Windows

Open search results in a new browser and configure Google to do it for automatically.

Have you ever used a search engine and found what looks like a great site that will give you exactly what you're looking for,  only to find when you open it that it really has nothing to offer.

We were watching a client searching for something on Google the other day. In went the search phrase and up came the search results - a whole screen full of great search returns all relevant to the search phrase.  She clicked on the first result and was taken to the selected web site but she lost all of those other great search results when the new site opened over the Google results page.

So we sat down for a couple of minutes and showed her not only how to open the search links and still keep her original search results but how to open several links at once to increase her chances of finding exactly what she wanted.

The secret is to always open the search results links in a new window.

Here's how:

Try searching in Google using the search words "great recipes".  Once the search results are displayed,  instead of clicking with your left mouse button on the blue link in the search results use your right mouse button.

This will open a menu - select open in a new window or if you are using Internet Explorer version seven you can select open in a new tab.

The selected website will now open in a new window leaving all of your search results intact in the original window. Now while you're waiting for the web site to open with information about your recipes try flicking back to your search results and open a couple more links in a new window. These will open while you're perusing the pages of the first site that you opened.

If you think that opening the search results is a good idea you can set Google so that your search results open in a new window automatically. Here's how:

On the right hand side of your Google search box you will see the word preferences

Click preferences and the Google search preferences screen will open

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the box that says open search results in a new window.

Click save preferences - now when you LEFT click on your search results they will always open in a new window.

Tip in a tip

While you're on the search preferences page take note of other preferences on the page. Sick of seeing unsavoury search results for example - try selecting safe search filtering to protect you from the seamier side of world wide web.

MS Word

The Spike

Summary: Everyone uses the Clipboard to make edits, but few people know of another powerful way to edit—using the spike. Once you understand how to use the spike, the way you do your editing may change forever. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, and Word 2003.)

Word has a feature that allows you to collect groups of text and paste them in another location. It is different than the Clipboard, which allows you to work with only one item at a time. The Spike is named after an old-fashioned paper holder onto which people poked papers as they were done with them. To collect information in the spike, simply select the text and press Ctrl+F3. This cuts the information from your document and places it in the Spike. You can continue this process, and Word will add all the selected text to what already exists in the Spike.

When you are ready to paste the information somewhere, simply press Ctrl+Shift+F3. All the information in the Spike (not just the last text you placed there) is deposited in your document at the insertion point. This action also erases everything in the Spike. If you want to paste the contents of the Spike without clearing it, you can follow these steps:

Position the insertion point where you want the Spike contents pasted. 
Type spike. 
Press F3. 

Summary - When working with the outline of a document, you can easily move whole sections of your document. It is as easy as selecting a heading and clicking an up or down arrow. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

If you find yourself in the position of needing to revise the structure of a document, you can make the job easy by following these steps:

1. Make sure you have used the standard headings defined in the Word styles—Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc. 
2. Switch to Outline view. (Easiest way is to click the Outline view icon on the status bar.)
3. Select the head level at which you want to work with the document. For instance, if you must reorganize at the Heading 2 level, make sure you specify that you want "level 2" displayed in the outline. The way you do this depends on the version of Word you are using. If you are using Word 97 or Word 2000, click the 2 tool on the Outline toolbar. If you are using Word 2002 or Word 2003, use the Outline Level drop-down list on the Outline toolbar to specify Level 2. If you are using Word 2007, use the Outline Level drop-down list on the Outlining tab of the ribbon.
4. Position the insertion point somewhere in the heading you want to move.
5. Click your mouse on the Move Up tool to move the heading (and everything subordinate to that heading) higher in the outline. The Move Up tool looks like an up arrow.
6. Click your mouse on the Move Down tool to move the heading (and everything subordinate to that heading) lower in the outline. The Move Down tool looks like a down arrow.
7. When you have finished, switch back to your regular viewing mode. 

Excel

Summary: Normally a macro is only calculated when you specifically tell Excel to calculate it. Some macros need to be calculated whenever your worksheet is recalculated. This won’t happen unless you include a very specific command within the body of your macro. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)


When you write a macro, it is designed to be run whenever you choose to run it. What if you need to develop a macro that will run whenever something changes in your worksheet? What if you want the macro to run automatically? This is particularly necessary if you are creating a custom function that you want to use within the cells of the worksheet.

This is where the Volatile method comes in handy. All you need to do is include the following statement within your macro:

Application.Volatile
This informs Excel that the results of the macro are dependent on the values in the worksheet, and that it should be executed whenever the worksheet is recalculated. For instance, consider the following user-defined function:

Function CountCells(MyRange As Range)
Dim iCount As Integer
iCount = 0
For Each cell In MyRange
If cell.HasFormula Then
iCount = iCount + 1
End If
Next cell
CountCells = iCount
End Function
This function, if used in a cell, counts the number of cells that contain formulas within a specified range. However, the function will only run the first time it is entered into a cell, or whenever the cell containing the formula is edited. If you want the function to recalculate every time the worksheet is recalculated, you would add the Volatile method near the beginning of the function:

Function CountCells(MyRange As Range)
Dim iCount As Integer
Application.Volatile
iCount = 0
For Each cell In MyRange
If cell.HasFormula Then
iCount = iCount + 1
End If
Next cell
CountCells = iCount
End Function
The inclusion of the Application.Volatile method means that every time the worksheet is recalculated, this function (macro) is again run.