COMPUTER APPLICATONS

PACKAGES (CAPS) MANUAL

Jai Brands
0
TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMPUTER ESSENTIALS ......................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS ....................................................................................................... 1
WINDOWS 10 ..................................................................................................................................... 5
MICROSOFT WORD .............................................................................................................................. 13
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 13
FORMATTING.................................................................................................................................... 13
GRAPHICS.......................................................................................................................................... 17
HEADERS AND FOOTERS .................................................................................................................. 19
PAGE NUMBERING ........................................................................................................................... 20
WATERMARKS .................................................................................................................................. 21
DROP CAPS ....................................................................................................................................... 21
COLUMNS ......................................................................................................................................... 22
BREAKS.............................................................................................................................................. 23
ORIENTATION ................................................................................................................................... 24
TABLES .............................................................................................................................................. 24
MAIL MERGING ................................................................................................................................ 28
MICROSOFT EXCEL ................................................................................................................................ 31
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 31
DATA ENTRY AND FORMATTING ..................................................................................................... 32
FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS ........................................................................................................... 36
LOGICAL FUNCTIONS ........................................................................................................................ 38
OTHER FUNCTIONS ........................................................................................................................... 39
CHARTS ............................................................................................................................................. 40
MICROSOFT ACCESS ............................................................................................................................. 43
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 43
CREATING A DATABASE.................................................................................................................... 43
DATABASE OBJECTS.......................................................................................................................... 43
TABLES .............................................................................................................................................. 44
FORMS .............................................................................................................................................. 44
REPORTS ........................................................................................................................................... 45
RELATIONSHIPS ................................................................................................................................ 45
QUERIES ............................................................................................................................................ 47
MICROSOFT POWERPOINT .................................................................................................................. 48
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 48

i
 CREATING A BLANK PRESENTATION ................................................................................................ 48
SLIDE LAYOUTS ................................................................................................................................. 48
DESIGN TEMPLATES / THEMES ........................................................................................................ 48
ANIMATIONS .................................................................................................................................... 49
LOOPING SLIDES ............................................................................................................................... 49
PAGE NUMBERING ........................................................................................................................... 50
SLIDE MASTER................................................................................................................................... 50
PRESENTATION VIEWS ..................................................................................................................... 50
SAVING A PRESENTATION ................................................................................................................ 50
INTERNET AND EMAIL .......................................................................................................................... 52
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 52
REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNET CONNECTION ............................................................................... 52
CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET ...................................................................................................... 53
THE WORLD WIDE WEB.................................................................................................................... 53
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A WEBSITE, A WEB PAGE AND A HOME PAGE ........................................ 54
DOWNLOADING CONTENT FROM THE INTERNET ........................................................................... 54
SEARCH ENGINES .............................................................................................................................. 55
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTERNET ....................................................................... 55
EMAIL (ELECTRONIC MAIL)............................................................................................................... 56
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 56
COMPONENTS OF AN EMAIL ADDRESS ........................................................................................... 56
SIGN UP, SIGN IN AND SIGN OUT .................................................................................................... 56
SENDING AN EMAIL .......................................................................................................................... 57
EMAIL FOLDERS ................................................................................................................................ 58
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EMAIL............................................................................. 58

ii
COMPUTER ESSENTIALS
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS
What is a computer?

A computer is an electronic device that can input, process, store and output information.

Data – Unprocessed information (Raw facts and figures)

Information – Processed data.

Functions of a computer

1. Input – Entry of raw data.

2. Processing – Manipulation of raw data to produce meaningful information.
3. Output – Transformation of data into information in a non – computerized format.
4. Storage – Retention of data for future use.

Advantages of a computer

1. Storage – Can keep lots of data within limited space.

2. Speed – Works faster than humans.
3. Efficiency – Has the ability to complete lots of tasks within a short period of time.
4. Consistency – They give accurate and correct information depending on the
instructions given to them.
5. Security – Has the ability to protect information from unauthorized users if well
managed.
6. Versatility – Has the ability to perform an unlimited number of tasks without getting
tired.

Disadvantages of a computer

1. Expensive to purchase and maintain.

2. Requires skilled manpower to operate them.
3. Loss of data if not well managed.

1
COMPUTER SYSTEM

A combination of different computer parts working together to produce information.

Parts of a computer System

1. Hardware
2. Software
3. Users
4. Firmware

HARDWARE

These are the physical / tangible parts of a computer.

Examples are:

1. Keyboard – Used for typing data in a computer.

2. Mouse – Hand – held input device used for selecting items on the screen.

N/B: The keyboard and mouse are the most common input devices.

3. Monitor / Visual Display Unit (VDU) / Screen – Used to display information from the
computer.
4. System Unit – It houses internal electrical components and facilitates connection of
peripheral devices.

Parts of the System Unit

a) Drives – Are used for storage purposes. There are 2 types of drives namely:
i) Hard Drive/ Hard Disk/ Fixed Disk – It’s the computer’s main storage
device where large volumes of data and programs are stored.
ii) DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) Drive – Used for reading CD’s and DVD’s.
CD – Compact Disk
b) Memory – There are 2 types of memory namely:
i) ROM (Read – Only Memory) – A type of computer memory where
information can be viewed but cannot be altered.
It’s non – volatile – It’s contents can’t get lost when power goes off.

2
 ii) RAM (Random Access Memory) – This is the computer’s working area
i.e., information can be viewed and edited at the same time.
It’s volatile – Its contents get lost when power goes off.
Its upgradable – More RAM can be added to improve the computer’s
performance. However, this is dependent on motherboard and processor
(CPU) speeds.
c) Central Processing Unit (CPU) – It’s classified as the ‘brain’ of the computer. This
is because all processing instructions take place at the CPU. It has two major
parts namely:
i) Control Unit (CU) – Controls computer hardware operations and
execution of programs.
ii) Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) – Performs basic mathematical
operations and logical comparisons of data.
d) Motherboard – It’s the computer’s Printed Circuit Board (PCB) where internal
electrical components are mounted on e.g., diodes, capacitors, resistors etc. It
also has expansion slots for connecting major internal devices such as memory,
processor among others.
e) Power Supply Unit – Supplies electrical power to the computer.

Peripherals

These are devices connected externally to the system unit or wirelessly; some provide
additional functionality to the computer. They are classified into two categories namely:

1. Input Peripheral devices – These are devices used for inputting data into the
computer. They include: Keyboard, Mouse, Scanners, Bar – code readers,
joysticks, microphones, MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Readers), OCR (Optical
Character Readers), OMR (Optical Mark Readers).
2. Output Peripheral Devices – These are devices used for outputting information
from the computer. They include: Monitors, Printers, Plotters, Speakers and
Headphones.

3
Removable Storage Devices

These are portable storage devices. They include: Flash Disks, Memory Cards, External Hard
Disks.

SOFTWARE

Programs that enable computer hardware to operate effectively in a computer.

There are two types of software namely:

1. System Software – These are software affecting the computer hardware’s

performance. Examples are:
a. Operating Systems – They provide a working environment for the user to
interact with the computer hardware. Examples are: Windows 10, Windows
11, Linux, Macintosh.
b. Utilities/ Utility Programs/ Service Programs – These are software running
at the background while the user is performing other tasks. Examples are:
Device Drivers, Antivirus Software etc.
2. Application Software – Software that enable a user to solve specific problems in a
computer. Examples are: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CorelDraw,
QuickBooks, Adobe Premiere etc.

USERS

Individuals operating a computer.

FIRMWARE

A combination of computer hardware and software integrated in one chip.

4
 STARTING A COMPUTER

The process of starting a computer is called booting. To start a computer, press the power
button on the system unit and the power button on the monitor.

There are two types of booting namely:

1. Warm Booting – Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys on the keyboard. Click the Power
button then select restart. The computer will re – boot. (Shutting down on its own
then starting on its own). The same combination of keys displays the Windows Task
Manager used for closing non – responding applications.
2. Cold Booting – Press and hold down the power button on the system unit until the
computer goes off then press it on again to power it.

N/B: These two types of booting are implemented if the computer hangs.

WINDOWS 10
It’s one of the most common operating system used by many users in homes and
organizations.

THE DESKTOP

The first window that appears after the computer starts successfully. The following diagram
illustrates the Windows 10 Desktop and its parts: Wallpaper

Icons

5
 Taskbar

System
Tray

Start File Program Help

Search
Button Manager Icons Button
1. Icons – Bar
Graphical representation of items.
2. Start button – Initializes most computer operations
3. Search bar – Used for quickly locating a program to open and use.
4. File Manager – Used for quickly locating a file or folder from the computer.
5. Program Icons – Icons pinned on the taskbar for easy access.
6. Help Button – Used for assistance on the windows 10 operating system.
7. System Tray – Has different utility icons that perform different tasks at the
background such as notification area, date and time, network, sound, weather
among others.
8. Taskbar – Holds programs currently loaded by the user. Enables a user to pin and
unpin program icons.
9. Wallpaper – Desktop image. It’s the user’s working area.

COMMON DESKTOP ICONS

- When double – clicked, this icon displays drives and other items in the computer.

6
 - When double – clicked, this icon displays all computers, devices and other
resources shared in a computer network.

- This icon displays deleted items. It’s used to recover items deleted in error.

- This icon displays the items of the current user who has logged into the
system.

7
FILE MANAGEMENT

FOLDERS

A folder is a storage location for user’s items in a computer. They enable users to find their
items easily; they act as cabinets for information in a computer.

Creating a Folder

1. Open the location to create your folder to e.g., The Desktop.

2. Right click on the location then select new, folder.
3. Type your folder name and press Enter (Return) key on the keyboard to confirm.

SUBFOLDERS

A subfolder is a folder inside a folder. To create a subfolder, the main folder should be
opened.

Creating a subfolder

1. Open the folder to create your sub-folders from by double – clicking it.
2. Right – click on the empty space and select new, then folder.
3. Type your sub – folder name and press Enter (Return) key on the keyboard to confirm.

FILES

A file is a storage location for data entered by the user through typing or insertion.

To create a file, you must open a program to create your file from, put the information of
your choice then save the file.

Creating a file

1. Open a program to create your file from.

2. Input the data of your choice e.g., text or images.
3. Save the file in a folder of your choice.

Saving a file on a folder

1. Click the File menu, then select Save As.

8
2. In the dialog box that appears, locate the folder to save your file to and double – click it
to open.
3. Type the file name of your choice and click Save button.

Difference between Save and Save As

The Save command updates changes made in an existing file retaining its original name.

The Save As command saves an existing file with a new file name.

Renaming a File / Folder

1. Locate the file / folder to rename.

2. Right – click on the item and select Rename.
3. Type a new name for the item and press Enter (Return) key on the keyboard to confirm.

Deleting a File / Folder

1. Locate the file / folder to delete.

2. Press Delete key on the keyboard.
3. If a message appears for confirmation, click Yes to confirm. The item will be moved to
the recycle bin.

Recovering deleted items

1. Double – click the recycle bin icon on the desktop.

2. Select the item(s) to restore.
3. Click Restore the selected items from the menu.

N/B. Never delete items in Drive C: (Local Disk C). It might damage computer programs or
crash the operating system.

CUT AND COPY

The Cut command transfers / moves items from one point to another.

The Copy command duplicates items from one point to another.

Implementation of these commands can be either:

1. Within a file

9
2. Between files
3. Between folders

Within a file

1. Open the file to copy / transfer your content from.

2. Highlight the content to copy / cut.
3. Click Cut / Copy command from the clipboard.
4. Select by clicking the point to paste your content to.
5. Click Paste command from the clipboard.

Between Files

1. Open the file to copy / transfer your content from.

2. Highlight the content to copy / cut.
3. Click Cut / Copy command from the clipboard.
4. Open the file and click the point to paste your content to.
5. Click Paste command from the clipboard.

Between Folders

1. Open the folder to copy / transfer your item(s) from.

2. Select the item(s) to copy / transfer.

N/B: To select a single item, click it; to select many items, click the first item then hold
down Ctrl key on the keyboard as you select the other items.

3. Right – click on the item(s) and select Copy / Cut.

4. Open the folder to paste your content to by double – clicking it.
5. Right – click inside the target folder and select Paste.

CONFIGURATIONS

This is the process of customizing the computer to meet your needs.

There are many configurations that can be done in a computer. Some of them include:

1. Display Configurations
2. Date and Time Configurations

10
11
DISPLAY CONFIGURATIONS

Changing the Desktop Background

1. Right Click the wallpaper and select personalize.

2. In the Desktop Background Window, Select an Image / Color / Slideshow depending on
your preference to implement the change.

Screen Saver

It performs the following functions:

1. Saving the computer’s power consumption.

2. Password – protecting the computer.

To set the screen saver, do the following:

1. Right click the wallpaper and select Personalize.

2. Click Lock Screen option, then scroll down and select Screen Saver settings.
3. In the dialog box that appears, choose settings of your choice e.g., Screen Saver type,
wait time and on resume, display logon screen.
4. Click Apply then OK.

DATE AND TIME CONFIGURATIONS

Changing the Date and Time

1. Right – click the Date and Time in the System tray and select Adjust Date / Time.
2. In the window that appears, turn off the set time automatically setting to enable you to
set the date and time manually.
3. Click the Change button and choose settings of your choice from the dialog box that
appears.
4. Click change.

12
MICROSOFT WORD
INTRODUCTION
A word processing application used for creating and editing text and graphics.

FEATURES OF WORD PROCESSORS

1. Templates – These are documents with pre – defined formatting that enable a user to
create other files with ease.
2. Wizards – Step by step set of instructions that enable a user to accomplish a task.
3. Mail merging – Used to generate letters, envelopes and labels to different recipients.
These recipients can either be individuals or organizations.
4. Spell Checker – Used for correcting spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
5. Importation of content e.g., text and graphics from other applications.

FORMATTING
TEXT FORMATTING

This involves changing the appearance of text.

Font

This is text typed using a keyboard. Some of the font settings include:

i) Font type
ii) Font size
iii) Font style (Bold, Italic, Underline)
iv) Font Color

To change the font settings, do the following:

1) Highlight the text to change.

2) Chick the Home menu.

13
 3) In the Font section, click settings of your choice to change the text appearance e.g.,
Font type, size, color, style (Bold, Italics, Underline), strikethrough etc.

Superscript and Subscript

Superscript is text raised slightly above its normal position.

Subscript is text lowered slightly below its normal position.

To apply these settings, do the following:

1) Highlight the text to use.

2) Click the Home menu.

3) Click the icon to apply Superscript setting and icon to apply subscript setting.

Change Case
There are five types of cases namely:

1) Uppercase – Text in capital letters.

2) Lowercase – Text in small letters.
3) Sentence Case – Text whose first letter of the sentence is in uppercase and the rest
of the words in lowercase.
4) Capitalize Each Word (Title Case) – Text where each word starts with a capital letter.
5) Toggle Case – Text whereby lowercase letters are changed to uppercase and vice
versa.

To apply these, do the following:

1) Highlight the text to use.

2) In the Home menu, click the Change Case Icon to change to the appropriate
case of your choice.

14
PARAGRAPH FORMATTING

Alignment

There are four types of alignment namely: Left, Center, Right and Justify.

To align text, do the following:

1) Highlight the text / paragraph to use.

2) Click one of the alignment icons to apply settings of your choice.

Line Spacing

This is the spacing between lines of text in paragraphs.

To apply this setting, do the following:

1) Highlight the paragraph(s) to use.

2) Click the Line Spacing icon.

15
Bullets and Numbering

They are used for listing items.

There are three types of lists namely:

1) Bulleted Lists
2) Numbered Lists
3) Multilevel Lists

To apply these settings, do the following:

1) Click the point to start listing your items from.

2) Click either one of the list items as indicated in the picture above.
3) Type the items one by one while pressing Enter (Return) key.
4) Once you have typed the last item, press Enter Key and click the setting you chose
earlier to remove the list.

16
GRAPHICS
IMAGES

These are pictures placed in a document.

To insert images, do the following:

1) Click the point to insert your image from.

2) Click Insert, Picture as shown below.

3) Select This Device to get the picture from the computer or Online Pictures to get the
picture from the internet.
4) In the dialog box that appears, locate the folder to get your picture from.
5) Click Open to place the image.

SHAPES

These are objects drawn by the user.

To insert shapes, do the following:

1) Click Insert, Shapes to get the following:

17
 2) Select a shape of your choice by clicking it.
3) Draw the shape selected by dragging the mouse.

WORDART

These are calligraphic text.

18
To insert WordArt, do the following:

1) Click Insert and select WordArt icon from the right side.
2) Select the WordArt Setting of your choice as shown below:

3) Type the WordArt text of your choice.

HEADERS AND FOOTERS

Headers are text that appear on top of every page of a document.

Footers are text that appear at the bottom of every page of a document.

To insert a header, do the following:

1) Click Insert, Header, Edit Header

19
 2) Type the information of your choice.
3) Click Close Header and Footer option to close the Header/Footer settings.

To insert a footer, do the following:

1) Click Insert, Footer, Edit Footer

2) Type the information of your choice.

3) Click Close Header and Footer option to close the Header/Footer settings.

PAGE NUMBERING
Page numbers can either be applied at the Header or Footer Section in your document.

1. Click Insert, Page Number as shown below:

2. Choose a setting of your choice to apply the page numbers in your document.

20
WATERMARKS
These are text / images that appear at the center of every page of a document.

To place watermarks, do the following:

1. Click Design menu, Watermark, Custom Watermark and the following dialog box
appears:

2. Select either Picture or Text Watermark.

3. Type settings of your choice and click Apply, then close.

DROP CAPS
This is a dropped capital letter that appears at the beginning of a paragraph.

To apply a drop cap, do the following:

1. Click Insert menu, then select Add a Drop Cap icon on the right side of the menu.
2. Select Dropped to apply the drop cap.

21
COLUMNS
They arrange paragraphs vertically on the page / document.

To apply columns, do the following.

1. Highlight the paragraph(s) to use.

2. Click Layout menu, then select Columns and choose More Columns option.

3. In the Columns dialog box, choose settings of your choice.

4. Click OK.

22
BREAKS
There are three types of breaks namely:

1. Page Breaks
Are used to move content to the next page in one click.
There are two ways of applying page breaks namely:
a) The Insert Menu – Click Insert, Page Break.

b) The Layout Menu – Click Layout, Breaks, Page.

2. Column Breaks
Are used to move content to the next column.
To apply column breaks, the content must have more than one column.
To set column breaks, do the following:
a) Click the point in the column to move your content from.

23
 b) Click Layout, Breaks, Column.
3. Section Breaks
Are used to create sections within a document.
These sections are important while applying different page number formats in a
document or changing the page orientation of a particular page within a document.
To apply section breaks, do the following:
a) Click the point you want to apply the section from.
b) Click Layout menu, Breaks.
c) In the Section Break section, select Next Page / Continuous depending on
your preference.

ORIENTATION
There are two types of orientation namely:

1) Portrait (Default) – The page width of a document is smaller than the page height.
2) Landscape – The page width is bigger than the page height.

To set orientation, do the following:

1) Click the page / section to set orientation from.

2) Click Layout menu, then select orientation.

3) Click Portrait / Landscape depending on your preference.

TABLES
They arrange data in rows and columns.

The boxes in a table are called cells; a cell is an intersection between a row and a column.

24
Creating Tables

To create a table, do the following:

1) Click the point to insert your table from.

2) Click Insert, Table, Insert Table.

3) Specify the number of rows and columns for the table in the dialog box that appears.

4) Click OK.
5) Type the data of your choice in the cells provided as shown below:

25
 STUDENT COMPUTER WORD ONLINE
SPREADSHEETS PRESENTATIONS
NAME ESSENTIALS PROCESSING ESSENTIALS
Oscar 75 80 64 85 56
Mugoh 80 85 82 96 68
James 78 52 45 58 36
Rita 75 50 64 85 56
Orori 80 85 82 96 68
Matthew 58 52 45 58 36
Gesuka 75 80 64 85 56
Martin 80 85 82 96 68
Rodgers 78 52 45 58 36
Monicah 65 60 63 54 12

Adding Columns

Columns can either be added to the left or right.

1) Click the cell / highlight the column to add your columns from.
2) Click Layout (From Table Tools menu) and select Insert Right / Insert Left depending
on the position you want to place the column.

Adding Rows

Rows can either be added above or below.

1) Click the cell / highlight the row to add your rows from.
2) Click Layout (From Table Tools Section) and select Insert Above / Insert Below
depending on the position you want to place the column.

Merging Cells

Merging is the process of combining several cells together to form one cell.

1) Highlight the range of cells to merge.

2) Click Layout menu (From Table Tools Section) and select Merge Cells

26
Table AutoFormat / Table Styles

These are pre – defined table formatting styles applied in a table.

1) Select the table to format.

2) Click Table Design (From Table Tools Section).
3) Choose a table style of your choice by clicking it to apply the formatting in the table.

Table Calculations

In a table, simple calculations can be carried out using functions.

A function is a keyword used to perform a calculation. Some of the functions are:

1) SUM
It adds values in a range of cells. Its format is as follows:
=SUM(LEFT)
=SUM(ABOVE)
2) AVERAGE
It gets the mean value of a range of cells. Its format is as follows:
=AVERAGE(LEFT)
=AVERAGE(ABOVE)

27
MAIL MERGING
This is a feature used to generate form letters, envelopes and labels to different recipients
who can either be individuals or organizations.

There are three files in the mail merge process namely:

1) Main Document – This is the first document with the user’s content e.g., a letter, a
memo etc.
2) Data Source – This is the file that stores the recipient’s contact details.
3) Merged Document – This is the final document generated from both the main
document and the data source.

The three files above must be saved in the same folder.

STEPS

1. Create a folder with a name of your choice in any location e.g., desktop.
2. Create a new document as your main document, type the content of your choice and
save it in the folder created in step 1. E.g., Job Application Letter.
3. Create another new document as your data source; create a table and fill in the
recipient’s details. Save this file in the folder created in step 1.
4. Open the file created in step 2 and perform the following steps to generate the final
document:
a. Click Mailings, Start Mail Merge, Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.

The Mail Merge wizard appears on the right side of the document as shown
below:

28
b. Select Letters under document type and click Next: Starting document
option.
c. Select Use the Current Document option and click Next: Select recipients.

29
d. In the recipients’ section, select Use an existing list option and click browse to
locate and open your data source file created in step (2) above.

e. Open the data source file. When a pop – up window appears with the
records, click OK.
f. Click the point to insert the merge fields from.
g. From the Mailings menu, select Insert Merge Field.
h. Select the merge fields and arrange them based on your preference.
i. Click Finish and Merge, then select Edit Individual Documents to merge to
new document.
j. In the dialog box that appears, select all and click OK. The final document will
be generated.
k. Save the merged document in the same folder where the main document
and data source are located and close it.
l. Close the main document and save changes to complete the Mail Merge
process.

30
 MICROSOFT EXCEL
INTRODUCTION
This is a spreadsheet application.

Terminologies

1. Spreadsheet – An application software that has in – built calculating facilities.

2. Workbook – A Microsoft Excel file.
3. Worksheet – A page of a workbook.
4. Cell – An Intersection between a row and a column.
5. Cell Address (Cell Reference) – Name given to a cell e.g., A1, B5 etc.
6. Function – A keyword used to perform a calculation e.g., Sum, Average etc.
7. Formula – An expression used to perform a calculation.
8. Auto filling – Copying and pasting formulas between cells either vertically or
horizontally using the mouse.

Quick The Microsoft Excel Interface Title Bar

Access
Toolbar
Menu
Bar
Column
Header
Name
Box

Formula
Bar

Row
Header

Cells

Scroll
Bars

Sheet Status View

Tabs Zoom
Bar Buttons
Level

31
 1. Title Bar – The top most part of the interface. It has the file name (Book 1), the
program name (Excel) and Buttons (Minimize, Maximize/Restore and Close).
2. Quick Access Toolbar – Has icons used as shortcuts to the most common commands
e.g., Save, Undo, Redo etc.
3. Menu Bar - Has a list of menu commands. They are organized in form of tabs such as
File, Home, Insert etc.
4. Name Box – Displays the name of a selected cell. e.g., A1.
5. Formula Bar – It displays the information entered in a selected cell and the full
formula if a calculation has been done.
6. Row Header – Uniquely identifies each row in a worksheet. They are in form of
numbers i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4 etc.
7. Cells – These are the boxes in a worksheet used to enter data.
8. Sheet tabs – Used for navigating between worksheets.
9. Status Bar – Displays the current state of the document e.g., number of words
typed.
10. View Buttons – Used for switching between different worksheet views.
11. Zoom level – Used for zooming the worksheet and content in and out.
12. Scroll Bars – Used for scrolling the worksheet either vertically or horizontally.
13. Column Header – Uniquely identifies each column in a worksheet. They are in form
of letters i.e., A, B, C, D and so on.

DATA ENTRY AND FORMATTING

DATA ENTRY

Type the data in the cells as shown below:

STUDENT COMPUTER WORD ONLINE

SPREADSHEETS PRESENTATIONS
NAME ESSENTIALS PROCESSING ESSENTIALS
Oscar 75 80 64 85 56
Mugoh 80 85 82 96 68
James 78 52 45 58 36
Rita 75 50 64 85 56
Orori 80 85 82 96 68
Matthew 58 52 45 58 36

32
 Gesuka 75 80 64 85 56
Martin 80 85 82 96 68
Rodgers 78 52 45 58 36
Monicah 65 60 63 54 12
FORMATTING

This involves changing the appearance of text in cells.

Text Formatting

1. Highlight the range of cells to use.

2. From the menu bar, click Home.
3. In the Font section, choose the formatting settings of your choice e.g., Font, Font
Size etc.

Number Formatting

There are three number formatting settings namely:

1. Decimal Places
2. Thousand Separator
3. Currency

Steps

1. Highlight the range of cells that contain values.

2. In the Home menu, locate the number section.
3. Choose settings of your choice e.g., decimal places, thousand separator, percentage
etc.

Alignment

There are two types of alignment namely:

1. Horizontal Alignment
2. Vertical Alignment

Horizontal Alignment has left, center and right settings while vertical alignment has top,
middle and bottom settings.

33
34
Steps

1. Highlight the range of cells that contain text/values.

2. In the Home menu, locate the alignment section.
3. Choose settings of your choice using the alignment buttons.

Adding Rows and Columns

Adding a Row

1. Right click the row header to add your row from.

2. From the pop – up menu, select insert.

Adding a Column

1. Right click the column header to add your column from.

2. From the pop – up menu, select insert.

Deleting Rows and Columns

Deleting a Row

1. Right click the row header to delete your row from.

2. From the pop – up menu, select delete.

Deleting a Column

1. Right click the column header to delete your column from.

2. From the pop – up menu, select delete.

Merging Cells

This is the process of combining several cells together to form one cell.

1. Highlight the range of cells to use.

2. Click Merge and Center from the Alignment section of the Home menu.

Row Height and Column Width

1. Select the cell to adjust its row height.

2. Drag the lines in between the row headers to increase / reduce the row height.

35
For column width, do the following:

1. Select the cell to adjust its column width.

2. Drag the lines in between the column headers to increase / reduce the column
width.

Format Painter

It’s a feature that copies formatting settings from a single cell to another cell or a range of
cells.

1. Select the cell that has the formatting to use.

2. Click the Format Painter button from the Clipboard section in the Home menu.
3. Highlight the range of cells to implement the formatting.

FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS

Microsoft Excel has in – built calculating facilities.

To perform calculations, functions and formulas are used. They include:

1. SUM

It adds values in a range of cells. The format is as follows:

=SUM(Value 1,Value 2, ……,Value n)

Example

=SUM(B3:F3) whereby:

i) SUM is the function name.

ii) B3 and F3 are cell references.
iii) The full colon (:) indicates a range.

Therefore, the expression above means that you can get the sum of values in cells ranging
from B3 to F3, that is, B3, C3, D3, E3 and F3 respectively.

Alternatively, you can use the addition (+) operator to add values in cells as follows:

=B3+C3+D3+E3+F3 or =(B3+C3+D3+E3+F3)

N/B: Each formula must start with an equal sign.

36
 2. AVERAGE

It gets the arithmetic mean (average) value in a range of cells. The format is as follows:

=AVERAGE(Value 1,Value 2,Value 3,……….,Value n)

Example

=AVERAGE(B3:F3)

You can also use the division operator (/) to get the average value as follows:

=(B3+C3+D3+E3+F3)/5 or =G3/5

3. MAX

It gets the highest value in a range of cells. The format is as follows:

=MAX(Value 1,Value 2,Value 3,……….,Value n)

Example

=MAX(B3:B11)

4. MIN

It gets the lowest value in a range of cells. The format is as follows:

=MIN(Value 1,Value 2,Value 3,……….,Value n)

Example

=MIN(B3:B11)

N/B: The calculations can be done depending with the cell range direction as follows:

=SUM(B3:F3)
Horizontal / Across
=AVERAGE(B3:F3)

=SUM(B3:B11)
Vertical / Downwards
=AVERAGE(B3:B11)

37
LOGICAL FUNCTIONS
These are functions that evaluate a condition then return either TRUE or FALSE result. There
are two logical functions namely:

1. IF

It’s a logical function that evaluates a condition and returns a TRUE result if the condition is
true and a FALSE result if the condition is false.

The format is as follows:

=IF(Logical Test/Condition,Statement 1,Statement 2) whereby:

a. Statement 1 will be displayed if the condition is true.

b. Statement 2 will be displayed if the condition is false.

Example

The students should be promoted to the next level if their average score is 60 and above.

Use the appropriate function to display the word “YES” if the condition is true and “NO” if
false.

=IF(H3>=60,”YES”,”NO”)

N/B: Relational Operators

These operators are used for comparison purposes. They include:

i) = Equal to
ii) < Less Than
iii) > Greater Than
iv) <= Less Than or Equal To
v) >= Greater Than or Equal To
vi) <> Not Equal To

38
 2. NESTING IF

It’s an IF function with multiple IF statements.

It evaluates more than one condition and returns their respective TRUE results if their
respective conditions are TRUE and a FALSE result if none of the conditions is TRUE.

The format is as follows:

=IF(Condition1,Statement1,IF(Condition2,Statement2,IF(Condition3,Statement3,…..)))

Example:

The grading system is as follows:

i) 80 and above – A
ii) 65 to 79 – B
iii) 50 to 64 – C
iv) 35 to 49 – D
v) Below 35 – E

Determine each student’s mean grade using the grading system above.

=IF(H3>=80,”A”,IF(H3>=65,”B”,IF(H3>=50,”C”,IF(H3>=35,”D”,”E”)

OTHER FUNCTIONS
1. SUMIF

It gets the sum of values given a particular condition. The format is as follows:

=SUMIF(Range,Criteria,Sum Range)

Example

=SUMIF(E2:E11,”ICT”,N2:N11)

2. COUNTIF

It gets the number of counts given a particular condition. The format is as follows:

=COUNTIF(Range,Criteria)

39
Example

=COUNTIF(E2:E11,”ICT”)

3. COUNT

It generates the number of numeric entries in a given range of cells. The format is as
follows:

=COUNT(Value 1,Value 2,Value 3,……….,Value n)

Example

=COUNT(E2:E11)

4. COUNTA

It displays the number of cells that are not empty in a given range. The format is as follows:

=COUNTA(Value 1,Value 2,Value 3,……….,Value n)

Example

=COUNTA(L2:L11)

5. COUNTBLANK

It displays the number of cells that are empty in a given range. The format is as follows:

=COUNTBLANK(Range)

Example

=COUNTBLANK(L2:L11)

CHARTS
These are graphical representations of data.

There are various types of charts. Some of them include:

1. Column Charts
2. Pie Charts

40
COLUMN CHARTS

They compare values against categories.

The categories are the text in the X – Axis while the values are the numbers in the Y – Axis.

To create column charts, do the following.

1. Highlight the categories.

2. Hold down Ctrl key on the keyboard to highlight the values of your choice.
3. Click Insert menu, Recommended Charts.
4. In the dialog box that appears, select All Charts then select Column from the list.
5. Select the layout of your choice and click OK.
6. Click Move Chart and select New Sheet option from the dialog box that appears.
7. Type the chart name and click OK. The chart should appear as follows:

Change settings of your choice such as Chart Title, Axis Titles, Gridlines etc. to suit your
needs.

41
PIE CHARTS

These are circular representations of data with segments of different colors. These chart
segments are called series.

To create a pie chart, two columns are used; one column with categories and the other one
with values.

Steps

1. Highlight the categories to use.

2. Hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard to highlight the values.
3. Click Insert, Recommended Charts.
4. In the dialog box that appears, select All Charts tab.
5. Select Pie from the list.
6. Click a setting of your choice and click OK.
7. Move the pie chart to a new sheet and it appears as follows:

Change to settings of your choice such as Chart Title, Legend Position, Data Labels etc.

42
MICROSOFT ACCESS
INTRODUCTION
It’s a database application.

Terminologies

1. Database Application / Database Management System – A program used for creating

and managing databases e.g., Microsoft Access, SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle etc.
2. Database – A collection of related information about an entity (Organization).
3. Object – A database component e.g., Tables, Forms etc.
4. Record – A row in a table.
5. Field – A column in a table.
6. Primary key – A field / combination of fields that uniquely identify a record.
7. Foreign key – A field that fetches data from a primary key field in another table. It’s
used to establish relationships between tables.
8. Relationship – Linking between two or more tables using a common field.
9. Referential integrity – A feature that minimizes duplication of data in related tables.

CREATING A DATABASE
1. Open Microsoft Access application.
2. Select Blank database option.
3. Click the browse folder icon to locate the folder to save your database to and double –
click it to open.
4. Type the database name and click Save button.
5. Click Create to create the database.

DATABASE OBJECTS
There are various database objects. Some of them include:

1. Tables
2. Forms
3. Reports
4. Queries

43
TABLES
These are objects that store records in the database.

They are the pillars of the database because the other objects are created from the tables.

Creating Tables

1. Click Create menu, Table Design.

2. Enter the field names specifying their data types.
3. Click the Save icon on the title bar to save the table.
4. When a message “There is no primary key defined” appears, click No. Access will save
the table without the primary key.

Setting a primary key

1. Select the field name to use as the primary key.

2. Click the Primary Key icon from the menu.
3. Save table changes.

Entering records in a table

1. Click View, Datasheet View to enter the records.

N/B: In Microsoft Access Tables, records are entered in rows, not columns.

Adding a table

1. Open the database to add your table from.

2. Click Create, Table Design.
3. Enter the field names and their respective data types, setting a primary key where
necessary.
4. Save the table and click View, Datasheet View to enter the records.

FORMS
They simplify data entry in tables.

The easiest way of creating a form is by using Form Wizard.

Steps

1. Close all the database tables that are opened.

44
2. Click Create menu, then select Form Wizard. The form wizard dialog box appears.
3. Select the table to create your form from.
4. Select the fields to use for your form by either clicking the single or double arrow
buttons and click Next.
N/B: The single arrow button enables a user to select one field at a time; the double
arrow button enables a user to select all the fields at once.
Never select any field with autonumber data type because the database generates the
numbers automatically in ascending order.
5. Select the Columnar option under Layout and click Next.
6. Type the form name and click finish to complete the wizard.
7. Enter the records one by one using the form to update the table.

REPORTS
They are used for printing records from tables or queries.

The easiest way to create a report is by using a report wizard.

Steps

1. Close all the database objects that are running.

2. Click Create, Report Wizard. The report wizard dialog box appears.
3. Select the table/query to create your report from.
4. Select the fields to use in the report either using the single or double arrow button and
click Next.
5. Select the field to use as the grouping level and click Next.
6. Type the name of the report and click Finish to close the report wizard.

RELATIONSHIPS
This is the linking between two or more tables using a common field.

There are three types of relationships namely:

1. One to One Relationship – A record in one table is linked to only one record in the
related table.
For this relationship to be implemented, the common fields in each table should have a
primary key each.

45
2. One to Many Relationship – A record in one table is linked to many records in the
related table.
For this relationship to be implemented, the main table (parent) should have a primary
key field while the related table (child) should have a foreign key (A field that fetches
data from a primary key field in the parent table).
3. Many to Many Relationship – A scenario whereby many records in one table are linked
to many records in the related table.

Example

COURSES STUDENTS

COURSE CODE (Primary Key) STUDENT NUMBER

COURSE TITLE SURNAME

DURATION OTHER NAMES

LECTURER COURSE CODE (Foreign Key)

JOIN DATE

FEES PAYABLE

FEES PAID

The above diagram illustrates a one – to – many relationship because a course can be done
by many students.

Create the above tables and set the relationships above.

46
N/B: When creating relationships, ensure that the common fields share the same data
type and field size.

REFERENTIAL INTEGRITY

A feature that minimizes data duplication in related tables.

There are two referential integrity rules namely:

1. Cascade Update – If a record is added in the main table, it will be automatically

updated in the related table.
2. Cascade Delete – If a record is deleted in the main table, all the records in the related
table linked with that record will also be deleted.

N/B: Ensure that all the database objects are closed while enforcing referential integrity
rules in the tables.

QUERIES
They extract data from tables by defining specific conditions.

Queries can either be created from a single table or from related tables.

Creating a query from a single table

1. Close all the database objects that are opened.

2. Click Create, Query Design.
3. In the Show Table dialog box, select the table to create your query from; click Add then
Close.
4. Double click the fields to use to the fields list.
5. Save and run your query.

Creating a query from related tables

1. Close all the database objects that are opened.

2. Click Create, Query Design.
3. In the Show Table dialog box, select the related tables one by one; click Add then close.
4. Double click the fields to use to the fields list.
5. Save and run your query.

47
MICROSOFT POWERPOINT
INTRODUCTION
This is a presentation application used for creating and editing presentations.

Presentation – A combination of slides, handouts and notes.

Slide – A page of a presentation.

CREATING A BLANK PRESENTATION

1. Open your presentation application.
2. Click Blank presentation.
3. Type the presentation content adding slides of your choice.
4. Save your presentation.

SLIDE LAYOUTS
1. Title Slide – This layout displays the presentation title and sub – title.
2. Title and content – This layout enables a user to type the title and text content. The
user can also add items like tables, charts, pictures, videos etc.
3. Section header – If a person has a large presentation with topics and sub – topics, then
this layout is appropriate.
4. Two Content – This layout has a title and two columns.
5. Comparison – Has a title, each column with a sub – title and content for each column
6. Title Only – Has the title and a user can add content of his/her choice.
7. Blank – An empty slide with no content.
8. Content with caption – Enables a user to add text / images and a description of that
content.
9. Picture with caption – Enables a user to insert an image and a description of that image.

DESIGN TEMPLATES / THEMES

These are pre – defined formatting styles applied to slides in a presentation.

1. Click Design menu, themes.

2. Select a theme of your choice by clicking it.

48
ANIMATIONS
These are effects applied to a slide and its content.

There are two types of animations namely:

1. Slide Transition
2. Custom Animation

SLIDE TRANSITION

This is an animation effected while opening a new slide in the presentation in slide show.

1. Select a slide in the slides view panel.

2. Click Transitions menu,
3. Select a Transition effect of your choice.
4. In the Advanced Slides section, select either “On Mouse Click” or “After Previous”
option.
5. Repeat the same steps for the other slides.
6. Press F5 key on the keyboard to run the slides in Slide Show.

CUSTOM ANIMATION

This is an animation implemented on the slide contents, that is, text, images etc.

1. Open one of the slides and select an item e.g., text, a picture etc.
2. Click Aminations menu.
3. Select an animation effect of your choice.
4. On the right side, select After Previous option to run the animations and transitions
at the same time.
5. Repeat the same steps for the other slides in the presentation.
6. Press F5 key on the keyboard to run the slides in Slide Show.

LOOPING SLIDES
Looping is the process whereby slides in a presentation are run continuously without
stopping.

1. Click Slide Show menu, Set Up Slide Show.

2. In the Dialog box that appears, select “Loop Continuously Until Esc” option.

49
 3. Click OK.
4. Press F5 key on the keyboard to run the slides in Slide Show to see the results.

PAGE NUMBERING
1. Click Insert, Header and Footer.
2. In the dialog box that appears, select Slide Number.
3. You can type the footer text and choose Date and Time settings of your choice.
4. Click Apply / Apply To All.

SLIDE MASTER
It’s a feature that enables a user to add content that appears on all slides of the
presentation.

1. Click View, Slide Master.

2. Scroll up in the Master Slide view and select the main slide.
3. Add content of your choice e.g., Logo and place it in a position of your choice.
4. Once done, click Slide Master menu, Close Master View to close the Slide Master.

PRESENTATION VIEWS
1. Normal View – This is the default presentation view that enables a user to add slides
and content easily.
2. Slide Sorter – This view enables a user to re – arrange slides in a presentation.
3. Notes Page – This view enables a user to create and edit the speaker’s notes.
4. Outline View – This view displays a list of slides without graphics and formatting.
5. Slides View – This view displays a list of slides with graphics and formatting.
6. Reading View – This view runs a presentation like slide show but not in full screen
mode. It displays the title bar and status bar while running the slides.
7. Slide show – This view enables a user to run the presentation in full screen mode.
This is the view projected on screen for the viewers to see the presentation content.

The above Views can be accessed from the View menu.

SAVING A PRESENTATION
By default, PowerPoint files are saved as Presentation files (.pptx).

50
However, these files can be saved as Slide Show so that when opened, they run in Slide
Show mode. This prevents other users from tampering with the presentation content.

1. Click File, Save As.

2. Click Browse to locate the folder to save your presentation to.
3. Type the presentation file name and in the Save As type, select PowerPoint Show.
4. Click Save button to save the presentation.
5. Open the folder that has the Slide Show file and double – click it to see the results.

51
INTERNET AND EMAIL
INTRODUCTION
What is Internet

 An interconnection of millions of computers all over the world.

 Other names of Internet are: The Net, World Wide Web, Cyberspace,
Information Super Highway, International Network.

What is a Computer Network?

 An interconnection of two or more computers working together with the aim of

sharing resources such as files, folders, printers etc.

Types of Computer Networks

 LAN (Local Area Network) – A setup whereby computers are interconnected

within a building or different floors of a building e.g. A Cyber Café, An Office or
an Organization.
 WAN (Wide Area Network) – A setup whereby computers are interconnected
between cities or countries e.g. Internet.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNET CONNECTION

 Single User
i. Computer – Is the main device that will be used to access and perform various
operations on the internet e.g. Research, Sending emails etc.
ii. Internet Service Provider (ISP) – A company that provides Internet Connection
services at a fee payable after a certain period of time e.g. Safaricom, Zuku, JTL
etc.
iii. Web Browser (Browser) – A program used to access web pages on the internet
e.g. Mozilla Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera etc.
 Company (Organization)
i. Computers
ii. Switch – A central device where all computers are interconnected in a LAN
setup.

52
 iii. Router – A device that provides Internet to an organization via an Internet
Service Provider.
iv. Internet Service Provider
v. Web Browsers

CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET

 For computers to communicate to each other, protocols are used.
 A protocol is a set of rules that govern communication (Sending and Receiving
Information) in a computer network.
 Examples of protocols include:
i. http (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) – It’s a protocol that enables users to access
web content using a web browser.
ii. https (http with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) – It’s a protocol with security features;
that is, it protects a website from unauthorized access by hackers.
iii. ftp (File Transfer Protocol) – It facilitates downloading and uploading of content
to and from the web server.
iv. smtp (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) – It facilitates sending and receiving of
emails on the internet.
v. telnet (Terminal Emulation) – It’s used for accessing a computer from a remote
location.

THE WORLD WIDE WEB

 It describes how information is displayed on the internet using a browser.
 To access information on the World Wide Web, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is
used as follows:

http://www.inceptor.co.ke whereby:

i. http:// - is the protocol

ii. www – World Wide Web
iii. inceptor – Company ID
iv. . co.ke – Domain
 Domains – It identifies the organization’s location and the type of business.
 Examples of domains are:

53
 i. .com – Identifies Commercial Organizations
ii. . co.ke – Company and Country Code
iii. .gov – Government Organization
iv. . go.ke – Government of a particular country
v. .org – Non – governmental Organization
vi. . or.ke – NGO of a particular country
vii. .edu – Educational Institution
viii. . ac.ke – Academic Institution of Higher Learning of a country
ix. . sc.ke – Secondary (High) Schools of a particular country
x. .mil – Military Institution.
xi. .net – Networking Services

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A WEBSITE, A WEB PAGE AND A HOME PAGE

 Website – A combination of several web pages, images and other content accessible on
the internet via a web browser.
 Web Page – A single page of a website.
 Home Page – Can be defined as follows:
i. The first page that appears when you open a web browser.
ii. The first page that appears after typing a URL.

Browsing / Surfing

The process of navigating through web pages in a website via hyperlinks (Links).

Hyperlinks (Links)

These are text or images that re-direct a user to another webpage when clicked.

DOWNLOADING CONTENT FROM THE INTERNET

Downloading is the process of getting content from an online website and saving it in the
computer.

You can download text/images from any website using the following steps:

1. To download text, highlight the text of your choice from any website; Right click it
then select Copy; Open Microsoft Word and click the Paste button to paste your text
in the document; Save the file.

54
 2. To download images, open the web page that has the image to use; Right – click the
image and select Save As; In the dialog box that appears, open the location to save
your image to e.g., Desktop; Type the filename of your choice and click Save.

SEARCH ENGINES
 They are used for searching information on the internet.
 Examples of search engines are:
i. Google (www.google.com)
ii. Yahoo
iii. msn Search
iv. Bing

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTERNET

1. Communication Forum – The speed of communication becomes faster which is
obtained through the web. Families and friends can confine touch easily. The platform
for products like SKYPE allows for holding a video conference with anyone within the
world who also has access.
2. Abundant Information – Anyone can find information on almost any imaginable
subject. Plenty of resources are often found through the program in minutes.
3. Inexhaustible Education – For instance, students can gain readily available help for his
or her homework online.
4. Entertainment for everybody – Most folks love using our laptops, smartphones, and,
tablets. The web is that the big reason behind us spending such a lot of time on these
gadgets.
5. Online Services and E-commerce – Many services of emails, online banking, online
shopping, etc are there. Free mail to anyone is definitely accessible all around the
world. E-commerce enables one in America to shop for things in Asia, Africa, or other
areas within the world through some simple clicks of the mouse.
6. Social network – Social networking is the sharing of data with people across the
planet. Aside from being an entertainment website, it’s many uses.
7. Learning – The web has now become a neighbourhood of education. Education like
home-schooling is definitely administered using the web. Teachers can upload their
teaching videos on the web.

55
Disadvantages
1. Internet Addiction Disorder – Internet addiction is detrimental to not only fitness but
also psychological state.
2. Cyber Crime – Hacker programs a virus which gets into the pc and ruins valuable data.
Users’ personal information like name, address, master card, bank details, and other
information are often accessed by culprits when used on the web, leading to
significant economic loss.
3. Social Alienation – Time spent online flies fast without consciousness. After getting
attracted the user trapped into the trap, users are trapped by a “net”, spending less
time with people in the real world. Less interaction and face-to-face communication,
actually, may end in a decrease in social abilities.
4. Spam – The unnecessary emails, advertisements, etc. are sometimes said to be spam
because they need the power to hamper the system and make the users face many
problems.
EMAIL (ELECTRONIC MAIL)

INTRODUCTION
Electronic Mail (e-mail) is one of most widely used services of Internet. This service allows
an Internet user to send a message in formatted manner (mail) to other Internet user in
any part of the world.

Message in mail not only contain text, but it also contains images, audio and videos data.

The person who is sending mail is called sender and person who receives mail is
called recipient. It is just like postal mail service.

COMPONENTS OF AN EMAIL ADDRESS

mwangize2018@gmail.com

 rose – Individual’s email ID

 gmail – email Service Provider
 .com – Domain

SIGN UP, SIGN IN AND SIGN OUT

 Sign up – Creating an email account
 Sign in – Logging into an email account.
 Sign Out (Log Out) – Logging out of an email account.

56
SENDING AN EMAIL
 After signing into your email account, do the following:
i. Click Compose button.
ii. In the To section, type the email address of the recipient.
iii. Type the Subject in the Subject Section.
iv. In the body section, type the message.
v. Click Send.
 Attaching Files – If you want to send an email with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
PDF files etc., do the following:
i. Click Compose button.
ii. In the To section, type the email address of the recipient.
iii. Type the Subject in the Subject Section.
iv. In the body section, type the message.
v. Click the Paper Clip icon; it will display a dialog box.
vi. Browse for the folder in your computer/flash drive where the file(s) are
located.
vii. Select the file(s) to attach and click Open.
viii. Wait for the attachments to finish uploading to your email.
ix. Click Send.
 Email Signatures – They refer to text or images that appear at bottom of your
Compose section of your email. To create an email signature, do the following:
i. Click the Settings icon, see all settings.
ii. Scroll down until you get the signature section.
iii. Click create new, type the signature name and click ok.
iv. In the text box next to the signature name, type the content of your choice
or insert an image; format the text accordingly using the formatting tools
provided.
v. In the Signature Defaults section, select your signature name in both drop
down lists.
vi. Click Save Changes once done.

57
EMAIL FOLDERS
 Inbox – Displays all incoming emails.
 Outbox – Displays any pending emails waiting to be sent. This could be due to an
Internet Connection problem, power related issues etc.
 Sent – It displays all emails that have been sent successfully to different recipients.
 Drafts – It displays a list of saved emails waiting to be sent.
 Trash – It displays deleted emails.
 Junk / Spam folder – It displays a list of suspicious emails. For a valid email in this
category, it has to be approved by the user as valid so that it can be moved to the inbox
folder.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EMAIL

Advantages of E-mail:
1. E-mails provides faster and easy mean of communication. One can send message to
any person at any place of world by just clicking mouse.
2. Various folders and sub-folders can be created within inbox of mail, so it provides
management of messages.
3. It is effective and cheap means of communication because single message can be sent
to multiple people at same time.
4. E-mails are very easy to filter. User according to his/her priority can prioritize e-mail
by specifying subject of e-mail.
5. E-mail is not just only for textual message. One can send any kind of multimedia
within mail.
6. E-mail can be sent at any hour of day, thus ensures timeliness of message.
7. It is secure and reliable method to deliver our message.
8. It also provides facility for edition and formatting of textual messages.
9. There is also facility of auto-responders in e-mail i.e., to send automated e-mails with
certain text.
10. To write an e-mail there is no need of any kind of paper, thus it is environment
friendly.

58
Disadvantages of E-mail:
1. It is source of viruses. It is capable to harm one’s computer and read out user’s e-mail
address book and send themselves to number of people around the world.
2. It can be source of various spams. These spam mails can fill up inbox and to deletion
of these mail consumes lot of time.
3. It is informal method of communication. The documents those require signatures are
not managed by e-mail.
4. To use facility of e-mail, user must have an access to internet and there are many
parts of world where people does not have access to Internet.
5. Sometimes, e-mails become misunderstood as it is not capable of expressing
emotions.
6. To be updated, user have to check inbox from time-to-time.

59