Working with Tabs

Next we will edit the text in a bulleted list so that it is easier to read. On slide 8, we have a list of school clubs and organizations and the amount of money that each group earned in a recent fundraiser. While the names of the clubs are left aligned, the dollar figures are not aligned. This makes the bulleted list difficult to read. We will use tab stops to arrange this text into columns.

Before setting up a second column, we will move to slide 8 and then display the horizontal and vertical rulers.

Step 1. To move to slide 8, in the slide thumbnail list,

Click slide 8

Step 2. To move to the View tab, on the Ribbon,

Click the View tab

Step 3. To display the rulers, in the Show group,

Click

The two rulers are displayed.

We can click the text area in a placeholder in order to see the default indents and tab stops. Indents and tab stops appear on the horizontal ruler. A tab stop is a location that you set along the horizontal ruler where you want text to align.

Now let's take a look at the default indents and tab stops on slide 8.

Step 4. To see the default indents and tab stops on slide 8,

Click anywhere in the bulleted text

We see the default indents and tab stops on the ruler:

Indents may be changed to adjust the space between a bullet in a list and the text that goes with it. We can move the first-line indent and left indent either closer together or farther apart. We can also use special tab stops to line up text in a list.

When the original author created this list, they used the tab key to add space between the name of the student group and the dollar amounts. Because of the way this was done, it will be easy for us to set up a new tab stop and align the dollar amounts.

We will set a left tab stop to left align the second column. In PowerPoint, it is necessary to select the bulleted text before we set the tab options.

Step 5. To select the bulleted text,

Point immediately after $425.00,
Press & Drag upwards to select the bulleted text

NOTE: By starting at the end of the text, rather than at the beginning, we are less likely to inadvertently move the bullets.

Step 6. To add a left tab stop, on the horizontal ruler,

Click

Our dollar figures move and are now aligned at the 5-inch mark.

Tabs can be entered between columns before or after setting a tab stop; in this case, since the author used tabs to create the list, the second column automatically aligns with the tab marker we just set.

While our table is now easier to read, it still doesn't look quite right. Since we are working with currency, we want our numbers to line up according to the decimal place. Let's remove the left tab marker we just set and look at our other options.

Step 7. To remove the left tab marker,

Press & Drag the left tab marker straight down and off the ruler

When we release the mouse, the left tab marker disappears and our text reverts back to the way it was before.

Next we will locate the tab selector, which is located to the left of the horizontal ruler:

By clicking on the tab selector, we can choose to set a left tab stop, a center tab stop, a right tab stop, or a decimal tab stop. Since we are working with currency, we will use the decimal tab stop.

Step 8. To begin setting a decimal tab stop,

Click three times

NOTE for MacOS Users: The left tab looks like this: .

The symbol on the tab selector will change. We now see:

NOTE for MacOS Users: The decimal tab looks like this: .

Step 9. To align the second column of numbers according to the decimal point,

Click

Now our numbers are lined up correctly and are much easier to read.

Step 10. Save the presentation Creating_a_Presentation.pptx.

Now that we've aligned our bulleted list, let's see how to customize the bullets.

Customizing Bullets

In addition to formatting text and setting tabs, we can customize bullets for individual bullet points or for all the bullet points in a placeholder. We can change a bullet's font, style, and color, and we can even replace a bullet with a picture or a number. We can also control the distance between a bullet and its text in the same manner that we control indents in Microsoft Word.

Let's format the bullets on the current slide with a different symbol.

Step 1. Verify that the bulleted text is still selected.

Step 2. To move to the Home tab, on the Ribbon,

Click the Home tab

Step 3. To open the Bullets and Numbering dialog box, in the Paragraph group,

Click

A drop-down menu will appear:

4. To select a bullet style,

Click any bullet style

NOTE: If we Click at the bottom of the dialog box, we will see many additional options. We can change the color of the bullets, or we can customize the bullets by choosing a picture or symbol.

The new bullet is applied to the selected text.

Let's remove the bullet for the "Poetry Club" text.

Step 5. To select the text,

Click anywhere in "Poetry Club"

Step 6. To toggle the bullet off, in the Paragraph group,

Click , Click None

The bullet is turned off.

Step 7. To deselect the text and placeholder,

Click the outer edge of the slide

Step 8. Save the presentation Creating_a_Presentation.pptx.

We have seen several ways to format elements in PowerPoint. Now let's look at Quick Styles.

Applying Quick Styles

It is possible to change the color and style of a text box, table, bulleted list, shape, or graphic. While themes change the overall colors, fonts, and effects that are used on all of the slides in the presentation, Quick Styles change how the different colors, fonts, and effects are combined on specific areas of a slide.

Let's add a Quick Style to the bulleted text on slide 9.

Step 1. To move to slide 9, on the slide thumbnail list,

Click slide 9

Step 2. Verify that the Home tab is selected.

Step 3. To select the bulleted text,

Click anywhere in the bulleted text

Step 4. To select a new color and style option for the placeholder, in the Drawing group,

Click , Click any style

The look of the bulleted text and the placeholder change.

When using Quick Styles, we are not always given the same set of design options. Quick Styles are based on the theme that has been applied to the selected slide. If we apply a new theme to a presentation and then open the Quick Styles gallery, we will notice that our options change.

If we are not happy with the newly applied Quick Style, we can always undo our last action.

Step 5. To undo our last action, on the Quick Access Toolbar,

Click

To undo multiple actions, we can click the Undo button multiple times. However, we can only undo actions in the order in which we performed them. Although the default setting for the number of times we can undo our last actions is 20, we can modify this option so that we can undo and redo up to 150 actions in PowerPoint.

NOTE: When working in Windows, we can also press Control key + Z to undo an action.

NOTE for MacOS Users: When working on a Mac, we can press Command key+Z to undo an action.

Step 6. To deselect the placeholder,

Click on the edge of the slide

Now that much of the formatting is complete, let's move on to adding animations.