In OUTLOOK EXPRESS 6, if you have a problem opening an attachment check :
TOOLS, OPTIONS, SECURITY
and see that "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus." is not checked.

November 2005: Some new information is included in the PROGRAM VERSIONS and FILE FORMATS section.

This booklet was composed by the Computer Use and Education Committee for a couple of reasons: As a handout from a Workshop that was held and secondly, to provide a resource for the ministry of church secretaries.

It is also composed making some assumptions about those who will be reading it.

Basic Assumption: That you are relatively familiar with using a computer with the Windows Operating System and with the Word processor and Web Browser/E-mail Program which you use.

Therefore, we will try and deal with issues that have been identified as problems/questions related to the Church Office.

Second Assumption: That not everyone is using the same Program or combination of Programs. This means that some of the material will be of no interest to you.

Third Assumption: That those using it will share their experience so that all may learn better ways to use the Computer in the Church.
 

SOME GENERAL COMMENTS
 

Some of this may be too simplified and unnecessary for you but is included here as background to what comes later. Please excuse the printing of the obvious.

(A)Not all printers will accept the same margins. Therefore, with some, it is important that when using landscape with the intention of folding , that "Top" and "Bottom" be the same as they become right and left sides.

In fact it is convenient to have all margins the same so as not to be concerned about it.

If the file is moved from one printer to another, what fits on a page on one may not on another.

(B) If you are intending to print double sided, (ODD - EVEN PAGES) do not print in reverse order or you will need to re-arrange the pages before you put them in again.

HINT: If using an inkjet printer and cheaper (20lb) paper it is best to print the pages on one side only and put them back to back on the photocopier as there is a danger of show through.

PROGRAM VERSIONS and FILE FORMATS

As you know, each update of a program is different not only in how it works but also often in the way it creates its files. This means that even though the name is the same, often the older program will not open files created by the newer one. If you are sharing files with others, either within the office or externally, it is a good idea to set your program to save in the older version.

In order for programs to accept files from other versions/programs, they must have the proper FILE CONVERTER installed. This may mean getting it from your Windows CD or your Program CD or, in the case of files from versions or programs newer than yours, getting a"patch" off a web site. For example: This is the reason that some people have no problem with a particular file while others do even when they are running the same programs.

Also, if you plan on sharing text files, especially by sending them as attachments to people whose programs you don't know, it is best to save/send them in RICH TEXT FORMAT (RTF) if they are files that might be edited or incorporated in other documents by the receiver. They will SOMETIMES lose some of the format or graphics but all the text will be there. However, they can be opened by other programs including WORDPAD.

If, however, they are files that are intended for reading or printing without changes such as posters, booklets, etc. it is best to send them as PDF (Portable Document Format) which are read with ACROBAT READER. (ACROBAT READER is a free download from the web. There are a number of programs that will convert to PDF; one that you can find online through a "Google" search is "PDF995".)

(Note: PDF995 is available FREE. The free version, however, displays a sponsor page in your web browser each time you run the software. If you would prefer not to see sponsor pages, you can upgrade by paying a small fee - currently US$9.95.)

If you are not concerned about formatting, the best way to send a document is by pasting it into the message. Then everyone will get it.

Warning: Do not try to send spreadsheet, database, or graphic files as RTF or text - that is what results in "computer garbage" on the receiver's screen. These should always be sent as attached files in their original format or, if print-outs, as PDF files.

Are Graphics / Photos / Clip art puzzles for you? The first thing to remember is that they can be in any number of formats such as bmp,. tiff, jpg, gif, wpg, wmf, pcx, etc.

In order for you to use them they have to be converted to that which your program will accept. Sometimes when a program is installed not all the GRAPHIC CONVERTERS/FILTERS (GRAPHIC CONVERTS and FILE CONVERTS are different, in case you need to install one or the other. (MS WORD calls Graphic Converters "Graphic Filters") are also installed which means that you can't use some formats. They are usually found on the program disk and so you can install them later as you need them.

Hints: bmps, tifs and some others are often very large files and if your computer has limited memory (RAM) they may slowdown the program and take a long time to print.

For all practical purposes, ONLY JPG and GIF formats will show in Web Browsers and therefore only these can be used on the Internet. Also, they are much smaller file formats and thus should be used as the graphic in any documents that are sent as attachments unless the purpose is one which demands extremely high quality reproduction.

When using graphics in documents, you should pay attention to how they are "anchored". The three choices are: page, paragraph, character. Also there are many choices such as " behind" or "in front of text" plus a lot of "styles" and other aspects. You need to play with them to get a feel of how they work.

Hints: When using graphics on the Church Bulletin within the body of the bulletin where the text moves up and down, use either "paragraph" or "character" for the anchor and/or have the graphic "in front of" the text so you can click on it to move it.

If you want to put text in a graphic, put the graphic "behind" the text.

A URL for Graphics: http://www.wecare.org/graphic.hml

Again, it may be that you have not installed the fonts when your program was installed. The program usually installs only some of those available and they may not be what you want. You might need to delete some to install different ones. Check your program or Windows disk and you might find that the one you want is there.

If not they may be available off the Net or you can get them in most stores on disk.

Hint: If you get a document that appears as little boxes on your screen, it is possibly because you don't have its font in your program.

Select the text and change the font and see if that cures it.

If it is computer code ("Computer Garbage") then it is likely that you have a file from another program such as trying to open a Spreadsheet with a Word processor or maybe a graphic that has been attached or saved in a text form.
 
 

Browsers

There are two main Web Browsers in common use - Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. They present themselves differently on the screen but do the same thing - that is display Web Pages.

There are a number of different Versions of each and they also look different from each other. Versions of both before Version 4 may not be able to display all Web Content and some content requires the latest Versions.

Internet Explorer (IE) is built into the Windows Operating System so everyone has it on their PC if they use it or not. This is important to know because there are some pages that will work in IE only.

A number of them are found on MSN (the MICROSOFT NETWORK). Therefore, if you are a Netscape user and are told to go to a *URL, and the page doesn't work but the person tells you that "it does so work", try going to it with IE.
 

* The URL is the Universal Resource Locator and it means the Address for the Web Site/page.

As with Word processors, it is also possible with Browsers and

E-mail programs that not all the available Converters or other features have been installed initially on your computer.

Also, it is possible that you have features turned on differently than the other person. (One such difference might be the "Tool Bars" which you are using.)

E-mail

As with Browsers, there are also two commonly used E-mail Programs, but unlike Browsers, there are a number of others that are popular.

The two common ones are Microsoft Outlook and Netscape Messenger. The first difference you will notice is that MS Outlook is a separate program but integrated with Internet Explorer while Netscape Navigator and Messenger operate as one program - Communicator.

One important difference is the "Helpers" or "Applications" that you have installed. They determine to a large part what will "Open" to the screen and what you need to "Save to disk" when received as an E-mail Attachment.

Hint: If have Virus Protection, and you should, clicking on "Open", depending upon the file, will result in the virus protection scanning it and in this case you need to save it to disk and open it with the program later.

Notes: Because of the many "worm" viruses that spread by using the MS OUTLOOK program, a number of people use Internet Explorer for their Browser but use a different program for E-mail, one popular E-mail Program used is Eudora.

On the other hand, most people who use Netscape Communicator use it for both purposes.

Computer Viruses/Worms etc are spread by sharing files either online of by exchange of diskettes.

I will not go into the different kinds here but will say that you share or receive files from another person, you should have an UP TO DATE ANTI-VIRUS program on your computer, especially if you are using E-mail. Also, make sure that it is updated regularly, no less than once a week.

(Norton's and some others have a "Live Update" Feature which will update the program when you are online but you need to stay online long enough for the update to happen.

Note: IF you are using MS OUTLOOK and have it set to disconnect when finished getting your messages, you may not be getting your "Live Updates"

Now, to lessen the fear, remember that you do not get viruses from Web Pages, Graphics, or Text files.

You do, however, get them from infected files with .exe, .com, .bat and some other endings and as MACRO Programs in MS WORD and MS EXCEL files. And recently by simply opening the e-mail message, therefore, the only solution is to have your Anti-virus up to date.

Also, the wise thing to do is to refrain from clicking on or opening an Attachment or file that you don't know what it is, EVEN IF YOU KNOW THE SENDER VERY WELL Send that person a message asking about it if you didn't expect to get it.

The reason for this is that if a person who does not have an up to date anti-virus program and is using MS OUTLOOK receives a worm type virus, the worm will send itself to those in that person's address book as part of a message seemingly coming from that person. (A few will also use the Netscape Address book or the SEND messages folder to get the addresses.

One trick to let you know that you're infected, is to made !10000WORMALERT the first address in your Address book. If a virus tries to send a message to all the people in your Address book the first message (since it is a phony address) will return marked "undeliverable." When you see this you will know that there is a worm, since obviously you haven't sent any mail to this phony address yourself. If this happens, disconnect from the Internet and disinfect your computer before you go back on.

To find out about the various Virus warnings or how to get rid of the one that has infected you, go to the following site and search for the virus.

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html

NOW:
 

We will look at some particular activities and problems that have been brought to our attention. Here again it will be necessary to speak in somewhat general terms because of differences in programs. We will be using COREL SUITE 8 and MICROSOFT OFFICE 2000 as our sample Word processor programs and Netscape or Internet Explorer for Web Browsing.

It is assumed that you know how to use Windows and your Word processor to write letters and create documents in portrait format setting margins, etc. And that you are familiar with E-mail and Web Browsing using your programs.

In Corel 8 WordPerfect. & Corel 7 WordPerfect

FORMAT

- Page - Page Setup

- 8.5x11

- Landscape

- Margins (.5 or a small as printer will accept) - EQUAL

- Divide Page - 2 Columns, 1 Row

Put in text and it will go from one column to the next and fill up as many columns (pages) as you have text for.

This will give you a divided page for printing on Bulletin Covers but beyond that your FOLDED pages may not work out in the correct order.

If you are doing many pages you may want to use the Booklet Printing feature. To do so:

Once you have it all done, you go to PRINT.

Chose 2 sided printing

Check the "Print as Booklet" box

Then Print ODD PAGES

" " EVEN PAGES

In WordPerfect 7 proceed as in WordPerfect 8 except choose

PRINT

- Options

- Booklet

NOTES: THE PAGE FOR PRINTING INSIDE THE BULLETIN COVER IS EVEN (The Cover is the first ODD Page).

If using Booklet when printing on preprinted bulletin covers, a simply way to do it is to leave the first page (Page 1) blank so that the inside is an "Even" page.

"Word" will not do Booklet Printing. With MS products you need "Publisher" to get the same feature.

FILE

- Page setup

- Margins

- Paper size - 8.5x11 - Landscape

- Whole Document

FORMAT

- Columns - 2 - equal

Put in text and it will go from one column to the next and fill up as many columns (pages) as you have text for.

This will give you a divided page for printing on Bulletin Covers but beyond that your FOLDED pages may not work out in the correct order.

In WORD 2000

FILE

- Page Setup

- Margins - Set and click 2 per sheet

- Page size- Landscape

- Enter Test - PRINT

Blank Publications

Book Fold

FILE

- Page Setup

- Landscape

- Number of pages - start with 4

- Click on pointer tool and then use it to make the margins

- Click on A and make a text Frame

- Enter Text (F9 will enlarge it to be read

FILE - PRINT

What is an "attachment"?

If you want to send a file to another person via e-mail, you "attach" it to the message. In this way it goes exactly as you have it on your computer.

Common attachments are: word processor documents, spreadsheets, databases and graphics.

They appear as file names at the end of the message and you save them to your favourite directory and open them with the appropriate program.

Some versions of E-mail programs have a paperclip symbol to show that there is an attachment. When a message is forwarded, the original message is an "attachment".

With the exception of web pages, text files, and graphics in .jpg or .gif format attachments can not be opened by your web browser.

Using Netscape

Click on COMMUNICATOR - Messenger

Attaching a file to send

New Message

Put in the address

Put in the subject

Put in your text

Click on ATTACH

Click on file

Go to the Directory (e.g.: My Files) that contains the file you want to attach and highlight it and either "Double click" or Click on "Open"

The name will appear in the window.

Send the message as usual.

Hints: You may attach any kind of file you wish.

It is a good idea to put your message in UNSENT MESSAGES (OUT BOX) by clicking on "Send Later" and then go to the Unsent Messages folder and view your message before you send it. That way you will know that everything is as you want it.

You should check that those receiving the file can open it, before you send it. If you are not sure, you should send it as TEXT if possible, or if a graphic, as JPG or GIF format as they can be viewed on screen or by the Browser.

If you want to maintain document format, save it in RTF (RICH TEXT FORMAT) before you attach it.

( To save in RTF, with the document on your screen, go to FILE, click on SAVE AS , and then choose Rich Text Format (RTF) from the "File Type box. Then save. The file will have a .RTF ending.,

As said earlier, do not attempt to save a Spreadsheet, a Database or a Graphic in RTF format, only documents.

Opening an attachment

Click on the name in the box at the bottom of the message.

If you have a suitable program set up under "Applications", click on "open".

If not click on "Save to disk" and save it where you want. Then "open" it later. Make sure you remember where you put it. If not go to save again and look at where it went. !!!!!

Using MS Outlook

Attaching a file to send

New Mail

Put in the address

Put in the subject

Put in your text

Click on INSERT

Click on File Attachment

Go to the Directory that contains the file you want to attach and highlight it and either "Double click" or Click on "Open"

The name will appear in the window in the "attach" field.

Send the message as usual.

See Notes in section

Opening an attachment

Click on the "paperclip" to see the attachment.

To save it click on FILE

Click on "save attachment".

UPDATE NOTE: In OUTLOOK EXPRESS 6, if you have a problem opening an attachment check :
TOOLS, OPTIONS, SECURITY
and see that,
“"Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus."
Is not checked.

Using Netscape

Click on COMMUNICATOR - Navigator

Put the URL in the "Location: " box and hit enter.

Or use search to find a URL to visit.

When you find a site you like "bookmark" it to return to it again

Using Internet Explorer

Put URL in "Address" box

Or use search to find a URL to visit.

When you find a site you like add it to "Favorites" to return to it again.

The following URLs are relevant to your Church work (and you can use them to practice. :-).)

General Council - http://www.united-church.ca

Maritime Conference - http:// www.marconf.ca

Notes: In some cases UPPER CASE is different from lower case
so watch that you have it correct or you may get an "error" or a different site than intended.
Also "htm" is different from "html" so be careful to have it correct.

Searching

When entering search words, you should be as complete as possible the first time. i.e.: "United Church of Canada" (use the quotes or it will treat each word as a separate one to search for.)

If that doesn't get you enough answers then reduce it.

e.g.: "United Church" (This will get you United Churches around the world unless you limit it, thus the above comment. )

Hint: When using "Search this site" on the United Church Web Site, use quotes or click on "Free Text" if you are using more than one word, e.g.: "White Gift"

A commonly used search engine is http://www.google.com

Use it to do searches on the internet!

Getting text from Web Pages

The easiest way to get text from Web Pages is the "CUT and PASTE" method .

However, Web Pages can also be saved and then later brought into your Browser for viewing or printing or saving in a different format. Some pages can be conveniently printed from the browser.

(Update Hint: ) If you have a problem printing from your Browser such as the Printer only doing one line at a time when using Netscape, it is possible that the file will print using Internet Explorer only.

NOTE: To bring a Web Page into your Browser after you have saved it: Put your Directory as the URL in the box, i.e.: C:/ web pages. Then just click on it as with a Word processor.

Getting Graphics from Web Pages

In Netscape if you save a Web Page to disk, you will NOT get the Graphics so if you want to print it, graphics included, you should print it when you FIRST view it or make sure you save the graphics as well.

To save a Graphic or photo: Right Click on the image.

Then "Save Image". Put it in the directory you wish. Then it can be used later in a web page or document.

(If you are saving Web pages including the graphics, be sure that they are saved in the same directory or the web page won't be able to find the graphics)

In Internet Explorer when you save a Web Page you will have a file in the chosen Directory called by the name of your web page (name.html) and a sub-directory will be formed automatically called "name files/". This will contain the graphics from the page.

Getting Graphics from Web Pages

Remember that graphics/photos you see on the Web pages are usually in .jpg or .gif format and are also low quality which means that they often can not be enlarged and printed with a Word processor.

Hint: Do not open Web Pages with graphics in your Word processor UNLESS you have a lot of Memory (RAM). They take a long time and slow down the computer.