Home > Articles > Home & Office Computing > Microsoft Applications

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Creating and Managing Files

The Office 2013 applications provide you with different ways to create new files. When you open one of the Office applications, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you are taken to the Start screen. The Start screen (which is new in Office 2013) enables you to create a new blank file (such as a new blank document in Word), open files from the Recent list, or take advantage of a huge library of themes and templates.

By design, templates are ready-made blueprints for documents, workbooks, or other Office application files. For example, you might want to create a monthly budget for your household. If you want some help in creating the overall layout that goes into creating this budget in Excel, you can take advantage of a Simple Monthly Budget template that is provided by Office.com and easily opened via the Excel Backstage.

Templates often provide layout attributes, text formatting, and even placeholder text. The sophistication of the file created using a particular template depends on the actual template. For example, you might use a Word Memo template that creates a simple memo containing some placeholder text (that you replace) in the To, From, and Re: areas of the memo. Or you might take advantage of the Simple Monthly Budget template mentioned a moment ago. It provides individual tables in a worksheet for items such as projected costs and projected monthly income, and it supplies ready-made charts for your monthly expenses and expenses by category. Figure 3.5 shows a new Excel worksheet opened using the Household Monthly Budget template.

Figure 3.5

Figure 3.5. Excel’s Simple Monthly Budget template.

You can also start a new file using a theme. A theme is a collection of colors, fonts, and text effects. Most of the possibilities provided on the Start screen and the Backstage New page are actually themes (unless you do an online search for templates on the Start screen or New page). Themes provide you with an overall document look, as a template does, but using a theme negates having to work within the confines of a template’s placeholder text and other document settings. Using themes or templates, however, is a quick way to begin the process of creating an eye-catching document, presentation, or worksheet.

You can take advantage of themes and templates in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher. To start a new file based on a template or theme, follow these steps:

  1. Select File to open the Backstage.
  2. Select New in the Backstage. The New page opens (which is similar to the Start screen). Figure 3.6 shows the Excel New page.
    Figure 3.6

    Figure 3.6. Create a new file based on a template or theme.

  3. Select a template or theme in the New window to preview the template or theme. The Preview window also provides a description of the theme or template.
  4. If you want to search for an online template or theme, select one of the suggested searches at the top of the New page or enter keywords in the Search box and run the search.
  5. The search results show all the templates available online that match your search criteria. On the right side of the Search results, you find a Category list. The categories listed are keyword subsets of all the templates that were found using your search terms. Each category has a number to the right showing how many of the listed templates fall into the category. You can view a subset of the search results by selecting a category.
  6. If you selected a template stored locally on your computer, click Create. If the template is an Office.com template, click Download. In either case, a new file opens in the application window based on the template.

You determine whether to create your files from new blank documents, workbooks, or presentations, or to take advantage of the various themes and templates available. Working with themes and templates can help you determine how a special document, such as a newsletter, or a special worksheet, such as an invoice, should be laid out. So instead of reinventing the wheel, it makes sense to take advantage of the benefits a template can provide. You can also use themes to great advantage when you are creating a “family” of documents that are related. For example, you might use the same theme for a Word document, an Excel worksheet, and a PowerPoint presentation that are related to a specific project you are developing.

Managing Files

Managing files effectively is a bit of an art form. You need to create some sort of structured environment that keeps your saved files organized but also makes it easy for you to find the files that you work with often. Your particular situation might also require that you store your files in particular network shares (folders) so that others can easily access them. The Microsoft Office 2013 applications have adopted a cloud storage strategy that also makes it possible for you to easily store files on your SkyDrive, SkyDrive Pro (available with an Office 365 subscription), or corporate SharePoint site.

Whether you store your files on your computer’s hard drive, on a shared drive on a network server, or in the cloud on your SkyDrive, you still have to adopt a strategy for organizing your files. And whether you are talking about a hard drive or SkyDrive, these storage containers can still be seen as the electronic equivalent of a filing cabinet. Each drawer in the filing cabinet is equivalent to a folder on the drive. The hanging file folders inside filing cabinet drawers are equivalent to the subfolders inside the main folders.

The naming conventions that you use for the folders and subfolders that you create are really up to you but should reflect some sort of system. For example, you could have a folder named Projects that contains subfolders named for each of the specific projects you are working on. So take some time to figure out your folder taxonomy. If you end up with a folder named Miscellaneous, I recommend that you rethink your naming system.

This method of organizing files in folders and subfolders works no matter what version of Windows (Windows 8 or Windows 7) you are currently running. However, before you get too far along in your planning, you might want to take a look at a new option—the library—that can help you organize and access files, no matter where you store them on your computer (or your network).

In Windows 8, a library is a container that gathers files from different locations on your computer and your network and displays them as a collection that you can access. By default, Windows 8 provides the Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos libraries.

So you can go “old school” and create folders and subfolders on your computer’s hard drive, or you can take advantage of libraries to give you easy access to the Office files you use. Whether you are creating new folders on your computer or on a network share assigned to you, you can use the File Explorer as your primary tool. The same goes if you want to create new libraries: You use the File Explorer.

The next two sections look more closely at creating folders and libraries on your computer’s hard drive. Working in the cloud and organizing cloud storage is similar in most respects to organizing a “physical” drive. You can create folders on both your SkyDrive and SkyDrive Pro (or other SharePoint site). SkyDrive Pro also gives you the capability to create and manage libraries. A SharePoint library is a little different, however, than a library you create on your hard drive using the Windows 8 File Explorer. However, they both serve the same purpose as “virtual” containers that organize your files.

Creating a New Folder

In Windows 8, switch to the desktop and then click the File Explorer icon on the taskbar. File Explorer (shown in Figure 3.7) provides links on the left side of the window, such as various links to the desktop or your current libraries, such as Documents and Music. In its main pane, it provides a listing of the hard drives, DVD drives, CD drives, and so forth on your computer and any network shares (in the Network Location area) configured for your use (including SharePoint sites).

Figure 3.7

Figure 3.7. Create new libraries or folders using File Explorer.

To view the folders on a particular drive, such as the C: drive (which is typically the default drive on most PCs), double-click the drive. You can create new folders on any drive or in existing folders, such as the Documents folder. Navigate to the drive or folder you want to serve as the parent container, and then click the New Folder button on File Explorer’s Ribbon. Type a new name for the folder, and you are good to go. You can drag existing files and folders into the new folder (using File Explorer) and specify the new folder when you save an Office file in the Save As dialog box.

Creating a New Library

As already mentioned, a Windows 8 library enables you to view and access files from different locations on your computer and your network. A library isn’t really a container because a library doesn’t store the actual files. A library is a kind of virtual container that can point to different folder locations and enable you to access related files (such as all the files related to a particular project).

To create a new library in File Explorer, select Libraries in the links pane (on the left). On the File Explorer Ribbon, select New Item and then Library. The new library appears in File Explorer. Type a name for the new library. After you create the new library, you can select folders to be included in it. This inclusion of folders is what provides you access to the various files included in the folders.

Double-click the new library in the File Explorer to open it. Click the Include a Folder button. The Include Folder dialog box opens for the current library. Navigate to a folder that you want to include in the library. Select the folder and then click Include Folder. This closes the Include Folder dialog box. Notice that the subfolders and files included in the folder that you included in the library are now listed in the library.

You can add folders to the library as needed. Use File Explorer to navigate to any folder on your computer or on your network. Right-click the folder and then point at Include in Library. A list of available libraries appears. Select the library.

When you are working in one of the Office applications and want to open a particular file from one of your libraries from the Open dialog box, select the library in the Location list and then locate the file you want to open. You can also save your Office application files to folders in a library when you are in the Save As dialog box.

Viewing File Versions in an Application

When you are working in an Office application such as Word or Excel, the application uses the AutoRecover feature to create different versions of the file you are working on. By default, the Office applications save AutoRecover information for your current file every 10 minutes. If you accidentally close a document or workbook in Word or Excel without saving, the last AutoRecovered version of your file is saved so that you can access it (this is also a default setting in the application’s Save options).

When you save a file and close it, all the AutoRecovered versions of the file are deleted. But you can peruse the different versions of your file saved by the AutoRecover feature as you work on the document. This includes any unsaved versions of the document that exist because you did not save changes that you made to the file before you closed it (each unsaved version was automatically saved by Excel even though you didn’t save it).

To view any unsaved versions of the current file, such as an Excel workbook, select File to open the Backstage and then click Info. Figure 3.8 shows the Info window for an Excel workbook. The area of interest in this window is the Versions area. Note that, in Figure 3.8, a version of the file exists (from the previous day) because the file was closed without saving changes made to the file.

Figure 3.8

Figure 3.8. The Excel Info page.

You can also browse for unsaved versions of a file by clicking the Manage Versions button and then selecting Recover Unsaved Documents. This enables you to browse for any unsaved versions saved on your computer. Any unsaved versions of the current document that have been automatically saved are listed in the Versions area of the window.

You can open a version of the file from the list by selecting it. When you open the automatically saved version of the file (which is labeled “unsaved”), a message bar appears at the top of the document window below the Ribbon. It states that the current document is a Recovered Unsaved File and the file is temporarily stored on the computer. You are provided two options: Compare and Restore. You can select Compare to compare this version of the file with the current version of the file. Any differences between the two files are detailed using the Track Changes feature and are displayed in the document and the Reviewing Pane. You can go through each of the changes marked in the document and accept or reject them as needed.

You also have the option of selecting Restore. This option saves the autorecovered version of the file over the current copy of the file. A message box opens, letting you know that the current version will be overwritten by the restored version. Click OK to overwrite the current version.

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020