Transcription
Let's take a look at some fan favorite formatting tools on the toolbar in Google Docs. Before we begin, remember if you don't see all items on the toolbar, select the three dot menu at the end to reveal the full toolbar.
Now that we're all set, first on the list is Paint Format. Locate on the left side of the toolbar and shaped like a paint roller, Paint Format lets you quickly copy formatting from one piece of text to another. Simply highlight the formatted text that you do like, click the Paint Format icon, and then click or highlight the text you want to match that formatting. Watch how quickly and easily that formatting was applied! This is a timesaver for applying consistent styles throughout your document, especially when you have specific formatting or branding preferences.
Now, on the right side of the toolbar, traditional formatting tools are included, such as alignment, line and paragraph spacing, which includes a custom spacing option. There's also bulleted and numbered lists, and when using those lists, there are decrease and increase indent tools.
Let's actually circle back to a special tool in Google Docs called Checklist. Use the drop-down arrow beside of check Checklist called the Checklist menu and pick an option. The items can be marked out when checked or not. Select one or the other and notice that what is added to the document looks a lot like a bulleted list. Add items to this checklist. Now you or collaborators can check off the boxes. This is great for an action item list created during a meeting, maybe it's for personal to-do lists, for project management, and so much more. Just find what works best for you.
There is one more item on the toolbar at the very end called Clear Formatting. Often times when you copy and paste in text from an external source, the external format is included and doesn't really match your document format. Instead of adjusting that format manually, highlight that text that you pasted in from an external source and then select Clear Formatting from the toolbar. Look how fast that is! This tool removes the existing formatting and resets it to the document formatting. And that's it for the fan favorite formatting tools in Google Docs.
Let's take a look at some advanced formatting tools tucked away in the menu bar of Google Docs. Let's look at headers and footers in Google Docs. These are designated areas at the top and the bottom margins of each page, respectively. You can insert text, page numbers, or images in these sections. Headers and footers are ideal for adding recurring information like document titles, author names, maybe it's logos or page numbers, keeping them consistent throughout your entire document.
So, to add or edit a header or footer, one option is to select the Insert menu, and then select Headers and Footers, and select an option that is provided. The other option is to double-click in the header or footer area. A line will appear across the screen, essentially cutting off the document and turning on the header or footer so that you can edit it. For both the header and the footer, an options menu is available. For a header, this includes Header format, Page numbers, and Remove header. For a footer, the options are similar. On the very first page only, a different first page button is available, allowing the title page to be different from all other pages of the document. Inserting and formatting content in the header and footer is the same as inserting and formatting content in the main body of the document.
A great feature in Google Docs is Find and Replace, which is also a popular feature found in other word processors. You can select the Edit menu, and then select Find and Replace. A popup menu appears. You can type in the text to find, type in the text that it should be replaced with, and then using the options below, you can select things such as Match case, Use regular expression, and Ignore diacritics. Once you're ready, use the buttons along the bottom, such as Replace, Replace All, Previous, and Next. This Google Doc feature is a powerful tool for making quick and consistent text edits throughout your document. It is useful for fixing typos, applying terminology changes, and so much more.
Let's look at the built-in Table of Contents in Google Docs. The purpose of a Table of Contents in Google Docs is mainly to provide quick access to areas of the document. With the Table of Contents, a visual is provided, similar to the built-in document outline, except it has the ability to add page numbers. First, you must utilize Styles throughout the document for designating and formatting titles, headings, and subheadings. You know the document is set up correctly when the document outline on the left indicates the correct flow and hierarchy in the document.
Next, place your cursor where you would like to add a Table of Contents, such as the first or second page of the document. Select the Insert menu, select Table of Contents, and select an option, which includes plain text, dotted, or links. Pick one. The great news is you can easily change this and customize this if you change your mind. The Table of Contents is added based on document headings, sections, and page numbers. If something in the document changes, you can click the refresh icon to update the Table of Contents.
Another option is to select the three dot menu to view more options. Select More options, and a side panel appears. From here, change the type of Table of Contents. Both plain text and dotted are ideal for documents that will be printed. Now, if the document will be available digitally, select Links. Use the options below to turn on or off things such as Show page numbers and Show tab leaders, which also includes style options in that dropdown menu. The Heading levels menu allows you to select headings that are included in the Table of Contents. With the Links option selected for a Table of Contents, you can select a single item. Use the copy link icon to copy the link to that specific section of the document. Then post the link externally, as in by email, on a website, other documents, maybe it's a Google Chat, and so much more. This will help others jump straight to the relevant section of the document and help prevent any confusion. Awesome, and that's it for advanced formatting tools in Google Docs.
If you're not a subscriber, click down below to subscribe so you get notified about similar videos we upload. To see the full course that this video came from, click over there, and click over there to see more videos from Simon Says It.