Following tips help you to learn a software in lesser time and in an efficient manner:
1. After installing a software package, look for any README file in the installed folder. Besides company and product details, it may give an overview of features, usages and limitations of the software.
2. Next run the software and have a feel of the look of the software. Identify the different parts of its main screen.
3. Look for the information shown in the TITLE-BAR of the main screen. Usually, it shows the product name. If the application is SDI (Single Document Interface like Notepad) or MDI (Multiple Document Interface like MS Word) then title-bar will also contain name of the opened file. Similarly, there may be STATUS-BAR at the bottom that shows the operation being performed.
4. Then comes the main MENU-BAR. Most of the GUI based software have common menu-items. So its better to learn once-for-all. Some of the common menu-items are:
FILE, EDIT, VIEW, TOOLS, WINDOWS, HELP.
Each of these names are intuitive itself.
-The FILE menu will have operations NEW, OPEN, SAVE, SAVE AS, PAGE SETUP, PRINT,CLOSE and EXIT.
-Similarly, EDIT menu contains editing operations like CUT, COPY, PASTE, FIND AND REPLACE.
-The VIEW menu helps in controlling the view of the software GUI. You can switch on-off various toolbars.
-The TOOLS menu usually have options to customize the software you like and also other supporting functionalities like Read-Aloud function in a word processor package.
-The HELP menu may contain GETTING STARTED tutorial, detailed indexed and searchable help and ofcourse, a popup dialog-box that shows information about the software. It may also contain a link to website of the product.
5. Once acquainted with different menu and their menu-items, look at each menu again to find shortcuts to them. For example, Alt+F will take you to File menu. Some common shortcuts are:
Ctrl+N - New
Ctrl+O - Open
Ctrl+S - Save
Ctrl+Shift+S - Save As
Ctrl+P - Print
Ctrl+X - Cut
Ctrl+C - Copy
Ctrl+V - Paste
Ctrl+F - Find
6. Next have a look on various tool-bars that are present below menu-bars. They provide a visual shortcut to the desired operation. Examples are a paper folder on top right corner for NEW, an opened folder for OPEN, a scissor for CUT, two papers for COPY, a paper on clamp-pad for PASTE, floppy icon for SAVE and printer ICON for PRINT. A book or question mark icon represents HELP.
7. If the package is a development tool then start with the sample applications provided with it. It will help you understand what functionality level the package can provide. Also, you may need not start your application from scratch; it can be dervied from one of the sample application (provided source code is available).
8. Mostly, the menu-item name will tell its functionality. Even if it does then also try each operation available in the package.
9. You can master a software with its usage and little study. The best place for getting some help is the in-built help provided in the package itself.
10. Remember Internet is always there to solve your problem. Use a search-engine with appropriate phrase to get the best material available as solution to your query. You can visit my website: http://www.geocities.com/zainvi_sf for Tips and Tricks for various softwares, programming langauages and links to ther useful material available on the Internet.
Syed Feroz Zainvi has obtained M.Tech. (Comp Sc & Engg) degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (INDIA). His areas of interests are distributed computing, computer graphics and Internet Technologies. Currently, he is involved in Software Project Planning, Development and Management. His other interests include writing for magazines and contributing utility softwares on Magazine's CDs. He also have flair for teaching computer science with new teaching methodologies.
Rolling Meadows Cadillac Escalade rental .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareLooking at all the ads which promise to get rid... Read More
Although statistics often is blamed for various deadly sins --... Read More
The most important benefit of XML is its simplicity. Though... Read More
Your computer cost you from hundreds to thousands of dollars,... Read More
Some introduction into Great Plains Software products, now Microsoft Business... Read More
An operating system (abbreviated OS) is essentially the path through... Read More
Microsoft bought Navision, Denmark based software development company, along with... Read More
I started using PIP (Picture It Publishing) Platinum 2002 right... Read More
Handling character strings in Java is supported through two final... Read More
What is a Web Database?A web database is a database... Read More
If someone entered your home, uninvited and installed numerous cameras... Read More
In this article you will find some background information about... Read More
Spyware is like the new technological nuclear weapon on the... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions main middle market ERP application - Microsoft... Read More
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more... Read More
Great Plains Fixed Assets Management module is a robust tool... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains is now targeting large and midsize businesses... Read More
There are plenty of articles out there about how to... Read More
Are you a whiz at calculating financial information? Not the... Read More
Microsoft CRM was designed to be easily customizable. Microsoft CRM... Read More
Creating a new markup language.Introduction.General Reuse Markup Langauge, or GRML,... Read More
XML Server can be a Web Server that stores the... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions CRM is present several years on the... Read More
.NET platform does not support multiple inheritance. Do not confuse... Read More
There are two approaches for application integration:? Programmer's approach ?... Read More
Des Moines rental limo ..We've all seen the ads on TV for Netzero 3G.... Read More
IntroductionPHP can be used for a lot of different things,... Read More
There are two major WYSIWYG(What You See Is What You... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains has substantial mid-market share in the USA... Read More
Document Manager and Version HistoryIn previous articles I have discussed... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains has Project Accounting module where... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions CRM is present several years on the... Read More
Adware is a type of Spyware program that displays some... Read More
Are you ready? SQL Server 2005, the next-generation data management... Read More
What is 'adware'?Adware is basically software or scripts that are... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Solomon, Navision, Axapta, Microsoft CRM... Read More
There are several kinds of software piracy. The bottom line... Read More
When Great Plains Software introduced the first graphical accounting application... Read More
The software giants don't do everything and don't always produce... Read More
Fleet Maintenance Management is a critical position in any company... Read More
Program Flow is what you think it is. How the... Read More
Several years ago Microsoft purchased Great Plains Software, then Navision... Read More
How to delete the user? This is the first problem... Read More
Mike Dunville* had a decision to make. As the new... Read More
Anyone who has ever used Microsoft Word knows that it... Read More
Currently Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way of creating... Read More
Some introduction into Great Plains Software products, now Microsoft Business... Read More
MSN messenger is a pretty cool invention. I mean I'm... Read More
The Microsoft system preparation utility for Windows 2000 is a... Read More
What is Tripwire?Tripwire is a form intrusion detection system (IDS)... Read More
Software |