Office Applications: A Comprehensive Guide
Office Applications
An application is software designed to perform a specific task for end-users. Office application software is designed to perform tasks related to administration and management.
Types of Office Applications
1. Processors and Text Editors
Designed for document production, these applications simulate the operation of a typewriter but can combine text and images. Examples include:
- Word
- WordPerfect
- Ami Pro
2. Spreadsheets
Created to work with large amounts of numerical data and perform complex calculations, including generating graphics from the data. Highlights include:
- Excel
- Quattro Pro
- Lotus 123
3. Database Management Systems
These applications handle different types of information through files or records, usually grouped by common characteristics forming data files that can be amended and updated. The best known are:
- dBase
- Access
- Oracle
- SQL Server
4. Integrated Packages
These programs combine the key features of word processors, spreadsheets, and database management systems. They may also include other features like drawing tools and communication tools. Examples include:
- Works
- MS Office
- Lotus Smart Suite
- Frameworks
- Open Access
5. Design Software
Dedicated to processing and handling images. Examples include:
- Corel Draw
- Photoshop
- FreeHand
6. Suites
Software packages that typically include a word processor, a database management program, a spreadsheet application, and a presentation program.
Software Licensing
Commercial Software
A contract specifies what the purchaser of the software can and cannot do.
Public Domain Software (Freeware)
The user only needs to specify the source and access the software.
Shareware
The user must pay a set price to the author if they intend to use the software frequently for business purposes.
Software Licenses
A license is a document or contract that allows someone to do something. It protects ideas and creations, regarded as intellectual property, from misuse.
Copyright
Copyright is a form of protecting intellectual property. It literally means “the right to copy”.
Copyleft
Created in 1985, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) promotes the idea that computer users have the right to use, study, copy, modify, and distribute computer programs.
Text Editors and Word Processors
A text editor is a program used to enter plain text into a file. Examples: DOS Edit, Windows Notepad, Unix Vi.
A word processor is used not only to write but also to format text for a better appearance. Examples: MS Word, WordPerfect, Lotus Word Pro, WordStar.
Document
Archived data with a specific format interpreted by the word processor. Its main component is written text, which may be accompanied by other elements.
Structure of a Word Processor
The features of a word processor are grouped into three main categories:
- Physical elements
- Functional elements
- Advanced features
Text Modes
Text Mode
This mode was the most common because computers had character-based screens and rarely used graphics.
Preview Mode
This mode combines the advantages of working in text mode (fast and efficient) with a “see how it is” view before printing in a graphical user interface (GUI).
WYSIWYG Mode
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) lets you work on a document and see how it will look all at once.
Fonts
TrueType fonts used in modern word processors represent different printing types and are an application of vector graphics to text representation.
Styles
A style groups, identifies, and stores a set of formatting and other features (font, spacing, color, background, images, language, scripting, schema level, etc.) in a recognizable object that can be applied to a document, section, page, paragraph, or words.
Borders, Colors, and Shadings
Borders are used for underlining, creating boxes, and highlighting lines of text, paragraphs, pages, and sections.
Tables and Newspaper Columns
Tabular organization is a typical format for reporting. It sorts data for better and faster comprehension.
Macros and Programs
A macro is a series of parameterized actions that perform repetitive editing operations. Each macro is associated with a key combination that launches it.
User Interface
In GUI environments, the user interface of word processors is similar to that of spreadsheets or presentation programs.
Index and Tables of Contents
Current word processors can automatically generate indexes and tables of contents. An index is an alphabetical list of keywords or concepts identified by the document’s creator, usually placed at the end.