Office+2007

As of March 2010 the Chicago Public Schools has upgraded from Microsoft Office 2003 to [|Office 2007]. There are some major differences between the two suites, that should make your Office experience easier. These are the included programs in Office 2007
 * Word
 * PowerPoint
 * Excel
 * Access
 * OneNote
 * Publisher
 * Outlook

The backbone of the two suites is similar what's different is the layout and the access to menus. They have also removed certain options as well as changed the way you save your documents.

File Saving
Previous versions of MS Office defaulted to save files in one of these formats:
 * Word - .doc
 * Powerpoint - .ppt
 * Excel - .xls
 * Access - .mdb
 * Publisher - .pub

New to Office 2007 a new default has been added. The letter x has been added to the extension. Example, Word files are saved as **.docx** This new format is native to Office 2007. It makes the saved file smaller so it takes up less space on your computer and gives it new options. This file cannot be opened in past versions of MS Office products unless the [|Compatibility Pack] is installed on your machine. You can still save in the old format you just will have less options when working with your files. All of the other formats you have used over the years: .rtf, .csv, .txt and so on are still available.

The Ribbon
The ribbon that runs along the top of the screen has been changed to reflect a more icon based appearance. Instead of searching through numerous menus you can find everything you need right in front of you by accessing less menus.
 * 2003**
 * 2007**

The Office Button
The office button replaces some of the old menu drop-downs by placing the most used aspects of the program in one place.
 * 2003**[[image:Offiice_1.jpg]]**2007**

The Live Preview Option
Live Preview allows you to see what your text would look like before you make a change. Choosing any of the boxes changes selected text.

The Mini Toolbar
When text is highlighted and selected the mini toolbar appears and gives you instant options to change text.

Office Assistants
Sorry to say Clippy and all his pals have been sent off to assistant retirement. Don't worry they are happy and enjoying the next stage of their lives.