Microsoft Word

Tools in Technical Writing (Contd..)

Let us have a brief introduction and usage of Technical Writing tools.

Microsoft Word

The first and most used tool for writing is Microsoft Word. It is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It is the most user friendly tool for creating, editing and publishing documents.

Main Features of Microsoft Word includes:

• User Interface, technically called Fluent User Interface with user friendly ribbons and menu styles.
• Wide variety of formatting styles.
• Tables and graph features with different format and pre-defined designs.
• Shapes and Smart Arts for creating images as scientific diagrams, flow diagrams and data flow diagrams.
• Screenshot option to take a screen shot of available windows for a document.
• Bookmark and Cross-reference options to navigate easily through large documents.
• Different Page Layouts and designs for designing the document.
• Options like Mail merge and Envelops and Labels to maintain database of addresses and to draft a mail accordingly.
• Dictionary and Thesaurus with updated information and live spelling and grammar check useful for writers to check thoroughly the entire document.
• Macros to make lots of manual steps easier.
• Publishing to different file types as PDF or XPS and exporting to HTML easily.
• Auto save and Versioning option.

With all the above mentioned Features and Functions, Word is a favorite tool for writers who work with small documents and simple diagrams.