The Presentation as a File
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Introduction
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A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation is primarily a Windows file like any
other. It must have a location, also called a path, which indicates how
the file can be retrieved and made available. Although you can create a
presentation on the root directory such as the C: drive, it is usually a
good idea to create your files, including your
presentations, in an easily recognizable folder.
Starting with Microsoft Windows 95 but except
in Windows NT 4.0, the operating system creates a folder called My
Documents that provides a convenient place for a user to create files.
With Windows 2000, XP, and
Windows Server 2003, there is also a My Documents folder but
because various people may use the same computer, there is a different
My Documents folder for each user.
When a user logs in, the operating
system locates
his or her corresponding My Documents folder and makes it
available.
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Opening a presentation allows you to view what already
exists. There are two main ways you open a presentation in Microsoft
PowerPoint:
A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation is a computer file
that should be stored somewhere for later use or reference.
When saving a presentation, you can store it on your computer, on a floppy
drive, or on another computer (network drive).
To save a new presentation, you use the Save As dialog
box. The shortcut to save the file is Ctrl + S.
There are two pieces of information you should provide
when saving a file: the file name and the location. A file name can have
up to 255 characters. Refrain from using fancy characters; instead, give an easily
recognizable name. A file location is where the file will be stored; on
your (local) computer, this is called a folder. If you want to save your
presentation on a floppy disk or another medium, make the selection from
the Save In combo box. To save the presentation on another computer, make
sure you are connected to that computer.
If the presentation has already been saved, that is,
if it has a recognizable name, if you click File -> Save or press Ctrl
+ S, the presentation would be saved behind the scenes. You can still save
the presentation with a different name or at another location. To do this,
on the main menu, you can click File -> Save As...
The shortcuts to save the file with a different name
or at a different location are F12 or Alt + F2.
With the popularity of the Internet, you can perform a
presentation online or simply post it on a web site. Microsoft PowerPoint
makes it very easy to create presentations for the web.
To save a presentation for online viewing, on the main
menu, you can click File -> Save As Web Page... You can also start
saving the file with File -> Save As... or by pressing F12 then change
the Save As Type combo box to Web Page.
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Practical Learning: Saving a Presentation as a Web
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Emailing a Presentation
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To deliver a presentation, in some cases, you don't have to
physically meet with your clients or your audience. You can simply send it as an email.
To send a presentation as email, you usually must
attach it as an addition to your message. There are different ways to do
this, depending on how your email system is setup.
If you are using Microsoft Outlook, to send a
presentation, start composing the message after clicking File -> New
-> Mail Message on the main menu. Then compose your message:
Before or after composing the message, to attach a
presentation, on the main menu, you can click Insert -> File..., locate
the presentation and click Open:
Notice that an attachment is added to the message.
Once the message is ready, you can click Send.
If you are using a universal email address such as one
provided by Yahoo, Hotmail, Netscape, etc, you can start by clicking New
Message or Compose and start creating the message. To attach the
presentation, on the browser, you should see a link or a button labeled
Attach Files or Attach
You can click the button, click Browse, locate the
presentation file and continue with the wizard. Once the file has been
attached, you can send your message.
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The Parts of a Presentation
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Introduction
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If you have previously used a text file, you may
have noticed that it is made of different pages that segment the document into
sections easy to locate or navigate. Such sections are referred to as
pages. Unlike a text document, a
presentation is divided into pages that each is called a slide. Just like
you can have a text document that is made of only one page, you can also
have a presentation that is made of only one slide. If you have a
presentation made of different slides, which is usually the case, you can
move from one slide to another as you see fit. This is referred to as
slide navigation.
By default, when Microsoft PowerPoint opens a file, it
divides its screen in different sections. On top, there is the main menu
and one or more toolbars. At the bottom, there is the status bar. We
reviewed both sections in the previous lesson.
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Practical Learning: Opening a Presentation |
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The Normal Outline View
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The middle section of Microsoft PowerPoint is divided
in two frames separated by a bar also called a splitter bar. This view
made of two frames is also called a Normal View, the Outline View, or the
Normal Outline View:
The left frame of this view displays the text
parts of slides. If there are many slides, the splitter bar is equipped
with a vertical scroll bar. Under the left frame, there are three buttons
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These buttons allow you to change the current view.
The right frame of the Normal View is itself divided
in two frames. The top frame actually displays a slide but it displays
only one slide at a time. The bottom frame can be used to create notes
used during a presentation.
Slide navigation consists of moving from one slide to
another. In the Normal View, to navigate among slides, you can use either
the left or the top right frames. In the left frame, if you click any text,
the slide it belongs to would display in the right frame.
In the right frame, to change a slide, you can click
either the up arrow or the bottom arrow buttons of the vertical scroll bar. If you
click the up arrow, the previous slide would display unless the first
slide is displaying already, in which case nothing would happen. If you click the
bottom arrow, the next slide would display unless the last slide is
displaying already, in which case nothing would happen.
To move to the very first
slide, you can press Ctrl + Home. To move to the last slide, you can press
Ctrl + End.
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Practical Learning: Using the Outline View |
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The Slides View
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The last view we have introduced reduces the area
dedicated to the slide. Of course, you can resize it to provide as much
area as you need for each frame. That's what is offered by the
Slides View. To display the Slides View, on the left frame, click the
Slides tab.
The Slides View is drawn exactly like the Outline view
except that the left frame displays small slides:
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Practical Learning: Using the Slide View |
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The Slide Sorter View
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Instead of getting only a smaller outline of slides,
you can use a view that displays them a little larger. This is offered by
the Slide Sorter view. To get the Slide Sorter View:
The Slide Sorter View is significantly different from
the previous review. It shows as many slides as possible. Each slide
displays as a smaller picture. If there are more slides than the view can
display, it is equipped with a vertical scroll bar that allows you to view
hidden slides:
If you double-click a slide, the view changes into
Slide View and displays the slide you double-clicked.
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Practical Learning: Using the Slide Sorter View |
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MOUS Topics
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| S5 | Navigate among different views (slide, outline, sorter, and tri-pane) |
| S8 | Create a blank presentation |
| S10 | Send a presentation via e-mail |
| S48 | Save as a new presentation |
| S49 | Publish a presentation to the Web |
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