Productivity Tips For DOS and Windows

by Kendall Callas

Embrace the future.

Features and ease of use have improved a great deal as WordPerfect has been refined from version to version. If you are using a version earlier than WordPerfect for Windows 7.0, or earlier than WordPerfect for DOS 5.1+, you have a lot to gain, so it is time to upgrade. Valuable new functions include Templates, QuickCorrect, history lists, Make-it-Fit, editable reveal codes, and the ability to sort the list of files chronologically. Additionally, DOS users can now Fax directly from within WordPerfect, and can choose to use a WYSIWYG graphical display; Windows users now have the Address Book, an extremely valuable Rolodex feature.

Filename tag.

It's always handy to mark a printed document with the name of the file it came from. You can easily place such a "document tag" or "filename stamp" into a footer or at the bottom of the document with this command: In WordPerfect for Windows version 6.0 and later, use Insert, Other. In WordPerfect for DOS version 6.0 and later, use Format/Shift+F8, 7/Other (or, by menu, Layout, Other), 5/Insert Filename. Now you'll have a choice between Filename or Path and Filename. (Path refers to the drive letter and the entire route of directories one must go through to find a file.) This command places a code into your text at the cursor position which will display the current filename, even if the file is copied or renamed.

Pick up where you left off.

Bookmarks are a new feature that lets you save location markers in a document. Turn on "Set QuickMark on Save" so WordPerfect will set a bookmark to remember the cursor position when you save. This way, when you return to a document, you can easily and quickly jump to where you left off.

In WordPerfect for Windows 7 and 8, use the keystroke Ctrl+Q to jump to the QuickMark. To enable this feature in WordPerfect 7, use Edit, Preferences, Environment, and select (at bottom center) Set QuickMark on save. In WordPerfect 8, use Tools, Bookmark, then select "Set QuickMark on file save" at bottom. WordPerfect 8 takes this an extra step try out "Go to QuickMark on file open" to automatically move the cursor to where you left off.

In WordPerfect for DOS 6.0 or later, move the cursor to the QuickMark with Shift+F12, Enter. To enable this feature, use Shift+F12 (or Edit, Bookmark), Set QuickMark in Document on Save.

Explore QuickCorrect.

Do words you've mistyped mysteriously correct themselves? When you mistype "teh", does it automatically change to "the"? That's the QuickCorrect feature at work. It comes with a list of commonly misspelled words that it automatically corrects as you type.

What's most important is that you can add your own abbreviations to this replacement table. As soon as you type an entry from the list into your document, it is automatically replaced when you press Enter or space bar.

Here's how to add an abbreviation to QuickCorrect, such as for your name or company name. In WordPerfect for Windows 6.0 or later, select Tools, QuickCorrect to see the table of replacements. Your cursor should be blinking in an empty field under "Replace:"; type in an abbreviation such as "ibm". Then press Tab or click to move your cursor to the field under "With:" and type in "International Business Machines". (Do not type the quote marks.) Press Enter or click Add entry to finish, then click OK.

QuickCorrect was added to WordPerfect for DOS starting with version 6.1; find it under Alt+F1 (or Tools, Writing Tools) and choose QuickCorrect. To add abbreviations, select Replacement Word List/F5, Add entry, and follow the prompts to add a word and its replacement.

Now, type the abbreviation onto your document screen. As soon as you type "ibm" and press space bar or Enter, it will be replaced by "International Business Machines". (Spell check will also trigger replacement after the fact.)

If you might sometimes want to use the abbreviation itself in the text of your document, then you can avoid difficulties by using an altered form of the abbreviation; for example, begin it with a slash (or other symbol), such as /ibm in the "Replace:" field.

The feature is smart; type the abbreviation in upper case to get the full phrase typed out all in caps!

There are several other sophisticated options that you may wish to take advantage of or turn off. You'll see them all on the QuickCorrect screen in WordPerfect for DOS. To find them in WordPerfect for Windows 8, you'll need to click the tab marked Format-As-You-Go; in 6.1 or 7.0, select Options.

Display symbols for more information on screen.

You can add information to your document editing screen by setting WordPerfect to show symbols where certain format features have been used. For example, wouldn't it be nice to easily count the blank lines in a signature block, or see exactly where a line ends (where you have pressed Enter) or if there are trailing spaces.

In WordPerfect for Windows 6.0 or later, the WYSIWYG display and small fonts make this feature especially valuable. You may use View, Show ¶ to temporarily display the symbols in just the current document.

To set the display permanently, in WordPerfect 8.0, use Tools, Settings (in 7.0 and 6.x use Edit, Preferences), then select Display, and click the Symbols tab (in 6.x click Show ¶ ). This allows you to control the display of symbols representing a variety of keystrokes (Space, Hard return/Enter, Tab, Indent, Center, Advance, etc.). You may not change the symbols which are displayed, only the features which are represented by symbols. Make sure to select "Show symbols on new and current document."

In WordPerfect for DOS 6.x, use Screen/Ctrl+F3, Setup/Shift+F1 (or, by menu, View, Screen Setup), then select 2/Display Characters to enter the symbols to represent where Enter or the space bar have been pressed. To insert a paragraph symbol (¶), hold down the ALT key and use the numeric keypad to type the number 20.

In WordPerfect for DOS 5.x, only the symbol used to represent the Enter key may be selected. In DOS versions 5.1 and 5.1+, use Setup/Shift+F1, 2/Display, 6/Edit-Screen Options, 4/Hard Return Display Character; in DOS version 5.0, use Setup/Shift+F1, 3/Display, 6/Hard Return Display Character.

[ Home Page | Articles List | Top of this article ]