An Introduction To The Microsoft Office Ribbon

Tools & Features - Tabbed Windows - Customize Word Options

In previous versions of microsoft office the MENU System was used as a method of editing documents, and more precisely as a way to use general features and editing tools, but with microsoft office 2007 this was changed. It used the new RIBBON System that was introduced with the release of Windows Vista, on 30th January 2007, which microsoft office 2010 has now adopted.

The RIBBON is not a microsoft office development though. It was a Windows Vista development that has now become a core foundation in many Windows programs, such as Paint and Wordpad. The ribbon, although awkward to get used to for some old users of office, is actually more user friendly than the old menu system simply because many of the features in the menu system have been brought onto the ribbon graphically.

The RIBBON System offers a more visual approach to using the editing tools and general features, and is basically more pleasant and easier to use than the old menu system. One of the things microsoft did with the ribbon was to put more editing tools and features on it whilst making them more accessable, user friendly and memorable. With the menu system you had to keep remembering where everything was for example because it was easy to forget!

Fig 1.0  The Office RIBBON, which is made up of editing tools and general features

The ribbon, which sits just underneath the Quick Access Toolbar, is the whole light grey rectangle that spans the width of the office window (Fig 1.0 above) and comprises of eight tabbed windows (separate window sections called TABs) that when individually clicked on reveal the tools and features for that particular TAB.

If you click on the INSERT Tab for example it will reveal tools and features to do with inserting Tables, Pictures, ClipArt, HyperLinks, Symbols, Shapes and so on. Some of which I will be explaining in later sections. Many of these tools can be used by clicking on their buttons or drop-down menu options whereas other tools are a little more complex than one click selections.

Fig 1.1  Click on the INSERT Tab to view the tools and features associated with inserting items




Fig 1.2  The tools and features that allow you to insert items such as Pictures, Shapes and Symbols

If you find that you do not use all of the tools on the ribbon, or would like to replace certain tools, you can customise the ribbon by adding/removing certain buttons (tools).

Customise  The  Ribbon

To begin customization first select the FILE Tab and then click on the OPTIONS menu-item to bring up the Word Options window (Fig 1.4). From there, click on its CUSTOMIZE RIBBON menu-item - The GENERAL menu-item will be selected by default.

Fig 1.3  Click on the FILE Tab and select the OPTIONS menu-item




Fig 1.4  The Word Options window - Click on the CUSTOMIZE RIBBON menu-item to continue

From this point onwards be careful. Besides looking scarey! the Word Options window has many powerful functions on it that in the wrong hands could seriously mess up your copy of Microsoft Office. So continue with caution.

The Word Options window is split into two main areas - Commands (Tools & Features buttons) in the left column and Tabbed Windows (Tools & Features buttons) in the right column. The left column contains the commands, found on every tabbed window, that you can add to the ribbon. And the right column contains the commands that you can add to the ribbon, remove from the ribbon and commands you can rename and reorder. So, basically, you use the left column to select new commands and the right column to add new commands, remove existing commands, rename existing commands or reorder existing commands.

At this point you might be thinking "Wow! I can edit so many commands". Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you view it, Microsoft has not given you that much freedom. As said above, if they did you might end up with a damaged Word 2010. What they have done though is given you the power to create your own Tabs and Group Of Commands. In this next example I will show you how to create a new group, as opposed to a new tab, because then you will see how easy it is to create a tab.

Create  A  Group  Of  Commands

To create a group of commands you first need to create a group (a group title) by clicking on the NEW GROUP button underneath the right column. Doing so will instantly create a default group for you, under the current Tabbed window (i.e. Home), called New Group.

So if you were on the INSERT Tab when you decided to create a new group, your newly created default group (called New Group) would be created as a sub-group (additional group) within the INSERT Tab. In this example, at the end of the HOME Tab. You could still select a different tab from within this Word Options window though. For example, you could select INSERT on the right (main tabs) column and then click on the NEW GROUP button.

Fig 1.5  Create a default NEW GROUP and then.....

Fig 1.6  .....RENAME it to something like FavTools.

To rename the new group to FavTools for example you can either click on the RENAME button, whilst New Group is selected, or you can right click over New Group to bring up its context (options) menu and then left click on its RENAME menu-item. Either way, the Rename window will appear whereby you type in a new name for your newly created group before clicking on the OK button. Ignore the icons in that window. Just type in your new name and click on the OK button.

Fig 1.7  Type in a new name for your new group and then click on the OK button

With your new name set, to FavTools for example, the next thing to do is add some commands (tools) to that group. This is done by looking through the left (commands) column for a command you wish to add before clicking on the ADD button. So in this example I have selected the COPY command and then clicked on the ADD button.

With the FavTools group currently selected, any commands I select and then ADD from the left column will be added to the right column straight away. However, they will not be permanently added until I click on the OK button of the actual Word Options window. If I click on the CANCEL button for example all my actions (ADDings) done in this session will be lost (disregarded). In other words, the OK button set the actions done in this session.

Fig 1.8  Select a command from the left column and then ADD it to a group in the right column

You continue ADDing commands from the left column, as exampled above, into your group on the right column until you are happy with your group of commands (tools). When you are, click on the OK button of the actual Word Options window to permanently create that group and its commands.

Fig 1.9  The COPY command has been ADDed

Fig 1.10  Now other commands have been ADDed

Note: Some of the above commands were added by selecting the COMMANDS NOT IN THE RIBBON option in the CHOOSE COMMANDS FROM drop-down menu (above the left column). You can use that drop-down menu to isolate other sets of command too, such as POPULAR COMMANDS and ALL COMMANDS.

After clicking on the OK button of the actual Word Options window this is what the new group, now called FavTools, will look like. In this example it is at the end of the HOME Tab, next to the group called EDITING. Because I have a picture selected, hence why I wanted those specific group of commands on my FavTools group, the FORMAT Tab has also appeared. Regardless of the commands (tools) on that tab though, I can BRING my picture FORWARD or BRING it to the FRONT of other objects/pictures from the HOME Tab.

Fig 1.11  The new group, called FavTools, on the HOME Tab

So am I happy with the new FavTools group?.....NO! Not yet. It would be nice if I could move it to the left a little, perhaps between the Fonts and Paragraph groups. To do this I need to go back to the Word Options window and move the FavTools group up three places.

Fig 1.12  Click on the MOVE UP button to.....

Fig 1.13  .....move the FavTools group upwards.

Fig 1.14  The FavTools group has been moved to fit in-between the FONTS and PARAGRAPH groups

If you want to create a new TAB, with a new set of groups inside it, you follow more or less the same procedure as above. First create a new tab by clicking on the NEW TAB button, RENAME it and then add groups to it by clicking on the NEW GROUP button. From there, ADD new commands to the groups as exampled above. One thing to note here is that a new group, called New Group, is automatically created for you when you create a new tab.

Fig 1.15  Rename the new tab, called New Tab

Fig 1.16  Rename the new group, called New Group

In this example (above) I have created a new tab, and renamed it to John's TAB, and I am just about to rename the new group FavTools. When I have done that I will add some commands to that FavTools group, just as I did in the above examples.

Fig 1.17  John's TAB has been created with the FavTools group and commands

Fig 1.17 shows my newly created tab called John's TAB with a new FavTools group and commands. If I wanted to add another group to the John's TAB I would simply repeat the above, group, process again.

General  Usage  Of  Tools (Commands)  And  Features

Although this section has introduced you to the ribbon and its customization, in many of the sections that follow I will be showing you more of the general usage side of the ribbon and more precisely the general usage side of its common tools (commands) and common features. After all, Microsoft Office 2010 is now built around the ribbon technology.