Windows only: Freeware application Some PDF to Word Converter takes your PDFs and—as the name implies—converts them to Microsoft Word documents. It’s always been a cinch to print Word documents as PDFs, but going the other way around is generally more difficult. Many online tools can handle PDF-to-DOC conversions, but most of us don’t want to upload our sensitive docs to the web for third-party conversion, so desktop tools are preferable. We’ve featured one other PDF-to-Word converter in the past, but Some PDF to Word Converter requires no registration, has more options, and seems to perform better. If you’d like different PDF conversions, check the download page for PDF-to-HTML or text converters. Some PDF to Word Converter [via FreewareGenius]
The Workers’ Edge blog points out that a macro written by Dave Rado back in the days of Word 97 to back up and restore time-saving, typo-fixing AutoCorrect settings in Microsoft Word still does the trick for the most modern Word 2007 installation. It’s simple to use and a lot easier than tracking down your AutoCorrect file yourself. Simply install the macro (with detailed instructions offered at the via link below), launch it, and choose where to save a Word document with your custom AutoCorrect settings, and hit “Restore” to import settings from a different installation. Of course, you could always switch over to app-neutral text substitution utilities like Texter, but this macro should be a real time-saver for those who have finely tuned their Word. AutoCorrect Macro [via CNET | Workers' Edige]
Anyone who’s tried saving a Word document as a web page knows you get way more than you bargained for in the HTML and CSS department in the result. The Productivity Portfolio blog offers two alternatives when you want to zip a .DOC to a .HTML file in a jiffy without all the cruft: Using the online Word HTML Cleaner at Textism (files up to 20K only), or sending yourself the document via Gmail and hitting the “View as HTML” link. Handy. Word HTML File Conversion Tips and Resources [Productivity Portfolio]
Windows only: Easy Microsoft Word Properties is a helpful tool for anyone who uses Word documents’ details listings—Author, Subject, Title, and the like—to keep their work organised or incorporate Word files into databases and spreadsheets. Install and run the application, point it to a folder and tell it which files to search for. In the next tab, all the standard properties of the documents returned can be edited in batch fashion, no right-clicking required. If nothing else, editing the “key words” line can be helpful in guiding along Windows and other search tools. Easy Microsoft Word Properties is a free download for Windows systems only. Easy Microsoft Word Properties [Easy HR via Simple Help]
Dennis O’Reilly digs into the full-screen mode in Microsoft Office apps and shows how you can still keep your most-used options and tools close at hand, despite the lack of menus and toolbars. The two basic suggestions are to learn the Alt+letter shortcuts to your oft-used functions, or use Office’s custom toolbar creator to compile your must-haves into one side-mounted toolbar. O’Reilly’s a bit stuck on Office 2007, however, which doesn’t offer the same menu access from its full-screen mode—but maybe some of our uber-productive users have their own methods for getting the most from full screen. If so, share your tips in the comments, or head to the Workers’ Edge link for more tips on navigating and working inside full-screen mode. Broaden your view in Word, Excel, other Office apps [CNET blogs]
A team at Microsoft is looking at the iPhone Software Developer’s Kit with an eye toward Mac Office functionality, according to Fortune. Sounds like Word docs might soon be viewable without web-based converters. [via]
If you ever find yourself needing to review the contents of a Microsoft Word 2007 document (DOCX) but you’re sitting at a computer without a Word installation or any other comparable word processor, weblog Digital Inspiration details how to read the document with nothing but Internet Explorer. In a nutshell, the method involves changing the doc’s file extension to ZIP, unzipping it, and then finding a document.xml file inside the unzipped archive. From there, you can open that XML file in IE (or virtually any text editor, for that matter). As the post mentions, your document will lack any formatting, but it will allow you to read the content, which is essentially what matters anyway. Read DOCX Files in Internet Explorer – No Word 2007 Required [Digital Inspiration via Of Zen and Computing]
Need to find out what grub your co-workers prefer for an office potluck? Trying to find out your friends’ preferences on music? For simple data-gathering, building a linked spreadsheet and database can be overkill, and plain ol’ Microsoft Office has a decent set of form-creating and data-gathering tools built in. CNET’s Workers’ Edge blog shows you how to create a form from scratch, distribute it to those you’re polling, and gather all the data in a Comma Separated Value file that’s readable in most any data-management program you choose. The tools used in the guide require Office 2003 or 2007. Create a simple form in Microsoft Word [CNET Blogs]
The Digital Inspiration blog offers up five email addresses that offer free file conversion for Word docs, PDFs, and even MP3s with no fuss, no muss—just attach a file, send it, and wait for the reply with the converted file attached. For mobile device users who can’t read or open certain formats or desktop users who need a little audio formatting without downloading software. The full list of addresses, after the jump.
Windows warrior Dennis O’Reilly takes a look at making Microsoft Word and OpenOffice.org’s Writer app play nice together‐as nice as possible, anyway. For those dual-booting, rocking OO.org without Word, or managing with both apps is keeping documents uncluttered with pictures and embedded objects, setting OO.org to always save to Word file formats, and changing a few config options to help Writer do a better job of importing files. The two apps will still argue over the occasional font and formatting differences, but O’Reilly’s guide can help you find some common ground on your desktop. Make sure Word, OpenOffice.org Writer play well together [Worker's Edge blog | CNET]
