Herb Tyson Word Bible Blog

I’m not exactly sure why, but many of us have problems using Ctrl+Wheel to zoom to increase the size of text in Word (Word 2007 especially, but also in Word 2003) in Vista. I recall having a problem with zooming Word 2007 in Windows XP as well, but not in Word 2003. One of these days, I’ll fire up an old XP computer and see if my memory is correct.

Those of us who experience the problem find that in order to zoom using Ctrl+Wheel in Word, you have to twirl the mouse wheel really hard—a very quick flick. But, the amount of zoom you get is not controllable, since you have to flick hard rather than rotate the wheel in a controlled way. The problem also occurs in Outlook message and Notes areas (not Outlook note items, but in the notes area within Outlook items such as Contacts, Journal, and Task entries).

I don’t know if the problem is specifically IntelliPoint related, but when I remove IntelliPoint (using version 6.2 with a Microsoft Natural Wireless Mouse 6000 or 7000), the problem goes away when mouse control reverts to the default HID mouse driver. Switching to different 5-button Microsoft laser mice, however, does not appear to fix the problem. When I installed my new NWM 700 yesterday, right after inserting the new transceiver dongle, lo and behold, Ctrl+Wheel zoom suddenly worked correctly! However, it said I needed to reboot, and after rebooting, it was broken again.

When I connect the no-name mouse that came with my computer, Ctrl+Wheel in Word and Outlook work perfectly, since that mouse uses the default HID driver. So, it’s clearly some kind of problem with wireless Microsoft laser mice, and probably with IntelliPoint. I don’t have any old optical or ball-based Microsoft mice lying about (I’ve given them away to family members with mouse problems), so I can’t fully test the extent of the problem. However, I’ve seen occasional reports that things work correctly with the Microsoft ball mouse.

In any event, one purpose of this blog entry is for those of you who are also having this problem: you are not alone. As nearly as I can tell, the problem is due to how Word and certain Microsoft mice “talk” to each other. I’d be interested in knowing if other enhanced mice (such as those from LogiTech) exhibit the same zoom problem.

So, if the issue could be resolved simply by switching to the mouse that came with this computer, then why don’t I? I’m addicted to the programmable buttons on my Microsoft mice, and have programmed them to do nifty things, like closing windows/applications, going back/forward in browsers, etc. The mouse that came with my computer doesn’t have extra buttons. Furthermore, it doesn’t have a tilt wheel function for horizontal scrolling either.

So, I remain in search of a solution. I tried X-mouse, but that while it solved the zooming problem, it introduced a number of other problems, so I ultimately retreated back to IntelliPoint.

Mind you, there are other ways to zoom in Word, but they are either too clunky (too many steps) or require too much manual precision. One, for example, is to click the – and + on the zoom slider on Word’s status bar. I’m a bit of a klutz, however, I and keep misfiring, clicking along the line rather than hitting the – and + tools.

In the meantime, I’ve found myself a macro-based keyboard shortcut for zooming that takes a lot of the edge off. I’ve also added tools for the macros, placing them onto the Quick Access Toolbar for zooming that requires less precision-clicking. I’m implemented a similar solution (toolbar only) in Outlook, since Ctrl+Wheel doesn’t cooperate there either.

The macros are quite simple:

Sub ZoomIn()
    On Error Resume Next
    With ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View
        .Zoom.Percentage = .Zoom.Percentage + 5
    End With
End Sub

And:

Sub ZoomIn()
    On Error Resume Next
    With ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View
        .Zoom.Percentage = .Zoom.Percentage – 5
    End With
End Sub

I assigned ZoomIn and ZoomOut to Ctrl+Alt+< and Ctrl+Alt+>, respectively. Note that I’ve set the zoom granularity to 5. The default for the – and + buttons is 10—it’s also that for Ctrl+Wheel, when it works. But, I preferred a little more granularity. I tried 1, but it was a bit too slow. I’ve also put zoom arrow onto the QAT for easy mouse access when the mouse is near the top of the screen.

When I wrote the Word 2007 Bible, there were some features that weren’t working quite right for me yet, so I could not write about them in detail. One was the Open Existing tool, shown at the right.

If you use Word 2007 for blogging—and I do—have you ever posted something and then noticed an error in it? I have. If the blog entry is still open in Word, you can immediately fix the error and then click Publish. The existing entry will be replaced rather than duplicated.

But, what about after you’ve closed the entry? It might be weeks or months later. Or, a picture you linked to has disappeared, and has been replaced by an ugly X or some other nasty indicator that there’s an unwanted gap. Many users then resort to using their blog’s web interface to do the repairs. But, it might not necessary. Thanks to the Open Existing tool, you might be able to edit your previously posted blog entries!

Why do I say might? I say it because what works for me, might not work for you. It wasn’t working for me a year ago, and unless you’re using WordPress 2.5 or later, it might not be working for you, now. But, it’s worth a try.

To access the Open Existing tool, you need to be in blog mode. So, click on Office button > Publish > Blog.

Tip: Right-click on Blog and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar for quicker access to the Blog command.

Now that you’re in blog mode, click the Open Existing tool. Word will begin with the default blog and make a list of entries. Note that these are not stored locally on your hard drive—they are stored on your blog’s server. If you have multiple accounts, use the Account dropdown, if necessary, to choose the desired blog.

From the list of posts, click on the one you want to edit, and click OK. Word will load the entry from your published blog so that you can edit it. Make your changes, then click Publish.

The bad news, alas, is that you cannot delete a blog entry using Word’s interface (at least not that I’ve been able to discover—please let me know if I’ve overlooked something). You’ll need to use your blog’s web interface to do that.

Categories

While you’re here, you might see something you haven’t seen before—the Category tool. Depending on how your blog is hosted, you should be able to choose the desired category from a list of existing categories. You also might be able to create new categories. I use WordPress 2.5, hosted by Lunarpages (a wonderfully affordable web and email provider, by the way—if you choose them, please tell them that Herb sent you).

Using this implementation of WordPress, I can apply an existing category, but only one. I cannot create a new category. If I type a new category name, it is ignored. But, it is cool to at least be able to set the category. Since I use just a single category for most of my posts, this feature usually saves me a trip to the web interface. But, as they say, YMMV.

On page 718 of the Word 2007 Bible, I incorrectly stated that the default location for changes to the QAT is Normal.dotm. If you read that and believed it, then you might’ve scratched your head ponderously if you ever deleted or renamed Normal.dotm (which is often done to try to resolve problems). That’s because when you delete or rename Normal.dotm, your custom QAT is not affected.

The reason, pointed out by reader Alan Gorski, is that changes to the default QAT are NOT stored in Normal.dot. Instead, they are stored in WORD.QAT. If you use Vista, the default location is C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office. In Windows XP, it’s C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office.

You can save QAT changes to Normal.dotm by editing it, then setting it as the storage location when customizing the QAT, as shown here:

This is basically pointless, however, since anything you add just to Normal.dotm will then be appended to the usual QAT. This is true not only when Normal.dotm is being edited directly, but when any other document (regardless of the underlying template) is being edited, as well.