Too many writers of books about software let the software determine how they organize the material. If the File menu contains commands A, B, and C, the writers put A, B, and C in the same chapter, regardless of whether they're functionally similar. AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual is organized more logically, tackling the functional units--including Internet integration, macro programming, and table creation, among others--in separate chapters. It's an approach that makes sense for AppleWorks, in which the spreadsheet module can be used to create tables for word processor documents and all the modules rely on a common graphics editor. For those who want to know what a particular menu command does, there's menu-by-menu documentation in an appendix.

You get the requisite instructions: explicit steps to follow if you want to transpose rows in a spreadsheet, for example, or export button graphics for use in Web pages. Other procedures, like making calculations that refer to cells in multiple spreadsheets, are explained in text. "Workaround Workshop" modules call attention to shortcomings in AppleWorks (such as its two-palette limit when you're working with colors) and explain how to get around them (use a custom palette). Throughout, the instructions are engaging and fun to read. --David Wall

Topics covered: AppleWorks 6, the multipurpose office-productivity suite for Mac OS; the suite's capabilities, comprehensively--including word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, databases, and presentations; how to create documents and databases from scratch, as well as from existing materials.


Book Description
If you prefer a more streamlined alternative to the bloat and complexity of Microsoft "sport-utility" programs, AppleWorks 6 is the stealth office suite. Hugely popular in classrooms, colleges, and small offices, it's got word processing, graphics, database, web design, spreadsheet, and slide-show functions in a single, beautifully integrated application. Every year, AppleWorks arrives in the hands of four million Apple iMac and iBook buyers. There it sits on the hard drive, a masterpiece of smooth integration and clever interface design, accompanied by templates, art libraries, and fonts--and no printed instructions.AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual is the book that should have been in the box. It covers: What's new. The authors place special emphasis on easing the transition into the new AppleWorks 6 interface, its Internet hooks, the Starting Points window, and the new Presentation module.Part by part coverage. The early chapters delve very deeply into the six core AppleWorks modules, including 85 pages on the word processor alone.Power tools. Much of AppleWorks's power comes from its macros, templates, assistants, customizable Button bar, and web-based clip-art libraries.Document exchange. AppleWorks 6 can no longer export Word and Excel files. But this book covers exchanging documents with other programs, versions, and platforms--and includes a 25% discount coupon for MacLink Plus, which restores the file-conversion feature.Troubleshooting. Because this book isn't an Apple publication, the authors freely acknowledge the program's weaknesses--and offer workarounds. Witty and jargon-free, AppleWorks 6:The Missing Manual treats AppleWorks as the serious productivity tool it is. With over 250 illustrations, a 2,000-entry index, and a menu-by-menu explanation of every command, AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual is as smoothly put together as AppleWorks itself.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For Mac and Windows users who prefer an alternative to the cost, bloat, and complexity of Microsoft Office, AppleWorks is the stealth office suite. Hugely popular in classrooms, colleges, and small offices, AppleWorks includes word processing, drafting, painting, database, Web-page creation, spreadsheet, and (in version 6) slide-show functions in a single, beautifully integrated application.

Every year, however, AppleWorks arrives in the hands of four million Apple iMac and iBook buyers. There it sits on the hard drive, a masterpiece of smooth integration and clever interface design, accompanied by hundreds of templates, clip art libraries, and fonts--but without a single page of written documentation.

AppleWorks 6: the Missing Manual treats AppleWorks as the serious productivity tool it is. Authors Jim Elferdink and David Reynolds guide the reader through both the basics and the hidden talents of the new AppleWorks version, placing special emphasis on version 6's enhanced word processing, Internet, and presentation features.

Because the book isn't an official Apple publication, the authors are free to acknowledge the program's weaknesses-and to offer workarounds. And because the book is a Missing Manual title, it's rich with examples and step-by-step tutorials. For the spreadsheet and database user, the book includes Appendixes that cover the built-in calculation functions, one by one, complete with examples. AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual, in fact, is as smoothly put together as AppleWorks itself.