GoBe Productive - Word Processing - Paragraph Formatting

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GoBe Productive - Paragraph Formatting

As stated in the introduction to this section, there are two levels of formatting in the word processing environment: Paragraph and Character. Paragraph formatting is concerned with the appearance and placement of paragraphs in a document. It applies properties to an entire paragraph regardless of how many words or characters you select.

This topic explains how to set paragraph formatting properties. Some paragraph formatting options are available from tools on the PartBar. Where appropriate, those tools are noted in this section.

Using the Ruler to Set the Paragraph Indent
You can use the ruler in the word processing PartBar to change the indents and tab stops in a paragraph.

To Set the Paragraph Indent Using the Ruler
Select the paragraph(s) you want to indent. You do not need to select the entire paragraph; indentation affects all lines in a paragraph.

- Drag the Left Margin Marker to the indent you want. All selected paragraphs left align to the marker. Dragging the left margin marker also drags the first line marker. To move the left margin indent without also moving the first line indent, hold down the key or the [OPTION] key.
- Drag the First Line Marker to indent only the first line of the paragraph(s). The left margin indent is not affected.
- Drag the Right Margin Marker to the indent you want. All selected paragraphs right align to the marker.
- You can also set tab stops using the ruler.

To Format a Paragraph

1. Type the paragraph you want to format. You do not need to type the entire paragraph. Since paragraph formatting applies to all text in a paragraph, you can enter a few words for the paragraph, format it, and then continue typing the rest of the paragraph. The program will continue to use the paragraph formatting you established until you change it or click elsewhere in the document where the paragraph formatting is different.
2. Select Paragraph... from the Format menu. The Paragraph Format dialog box is displayed.
3. Enter the Left Indent for the paragraph. This is the distance, from the left margin, that the paragraph is indented. Use the tool to the right of the field to select the unit of measurement for the Left Indent value.
4. Enter the First Line indent for the paragraph. This is the distance, from the left margin, that the first line of the paragraph is indented. Use the tool to the right of the field to select the unit of measurement for the First Line value. (See diagram below for an example.)
5. Enter the Right Indent for the paragraph. This is the distance, from the right margin, that the paragraph is indented. Use the tool to the right of the field to select the unit of measurement for the Right Indent value.
6. Enter the Line Spacing for the paragraph. This is the distance between the lines in the paragraph. Use the tool to the right of the field to select the unit of measurement for the Line Spacing value.
   This option can also be set using the line spacing tool on the PartBar. Click the left button to decrease the line spacing, click the right button to increase the line spacing.
7. Enter the Space Before for the paragraph. This field sets how far the formatted paragraph is set apart from the paragraph before it. The Space Before value for a paragraph and the Space After value for the paragraph immediately prior to the paragraph complement each other. Use the tool to the right of the field to select the unit of measurement for the Space Before value.
8. Enter the Space After for the paragraph. This field sets how far the formatted paragraph is from the paragraph after it. The Space After value for a paragraph and the Space Before value for the immediately following paragraph complement each other. Use the tool to the right of the field to select the unit of measurement for the Space After value.
9. Use the Align tool to select the overall alignment of the paragraph.
   You can also set this property from the word processing PartBar. Use the alignment buttons to set the paragraph alignment for the currently selected paragraph.
   Paragraph formatting properties.
10. When finished selecting the formatting properties, click OK. If you do not want to change the formatting properties, click Cancel.

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