by John Sullivan

Lesson 2 - Content: Adding & Organizing Information

Inserting Information-

You have two choices: type in the information or cut and paste from your previous syllabi, note that titles are in separate boxes from the text.

• When inserting text, place the curser in the left hand box in the place where you want the information (#1). This will generally highlight everything in the area.
• Begin typing or Cut and Paste information from a previous syllabus done in Word or another compatible word processor.
• If the information does not fit in the space, the program will ask if you want to use "autoflow." Clicking "yes" will automatically continue the information on another page; clicking "no" will let you decide at a later time (just don't forget). You may need to adjust margins so that the information fits visually.
• Continue inserting the necessary information. Move through the document by choosing the appropriate page number at the bottom of the screen.

Continuing Information-

To continue information onto another page, place the cursor at the end of the information that is to be continued. The screen will indicate that there is more information not showing because of the clear box that says "A…".

Click on the "link" icon at the top of the screen; this will replace the cursor arrow with a cup. Choose the page where the information will be continued on, and the column that the information will be continued in. Move the cup cursor to that column and click; this will insert the information in this part of the document.

To insert "continued from #" or "continued to #", place the cursor at the end of the column on the first page. Click the right mouse button, choose "Change Frame" and then "Text Frame Properties". At the bottom of the box that appears, choose "continued from #" or "continued to #" as needed. Do the same for the first column on the continued page.

Inserting Additional Pages-

The Wizard will initially set up the document with four pages. To add pages, click on "Insert" at the top of the screen and then select "Pages." Choose the number of pages to be inserted or choose "More Options" to copy an existing page's layout, multiple pages, and the pages' placement in the document.

General Information-

If you entered your personal information in the Wizard, this will be displayed throughout the document. Modify the information by clicking on it and adding or deleting as needed. Note that some information on the first page, like Newsletter Title and Volume number, are repeated on the other pages in the Headers or Footers. Changing this information on the first page will change it throughout the document.

Reader Considerations-

Fonts- Changing fonts is done the same way as in Word. Keep in mind, though, that using too many fonts will make the document too busy. Usually the title font is determined by the template layout.

Captions and quotes- Some caption boxes are shaded so the background will not print. Right clicking on the box and selecting "Change Frame" will bring up the options of changing the fill color or adding a line around the box. I recommend the latter.

Continuing information- My students have noted that if a section continues beyond two pages, the information gets too confusing to follow. Keeping the information on a maximum of two pages should alleviate this problem.

Page Layouts- Don't put too much information on one page. You may have to omit information from the document, or place it on a separate page to prevent this. Also don't make the pages too busy; use graphics, quotes, and text boxes purposefully. Don't continue too many articles; this too could discourage your audience from reading the entire article.

Next >