate copy of the letter for each person in the database. Templates are predesigned documents. They simplify document design, enabling you to create professional-looking documents simply by typing your text.

Word processing programs can create documents in HTML format, which are ready to be published as pages on the World Wide Web. To create an HTML document in a word processor, create a document as you normally would. The word processor converts the document by inserting all the required HTML codes.

Desktop Publishing Software

Desktop publishing (DTP) software is specialized for designing and laying out long or complex documents. Documents created in DTP software are ready to be sent to a professional printer.

Spreadsheet Software

Spreadsheet programs provide tools for working with numerical data. Leading spreadsheet programs include Microsoft Excel, Corel Quattro Pro, and Lotus 1-2-3. In addition to standard interface components, a spreadsheet also provides a formula bar where you can enter, view, and edit data. In a spreadsheet program, you work in a worksheet. Worksheets can be collected into groups called workbooks. A worksheet contains a series of columns and rows. Each row-and-column intersection is called a cell. Cells contain the data in the worksheet. Each cell is identified by a cell address, which is the combination of the cell's column letter and row number. You can enter text, values, dates, and formulas in the cells of a worksheet.

Formulas are used to perform calculations in the worksheet. Formulas can use cell references to use data in other cells. A function is a predefined formula provided by the spreadsheet program.

Spreadsheets provide many of the same formatting tools found in word processors. You can select a contiguous group of cells, called a range, for formatting or editing. Values and dates can be formatted in numerous ways.

Spreadsheet programs provide charting tools, which let you create graphical representations of your data. To create a chart, select the data to be charted, select a chart type, and set the desired chart options. The spreadsheet program creates the chart for you.

Spreadsheets are useful for analyzing your data. Analysis can help you reach a desired numeric result. What-if analysis lets you test different scenarios to see how each affects the results of a calculation. Goal seeking and sorting are other common data analysis tools found in spreadsheets.