Editing content Searching for text Adding backgrounds for content   Applying background colors   Using picture files as backgrounds Changing margins Copying content from other sources Inserting page breaks Editing with FirstClass Formatting text   Changing fonts   Changing text size   Changing text color   Changing other text styles Formatting paragraphs   Changing paragraph alignment   Changing paragraph spacing   Indenting paragraphs Inserting horizontal lines Working with tables   Creating tables   Selecting parts of tables   Selecting whole tables   Formatting tables   Formatting selected cells   Adding rows   Adding columns   Deleting rows and columns   Merging cells   Splitting merged cells   Working with multipage tables Working with embedded files   Embedding pictures   Changing picture properties FirstClass objects such as documents, messages, and calendar events and tasks contain content in the body (the bottom pane) of the object. This content can consist of text, embedded pictures or other files, horizontal lines, page breaks, markers, and links. You can add, edit, and format content. To move to the body of an object in order to work with it, click it. Immediately after you have made a change in the body, you can undo it by right-clicking and choosing Undo (Windows only). Top Searching for text To search for specific text in content, use your web browser's find feature. Top Adding backgrounds for content Applying background colors To apply a background color for your content: 1 Choose Format > Format Background. 2 Select "Use color" and choose the color you want. Click a color on the color palette or, for a custom color, type the red, green, blue values. Using picture files as backgrounds To use a picture file as a background for your content: 1 Choose Format > Format Background. 2 Select the picture file. If the picture file is on your computer, click Browse, then select the file. After it appears in the attachments input field, click Attach. If the file is stored on the FirstClass server, click On Server, then select the file by clicking it. You can use the icons at the top of the Attach form to navigate to the file. 3 Select the file at "Use image". 4 Choose the position you want for the background picture at "Image position". The background picture can be located at the top left, tiled, centered, or stretched to fit the page. Top Changing margins To change the margins for all the content: 1 Choose Format > Format Margins. 2 Type the number of pixels you want as top, bottom, left, and right indents. Top Copying content from other sources You can copy content from another FirstClass object to the clipboard and paste it into the body of your new object, just as you would normally do in your operating system. Top Inserting page breaks To insert a page break, choose Insert > Page Break. Top Editing with FirstClass FirstClass works in a similar manner to most word processing software. For example, you can change the margins for all the content, and format paragraphs and selected text. In FirstClass, you can select text in the standard ways used by your operating system. These are some of the ways you can select text: • drag the cursor over a block of text • double-click a word to select it • click a paragraph to select it • triple-click a paragraph to select it and all of the content within it • press Control A (Windows, Linux) or Command A (Mac) to select all content. You can also use standard editing functions such as copy, cut, and paste on your content. To move content from one place to another within the same object, select it, then drag it to the desired location. If you press Control (Windows, Linux) or Option (Mac) as you drag, you will copy the content instead of moving it. Top Formatting text Changing fonts To change the font of selected text, choose the font from the edit bar: Changing text size To change the size of selected text, choose the size from the edit bar: Changing text color To change the color of selected text, choose the color you want from the edit bar: Changing other text styles You can apply the following styles to selected text by clicking the appropriate button on the editing toolbar: • plain (removes all formatting you have applied using these buttons) • bold • italic • underlined • quoted (formats the text based on your quoted text preferences). For additional text format options, click Format Selection with the text selected. "Placement" allows you to apply superscript or subscript formatting. "Literal HTML" only applies to the FirstClass client. Top Formatting paragraphs Changing paragraph alignment You can align a paragraph with the left margin, the right margin, or the center of the body. To align a selected paragraph, choose the alignment you want from the edit bar: Changing paragraph spacing You can change both the spacing between lines for a paragraph and the amount of space above it. To change a selected paragraph's spacing: 1 Click Format Paragraphs. 2 Type your spacing requirements at "Space above" and "Line space". Indenting paragraphs You can change the indentation of a paragraph from the left and right margins. In addition, you can set a separate indentation value for the first line of the paragraph. To indent or outdent a selected paragraph from the left, click Increase Indent or Decrease Indent. The paragraph moves over each time you click the button. To indent or outdent a selected paragraph from the right, or format the paragraph with a separate first line indent: 1 Click Format Paragraphs. 2 Type your indentation, in pixels, at "Right side" or "First line". Top Inserting horizontal lines You can insert a horizontal line to visually break up content. To insert a horizontal line, choose Insert > Horizontal Line. A line is drawn below the current cursor position, and the cursor and any subsequent content drop below this line. Top Working with tables Tables let you put content in rows and columns of cells. A table cell can contain not only text, but all normal content elements, such as embedded pictures, multiple paragraphs, and even another embedded table. To move from cell to cell, use the arrow keys. Creating tables To create a table: 1 Choose Insert > Table. 2 Update the New Table form. Rows The number of rows in the table. Columns The number of columns in the table. Alignment The table alignment (aligned to the left margin, to the right margin, or centered). Width The table width. Use the second field to specify this as a percent of the margin-to-margin width or as an absolute value in pixels. If you specify percent, the table shrinks or grows as the window is resized. Place text beside table Makes content flow beside a table that is narrower than the margin-to-margin width. The paragraphs below the table move up beside it. First row is header Makes the first row a header row that will repeat at the top of each printed page or slide in a presentation. Selecting parts of tables To select Do this a row Drag the cursor over all cells in the row. a column Drag the cursor over all cells in the column. a cell Click it. Selecting whole tables To select an entire table, drag the cursor over the whole table. Formatting tables You can format a table to change its appearance. To do this: 1 Click anywhere in the table. 2 Choose Table Operations > Format Table. 3 Update the Format Table form. Alignment The table alignment (aligned to the left margin, to the right margin, or centered). Width The table width. Use the second field to specify this as a percent of the margin-to-margin width or as an absolute value in pixels. If you specify percent, the table shrinks or grows as the window is resized. Table padding The number of pixels of space around all sides of the table. Place text beside table Makes content flow beside a table that is narrower than the margin-to-margin width. The paragraphs below the table move up beside it. First row is header Makes the first row a header row that will repeat at the top of each printed page or slide in a presentation. Borders The border width in pixels. Exterior Makes the borders around the table visible. Horizontal Makes the borders between rows visible. Vertical Makes the borders between columns visible. Color The border color. To select a standard color, click it. To create a custom color, type its red, green, and blue values. Comment The table's summary property. Some browsers can display this in a tooltip when the cursor is hovered over the table. Formatting selected cells You can format a selected cell to change its appearance. To do this: 1 Choose Table Operations > Format Cells. 2 Update the Format Cells form. Layout Alignment The alignment of content within the cell. The first field affects vertical alignment and the second affects horizontal alignment. Padding The number of pixels of space around all sides of the content in the cell. Column width The width of the column in which the cell is located. Use the second field to specify this as a percent of the total table width or as an absolute value in pixels. Tip If you want one column to stay the same size, but allow the other columns to resize with the window, make that column fixed width and the other columns a percent. Columns have a default minimum width. You can neither make the column narrower than that minimum, nor widen it so much that another column would become narrower than the minimum. You also can't widen the rightmost column without first making the table narrower. Row starts new page Places the row containing the cell on a new printed page or slide in a presentation. Borders Horizontal Makes the cell's bottom border visible. Set the border width in the next field. If this border is part of the exterior table border, it won't be affected by these fields. Vertical Makes the cell's right border visible. Set the border width in the next field. If this border is part of the exterior table border, it won't be affected by these fields. Background Adds the background color you specify to the cell. Select "Use color", then choose the color you want. Click a color on the color palette or, for a custom color, type the red, green, and blue values. Adding rows To insert a row Do this above the selected row Choose Table Operations > Insert Rows, or click the up arrow in the rows control beside the selected row. below the selected row Choose Table Operations > Insert Rows After, or click the down arrow in the rows control. Adding columns To insert a column Do this to the left of the selected column Choose Table Operations > Insert Columns, or click the left arrow in the columns control above the selected column. to the right of the selected column Choose Table Operations > Insert Columns After, or click the right arrow in the columns control. Deleting rows and columns To delete Do this the selected row Choose Table Operations > Delete Rows, or click the x in the rows control. the selected column Choose Table Operations > Delete Columns, or click the x in the columns control. Merging cells You can merge cells in a row or a column. The borders between merged cells are removed, and the cells are combined so that there is just one content area that spans all merged cells. To Do this merge the selected cell with the cell to its left Choose Table Operations > Merge Columns. merge the selected cell with the cell above it Choose Table Operations > Merge Rows. Splitting merged cells To Do this split the rightmost cell from the selected merged cells Choose Table Operations > Split Columns. split the bottom cell from the selected merged cells Choose Table Operations > Split Rows. Working with multipage tables If you have a long table that spans several pages, you can: • add column headings that will appear at the top of each page • insert page breaks to start particular rows at the tops of pages. Note You won't see these normally. You will see them in presentation view mode and when you print. Adding repeating column headings To make the first row of a table act as column headings which repeat at the top of each page: 1 Click anywhere in the table. 2 Choose Table Operations > Format Table. 3 Select "First row is header". You can also select this when you first create a table. Inserting page breaks in tables To specify that a row is to start on the top of the next page: 1 Select the row. 2 Choose Table Operations > Format Cells. 3 Select "Row starts new page". Top Working with embedded files An object can contain picture files that are embedded directly in the content. If FirstClass supports the file type of an embedded file, the file contents are displayed; otherwise, a placeholder is displayed. Note You can also embed other types of files, such as sound files. Embedded sound files display the file name. To see the file name of an embedded picture, display its tooltip. If a description of the picture was supplied, that is displayed instead. To see an embedded picture file in a separate window, double-click it. To play an embedded sound file, click it. Embedding pictures To embed a picture file into your content: 1 Click where you want to insert the picture. 2 Choose Insert > Image/File. 3 Select the picture file just as you would if you were adding a background picture. 4 Select the file at "Select file to embed". 5 Specify how you want the picture displayed: Appearance Alignment Right Aligns the picture to the right. Text wraps to the left of the picture. Left Aligns the picture to the left. Text wraps to the right of the picture. Inline Top Aligns the top of the picture with the top of the text line. The picture flows with the text. Inline Bottom Aligns the bottom of the picture with the text baseline. The picture flows with the text. Inline Center Centers the picture vertically on the text line. The picture flows with the text. Padding The number of pixels of blank space surrounding the picture. Comment Any descriptive text that you want to display for this file. Users will see this information as a tooltip. View size Original Size Makes the picture the same size as the original. preset percentages Resizes the picture by those percentages. Height The height of the picture in pixels. This and "Width" allow you to specify an exact size, instead of changing the original size by a percentage. Width The width of the picture in pixels. Maintain aspect ratio Makes the picture the same relative dimensions as the original. If you select this, then change either the height or width, the other dimension will change automatically. Changing picture properties You can change the same properties for an embedded picture as you set when you embedded it. You can also substitute a different picture. To change picture properties: 1 Select the picture by clicking it. 2 Click Format Selection. 3 Update the Format Embedded File form as described above. Top