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Word & WP: New Document

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In WP, a new document is always on the screen.

WP: New from Project
Word: New

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A big improvement for Word and WordPerfect is the amount of Templates available.

Both programs now give you the option of obtaining Projects/Templates from the Web.  Where WP has always excelled is the ability to edit, copy, move, and create Categories for your templates.  You can also (easily) Build Prompts ( click to see an example ) for your Templates, so that all the correct information is entered anywhere in your document (in the correct order).

Word & WP: Open Dialog Box

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Each Icon represents a feature that was implemented 1 version (2 years) before the other program introduced it
Each Icon represents a feature that was implemented 1 version (2 years) before the other program introduced it
Each Icon represents a feature that was implemented 1 version (2 years) before the other program introduced it

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Microsoft FINALLY got a clue and enabled MSOffice Dialog Boxes to be resized (previously only a small Dialog Box opened, which meant you couldn't see very many files; you, therefore, had to scroll all over the place to view your files).

WP also allows you to perform much better file management capabilities from the Open Dialog Box, including Undo, Move, Copy, Print File List, etc.

WP still wins outright when it comes to Previewing a File, as you have the following options:

  • Tear Off (Separate Preview Window)
  • Content (Choose either Draft, or Normal View—Draft View doesn't display Graphics; this speeds Previewing files)
  • Page View (Choose which size you prefer in this View: Original, Window [e.g. whole page], or Window Width
  • Find, i.e., a specific word in the document you're Previewing

The only notable aspect that Word has is that its Properties are slightly better (and, of course, History—see below).

Word & WP: Save/Save As

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WP has far more 'Save As' file types

Word: Save As Web Page
WP : Publish to HTML

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In Word, it's as easy as saving a standard document.  WP2002 has simplified (and amplified the power of) its HTML publishing.

Word still has the edge though, as MS made Web-enabling Word (and MSOffice) its Number 1 feature/goal.

Word: Search
WP: Incorporated into the Open 
Dialog Box

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Microsoft has vastly improved MSOffice's FIND facility, which was previously lame compared to WP.

WP gets the point, though, because the interface is much easier to use and understand than Microsoft's is.

Word & WP: Properties

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Both are excellent.  Again, each program has options the other doesn't, e.g., WP allows you to extract information about a document and save it as a new file.  Word shows you the time you've worked on the document.

WP: Signature

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Both programs allow you to Digitally sign your document.

Word: Track Changes
WP: Document Review

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Both are excellent, although Word users have to be very careful, as you MUST check the 'Warn' check box to ensure Word removes tracking information before sending files to clients etc, as a known issue in Word is that recipients can (embarrassingly) see your Tracked Changes even after you remove them (this is why Microsoft has specifically added this option to WordXP)

Word: Default . . .
WP: Document Style

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I really like the way Word has DEFAULT on some of its Dialog Boxes.  However, and it's a big However, WP does provide a much more comprehensive, coordinated approach to setting defaults, & more can be set without having to create, delete, & rename the default Template.

Word & WP: Margins

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No contest.  You can edit   WP's margins directly on the page.  In the Page Setup Box, you can hit either EVEN or MINIMUM to have WP automatically set all margins even, i.e., 1.5 cm Top, Bottom, Left, & Right; or even set them to the absolute minimum for your Printer.  No annoying messages about margins being outside the printable area.  WP knows what is allowed and won't let you set a margin that can't print.

WP: Subdivide
Word: Section Breaks

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WP allows you to split your page, e.g., halves, quarters, eighths, etc.  Particularly useful if you want one page with different margins, boxes, columns, etc.

You can use Section Breaks in Word, but as usual, it's nowhere near as easy, flexible, or powerful as WP.

In addition, Word only allows you to insert Section Breaks horizontally not vertically.

Page Definitions
e.g., Letter, A4

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Easier to select, create, etc in WP.

WordXP has improved again, but it is still lagging far, far behind WordPerfect.

Word & WP: Print

5

 

WordXP has borrowed some of WP's features, but WP's interface is superior—and the HELP files are much better than Word's.

Word & WP: Print Preview

5

1

WP only added this feature in version 9—only to accommodate people switching from Word (and those who didn't realize that WP is in a constant state of WYSIWYG [What You See Is What You Get]).

Therefore, unlike Word, Print Preview isn't needed.  However, if you do decide to use Print Preview in WP, you still have access to all your Toolbars & Property Bars without having to go to View/Toolbars.

The only good thing about Print Preview in Word is the ability to see all pages in your document, which is good for spotting blank pages after a Mail Merge.

WP: Publish to PDF

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You can only do this in WP.  You would have to pay hundreds of dollars/pounds to buy Adobe's Acrobat program in order to convert your Word documents to PDF.

Word & WP: Send To . . .

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Both have options the other doesn't, e.g., you can send to a Compressed Folder or My Documents from WP, but you can send a document for Review from Word.

Word: Recent Documents

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A great new addition to MSOffice 2000 was the History Folder, which shows the last 50 documents used.  I always thought that something like this would be a great idea.  However, you can also see at least 40 of your most recent Corel documents by using 'New Project'.

FILE MENU POINTS

WP: 50

Word: 12

 

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