When I edit a document in Microsoft Word, I do everything I can from the keyboard. I avoid using the mouse because reaching over to get it interrupts the flow of work and slows me down. Sometimes, though, for a change of pace, I like to see how much editing I can do without even touching the keyboard, using the mouse as a sort of electronic pencil. If you're interested in trying this, here are some things to consider:
1. Using the mouse, you can (obviously) access any of the commands on Word's menus or toolbars, which include such things as changing case, changing format, cutting, copying, and pasting.
2. You can access the commands on Word's shortcut menu by clicking text with the right mouse button. For editing purposes, the most important commands are Cut, Copy, and Paste. (You can use the Cut command to delete text.) If you have Microsoft Bookshelf installed, you can use the Define command to look up words in the Bookshelf dictionary. In addition, Word 2000 includes a Synonyms command so you can replace a selected word with a suggested synonym or use Word's built-in thesaurus.
3. You can use the mouse to drag and drop selected words and phrases. You may need to turn this feature on under Tools/Options/Edit/Drag-and-drop text editing. Once it's on, you can select a word (double-click it), grab the word (hold down the left mouse button), drag the word to a new position (move the mouse), and place the word (let go of the mouse button). To copy the selection rather than move it, hold down the CTRL key with your left hand (if you're right-handed) before dragging the text.
4. You can use the mouse to copy and paste a word from nearby text rather than typing it in. You might also try resting your left hand on the keyboard (if you're right-handed) to type in the occasional space or other character. If you find yourself typing a lot, though, you may want to revert to using the keyboard instead of the mouse.
5. If you move through your document by dragging the vertical scroll bar, you'll see the page numbers in a small box at the right of your document window.
With some experimentation, I've learned which features I use most with the mouse, and I've placed them on the text shortcut menu (right mouse button) in our Editor's ToolKit program. Some of these are regular Word functions; others are unique to Editor's ToolKit. Here they are:
Cut
Copy
Paste
Delete (a single character or text you've already selected with the mouse)
Delete Word
Add to Spike
Insert Spike
Cap or Lowercase Word (toggle)
Make Word Italic or Roman (toggle)
Transpose Characters
Transpose Words
Apply Heading 1 Style
Apply Heading 2 Style
Apply Heading 3 Style
Apply Heading 4 Style
AutoStyle Block Quotation
AutoStyle List
AutoStyle Poem
Using all those features, you may be surprised at how much editing you can do without ever touching the keyboard. Give it a try! You'll soon be mousing around with the best of them.
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