MOS Talk: Office makes being in two places at once possible
Submitted by Brett Fisher on Sat, 07/21/2018 - 8:39am
I've often mused that I should be cloned so that I can be everywhere I need to be at the same time.
But nobody thus far has come knocking on my door offering millions of dollars for the right to duplicate me. That's probably a good thing, though, because I'm not so sure the world is ready for carbon copies of me wandering around.
Short of DNA splicing, Microsoft Office gives users the ability to perform multiple tasks at once, essentially allowing them to work simultaneously on different projects at the same time.
This is done by changing the views within a Microsoft Office document.
Under the view ribbon, multiple options can be found that essentially let a user be in two or more places at once.
There is the split screen tool, which permits users to see different parts of the same document. You can be working on one page while viewing another at the same time.
The split screen works well for Microsoft Word; but not so much for MS Excel, the spreadsheet of which gets divided into quadrants when the split screen function is used. This can be confusing for the user.
Split screen also doesn't allow the user to view two spreadsheets within the same workbook at the same time, either.
I suggest utilizing the side-by-side, new window and arrange all functions instead.
The side-by-side tool gives users the ability to view two different documents at once, arranged vertically side-by-side one another.
Opening a new window creates a second instance of the same document; not to be confused with creating a copy, because any edits or changes you make in one instance shows up in the additional instances that are opened.
The new window function simply lets the user see and work in different parts of the same document simultaneously. Users can then arrange their view of these instances using the arrange all function. Window views can be set up vertically or horizontally, depending on user preference.
The arrange all tool also gives users the ability to view different documents on the screen simultaneously and arrange their views according to individual preferences.
I advise deactivating synchronous scrolling, which is usually activated automatically when clicking on the view side-by-side function. Synchronous scrolling means that, as you scroll down the pane of one window, you will simultaneously scroll down the second one, too.
To me, this defeats the purpose of being able to work in two places at the same time, because the different windows are acting as one.
But, as I've said before, to each their own. Microsoft Office provides a seemingly endless tool box of options, many of which can be customized for each user.
Unlike clones, no two individuals or their preferences are exactly alike.
Microsoft gives us the feeling of being in two places at the same time, without actually having to splice our DNA. And that's a very good thing.
Brett Fisher is a writer and Microsoft Office Specialist instructor residing in Carson City.
