Table of contents

Using comments 1

DEFINITION 1

CUSTOMIZING COMMENTS 1

INSERTING COMMENTS 1

DISPLAYING A COMMENT 2

MODIFYING A COMMENT 2

DELETING A COMMENT 2

THE REVIEWING TOOLBAR 3

PRINTING THE COMMENTS 4

Tracking changes 5

DEFINITION 5

TRACKING THE CHANGES 5

MODIFYING THE TRACK CHANGES OPTIONS 5

ACCEPTING OR REJECTING THE MODIFICATIONS 5

Comparing two documents 5

DEFINITION 5

COMPARING DOCUMENTS 5

Word XP : Track Changes

 Using comments

Using comments

In this chapter, you will learn how to :

ƒ Create comments
ƒ Modify and delete comments

DEFINITION
In some long documents, it might be useful to have different people insert their
comments on the current text.
These comments can be displayed on screen or can be printed with the document.
You can print the text without any comments or only print the comments.
The comments are customized. Their color varies according to the user who
inserted the comment.
According to the view you chose (Normal, Print Layout…), the comments will be
displayed differently.
When you point a comment, a screen tip will be displayed with the name of the
user who inserted the comment.
The program uses the name of the user contained in the USER INFORMATION tab in
the TOOLS – OPTIONS dialog box.

CUSTOMIZING COMMENTS
Before inserting your comments in a document, you should check that the
information in the USER INFORMATION tab in the TOOLS – OPTIONS dialog box are
correct.

ª Choose the TOOLS – OPTIONS menu.

ª Click the USER INFORMATION tab.
ª Fill in the two text boxes, the first with your name and the second one with your
initials.

ª Confirm by clicking the button.

Word XP: Track Changes
INSERTING COMMENTS
To insert comments:

ª Select the word or sentence that requires a comment. If you don’t make a
selection, the program will insert a vertical bar where the comment is
positioned.

ª Click the INSERT menu and choose COMMENT.

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 Using comments

ª Your cursor is automatically positioned somewhere where you can insert or

modify your comment, independently from the rest of the document.

ª According to the type of view, your comment will be displayed in the right
margin or a preview pane under the text.

DISPLAYING A COMMENT
When a word or several words have a comment, they are displayed between
brackets.
When you approach your pointer from the comment, a screen tip will be displayed
with the initials of the person who wrote the comment, followed by the creation date
and time.

MODIFYING A COMMENT
To modify the text of a comment:

ª Click in the comment area.

ª Carry out the changes.
DELETING A COMMENT
To delete a comment:

ª Right-click the comment area.

Word XP: Track Changes

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 Using comments

ª Choose DELETE COMMENT in the contextual menu that is displayed.

ª The comment will disappear.

THE REVIEWING TOOLBAR

By using the reviewing toolbar, you will be able to work more efficiently with the
comments.

Inserts a comment.

By clicking the triangle on the right of the

icon, you will obtain a drop-down list that
enables you to delete the comment where
you are positioned or to insert an oral
comment.

Goes to the previous comment.

Goes to the next comment.

Word XP: Track Changes

Displays or hides the REVIEWING PANE

that displays or doesn’t display the
comments under your text.

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 Using comments

The drop-down list on the right of the

SHOW option, makes it possible to display
the document with or without the
comments.

The drop-down list on the right of the icon

(reject changes), also gives you access to
an option that enables you to delete all
the comments at once.

PRINTING THE COMMENTS

If you have inserted comments in your document, you can print the text with or
without the comments.
It is also possible to print only the comments.

By default

When you want to print a document containing comments and the comments are
displayed on screen, the option that prints the document with the comments is
selected by default.

Printing without the comments

In the print options:

Word XP: Track Changes
ª Choose DOCUMENT in the drop-down list next to the PRINT WHAT option.

Printing only the comments

In the print options:

ª Choose LIST OF MARKUP in the drop-down list next to the PRINT WHAT option.

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 Using comments

Exercise 1.
ƒ Open the Chocolate document.
ƒ Position the cursor at different places in the document
to insert some comments.
ƒ Modify the user name and insert a last comment.
ƒ Modify an existing comment.
ƒ Delete a comment.

Word XP: Track Changes

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 Tracking changes

Tracking changes

In this chapter, you will learn how to:

ƒ Activate the track changes
ƒ Accept or reject the changes
ƒ Use the Reviewing toolbar

DEFINITION
Word puts at your disposal a tool that locates the changes you made to your
document and draws your attention on these modifications by displaying them on
screen or when printing the document.
The added text as well as the deleted text will have a special formatting.
These pre-defined formatting characteristics can be modified.

TRACKING THE CHANGES

When activating the track changes function, you will define the display settings:

ª Click the TOOLS Î TRACK CHANGES menu.

ª The REVIEWING toolbar will be displayed automatically.

Remark:
To activate the track changes, you can also double-click the TRK
abbreviation in the status bar. The track changes will be activated when
the abbreviation appears in bold.

MODIFYING THE TRACK CHANGES OPTIONS

ª The REVIEWING toolbar appears as soon as you activate the track changes.
ª This toolbar contains the SHOW option.
Word XP: Track Changes
ª At the right of this option, you will find a triangle giving access to a drop-down
list.

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 Tracking changes

ª Choose OPTIONS in the list.

ª A dialog box will be displayed.

ª Word proposes a different formatting for the insertions of text and for the
modifications of formatting.
Word XP: Track Changes
ª By default, a vertical bar appears in the margin when you carry out
modifications. If you don’t want to display this vertical bar, you can modify the
MARK option in the CHANGED LINES area.

Exercise 2.
ƒ Open the Chocolate document and define the following
characteristics:
ƒ Inserted text : Underlined / Green

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 Tracking changes

ƒ Formatting modification: Bold / Automatic.

ƒ Changed lines: Left border/ Blue.
ƒ Modify the text and look at the revision marks that appear.

ACCEPTING OR REJECTING THE MODIFICATIONS

After having carried out modifications in a document, you can accept or reject
them.

Using the Reviewing toolbar

This toolbar makes it possible to move from change to change, from comment to
comment.
You can also use the toolbar options to accept or reject some modifications.

Moves to the previous modification.

Moves to the next modification.

Accepts the modification.

The drop-down list at the right of the

icon for accepting the modifications,
also gives access to an option that
enables to accept all the changes in
one single handling.

Rejects the modification.

The drop-down list at the right of the

icon for rejecting the modifications, also
gives access to an option that enables
to reject all the changes in one single
handling.
Word XP: Track Changes

The contextual menu

ª When you right-click the modification, the following contextual menu will be
displayed:

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 Tracking changes

ª This contextual menu makes it possible to accept or reject the insertions.

Remark:
You can use the corresponding option for the changes carried out when
you delete text.

Exercise 3.
ƒ Accept or reject the modifications that were made in the
Chocolate document.

Word XP: Track Changes

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 Comparing two documents

Comparing two documents

In this chapter, you will learn how to :

ƒ Compare two documents

DEFINITION
You have two documents on your drive and you don’t know if they are identical.
You would like to compare them.
Word can compare them for you.

COMPARING DOCUMENTS
If you want to compare two versions of a document:

ª Open one of the two documents.

ª Choose the TOOLS menu.
ª Choose the COMPARE AND MERGE DOCUMENTS option.
ª You will get access to the Open file dialog box where you can choose the
document you want to compare.

ª Select the file to compare, click OPEN and Word will start comparing the
documents.

ª The added and deleted texts will be displayed with the pre-defined revision
marks.

ª To move from one revision mark to another one, don’t forget to use the
Reviewing toolbar.

Exercise 4.
ƒ Add some text in the Chocolate document.
ƒ Delete a paragraph.
ƒ Save the document and give it another name.
ƒ Compare the version on screen to the version with Word XP: Track Changes
another name that was saved on the disk.

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