In article <Xns9A15A7C924A61thanexit@66.250.146.158>, thanatoid <waiting@the.exit.invalid> wrote:
> Helpful Harry <helpful_harry@nom.de.plume.com> wrote in > news:291220070951150357%helpful_harry@nom.de.plume.com: > > > In article <xQ2dj.99856$GV4.71323@trnddc05>, "Claude Balls" > > <claudeballsjr@REMOVEyahoo.com> wrote: > > > >> Thanks, Harry. I'll give it a try. Simple question - > >> what do the plug-ins do? > > > > As in many other applications, PageMaker's plug-ins add > > functions to make things easier or automate complicated > > tasks. PageMaker comes with some and you can download more > > ... but many of them are fairly useless to most users. > > > > PageMaker's plug-ins are found in the Utilities -> Plug-ins > > menu. > > > > Some of the perhaps more useful ones to an average user > > are: > > > > Drop Cap Creates a drop cap - a larger letter > > that > > spans multiple lines of text > > > > Change Case Changes the case (upper case, lower > > case, > > etc.) of the selected text. > > > > Word Counter Counts the words in the selected text. > > > > Keyline Adds a border around the selected > > object > > with user defineable style / thickness, > > colour and distance from the object. > > > > Build Booklet Takes a document with a series of A5 > > pages > > (for example) and creates a new > > document with A4 sized spreads - when > > printed double-sided, sorted and folded > > / stapled you end up with a booklet > > with the pages in the same reading > > order as they were in > > the A5 sized document. > > > > Personally I've only ever bothered with the last two of > > those. > > Wow, you must be a good typist! I have used 'change case' at > least once every third session!
I don't know about "good typist". I tend to be a "careful typist" and correct mistakes as I see them (even though I cannot touch-type). For example, if I'm typing and see that I've typed "United STates", then I would backpsace and correct the T and retype the rest (or if I spot it a bit later I would use the cursor keys or mouse to correct it and go back to where I was typing. If a heading needs to be changed into all uppercase, then I just re-type it since it's only short. It doesn't matter if I'm using PageMaker, Word or whatever, I just find it quicker to work that way. Very occasionally I might use the button in PageMaker's Formatting Palette (if it's displayed).
> > As well as Plug-ins there are Scripts, but these tend to be > > even more "useless" (or perhaps the word is "specialised > > for a particular use"). These are seen and run via a > > palatte window you can display from Window -> Plug-in > > Palattes -> Show Scripts. Other than a cursory "play", I've > > never wasted time with any of these. > > I have only used them a few times, but they can be VERY useful. > The problem is (I have never used anything newer than 6.51 so > Adobe /may/ have fixed it but I kind of doubt it) that the > scripts call for certain (Mac-common) fonts and either don't run > or crash the PC program (IIRC, it's been a while). [I wonder > what happens on a Mac without those fonts installed.] So you > have to do some script editing.
Different people will find different plug-ins and scripts useful. Personally I've never found any use for scripts or forgotten that they're even there - I tend to have as few palettes / toolbars open as possibly, which usually means just the normal tool bar and sometimes the Color / Styles and Formatting ones.
> You /probably/ knew this, although you seem to be confused as > whether it's a palette or a pallet or a pallette or just > palatable (sorry, I can't help myself when it comes to stuff > like this).
Limited online time means I tend to be less careful on newsgroups and web forums. Mind you, Adobe spells things like "color" incorrectly all the way through the menus, etc. ;o)
