Cursor Vs Insertion Pointer
Cursor is the vertical blinking bar usually appear in most text editors, word processors. The place of the cursor indicates where the next typed in character from the keyboard would appear. There is a misconception that the insertion pointer or ‘I’ beam is also cursor. The insertion pointer is just a form of our mouse pointer that appear when it is moving upon any text area. The insertion pointer is used to move the cursor from one place to another place.
Current Page Vs Viewing Page
The page in which the cursor exists is known as current page. You can scroll your mouse or use scroll bars to view another part of your document. But this scrolling action would not cause the cursor to move.
Cursor Moving or Navigation Keys
You can move the cursor from one place to another within the text using mouse or keyboard. There are certain keys on the keyboard that are known as navigation keys. Those are pageup, page down, home, end and arrow keys.
Mouse method:
Keyboard method:
Insert key
The Insert key on the keyboard is used to toggle on or off the insertion mode in some software. While working in insertion mode the new typed in character would push the right-side character to the cursor towards right and sits in its place. While Insert mode is off, the newly typed in character would replace the right-side character to the cursor. The default insertion mode on.
Delete Vs Backspace
There two correction keys to correct typing mistake on the keyboard are delete and backspace. The delete key removes the right-side character to the cursor while backspace removes the left-side character to the cursor.
Non-Printing Characters
Three special keys on the keyboard that are misunderstood as navigation keys. They are Space, Tab and Enter. These are known as invisible or non-printing characters. There would certain option available in some word processors to view these characters on screen. These are characters won’t get printed but with an option we can print them too.
Space: inserts a blank character worth of a single character size
Tab: inserts a big blank character worth of 8 characters size. The place where cursor would stop, when you press Tab key is known as tab stop position. Default tab stop position is 0.5 inch. We can change this distance using Tab Stop Settings.
Enter: inserts a new blank line or starts a new paragraph
What is a paragraph?
In general, a paragraph is considered to be a group of sentences that spans number of lines. But in computer software, the Enter key press starts new paragraph. Hence, there would a paragraph with single word too. We should not use Enter key to start new line in the same paragraph. The number of lines into which the text of paragraph is displayed is depends upon:
Boundary of the paragraph
There will be a boundary or extent to the paragraph. The entire text of paragraph is displayed within that boundary only. In some software the boundary is margin, in other it is the text box and in others it is the window.
Text Selection Methods
Selection is the process of highlighting desired text. The selected text can be replaced, deleted, moved, duplicated or formatted. We will know what are various text selection methods available.
Text Selection methods with Mouse:
Text Selection methods with keyboard:
Formatting is the process of making the text or selected text attractive. It is used to highlight or giving significance from the selected text from the rest of the document. Formatting options can be applied before or after typing text. If you select a formatting option before selecting any text, the formatting style will be applied to the next typed in characters. Formatting options can also be applied to selected or unselected text. If you have not selected text, those options will be applied to the cursor position. The next typed in characters from that cursor position will take that formatting style.
Even if you have not changed, the present formatting style at cursor position will always be maintained to the next typed in text.
There are number of formatting options available in word processing software. Based on the extent to which formatting styles are applied formatting options are divided into two types.
They are
Text Level or Font Level Formatting
These formatting options will be selected text. If nothing has been selected, then these will be applied to the current cursor position.
The following are various formatting options
Font Model
It is the name or model of the font family.
Two types of Font Families
Decorative: used for Headings. Some of the font models won’t support small letters.
Running: used for paragraph or plain text
Font Style
These options are used to emphasis the text.
Bold
Italic
Underline
Strikethrough
Sub Script
Super Script
Font Color
There are two types of Colors
Font Color
Highlight Color
Font Size
Font size is usually considered as text appearance size on the screen. In fact, Font size is the text print size on the paper. 1 point font size = 1/72 inch on the paper.
What is Paragraph level formatting?
These formatting options will be applied to the current paragraph when nothing is selected. Select the number of paragarphs to apply formatting styles for more than one paragraph.
How many Paragraph Level formatting?
What is Alignment?
Specifies the arrangement of lines in the paragraph.
Types of Alignment:
Left: First letters in each line of the paragraph to be aligned
Right: Last letters in each line of the paragraph to be aligned
Center: Middle letters in each line of the paragraph to be aligned
Justify: Both left and right ends of the paragraph to be aligned
What is Indentation?
Uniform Space between paragraph boundary and text. Click on arrow at lower right corner of Paragraph group in Home Tab to apply indentation. We also use Indent tabs on the ruler to set indentation. For a single paragraph We can apply only one type of alignment at a time but all indentation at a time.
Types of Indents
Left Indent: Space between left boundary and all the lines in the paragraph.
Right Indent: Space between Right boundary and all the lines in the paragraph
First Line: space between left boundary and first line of the paragraph. The remaining lines of the paragraph start from left boundary.
Hanging Indent: space between left boundary and all the lines of the paragraph except first line.
What is Line spacing?
Line spacing the space between bases of two lines in the paragraph. The line space usually maintained by software so that it is adjusted with the modification of font size. It means line space should be greater than or equal to font size but not below to that.
Types of Line Spacing
Single
Double
Multiple
Atleast
Exactly
What is Paragraph Spacing?
Space maintained between two paragraphs is known as paragraph spacing.
Types of paragraph spacing
Before paragraph
When this option is checked, each paragraph in your document maintains some specified space from its predecessor. Remember, even the first paragraph of the document also maintains space from top margin.
After paragraph
When this option is checked, each paragraph in your document maintains some specified space from its successor. Remember, even the last paragraph of the document also maintains space from top margin.
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