Generic features of software

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  • Created by: Jasmin
  • Created on: 24-05-13 21:30

Generic features of software

Generic features are those features of software that are not found in just one type of software but are common to most types of applications software.

Copy, cut and paste

  • CUT: text or cells will now be placed in a temporary storage (called the clipboard) by the computer. Then move the cursor to another part of the document/worksheet where you want the text or cells to be moved to
  • COPY: Copy of the text cells is put onto the clipboard, document from which the text/cells are copied remains unaltered

Font type and font size

  • Changing the font type alters the appearance of the characters
  • Font styles include bold, italic, underlining
  • Font colour can be changed

Drag and drop

  • Clicking on a virtual object such as a file, photograph etc, and dragging it into position, quick way of moving objects
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Undo and redo

  • Undo is a feature of most software and erases the last action taken
  • Redo is the opposite where the last action taken is re-applied

Find and replace

  • Find can be used to quickly find a certain word or phrase in a long document

Zoom

  • Used to display a document in more or less detail
  • Done by altering the percentage view using the drop down menu

Wizards

  • Takes and helps the user through by telling steps on how to do a specific or complex task

Help

  • Online help facility where users can get help supplied by the package rather than have to look through manuals or user guides
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Print and print preview

Page layout

  • Margins: mark the boundary of the text itself and therefore determines the amount of blank space left at the sides, top and bottom of the page
  • Headers and footers: used to hold information that appears at the top of the page in case of a header, and at the bottom of each page of the document in case of a footer. Headers often placed in the top margin and footers placed at the bottom. Information in headers/footers:

- page numbers

- title of document

- date

- companys logo

  • Justifying (aligning) text: align left this lines the text up with the left margin, align right this lines the text up with the right margin, centre lines the text up in the centre of the page, fully justified lines text up with both right and left margins
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  • Orientation: portrait orientation height is greater than the width, mostly used for letters, reports, landscape orientation width is greater than the height, mostly used for charts, spreadsheets
  • Page breaks: software inserts page break and a new page is started, done automatically
  • Page numbering

Templates:

  • design of page
  • template is a blueprint for the text, graphics and formatting and it ensures that all documents in a particular type look the same
  • common for members of an organisation to be given templates
  • electronic file that holds the basic outline of the document

Text/picture boxes

Obtaining, inserting, resizing, cropping and positioning images:

  • Fitness for purpose is purpose and the audience
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Obtaining images:

  • Methods of obtaining images: own drawings, skteches, photographs, photographs on websites to copy and paste, photographs in books, magazines, newspapers, clip art

Inserting images:

  • Can be inserted using clip art or copy and paste

Resizing images:

  • Images need to be resized to fit the design of the document

Cropping:

  • Only using part of an image

Positioning images:

  • Moved into a suitable position, can be done by dragging them
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Manipulation of graphics:

  • Can be resized, made smaller or bigger
  • Can be rotated through a certain angle
  • Can be mirror imaged
  • Part of an image can be cropped

Autoshapes:

  • Shapes that are already stored by the software
  • Include: lines, connectors, basic shapes, block arrows, flowchart symbols, stars, banners

Shading:

  • Can be added to text to make it stand out and to images to make the image appear more realisitic

Overlapping objects:

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Wrap text

  • Cell width is kept constant and the text overflows automatically onto the next line

Print screen

  • Screenshot
  • Copy of screen is pasted to the clipboard, can then paste the image into a document
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