The following is a general review of the basic concepts of the applications used in this course. This review should be used to prepare for applications portion of the final.
The following list includes the names of and brief definitions of the primary applications included in this course. After each definition, a list of related terms is given. Definitions for these related terms can be found in the lecture/tutorial notes on the course web site.
- Word Processing Tables: A feature included in word processing documents that allows content of a document to be organized into rows and columns.
- table cell
- merging table cells
- splitting table cells
- Spreadsheet: A mathematical modeling tool that is used to organize, present, and do calculations on numerical data.
- spreadsheet cell
- cell reference
- active cell
- formula bar
- labels
- values
- AutoSum
- Fill Right
- Fill Down
- numeric formatting
- cell range
- relative reference
- absolute reference
- chart
- legend
- bar or column chart
- line or area chart
- pie chart
- Database: A tool for managing, organizing, and accessing lists of descriptions of objects.
- field
- record
- database table
- database form
- database query
- database report
- field data type
- SQL (Structured Query Language)
- QBE (Query By Example)
- Mail Merge: A feature included in word processing documents that provides the means to produce form letters, address labels, and addressed envelopes by extracting data from a database, spreadsheet, or some other external source.
- primary file
- secondary file
- merge code
- numeric-picture
- Graphics: Tools for creating, editing, and manipulating images.
- resolution
- bit-depth
- pixel
- compression
- lossy
- lossless
- raster
- vector
- JPG
- GIF
- BMP
- WMF
- PICT
- paint
- draw
- crop
- color table
- layers
- stroke
- fill
- handles
- Presentation Graphics: A tool for the creation, editing, printing, and displaying of slides that may contain text, graphics, and other multimedia objects.
- template
- slide layout
- color scheme
- slide master
- transition
- animation
- Web Publishing: Tools used to create, edit, and manage web pages and web sites.
- protocol
- IP number
- domain name
- web server
- hypertext
- HTTP
- HTML
- URL
- web page
- web site
- heading
- rule
- internal link
- external link
- site folder
- home page
- thumbnail
- unordered list
- ordered list
Each application program is designed to accomplish either very specific or a general collection of tasks. Examples of tasks for each of the applications used in this course include (but are not limited to) the following...
- Spreadsheet
- financial analysis and reports
- statistical analysis and reports
- mathematical analysis and reports
- bookkeeping
- charting
- gradebook
- Database
- inventory
- memberships
- directories
- customer lists
- supplier lists
- gradebook
- Mail Merge
- form letters
- labels
- addressing envelopes
- Graphics
- create new images
- edit existing images
- combine images
- change the file format of an image
- change the characteristics of an image
- Presentation Graphics
- business presentations
- oral reports
- advertisements
- overhead transparencies
- multimedia presentations
- Web Publishing
- personal ("ego") web sites
- informational web sites
- commercial web sites
There are many software companies that produce these applications, each with their own product. Some examples of these products include:
Application Company Program Spreadsheet Microsoft Excel
Corel Quattro Pro Lotus Software (now owned by IBM) Lotus 1-2-3 Database Microsoft Access dataBased Intelligence, Inc. dBase Oracle Oracle Filemaker, Inc. (owned by Apple) Filemaker Pro open source (not owned by any company) MySQL Graphics Jasc (now owned by Corel) PaintShop Pro Adobe Photoshop
IllustratorCorel CorelDRAW Macromedia Fireworks
FreeHandPresentation Graphics Microsoft PowerPoint Corel Presentations Web Publishing Netscape Composer Macromedia Dreamweaver Microsoft FrontPage Adobe GoLive
For each of the following applications, you should understand the following concepts.
- Word Processing Tables
- table formatting options (borders, shading, alignment, etc.)
- adding/deleting rows and columns
- cell, column, and row widths
- merging & splitting cells
- using a table to layout a form
- protecting a form
- Spreadsheets
- types of cell data: labels, numbers, and calculations (aka: formulas)
- copying cell contents into other cells: copy/paste; fill down; fill right
- formatting: text & numeric
- sorting
- cell borders and colors
- column width options: manual adjust; specify with a number; autofit
- what does it mean when a cell contents is displayed as ##########?
- mathematical operators
- built-in functions
- cell references: single cells; ranges of cells
- all calculations should begin with an '=' symbol.
- absolute vrs. relative references
- charts: a pictoral representation of numerical data
- chart series
- chart legends
- locations for charts: on an existing sheet or in a new sheet
- formatting a chart
- Database
- data organization: fields and records
- tables
- field specifications: name, data type, appearance, default value
- forms
- queries
- query criteria specifications: specific values, ranges of values, substrings (i.e. begins with, ends with, and contains), multiple criteria (i.e. 'And' and 'Or'), blank, and not blank
- reports
- report definition parts: report header (first page only), page header (every page), detail (the records information), page footer (every page), and report footer (last page only)
- Mail Merge
- primary file: the document
- secondary file: the data source
- inserting merge codes (aka: merge fields)
- formatting numeric data with numeric-pictures
- Graphics
- graphic characteristics: resolutions, bit-depth, size
- compression: lossy & lossless
- raster (bit-mapped) vrs. vector (object-oriented) graphics
- file formats: TIFF, EPS, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, WMF, PICT
- paint vrs. draw graphics
- changing the image size
- changing the canvas size
- cropping
- manipulating the color table
- changing the bit-depth
- other effects: brightness, contrast, rotate, flip, mirror
- zooming
- raster image selection tools: rectangular (marquee), freehand (lasso/rope), magic wand
- color selection
- raster image editing tools: paint brush, clone, eraser, flood fill, text, shapes, pen
- using layers
- vector image object characteristics: stroke, fill, layer value, handles, location, size
- vector image selection (selecting one or more objects)
- vector image editing tools: text, shapes, pen
- Presentation Graphics
- slide content element types: text, graphics, sounds, etc.
- special effects
- design issues: KISS, spelling, consistancy, be brief & concise, using fonts, know your equipment, and know the purpose of the slides
- selecting and editing a template: color scheme, background objects, and fonts
- determining slide layout: title page slide, title only slides, title & text slides, title and 2-column text slides, and custom designed slides
- working with text boxes
- reordering slides
- placing and manipulating graphics
- drawing lines and auto-shapes
- background audio CD tracks
- specifying transitions
- determining animations
- handouts
- presenter notes
- manual control vs. self-running slide shows
- Web Publishing
- Internet resources: email, world wide web, FTP, newsgroups, telnet, chat, & IM
- HTML tags
- web page elements
- file and folder naming rules: case sensitive, no spaces, and correct extensions
- the "home" page of a web site: index.html or index.htm
- paragraph formats: plain paragraphs and headings
- character formatting: font, size, color, and style
- working with graphics: text wrap, thumbnails, borders
- lists: ordered and unordered
- tables: width, border size, cell padding, cell spacing, table and cell background color
- links: hypertext, graphic, internal, external, non-html files
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