Euro-software.co.uk

Affordable software solutions
Euro Software
Office 2009
Image Editing
Video Editing
3D Modeling
DJ Mixing
Audio Editing
Accounting
Zip It
PDF Tools
Astronomy
Flight Simulation
Learning Zone
Contact Us
All our customers have access  to numerous FREE online tutorials for the Software supplied by us.
Learning a new Software Program.

 

If you’re going to go the self-taught route, I highly recommend doing it when you have a good chunk of uninterruptible time. I’m talking hours/days not minutes. Trying to learn software on your lunch hour during the school year will most likely turn out to be an exercise in frustration. Find a time when you and your computer can have a few quality hours with each other. Also pick a time of day when, to paraphrase my son, your learning cells are on. I know, if I try to learn a new software package after everyone else is in bed, and I’ve been up since the crack of dawn, I just wind up staring at the screen and the next thing I know it’s two a.m. and my desk has made a nice impression on the side of my face. Once you’ve cleared your calendar and your head, turn off the phone, quit your email program, close the office door, and run through as much of the software’s tutorial as you can. Try to avoid any other computer tasks while you’re learning, this is not the time to multitask.

After you’re gone through the tutorials and feel as if you’ve gotten a handle on what the software is about. Open a new document and play around with the program. Pull down every menu and try every menu choice you can. Since this is not your project, don’t worry if things get messed up. This is also a good time to work on experimenting with undo and redo (if these options exist). Make mistakes and try to fix them. I know this is a difficult thing to do for us Type A personalities, but after you get over the initial trauma of making an intentional mistake, it can be quite fun.

At this point you should be fairly comfortable with the software, so now it’s time to tackle your project. Again, I highly recommend doing this long before any deadline. Give yourself time to work through any problems. To help you solve any problems not covered in the user manual subscure to that particular software FORUM Usually there’s someone who has an answer to your particular problem, or can point you in the right direction. I can’t guarantee a 100% stress-free experience, but I can say from personal experience that if you follow the steps described here your software learning should go smoothly.

 
 
 

    Typical online training module

 

       

 
 

 Learning New Software - for you lot that will not read the manual!

 

I use the menu bar.

Most pieces of software have a menu bar. It's that little line of text right near the top of the window that contain words such as "File", "Edit", and "Help". With 98% of the software on the market (yes, I made that statistic up), you can perform every software-related function by clicking on items in the menu bar.

Before I continue, I must tell you to make sure you do any experimentation on a new document or one that you are using for experimentation. Standard disclaimers apply.

1. The beginning...

When you click on a menu bar option, more options pop out from the option that you selected. If you select another major heading, such as selecting "Edit" from "File," the previous options disappear and new options appear relating to editing. By clicking on all of the major headings, you can see just about all of the features available in the software.

2. Use the arrow keys and watch the status bar

If your application has a status bar on the bottom of the window, then here's a great tip that may work for you. Instead of using your mouse to navigate the menus, use the arrow keys. It's quite simple - to choose between master menu bar options, use the left and right arrow keys. To choose between options in the menus that pop up from the main menu bar, use the up and down arrow keys. Why do this? Well, while you are navigating the menus, text may appear in the status bar. This text should describe the function of the menu option that is currently selected. By using the cursor keys instead of the mouse, you can see quick synopses of the functions that you can perform with your software.

3. Connect the dots

Normally, when you click on one of the menu options that pop out from the menu bar, you immediately perform a function. When the option, however, ends with an ellipsis (three dots), the software is telling you that selecting the option will instead bring up a dialog box or window. This is like the software telling you, "ok, I know you want to perform this function, but first, I need a little more information from you." If you plan on experimenting with learning software, try these menu options first.

4. Menus and submenus and sub-submenus, oh my.

If you see a menu bar option with a miniature arrow pointing right, clicking on that menu bar option brings up more menu bar options (sub-submenus) related to the option that you selected (whew!) For example, in Openoffice, if you choose the "View" menu, a menu option called "Toolbars" will appear. Selecting the "Toolbars" option (which has an arrow pointing right), brings up another submenu where you can select the types of toolbars to display.

5. I can't do that?!?

Every now and then you will see menu options that are grayed. You can not select these options, at least for now. Most of these options are only appropriate in certain sections of the application or when you are performing some other functions. Don't worry about these options for now - keep on experimenting with the options that you can select.

6. Checkmate

Some menu bar options actually relate to program options that you can turn on or off. You will know that this is the case if you select a menu bar option and nothing appears to happen. If you go back to the menu bar option and you see a check (or you see a blank space where a check previously existed), you should now realize that you turned a program option on or off.

In summary, this is just a basic overview of how to use menu bars. I did not cover menu bar shortcuts and program-specific menu bar features. I just wanted to show you that, by using the menu bar, you could see much of what your software can do. Don't be afraid - experiment with your software. I've seen people about ready to spend £150 for software, when the features found in said package could already be found in another program already on the system.