Customization and gripes on Office 2008

[jolamiller]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have a few problems with the new Office interface and am wondering if there is a way to customize some of these things to make them to my liking.

I don't like toolbars attached to the document. Can I stick them down like they were in 2004? (I think I read this may be a Mac interface thing.) If you have no document open, you have NO "open" icon to push to quickly open a file. Attaching the toolbar to every document clutters up the interface. This is a VERY poor change.

In Excel, I can't find a way to make the formula bar go into a doc. I can only get it to float out there. That formula bar is great for seeing and editing text, especially emails, which Entourage keeps thinking I want to email the person rather than edit their address.

Within day and week views on Calendar, the non-categorized items are blue. WHY?!!!! Why didn't MS leave them black, as they are in the month view!

I've communicated these to MS, but thought I'd see if there are any work arounds.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Jolamiller - Please see in line below:

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have a few problems with the new Office interface and am wondering if there
is a way to customize some of these things to make them to my liking.

I don't like toolbars attached to the document. Can I stick them down like
they were in 2004? (I think I read this may be a Mac interface thing.)

Well, yes, it is a Mac UI thing, but it's only the Standard Toolbar that's
permanently Docked. Control/Right-Click any other & deselect the Dock
Toolbar in Window command. If you can't even tolerate Standard being that
way create your own Custom bar, turn the others off & click the oval button
at the right end of the Title Bar to collapse the Toolbar area.

If you
have no document open, you have NO "open" icon to push to quickly open a file.

No, but you do have Command+O to Open & Command+N for a New Document.

Attaching the toolbar to every document clutters up the interface. This is a
VERY poor change.

From your perspective, but quite a few Dual Display users might disagree
But as above, this is in compliance with Apple guidelines.

In Excel, I can't find a way to make the formula bar go into a doc. I can only
get it to float out there.

That's unchangeable -- but it isn't anything new. The formula bar is an
application feature, not file specific. It never has been a part of the file
window even in PC Excel.

That formula bar is great for seeing and editing
text, especially emails, which Entourage keeps thinking I want to email the
person rather than edit their address.

I have no idea what you mean by this -- you can't use Excel's Formula Bar to
edit content in a different program. Can you clarify?

Within day and week views on Calendar, the non-categorized items are blue.
WHY?!!!! Why didn't MS leave them black, as they are in the month view!

This would best be answered in the Entourage group. I don't use the feature
so I don't know what to suggest here... Perhaps one of the Entourage folks
will happen upon this but I kind doubt it since it's so deep in the message.
Most of the Entourage folks probably took off at the first mention of Excel

I've communicated these to MS, but thought I'd see if there are any work
arounds.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[jolamiller]

Thanks for you comments.

Ah, I see I can modify those more than I thought. I CAN detach it from the document. Yay. And you are correct, dual display users may like this feature, but I think the toolbars are not as good as previous, even after I customize them.

On the Excel item. MS calls it the formula bar, but I don't really use it for formulas. It lets you see what is in the cell you have selected and you can edit your cell contents in it. It used to mount right up with the toolbars. However, with what you told me, I think I can modify this to my liking too.

Thanks!

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Thanks for you comments.

Ah, I see I can modify those more than I thought. I CAN detach it from the document. Yay. And you are correct, dual display users may like this feature, but I think the toolbars are not as good as previous, even after I customize them.

On the Excel item. MS calls it the formula bar, but I don't really use it for formulas. It lets you see what is in the cell you have selected and you can edit your cell contents in it. It used to mount right up with the toolbars. However, with what you told me, I think I can modify this to my liking too.

Thanks!

Hi,

To pile on a little bit here.

People with dual displays can take advantage of customizing toolbars
that float for Word, Excel and PowerPoint. That way they can make
independent toolbars appropriate for each screen configured precisely
the way they want them. Entourage toolbars are prisoners of their
respective windows, although you can customize the toolbars for each
individual kind of window.

In Excel, double click on a cell to edit its contents a cool little window.

-Jim

 

[CyberTaz]

The term Formula Bar refers to the entire bar which includes 3 segments
beginning with the Name Box on the left end. The segment you're referring to
is actually the Editing Field which displays the content of the active cell
regardless of what that content may be.

The Formula Bar as well as any others except the Standard Toolbar can be
Docked beneath the Menu bar or on any side of the screen -- they don't have
to "float".