October/November 2006

Volume 47, Number 2

Tips from the Trenches: Anchor's Away

by Donna Brannan

Are you breathing fast and shallow? Is your blood pressure rising? No, it’s not a suspense film, its Word! Your’e having an anxiety attack because you have a deadline to meet and that (blankety blank) screen shot keeps moving from one location in your document to another. Or, you just sat down at your computer and are wondering, “What will it be today?” Because you KNOW something is going to happen, you just don’t know what it will be. Almost like a suspense film; except that with a suspense film, there is an ending. Issues with Word just never seem to stop.

One of the most frustrating things that a software manual writer may encounter is the screen shot that just will not stay where you put it. Take a deep breath and follow this instruction for “anchoring.”

“Anchoring” is a method that can be used in Word to keep those pictures and objects from moving around your document.

Within your document, click to select your object or picture. Then, under the Format drop-down menu on your toolbar, select Object or Picture, whichever may be the case. Next, click Layout, then Advanced, and then Picture Position.

Then decide:

If you want your object or picture to move up or down with your paragraph, select the Move object with text check box.

If you want to make sure that the object remains “anchored” to the same paragraph when you move the object, select the Lock anchor check box.

Sometimes it may be necessary to make changes to the paragraph or picture so you need to “unanchor.” Anchors are also objects and can be easily dragged to a new location. First, find the anchor and unlock it.

To find the anchor, click on the picture or object to select it. Next, on your toolbar, select the paragraph icon ¶.

You can then see the “locked anchor” symbol in the left margin next to the paragraph where your picture is anchored.

To unlock the anchor, return to the Picture Position tab of the Advanced Layout menu. Deselect the Lock Anchor option. Click OK twice to return to the document. You can now drag the picture or object to another location.

There are numerous reference and tip books available to assist you with the use of Word. The RMC’s Vice President, Ron Arner has provided a review of “Word Hacks: Tips & Tricks for Taming Your Text” by Andrew Savikas in this issue of Technicalities. Be sure to read his review!

Anchor’s aweigh!