Word Processing and Documentation
This domain tests formatting at the right level, page setup, tables, Find & Replace, spell check and - most heavily - mail merge.
Levels of formatting
Character level: font, size, bold, italic, colour, highlight. Paragraph level: alignment, line spacing, indents, bullets and numbering. Section level: margins, orientation, columns, headers and footers, page breaks. Enter starts a new paragraph; Shift+Enter inserts a line break inside the same paragraph; Ctrl+Enter inserts a page break.
Tables and objects
Insert > Table, then merge or split cells and repeat the header row across pages. Pictures and text boxes are anchored to a paragraph, which is why they jump when text is edited.
Mail merge
Three components: main document (the letter or certificate with merge fields), data source (a table with one row per recipient and one column per field), and the merged output. Path: Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Select Recipients > Insert Merge Field > Preview Results > Finish & Merge.
Worked example
120 certificates are needed; name and roll number come from a spreadsheet. Reasoning: build the certificate as the main document with the placeholders «Name» and «RollNo», attach the spreadsheet as data source, use Check for Errors, preview records 1, 2 and 120, then Finish & Merge. Typing 120 copies by hand is slower and one misplaced field would need 120 corrections.
Find & Replace
Use Match case to change the word it to IT without touching It. Use Replace All only after checking the first few Replace hits; Replace All cannot be undone selectively.
Traps
- Saving as .doc or .rtf when the question asks for .docx.
- Believing Track Changes edits the text; it only records edits.
- Headers and footers are invisible in some views - confirm in Print Preview.
- Autocorrect flags names as errors; blind Replace All can corrupt them.
- Format Painter: single click paints once, double click paints repeatedly.