Tag Archives: Tech Tip

Learning & Development

Quickly Access UC PowerPoint Templates

If you are using PowerPoint within the University, this is good news for you: the UC PowerPoint templates are now available directly from within PowerPoint*. They have been resized to make maximum use of the screen too.

UC PowerPoint templates

 

To access the templates within PowerPoint:

  1. Click the File (menu) tab
  2. Click New
    – many templates display
  3. Look for the words “FEATURED” and “SHARED” just above the first of the displayed templates.
  4. Click “Shared”
    – the three UC templates display
  5. Click the template you wish to use
    – a preview of that template displays
  6. Click the Create button
    – a new presentation based on that template is created
  7. Save the presentation with a new name and start work!

Note: Once you have used each template, they will display with all the other templates available when you click the New button in the File menu. This just saves you having to go into the Shared folder each time.

* Currently only for staff using PC’s. The ITS team are working on bringing this feature to Macs too.

Special thanks to UC Staff Chris Brown and Dean Patterson for setting up this incredibly useful and time saving quick access for us.

For great time-saving tips, look up:
– Being more efficient with your technology
– Technology Information for Staff website

Was this tip helpful to you? Anything else you want to know? Got some suggestions? Please leave a comment below orlet me know.

You’ll find more learning at Learning and Development.

Learning & Development

Struggling With Keyboard Shortcuts?

If you’re struggling with keyboard shortcuts, you may not know about this….

When you hover your mouse over some toolbar icons in Microsoft Office programs, the keyboard shortcut is displayed.
When you hover your mouse over some toolbar icons in Microsoft Office programs, the keyboard shortcut is displayed.

When you hover your mouse cursor over most icons in Microsoft Office programs, a pop-up appears, explaining the tool and displaying the shortcut. So instead of clicking an icon on a toolbar, use the shortcut as often as you can – just hovering over an icon from time to time for a reminder of a shortcut.

Meanwhile, have a look at the Keyboard shortcuts section of the Being more efficient with your technology site.

For great time-saving tips, look up:
– Technology Information for Staff website

Was this tip helpful to you? Anything else you want to know? Got some suggestions? Please leave a comment below or let me know.

You’ll find more learning at Learning and Development.

Learning & Development

Autofit Column Width to An Individual Cell

This is one for the Excel users out there. It sounds a bit esoteric but if you wrestle with column widths, this is for you!

Last week we looked at using Excel’s AutoFit feature to automatically adjust the width of a column to match the contents of the widest cell in that column.

But let’s say that you want to adjust the width of a column to match the contents of an individual cell but you don’t want to AutoFit the entire column width (for example, because some of your rows contain lots of text – and so AutoFitting the column width would make the columns too wide).

So, to adjust the width of a column to match the content of an individual cell:

1. Select the cell whose width you want to AutoFit
2a. Click the Home tab
2b. Click the Format button drop-down (towards the far right of the Home Ribbon)
2c. Click AutoFit Column Width

That cell’s column width adjusts to match the width of the content of the cell you selected.

BONUS – to simultaneously adjust the widths of multiple columns to match the contents of multiple cells:

1. Select the first cell whose width you want to AutoFit
2. Hold the Ctrl key down and select the other cells whose width you also want to AutoFit
3. Choose Home | Format | AutoFit Column Width

The columns’ widths are adjusted so that the content of the cells you selected each fits in their respective columns. You can also choose Home | Format | Column Width and type in a fixed width for all the columns of the selected cells.

Another Excel tip: Copy Excel Column Width From Another Cell

Thanks to Able Owl Excel tips for this one.

For great time-saving tips, look up:
– Being more efficient with your technology
– Technology Information for Staff website

Was this tip helpful to you? Anything else you want to know? Got some suggestions? Please leave a comment below orlet me know.

You’ll find more learning at Learning and Development.

Learning & Development

Easily Set Column Width Using Autofit

1 Comment

Have you ever opened an Excel Worksheet only to see ##### in the columns? Yes? (And then perhaps thought it was broken? Umm – yep.)

The ##### symbols simply mean that the width of that column is not wide enough to fully display the values in that cell, so Excel displays ##### symbols instead.

You’ll see it with numbers and dates. It’s no good displaying 3,000 when in fact the number is 3,000,000! So Excel displays the #### symbols instead. So no, it’s not broken.

Secondly, widening the width of the column immediately displays all those values and makes the #### symbols go away. Which is of course what you will want to do straight away.

But don’t start changing the column width manually, repeatedly guessing at how wide to go. Instead there’s a very easy and quick way to display all those values.

Excel’s AUTOFIT feature is the solution.

Autofit allows you to automatically adjust the width of a column to match the contents of the widest cell in that column.

To use Autofit, double-click the right edge (see below) of the column header of the column you wish to autofit (the column header is the identifying letter at the top of each column, eg, A, B, etc). The column width then changes to match the widest cell content in that column.

Done!

 

 

 

For great time-saving tips, look up:
– Being more efficient with your technology
– Technology Information for Staff website

Was this tip helpful to you? Anything else you want to know? Got some suggestions? Please leave a comment below orlet me know.

You’ll find more learning at Learning and Development.

Learning & Development

Indent Non-Consecutive Paragraphs

Last Tech Tip we selected non-consecutive paragraphs and formatted them. This time we will indent them.

This applies to text in Microsoft Word and in Outlook Email.

To indent an entire paragraph or multiple paragraphs:

  1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs
  2. Press the Tab key (or Ctrl+M)

The paragraphs you selected indent.

Note: to reverse the indent, select the paragraph(s) and press Shift+Tab or Shift+Ctrl+M

For great time-saving tips, look up:
– Being more efficient with your technology
– Technology Information for Staff website

Was this tip helpful to you? Anything else you want to know? Got some suggestions? Please leave a comment below or let me know.

You’ll find more learning at Learning and Development.