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MS Works
September 2001• Vol.9 Issue 9 Page(s) 95-96 in print issue
Sharing Between Works Components Teach Your Programs To Play Nice Together

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While you may have found learning to share a hard lesson to master as a child, the Microsoft Works programs have it down pat. You can create a list in the Works Word Processor, copy it into the Works Spreadsheet to perform calculations on it, and then copy that information into the Works Database for easy storage and retrieval in the future. It’s easy to store text or pictures from any source, including the Internet, in Works Portfolio until you’re ready to use them in any Works application in the future. And imagine how delighted your kids will be when they see the detailed checklist of their weekly chores you created in the Word Processor and then copied into the Works Calendar.

While there are many things you can create in one Works application and share with another, there aren’t that many different ways to share it. This makes learning to share information between different Works program simple. We’ll show you how.

The Basics Of Sharing. Because you can have more than one Works program open at a time, it’s easy to share information by using copy and paste or drag and drop tools.

One way to share objects and text among Works applications is to drag them in and out of Portfolio.

Copy and paste. Like most applications, you can copy and paste from one application to another by selecting the text or object you want to share, choosing Copy from the Edit menu (or using the key combination CTRL-C), positioning the cursor where you want to place the information, and selecting Paste from the Edit menu (or using the key combination CTRL-V). This is the preferred method of moving information out of Spreadsheet programs, but you can also use it with other applications.

Another pasting option is Paste Special (available in either Word Processor or Spreadsheet under the Edit menu). Paste Special gives you a number of specialized formatting options, such as whether the information you’re pasting into a document should appear in a table.

Drag and drop. The drag-and-drop method is another easy way to move information from one application to another. You simply select the information you want to share and hold down the mouse button while dragging the text block or item to its new location. Once your cursor has reached the point where you want the information to appear, release the mouse button to copy it to the new location.

Use Portfolio. Portfolio is a convenient storage place for images, text, and other objects, and you can easily copy and paste or drag and drop information into and out of it to share amongst various applications. Another way to use Portfolio information in Works programs is to use the Send Item To option available from the Gallery view. When you click this link, you can choose from a pop-up menu where you want to send an item from the portfolio. For example, you can send an item to a blank document, a Works task, or a directory. You can even attach a Portfolio item to an e-mail and send it that way. A similar option in the Tasks menu, Send Collection To, lets you send an entire collection from the Portfolio.

This example of a mail merge form letter shows how, upon merging, Works will replace the placeholder fields with data from your Address Book or a different source.

Embed & Link Objects. Another powerful way to share information between two different files is to place linked or embedded objects in a document. Linked objects are objects (information such as a picture, chart, or spreadsheet) that are created in one file (the source file) and then inserted into another file (the destination file). A linked object does not become a part of the destination file and can only be updated when the source file is updated. There is a constant connection between the source and destination files, but the linked object in the destination file is only a representative of the information in the source file.

Embedded objects are a little different from linked objects. When you insert an embedded object into a destination file, it actually becomes a part of that file. The information in the destination file doesn’t change when you change the source file. When you double-click an embedded object, it will open in the program in which it was created. For example, when you double-click a spreadsheet embedded in a Word Processor document, the spreadsheet will open in the Spreadsheet program.

Embed. To embed an object in a document, first make sure to save both the source and destination documents. Then select the information you want to embed from the source document and choose Copy from the Edit menu. Next place your cursor in the destination document where you want the embedded object to appear and choose Paste Special from the Edit menu. Make sure the Paste radio button is selected and click OK. You will now be able to open the object in its respective program by double-clicking it.

Alternately, you can place your cursor at the correct spot in the destination document, choose Object from the Insert menu, select the Create New radio button, and choose the type of object you want to insert. If you want to display the object as an icon (as opposed to putting the actual contents of the object in the document), click the Display As Icon checkbox.

Link. You can also use the Insert Object dialog box to link a file. Choose the Create From File radio button and type the file’s path or browse for it using the Browse button. Then click the Link checkbox and click OK. To link an object instead of a whole file, make sure both the source and destination documents are saved. Then select the object you want to link and choose Copy from the Edit menu. Place your cursor in the right spot in the destination document and choose Paste Special from the Edit menu. Select the Paste Link radio button and click OK.

Mail Merge. Mail merge lets you share information between a couple of different Works programs (usually the Word Processor and Database or Address Book) in a special and powerful way. With mail merge, you can set up a form letter that you can quickly personalize and send to a number of recipients. This is a particularly powerful tool for small businesses or anyone who frequently sends mailings for an organization, club, or other group.

First, set up a database (see the article Database for more information on how to do this) containing fields such as First Name, Last Name, and City that you can use in a form letter. If you want, you can merge the information in your Address Book instead, making sure that such things as each recipient’s name and address are broken down into separate fields for merging purposes. Next, use the Word Processor to create a form letter with all the common information that will go out in each mailing. Make sure you leave spaces in the form letter to merge the appropriate information, including the name and address block at the top of the letter and anywhere you wish to insert the recipients’ names for that “personal” touch.

Data fields. Next, you’ll have to set up the form letter with data fields. These are essentially placeholders for the personalized data in your Address Book or Database file. With the form letter open, choose Mail Merge from the Tools menu and select Open Data Source from the subsequent menu. Choose whether your data will be coming from the Address Book or from another source such as a Database or Spreadsheet file. If you’re using a Database file as the source of your data, you’ll have to navigate to it and open it.

Now you’ll see an Insert Fields dialog box on your screen. From this box, you can choose which fields you want to add to your form letter. Place your cursor where you want the field placeholder to go, click to select the appropriate field, and then click Insert. You should now see a placeholder (such as <<City>>) wherever the cursor is resting. You can use a given field as many times as you want, and you should make sure that you insert spaces and punctuation such as commas wherever you normally would in the document, such as a comma between the city and state.

Once you’ve set the data fields, click View Results from the Insert Fields dialog box. This will create a document containing all your merged letters, with the data from your Address Book or Database file now appearing where the placeholders stood. You should probably scroll through the various letters to make sure they are all OK before printing and mailing them.

Share & Share Alike. While many of the Works components can also import or export information that will let them work with a variety of third-party applications, they are designed to work particularly well with each other. This will give you more flexibility and make many of the everyday tasks you do easier.

by Rich Gray

Advanced Tips

•If you are trying to link an object but the Paste Link radio button option in the Paste Special dialog box is grayed out, try resaving both the source and destination documents and make sure you select the object you want to link before choosing Copy from the Edit menu.

•You can filter names and addresses in a mail merge document so that only select copies, such as those from a specific city, are printed. To use filters, open the mail merge document, select Mail Merge from the Tools menu, and click Filter And Sort. Click the Filter tab, then select the field you want to filter by, followed by the comparison text you want to use as a filter.

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