Anatomy of a Window Win7-2010

Anatomy of a Window (Windows 7, Office 2010)

Each window is made up of bars, ribbons, and buttons. They can be confusing because many of them are
not marked clearly and rely only on a small symbol to indicate their purpose.
It is important to use the proper terminology when dealing with windows, especially if you are trying to
learn a new function of an application or if you or someone else needs assistance.

The Typical Window

Here is a typical window in "Print Layout View" on Word 2010 with its major components labeled.
Components common to most windows are explained below.
Minimize, Maximize (or Restore), and Close buttons
Application icon Quick Access Toolbar Title Bar

Command Tabs

Ribbon

Tab Style button Dialogue Box View Ruler

Ribbon group or section
Horizontal Ruler Launcher Panning
Scroll Arrow
Help button
Scroll Box
Minimize/Expand
the Ribbon

Vertical Ruler Insertion Point Vertical Scroll Bar

Window Border

Horizontal Scroll Box

Work Space Previous/Next Page buttons

Zoom Control
Status Bar View Options Diagonal Resize
The Title Bar

The title bar contains the:

1. Application icon: Clicking it will bring up the drop-down menu…

2. Quick Access Toolbar: You may customize the icons in this

toolbar in order to access those items more quickly. Customize by clicking on the
drop-down arrow head at the end of the toolbar.
3. File name: Microsoft Word uses “Document#” as the default name for the file until it is saved
under another name. [Compatibility Mode] indicates that the document is compatible with a previous
version of the application such as Word 2007.
4. Current application program: Microsoft Word.
5. Minimize, Maximize (or Restore), and Close buttons: or (see page 5).
© 2010 Dr. James Grunwald, Martin Luther College Anatomy of Window Win7-2010
Revised 9-06-11 Page 1 of 5
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 The title bar acts as a handle for moving the window about the screen. To move a window
that is not maximized, move the mouse pointer to the title bar. Then press and hold the left mouse
button. Drag the window to the desired location by moving the mouse on the mousepad. Release the
mouse button. This is an example of drag and drop.
 The title bar is highlighted when that particular window is in use. If several windows are
open on the desktop (screen), you can tell in which one you are currently working because its title bar is
highlighted in a brighter or darker color.
 Double clicking on the title bar toggles between maximizing and restoring the window size.

Ribbons

Office 2007 and 2010 application programs use “ribbons” instead of menu bars. Most 2010 applications
contain the eight ribbon tabs displayed above. Clicking on any one of these will display that particular
ribbon as displayed below for the “Home” ribbon.

The Dialogue Box Launcher button in the bottom right area of most ribbon sections allows you to
access familiar dialog windows from previous versions of Office.
In some cases it will display choices not available on the ribbon.

“File” ribbon tab

Office 2010 programs have introduced a “File” ribbon tab that
opens an information page and contains several common buttons
(Save, Save As, Open, Close, New, Print, etc.). This tab was
introduced in Office 2010 because people had problems in Office
2007 locating items such as Save, Open, Print, etc. These items had
been under a File tab in versions of Office prior to 2007. (In Office
2007, these items were found by clicking on the Office button
which had been located in the upper left corner of the window.)

Minimize/Expand the Ribbon button

Office 2010 programs have introduced a
Minimize/Expand the Ribbon button,
located in the upper right area that allows you to hide or show the ribbons at
the top of the screen. With the ribbons hidden, the tabs for the ribbons are still
visible much like pre-Office 2007 applications.

Short Cut Menus

Right-clicking the mouse on various parts of the screen will usually cause a
Short Cut menu to be displayed. A different Short Cut menu may appear
depending on where the mouse pointer was when you right-clicked. Using
short-cut menus is often quicker than using a pull-down menu from the menu
bar.

© 2010 Dr. James Grunwald, Martin Luther College Anatomy of Window Win7-2010
Revised 9-06-11 Page 2 of 5
 Anatomy of a Window Win7-2010

Status Bar

A Status bar appears at the bottom of the window in many application programs. In the MS-Word status
bar as displayed above, you can see …
1. The Page and number of pages, Vertical Position from top
of page, Word count, and the Proof button. If the Vertical Position indicator is missing,
right-click on the Status Bar and, check Vertical Page Position.
2. View Options: The first choice, Print Layout is usually the preferred viewing
option because it displays the page as it will be printed.
3. Zoom Control: The minus, plus, or sliding bar can be used to zoom
the display of the screen smaller or larger.
4. Diagonal Resize button: This button is often used to resize a window in both directions. You
can select one of the four borders to resize the window vertically or horizontally.
The Status Bar can be customized by right-clicking on it and selecting the desired options.

Show Desktop
Task Bar (if using the Windows 7 operating system)

Start \________Quick Launch pad_________/ \__Currently Open Tasks (apps) __/ \______System Tray_______/

The Task bar is found on the bottom of the screen and it gets its name from the fact that it can be used to
start certain tasks (applications) and displays tasks that are currently running. It contains the Start button,
some Quick Launch pad icons, indicates which applications are currently open, and on the right contains a
System tray of network related icons, the current time/date, followed by a Show desktop button area.
 Holding the mouse pointer over an item on the Task bar for a second or so will usually cause a tool
tip to display offering additional information.
 A single click on an icon on the Quick Launch pad will start the application.
 You can switch between open applications by clicking on their buttons.
 If more than one document is open in an application, the application icon will display as a staked
window . Pointing to the icon will cause the various application windows that are open to
appear as thumbnails, allowing you to select the one that you want.
 It is wise to close open applications (tasks) you do not plan on returning too. Too many items open
on the Task bar can be confusing for you, and memory intensive for the computer. To close an item
directly through the Task bar, right click on its button and select Close window.
 To minimize all open items, click on the Show desktop button at the far-right of the Task bar, or
right-click on the bar and select Show the desktop.
 Many Task bar settings can be modified by right-clicking on an open area of the bar and selecting
Properties.

© 2010 Dr. James Grunwald, Martin Luther College Anatomy of Window Win7-2010
Revised 9-06-11 Page 3 of 5
 Anatomy of a Window Win7-2010

The Scroll Bars Scroll Box

The Scroll box (raised rectangular area on the Scroll bar) shows where you are in the document and
allows rapid vertical movement within the document. In some applications a Scroll bar will not appear
if the entire document can be seen on the screen at one time. In MS-Word one Scroll bar appears to the
right of the window (vertical) and another appears at the bottom (horizontal). (See diagram on page 1).
S
 The two Scroll bars allow vertical or horizontal movement through the document. c
r
 The vertical Scroll Bar (see graphic at right) includes an arrowhead at the top and towards the o
bottom, a raised rectangular Scroll box. Also, in some applications such as MS-Word, there will be l
two double arrowhead scroll buttons at the bottom of the Scroll bar with a circular button l
between. Each of these buttons is explained in the following points.
 To move through a long the document one line at a time, click on the single Scroll arrowhead at
B
the top or bottom of the Scroll bar. Holding the left mouse button down while pointing at a a
Scroll arrowhead button will cause you to scroll slowly without having to click continually. r
 To rapidly move vertically through a long document use the Scroll Box (raised rectangular
button) on the Scroll bar. Place the mouse pointer on the Scroll box and hold the left mouse button
down while dragging the Scroll box up or down on the Scroll bar. Note: In many applications a
pop-up tip will appear indicating which page and section of the document you will be on if you
release the button at that particular moment.
 To move one screen at a time, click in the open area above or below the Scroll box on the Scroll
bar.
 The vertical Scroll bar sometimes has three additional buttons at the end. (see below)

1. By default, the button with two up arrows moves you to the previous page when you click on
it. The button with two down arrows takes you to the next page. If you select a different Browse
Object, (see 2. below), the arrows become a different color. Instead of moving from “page to
page” you move from “object to object,” i.e. heading to heading, etc.
2. The middle button , Select Browse Object button, allows you to browse through the
document by selecting types of objects found in the document, i.e. by footnote, by comment, by
page, by heading, etc.

The Borders and resizing Windows

The window borders are the small (usually blue) lines around the window when the window is not filling
the entire screen. In order to resize the window, the window must be smaller than the screen. Use the
Restore button (see next section) to accomplish this.
Placing the mouse pointer on the border causes it to assume one of the sizing shapes.
The vertical resize mouse pointer.
The horizontal resize mouse pointer.
The diagonal resize mouse pointer, used to resize both border directions at the same time.

 First, be sure the window is not Maximized (see next section).

 Then, position the tip of the mouse pointer over a border. When the mouse pointer changes to one
of the three shapes shown above, hold down the left mouse button while moving the mouse in the
desired direction.
 The diagonal resize shape appears when you point to a corner. The lower-right corner of many
windows will contain a larger resize area so it is easier to grab a corner. (see right)

© 2010 Dr. James Grunwald, Martin Luther College Anatomy of Window Win7-2010
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Minimize, Maximize, Restore, Close

A series of three buttons appear on the right side of the title bar. From left to right they are the;
Minimize, Maximize (or Restore), and Close buttons (top two pictures at right).
(Note, in Office 2010 applications, the colors of the buttons might appear with red, gray, or blue
background colors.) When the window is maximized, the middle button turns into a Restore
button (middle picture at right). In addition to this series of three buttons, a black Close
Window button will appear below the red Close button (bottom picture at right). The
purpose of these buttons is explained below.

Minimize
Click once on the Minimize button to minimize an open application (program).
1. If you minimize an application, it will be removed for the workspace area of the screen, but its name
will still appear on the Task bar (see previous page). The application can easily be restored to the
workspace area by a single click on its button on the Taskbar.
2. Remember, minimizing does not close or end the program! It just makes it so that you can’t see the
window in the workspace area. The program is still loaded and can be restored (expanded) at any time.

Maximize
Click once on the Maximize button (middle button in picture at right).
1. The window expands to fill the screen and the Restore button replaces the Maximize button
(middle button in second picture at right).
2. You can also maximize a window by double-clicking the title bar.

Restore
Click once on the Restore button (middle button in second picture at right).
1. The window returns to the size it was before it was maximized.
2. The Maximize button replaces the Restore button (middle button in top picture at right).

Close
Click once on the red Close button to close an application. (Notice there is an upper (red)
close button and a lower (black) close button (see picture at right).
1. If you have not saved your work since modifications were made, you will be prompted to save before
closing the application.
2. If several documents are currently open in an application, clicking the Close button in some
applications will cause all documents to close, prompting you to save ones that have been modified. In
other applications, such as MS-Word, only the current document will close and the application will
remain open.

Close Window
Click on black Close window button to close the single document (file) currently visible in the window
but leave the application (such as MS-Word) open.

© 2010 Dr. James Grunwald, Martin Luther College Anatomy of Window Win7-2010
Revised 9-06-11 Page 5 of 5