Classic Office Menu

[hlewton]

I am curious if anyone has experience with an add on for Office 2010 called Classic Office Menus. Apparently it puts a new tab on the ribbon called Menus with Office 2003 type of drop down menus. I am contemplating getting it but wonder if anyone has thoughts either for or against it. Here is a link to what I found http://www.addintools.com/office2010/pr ... index.html
Thanks

[HansV]

Although it can be comforting to have the old menu/toolbar interface back, I would recommend against getting the add-in. It's better to get used to the ribbon - it's here to stay (at least for the near future). The ribbon is not perfect, but once you're familiar with it, it works well enough.

[stuck]

I hated the ribbon at first but I'm used to it now so I too would say don't bother with the add on. Hans is right, the ribbon isn't going anywhere any time soon.

Ken

[hlewton]

Thanks for that. I only considered it because I had a heck of a time finding where to set the default font for a Word document. Still not sure I found the best way but I stumbled on clicking on the little grayed out arrow to the right of the word "Font" on the Home tab. Is that the only way to get there or is there some more obvious way that I have overlooked?

[HansV]

The little arrows in the lower right corner of many of the groups on the ribbon are very useful - they often open one of the "old" dialog windows.

To learn where things can be found on the ribbon, there are some helpful utilities:
Learn where menu and toolbar commands are in Office 2010 and related products provides links to interactive guides that show where a menu option or toolbar button from Office 2003 can be found on the ribbon.
Search Commands is an add-in for Word, Excel and PowerPoint that adds a tab to the ribbon from which you can easily search for a command if you don't know where to look for it.

[hlewton]

Thanks Hans I actually have had that interactive guide for over a year now but haven't really used it extensively until lately. I tried finding the place to set the default font and the guide just didn't take me far enough, I guess. Plus when it said to click on "font" that didn't seem to work until I tried that greyed out arrow. I am going to look into that search add in you linked.

[HansV]

These guides are intended to show the equivalent of toolbar buttons and menu options; they can't explain everything. There wasn't a toolbar button or menu option in Word 2003 to set the default font either...

[hlewton]

Yep I know you're right but somehow it seemed easier to find. I guess I am just getting too old to enjoy so many changes.

[HansV]

Oh, I know it's frustrating. Some things were difficult to find in the menu/toolbar interface, but after years of use you knew where they were. In the new interface, some of those things are easily found, but now others have been hidden somewhere, but you have yet to find out where...

[hlewton]

OH no I have to make this a 2 post reply since I cannot let my post count remain at the dreaded 666. So continued in the next post.

[hlewton]

Oh, I know it's frustrating. Some things were difficult to find in the menu/toolbar interface, but after years of use you knew where they were. In the new interface, some of those things are easily found, but now others have been hidden somewhere, but you have yet to find out where...

Yes there are some things I like that were kind of easy like adding commands to the Quick Access Toolbar but as you said other things are a bit more difficult to find. I'm sure I'll eventually get used to it but one thing I really miss right out of the box is being able to activate the Mail Merge Toolbar like you told me how to do years ago when Word 2003 came out. Unless I am missing it totally I don't think it exists any longer. OH well!!!!

[HansV]

The Mailings tab of the ribbon contains everything you need for a mail merge.

[stuck]

Unless I am missing it totally I don't think it exists any longer. OH well!!!!

The Mailings tab of the ribbon contains everything you need for a mail merge.

Don't feel too bad about missing this, everyone knows the best place to hide something is in plain sight

Ken

[DaveA]

You have said that you want to set the Default font for the current document, but is this really what you want or to set the default to ALL new documents also?
If so, in the "Font "Pane" that is opened by clicking the arrow, there is a "Default" button at the bottom. This will change the default to the settings active in the pane for ALL new documents. This will change the "Normal" template.

[hlewton]

The Mailings tab of the ribbon contains everything you need for a mail merge.

I swear made this post earlier but somehow it apparently did not get posted or saved as a draft for whatever reason. Anyway I did know about that mail merge and had been practicing with it. I managed to get almost everything working but have a couple questions.

First it seems that every time I use labels for my merge I have to tell Word 2010 to show the grid lines. I think they always showed in Word 2003 as a default for labels. Is there a setting I am missing to get Word 2010 to do the same.

Next and this one is a bit more troublesome to me. I use Avery 5160 labels a lot. Even though they are rather small the end result that I want works fine. I see all the merged data as it will be printed on the labels. The problem comes in when I am inserting the merge field. My field names are a little long but I could always see them all in Word 2003 as I inserted them. After inserting the first 5 or 6 merge fields into the 5160 label I can no longer see the remaining fields I insert and have to rely on them actually being inserted and edited as I want them to be. I like to be able to see them so I can make sure I have included a comma or space where needed. After I propagate all the labels the fields are still not visible but if I preview the labels or merge to a new document all is well as far as the final product is concerned if I have edited them correctly. I have the default font set the same in both versions of word so why is it that I cannot see the inserted merge fields in Word 2010 as I could in Word 2003 and can this be corrected?

[hlewton]

You have said that you want to set the Default font for the current document, but is this really what you want or to set the default to ALL new documents also?
If so, in the "Font "Pane" that is opened by clicking the arrow, there is a "Default" button at the bottom. This will change the default to the settings active in the pane for ALL new documents. This will change the "Normal" template.

Yes I wanted to set it for every document and did see that button so I think I was able to do that. Thanks for the information.

[stuck]

First it seems that every time I use labels for my merge I have to tell Word 2010 to show the grid lines. I think they always showed in Word 2003 as a default for labels. Is there a setting I am missing to get Word 2010 to do the same.

I'm not sure but I think this means the label template you are opening is not set to show gridlines, hence every new doc based on the template has to be told to show gridlines.

Try opening the actual template (.dotx) file, showing the gridlines and then saving it.

Ken

[HansV]

My field names are a little long but I could always see them all in Word 2003 as I inserted them.

How were you able to see long field names in a small label in Word 2003?

[hlewton]

First it seems that every time I use labels for my merge I have to tell Word 2010 to show the grid lines. I think they always showed in Word 2003 as a default for labels. Is there a setting I am missing to get Word 2010 to do the same.

I'm not sure but I think this means the label template you are opening is not set to show gridlines, hence every new doc based on the template has to be told to show gridlines.

Try opening the actual template (.dotx) file, showing the gridlines and then saving it.

Ken

Not sure I know how to do what you're saying. I searched for template.dotx abd didn't come up with anything.

[hlewton]

My field names are a little long but I could always see them all in Word 2003 as I inserted them.

How were you able to see long field names in a small label in Word 2003?

Hans I am not at all sure because I did nothing out of the ordinary since I wouldn't know anything to do. I have both machines open now and created the same mail merge on both of them. On the Word 2003 I placed the cursor on the grid line and counted the scale graduation marks to the left side of the screen to measure the height of the label and it came out to be a little over 7 lines or marks and by the way these markings are visible for me in this version. On the Word 2010 machine the marks are not visible but if I place the cursor on the bottom line of the label grid and count the marks it is almost 8 which would make one believe the height of the label is taller on the Word 2010 machine yet I cannot see the bottom line of the merged fields.
This is what I see on the 2003 machine:
«Title» «First_Name» «Middle_Initial» «Last_Name»
«II_Jr»
«Street_Address»
«City», «State» «Zip_Code»

«Title» «First_Name» «Middle_Initial» «Last_Name»
«II_Jr»
«Street_Address»

In the final document the field «II_Jr» is printed and displayed on the first line of the label. On both machines it wraps down to the second line while inserting the merge fields.

But if I expand the height of the grid of the label there remaining fields are there. I have no idea what if anything I am doing differently but the appearance is sure different.