10 Minute Guide to Word for Windows 95

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Saving Documents

In this lesson, you'll learn how to name your document, save it to disk, and enter summary information.

Saving a Document for the First Time

When you create a new document in Word for Windows, it is stored temporarily in your computer's memory under the default name Docn, where n is a number that increases by 1 for each new unnamed document. The document is only "remembered" until you quit the program or the computer is turned off. To save a document permanently so you can retrieve it later, you must save it to a disk. This is done with the File Save command, or by selecting the Save button on the toolbar.

1. When you save a document for the first time, you must assign it another name. When you select File Save for an unnamed document (or File Save As for any document), Word displays the Save As dialog box, as shown in Figure 6.1.

2. In the File name text box, enter the name you want to assign to the document file. The name can be up to 256 characters long. If you want to save the document in a different folder, pull down the Save in list to select a different folder. Then select Save. Word for Windows automatically adds the DOC extension when it saves the file.

Figure 6.1
The Save As dialog box.


Plain English: What's an Extension? The extension is the one- to three-letter part of a file name to the right of the period.

Next, Word for Windows displays the Properties dialog box, (see Figure 6.2). This figure (with the Summary tab selected) shows typical summary information that you might want to use. You can either ignore this dialog box or enter information here that will later be useful in keeping track of your documents.

Figure 6.2
The Properties dialog box.


Panic Button: Summary Info Box Doesn't Display? Select Properties from the File menu to display it. Select Options from the Tools menu, click the Save tab, and click the Prompt for Document Properties option to control automatic display of the Properties dialog box.


Timesaver Tip: Viewing Statistics At any time, select File Properties; then click the Statistics tab to view a document's statistics.

After entering any summary information, click OK. Word for Windows saves the document--along with the summary information you entered--in a file with the name you specified. You are then returned to the document screen, with the newly assigned file name displayed in the title bar.

Saving a Named Document

Once you have assigned a name to a document, the File Save command saves the current document version under its assigned name; no dialog boxes appear. You can also click the Save button on the Standard Toolbar.


Timesaver Tip: Don't Forget! Save your document regularly as you work on it.

Changing a Document Name

You may want to keep the old version of a document under the original name and a revised version under a new name. To change a document name, select File Save As. The Save As dialog box appears showing the current document name in the File name text box. Then take the following steps:

1. Change the file name to the desired new name.

2. (Optional) Select a different folder in the Save in list to save the document in a different folder.

3. Select OK. Word saves the document under the new name.

Changing Summary Information

You can change the summary information associated with a document at any time. Select File Properties, and the Properties dialog box will appear. Make the desired changes; then select OK. The new information will be registered with the document the next time you save the file.

In this lesson, you learned how to save a document, change a document name, and enter document summary information. In the next lesson, you'll learn how to retrieve a document from a disk.


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