Lotus Symphony For Dummies provides the information users need to best use the Lotus Symphony suite. In this book, users are shown how to acquire the FREE Lotus Symphony software from IBM. Included in the suite are productivity programs similar to those found in the popular Microsoft Office suite, including a word processor, spreadsheet program, and presentation program. The book is organized around the three main software packages in the suite. This book explains how to create a wide range of word processing documents, using Lotus Documents. They range from the simplest documents and to more structured, complex documents. Document-building tasks such as formatting, adding reference items (for example indexes, endnotes, and footnotes), and style building are covered. Readers find out how to create tables and Web pages, insert and work with graphics, add charts to documents, and include spreadsheet information in documents.

Readers learn about the different file formats that Lotus Documents include and how best to use these formats for distributing and sharing files with other users. Coverage of importing, viewing, and editing Microsoft Office Word documents is featured as well. In the Lotus Spreadsheets areas, readers learn how to create spreadsheets for calculating, analyzing, and managing key business and organizational data. Readers learn how to import and modify Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheets. The book discusses several different calculations in ways that help the reader get his or her job done. For example, what-if calculations are explained so readers know what kind of data to input into Lotus Spreadsheets, how to set up the what-if scenarios, and how to analyze the resulting data. Formulas and functions that users can use with Lotus Spreadsheets are described, including examples of real-world applications for them. The book also shows how to organize data in spreadsheets (such as hiding data), set up data ranges, calculate subtotals, and create charts.

For readers looking to use the Lotus Presentations to create and modify screen shows, this book will be one of the first on the market to show how. Included in the book are features such as the following: 'ˆ— Using templates to create professional and attention-grabbing presentations 'ˆ— Adding charts, drawing objects, text, multimedia and a variety of other items in presentation pages 'ˆ— Importing and modifying Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentations 'ˆ— Spicing up presentations with animations, page transitions, multimedia objects, and effects 'ˆ— Viewing thumbnail views of slide pages using the Page Sorter view 'ˆ— Practicing presentations using the timing rehearsal feature.