Office 2007 Bible

Working with Dialog Boxes

Many Office commands display a dialog box, which is simply a way of getting more information from you. For example, if you choose Review Changes Protect Sheet from Excel’s Ribbon, Excel can’t carry out the command until it finds out from you what parts of the sheet you want to protect. Therefore, it displays the Protect Sheet dialog box, shown in Figure 2-26.

Figure 2-26. A dialog box is used to get additional information about a command.

The Excel dialog boxes vary in how they work. Some of them show the result of your actions immediately. For example, if you’re applying formatting to a chart, changes you make in the Format dialog box are shown immediately. Generally speaking, if a dialog box has an OK button, then it must be dismissed before anything happens. If the dialog box has a Close button, then it shows the result of your actions while the dialog box remains open.

When a dialog box appears, you make your choices by manipulating the controls. When you’re finished, click the OK button (or the Close button) to continue. If you change your mind, click the Cancel button (or press Esc), and nothing further happens.

Most people find working with dialog ...