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Office App Pleasures

I liked my day job at a local university (before retiring in 2020) because it allowed me to create desktop spreadsheets and databases for a lot of different purposes apart from larger institutional system applications. Modern software helps us calculate data, organize data, present data on screens, and print data in meaningful reports. I find pleasure in figuring out how to make these tools work to best advantage. I also enjoy showing others how to use them.

Spreadsheets for Anything

Although I know how to use formulas and other business features in a spreadsheet, a creative person can do much more. With drawing tools, text boxes, border formatting, and other handy features, a spreadsheet can become a landscaping plot plan like this one.

A county juror form came to me as a much-abused text document with many problems. I redesigned it in a spreadsheet and then converted it to PDF. On the left, the spreadsheet has colored grid lines to show the spacing. On the right, is the finished form in black and white.

Database Features

Information in a spreadsheet, also known as a flat file, sometimes becomes more user-friendly when converted to a relational database. Tables of data categories are separated and then connected to other tables by a shared-in-common piece. The image on the left shows how several tables concerning classrooms and courses relate to each other. The middle image is an input form allowing you to enter more data without having to scroll.

A database can include images. That's when the fun and creativity begin. Here are some samples of event tickets prepared for a convention.

Presentation Pleasures

A slide show application can make much more than just slides for a business meeting. I like to use mine for making signs, name tags, tickets, stamp exhibits, and publications with many images. All can be converted to PDF for sharing. Here is an example of a program guide created for my church.