CynsInt	Hobby	Office Apps	Writing

Office App Pleasures

Modern software helps us calculate data, organize data, present data on screens, and print data in meaningful reports. I find pleasure in figuring out how to make these tools work to best advantage. I enjoy showing others how to use them.

Spreadsheets for Anything

Spreadsheets can provide automatic calculations, entries from look-up tables, drop-down lists, and much more.

  

Drawing tools, text boxes, and border formatting allow you to use a spreadsheet for drawing floorplans or a landscape plan.

  

A county juror form came to me as a much-abused text document. I redesigned it in a spreadsheet and then converted it to PDF. On the left, the spreadsheet has colored grid lines to show the spacing. On the right, is the finished form in black and white.

Database Features

Information in a too-many-column spreadsheet forces one to scroll to the right. The same data is easier to view and enter in a relational database. The image on the left shows how former spreadsheets were reorganized into related tables. A custom input form allows you to view and enter data without having to scroll.

  

A database can include images. That's when the fun and creativity begin. Here are some samples of event tickets prepared for a convention.

Presentation Pleasures

A slide show application can make much more than just slides for a business meeting. I like to use mine for making signs, name tags, tickets, stamp exhibits, and publications with many images. All can be converted to PDF for sharing. Here is an example of an 8-page booklet telling about black military servicemen honored on stamps.