

Each press of a left- or right-pointing arrow key moves the cursor one character position in the direction of the arrow, each press of an up- or down-pointing arrow key moves the cursor up or down one line.
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The cursor can also be moved by pressing one of the arrow keys on the keyboard. If the word processing program supports the use of a mouse, the cursor can be moved to a new position by repositioning the mouse pointer and pressing a button on the mouse. We will refer to each type as a “cursor.” Many modern word processing programs use an insertion point indicator that is a vertical bar narrow enough to be displayed between characters.

The cursor may be a horizontal bar that is displayed beneath text characters or a rectangle that overlays each character. The cursor indicates the position at which the next character entered will be placed. The Cursor.Word processing programs display either an on-screen cursor or an insertion point indicator. Often, selecting the menu title “opens” that menu directly beneath the title. An option title is selected from the menu to initiate that option. Each menu groups and summarizes specific areas of the program’s functions. With these word processing programs, selecting a menu name results in a display of that menu. Menu Options.Many modern word processing programs also include a set of keywords across the top of the screen that refers to menus that provide program options. The big difference is that the characters are not printed directly to paper, but are instead displayed on the monitor screen.ĭocument Status.Usually the word processing program includes status information at the top or at the bottom of the screen that displays the name of the file you are working on and the page, line, and character number related to the current position in the document. The characters and punctuation are typed using a keyboard that looks very much like the one on a typewriter. Word Processing Program Design.For many first-time users, a computerized word processing program might seem very much like using a typewriter. In addition to text, a modern word-processed document can contain special page-design elements such as lines and boxes designed to make pages easier to read. Today, if you are using a modern, full-featured word processing program, your documents can even include graphics. If the computer has a printer attached, the document can be printed as often as necessary. Such a file can be revised and reformatted as often as necessary. Word processing programs include features that are used to create, edit, format, save, and print documents.įor our purposes, we will define a word processing document as a text file that was created using a computerized word processing program. A word processing program can be used to create letters, memos, and a variety of other types of documents. Word processing refers to the use of a computer program to prepare and print documents. This problem was solved when computer word processing programs gave you a chance to preview the pages of your document before they were printed. And because you didn’t get a chance to see your words until they were on paper, by the time you realized you had made a mistake it was too late: you had to try to erase the mistake or start the document over. Although the typewriter did a fair job of getting readable characters into paper, once they were there it was hard to get them off.

In the past, people processed words using typewriters.
