Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Many of you in life are faced with the need to create a document, draw a table, and something else of the same kind. What do you use for this?

Oh yes, of course, popular programs available on almost every computer, such as, for example, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Open Office and many others, including online versions(cloud) some editors.

Yes, they are undeniably good, but not in the case when it is still worth sweating over this project, table, online presentation to bring it to mind, and not only you are working on the project, but also your colleagues, who cannot be all time is at your side. For this, your indispensable assistant can become free and multifunctional program from Google. Let's get acquainted.

What is Google Docs?

Many of you, including me, are used to working with various documents in office programs such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, which you first need to install on your computer.

All this is just great if the file is intended only for you. And if you are limited, for example, in time? If you need this very text file or show it to someone urgently, and even so that this someone makes the necessary changes without delay? This is exactly what is needed free online service Google Docs, the possibilities of which we will try to consider in this article.

You probably already guessed that the developer of this miracle is none other than Google itself. Google Docs does not require installation on a computer, besides, google documents or tables are automatically saved on a special server and you can view them from any computer (you just need to know the password to enter and have access to the Internet, but more on that below).

What else can the Google Docs online service do? And here's what:

  1. Multiple people can work on Google Docs at once who have access to them. They can make any edits, leave comments, chat using real-time chat.
  2. Supports many popular formats(e.g. docx, pdf, odt, rtf, txt, html).
  3. History is saved all edits ever made in Google Docs (in case you need to go back a few steps to an earlier version that has not yet been edited).
  4. Maybe creation and google editing documents on iPhone, iPad and Android
  5. If necessary, it is possible to work offline (without the Internet).
  6. It is possible to select access rights for each user or for individual groups. That is, we can allow someone to edit text or a table, and we can only give someone the opportunity to view and leave some comments on them.

Google Docs - Create and Edit

In order to create a text file, an online spreadsheet or a presentation, you do not need to install any software, everything is created directly in the browser used (learn about, popular, well-known, new), as well as with one file several people can work at once(all changes will be saved automatically).

To get started, go to the page creating a google document and click on the icon with three dashes in the upper right corner:

We open a list with what we want to create: a document, a table, a presentation, a form, and further down the list:

This is what the window looks like Firefox browser. AT Chrome browser tabs with the choice of creation are located right on the main page:

In the window that opens, we can view the documents we already have (if any):

Create a presentation online from Google

Here you can create various presentations, work on them, edit them, and all this at the same time with their colleagues, being at a respectful distance from each other. And most importantly, that all this can be done absolutely free!

Click on the big blue button "Open Google Slides":

Then, as in previous cases, click on the big red button with a plus, located in the lower right corner.

Choosing a topic for an online presentation in Google and the size of the slide (widescreen or standard), click on ok:

We give our online presentation in Google a name and with the help of a plus choose a layout our future slide:

We also choose the font we like, its size, color, you can also italicize it, make it bold or underline (see the screen above).

Then enter title and subtitle by placing the mouse cursor in the corresponding fields. If desired, by grabbing the selected squares with the mouse, we can increase / decrease our text, as well as rotate it to the right or left:

Features of the program for online presentations in the Google Docs service

What possibilities does it hide from us? free program about Google? Let's get a look:

  1. there is a rollback a few steps back (or forward), as well as printing
  2. copy formatting
  3. canvas fit to screen
  4. the magnifying glass is responsible for zooming
  5. enter text or insert an image
  6. insert a shape, wide arrow, callout, formula (there is a good selection of symbols listed)
  7. insert line, arrow, angled and curved connectors, curve, polyline and scribble
  8. insert comment
  9. customize input methods
  10. on the “Advanced” tab, you can change the background of the layout, the entire layout, change the theme of your presentation, add animation transition between slides(insert blackout, add flip, gallery, etc.)

The "File" tab in Google Docs allows you to create something (online document, table, presentation, form, drawing, you can choose something from the existing rich Google Template Galleries). Here you can also rename your creation, create a copy of it, move it to another folder, delete it, import slides. Well, and, of course, view the history of all changes made, select the language, download, publish online, send to collaborators, and attach to an email message.

The Insert tab includes the following options:

By selecting the appropriate command in the presentation program, you can insert any text on the selected slide, add an image, video, link (), line, shape, table. You can also number the google docs slides and add comments. Well adding a new slide to a Google Docs online presentation and their import is present.

On the "Slide" tab, all work with slides is carried out. This includes adding a new slide, and duplicating, and deleting. Here you can also change the background, layout and theme, insert transitions between slides and change the entire template.

By selecting, for example, text or an image on a slide, it can be move from back to front(and vice versa), rotate, group and ungroup. All this you will find on the "Organize" tab.

Creating a Google Docs Form

We have already discussed in detail about how, how to add this very Internet survey to your site and how to view the results of the survey and then make any changes (edit), so I will explain briefly.

To conduct any online surveys, and then get a table with the results of these same surveys, and completely for free, go to the tab creating a google doc form :

Then click on the big blue "Create Form" button:

The following window will open in front of you creating a new google form:

You can add a poll here:

Choose a topic:

Set some settings:

Get and view individual responses:

We enter a question without a title (if you put the mouse cursor in this field, then it is possible to insert an image - take a picture, insert a url, drag it with the mouse from the computer), and the question type (text, list, scale, grid, date, time):

On the right, there are a few more buttons with which you can add a poll, title, description, image, video, and section:

How to Publish Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, and Drawings

If you look in the settings, you will notice a very important detail: publication is possible not only of the entire document, but also of a single part of it. For example, you can publish only individual sheets. As for the online presentation, here you can choose the speed of the slides. As for the picture, you can choose the size of the image published on the Internet.

After you click on "Publish", you will see a link in front of your eyes, which you will need to insert into the code of your website, blog, online store.

There is another very interesting thing which is about publishing google spreadsheet − changing the visibility of some of its elements:

Making changes to an already published document

By making any changes (editing) to the original document or an online spreadsheet in Google docs, you can be sure that these same changes will also be reflected in the published copy. But this can be avoided if you do not need it.

To do this, you select from the menu the items "File" - "Publish on the Internet", then click on "Published materials and settings" and uncheck the box "Automatically publish after making changes":

Unpublishing Google Docs on the Internet

Open the file you want to unpublish. Then go to the "File" menu and select the "Publish to the Internet" item there. Go again to the "Published materials and settings" and there select the item "Unpublish".

How to set permissions on Google Docs

Without setting permissions, other users will not be able to make any changes to the document you have published. For example, in Google documents they will not be able to access the toolbar, in tables also (they will be able to see all sorts of charts, cell formatting and their values, but they will not be able to make changes). As for the presentation online, users will be able to see either a preview version or view it in full screen mode. So, to avoid all this, we can for some of our project colleagues set file publishing permissions.

We open the document we need and in the upper right corner we find the button "Access settings":

After that, in the window that opens, we find the item "Advanced" and activate the item "Prohibit editors from adding users and changing access settings", click on "Save". Now users will be able to publish the file, as well as edit it.

On this, I think, we can complete our acquaintance with this free and promising program from Google. Good luck learning!

Good luck to you! See you soon on the blog pages site

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Google Forms How to create an online survey on a website in Google Forms Google tables (Sheets) - their chips and features Google Calendar - what it can do and how to use it 100% Google maps - how to add an organization and embed directions on your website Google Translate - translation from photo, voice input, phrase book, offline mode and much more

It seems to many that in the online text editor Google Docs you can only type simple texts, it is simply not suitable for anything else. In fact, this is far from the case. Under the hood of this web application lies a lot of useful features that will help you work as well as in some other Microsoft Office.

1. Enable offline access

Google Docs can work in offline. At the same time, you can create new and continue to edit existing documents. The next time you connect to the Internet, all changes will be synced. To activate this feature, open the Google Drive website and go to the settings menu that appears after clicking on the gear button.

2. Collaboration

The Google Docs editor provides us with everything we need to collaborate on documents. You can easily share text, and you can fine-tune file permissions. So, you can allow only viewing, viewing and commenting, or even give full editing access. In the latter case, all the changes made by your employees will be reflected in real time, and you will work on the text together in the literal sense of the word.

3. Publish Documents

Finished documents can be shown not only to a limited circle of employees, but also published on the Web. To do this, click File - Publish online. Get a link to a web page or a code to embed a document into your site.

4. Look for mistakes

Checking errors in the Google Docs editor is not difficult at all. Just find it in the menu Instruments command spell check, and a small panel will appear in front of you, sequentially displaying each error found and suggesting ways to fix it.

5. Insert links

Google's online editor contains a handy tool for inserting links. As soon as you select a word in the text and click on the insert link button, a pop-up window will appear suggesting the most likely relevant links. As a rule, this is an article from Wikipedia and the first few links from Google search by this word.

6. Use your styles

If the built-in text formatting styles do not suit you, then you can easily set your own. To do this, type the text in the desired font, and then in the style selection menu, select the command Update style according to selection.

7. Personal dictionary

If the editor constantly underlines a word for you as incorrect, but you know for sure that this is not the case, then simply add it to the user dictionary. To do this, select it in the text, and then select the command from the context menu Add to custom dictionary.

8. Web Clipboard

Google office suite has a very interesting feature called "Web Clipboard". This function allows you to copy several passages of text, pictures, tables at once and then paste them into any Google document. Thus, this is such a dimensionless clipboard that is available from any computer and operates within office Google programs. It can be accessed from the menu Edit - Web Clipboard.

9. Advanced search

The advanced search tool in Google Docs is a special panel used to search for various information while working on a document. To call it, you can use a special item in the menu Instruments or hotkey combination Ctrl+Alt+R. You can learn more about this function from.

10. Additions

The functionality of Google Docs can be extended with special add-ons. They are both from third-party developers and from Google itself. Usually they serve to add support for new formats, convert files and more conveniently use the editor for various purposes. You can get acquainted with some of the useful additions.

11. Insert pictures by drag and drop from your desktop or another site

Not everyone knows, but you can insert pictures into a Google Docs document by simply dragging them from your desktop or file manager. And if you need to insert a picture from another web page, then simply drag and drop it to the right place in the text, and it will automatically appear in your document.

12. Translate documents

If you are working with documents foreign language, then Google Docs has a built-in translator. It's on the menu Tools - Translate document.

13. Navigating complex documents

If you have opened a complex large document, then displaying the table of contents of the text will help you easily navigate its structure. You can find this function in the menu Add-ons - Table of contents - Show in sidebar.

14. Turn on full screen mode

Many people like special text editors that contain a minimum of distracting elements and occupy the entire screen of the monitor. This helps you work more productively and focus only on the text. You can activate a similar mode in Google Docs. To do this, open the menu View and uncheck the box Show ruler. Then select command Compact controls or Full Screen.

15. Use a template gallery

Don't forget that the Google office suite has a pretty good template gallery. It is located at this address, and it contains many useful templates that can make your work easier.

16. Automatic content insertion

If you want to insert a table of contents into your document, you don't have to do it manually. Easy to find on the menu Insert paragraph Table of contents, and the editor will do everything for you.

17. Use bookmarks in your document

Sometimes it happens that you need to give a link not to the entire document, which can be quite voluminous, but to a separate paragraph. In this case, bookmarks will come to our aid. Position the cursor at the desired location in the text, and then select from the menu Insert paragraph Bookmark.

The multifunctional Google Docs service, as you might guess, is the brainchild of Google Corporation. This handy and useful tool is available to all registered Google users without exception. You can access the service from any device - a computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and the service even supports offline operation.

Google Docs is directly linked to Google Drive. The system stores all downloaded, created, viewed and edited files in the "cloud" on the Disk. If desired, you can also install a document synchronization program on a computer, smartphone, tablet. With this program, transferring and downloading files from / to Google Docs will be greatly simplified.

Service services are provided free of charge and have a number of advantages even over professional office programs - MS Office or Open Office. The undeniable advantages of Google Docs include:

1. The ability to instantly publish data on the Internet (without indexing, in a hidden mode, or openly, publicly).

2. Option to create forms for sites with their subsequent integration into the program code of the web resource and control over the collection of statistics.

3. Possibility of joint editing of files by different users and groups of users (using links or personal invitations).

4. Familiar office functionality and standard set tools (who worked in MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint, he will quickly figure out how to manage in Google Docs).

5. The function of commenting on selected areas, phrases, lines, paragraphs.

6. Saving adjustments to automatic mode(no need to press additional buttons to save).

7. Synchronization of a document from Google Docs with files on the user's computer through the Google Drive functionality (i.e. when we edit a file on the Internet, updated files are automatically uploaded to a special folder on the computer "Google Drive", which is created in the local section "C:") .

8. Ability to quickly transfer large files over the Internet.

9. Ability to create 3 types of files: Document (similar to Word), Tables (similar to Excel), Presentations (similar to PowerPoint), each of which solves certain tasks.

10. Access to 15 GB of free space to store files and documents.

11. Ability to connect to Google Docs from anywhere in the world.

12. Other functions, which we will discuss in more detail below.

Google Docs (Google Docs): registration and authorization

To access the Google Docs service, we need to have a profile in the Google system. As soon as we create a new account, we have access to all Google tools, and the Docs service is no exception. So, the registration and authorization algorithm will be as follows:

1. Register with Google and verify your profile ( telephone number, E-mail).

http://docs.google.com/

The second way to get to Documents is to click on Google page by the tablet icon (located in the upper right corner), open the full list of services (click "More") and select "Documents" here.

4. When you go to the service, we see the Google greeting and right here we can select " Short review» for a quick introduction to the system. If we are not interested in tips, just close the welcome window.


Important: If you have to create a new Google account from scratch, and this procedure causes difficulties or questions, see the step-by-step instructions for registering with Google, which we described at the very beginning of the Gmail article. Link to this article and step by step registration:

http://website/gmail/

Google Docs (Google Docs): creating a new document / file

Going to Google Docs for the first time, we will see an empty window, because. documents have not yet been created, not uploaded. If you use an old Google account for work, then it is likely that a list of recent files that we opened earlier will be displayed. For example:

This is what the Recent Documents window looks like:


And this is the empty window of the new profile:


1. To create a new file in the "Document" category (similar to an MS Word file), you must click on the plus sign (+) located in the lower right corner:


2. Immediately give the new file some name / title. We bring the mouse cursor to the file name (initially it says "New Document"), which is located in the upper left corner, above the toolbar. We put the cursor in this field, feel free to change the name to any other:


3. Please note that with a normal Internet connection, all changes to files are saved automatically on Google Drive (Google Drive), as evidenced by the message (we called the document Site Rost):


Important: when you create a new file, the system automatically creates a new document in the profile's Google Drive. In addition, this file is placed in the "Recent Documents" list, which we talked about above. Now, when we log into the Google Docs service, we will already see the same file that we just created.

To check for the presence of a file in the Google Drive storage, to open this file for viewing or showing to other users in the "cloud" of the Drive service, you just need to follow the link:

https://drive.google.com


Google Docs (Google Docs): editing, editing a file

Now, in order to clearly show on the screenshots exactly how editing, formatting and editing is performed, we need to add at least some text to our new Site Rost document. For the example here, we'll simply copy a small introductory piece of text from this article and paste it into our new document:


To copy and paste a piece of text, we use the standard Copy and Paste options (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V).

Let's analyze what we see here:

All changes to our file were automatically saved (see the screenshot above), respectively, the size of our file increased;

The spell check worked (words and phrases that raise questions are underlined - just like in Word);

When copying, all formatting styles (paragraph, indent, list, alignment, etc.) were preserved.

Next, we can start editing the text using the provided toolbars and menu functionality. Actually, it makes no sense to describe the detailed process of what and how it works here. Everything is elementary, familiar.


The interface of the Google Docs service is almost identical to the familiar Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and does not raise questions. Within this step by step instructions we will only dwell on those small nuances and options that are present ONLY in Google Docs, which are not in the classic Office.

Google Docs (Google Docs): File Change History

Imagine that we (or someone else - our co-author, colleague, boss) make some edits and changes in the file we created, save the work, close the document. To see these edits, we need to:

1. Go to the "File" menu.

2. Select the item "View history of changes" (key combination - Ctrl + Alt + Shift + H).

3. As a result, a special change window will load, where we will see the changes made:


4. Now we will adjust the display of changes using the right-hand block "History of changes" and the button "Less details" / "More details":


5. Pay attention! If you select a specific edit from the "Chronology ...", it will be possible to restore it. Simply put, we can always return the document to its original form, go back a couple of steps, load an earlier version of the file. For example:


6. To exit the "History of changes" mode, click the "Back" arrow, which is located in the upper left corner (where we used to have the name of the document).

How to Download a Google Docs File to Your Computer

All files that we work with in Google Docs can be downloaded to our computer. Moreover, this problem can be solved in different ways!

Option number 1

Download and install the Drive application for your computer, perform synchronization. We have already said that all modified files are saved in the Google Drive Drive service, which can be synchronized with the Google Drive folder on our computer (what is in the folder, then on the Internet; what is on the Internet, it will be in the folder).

If this option interests you, follow the link to download the application, follow the installation instructions. During the installation process, you will also be shown a lot of useful tips that you better not miss! Link to download:

https://www.google.com/drive/download/

Option number 2

1. Directly from the Google Docs interface, when the file is running, go to the menu "File" - "Download as ...".


2. Select the format in which we want to get the file from Documents. Available format types:

Microsoft Word (DOCX);

OpenDocument Format (ODT);

Text in RTF format;

PDF document;

Text in TXT format;

Web page (HTML, ZIP archive);

3. After downloading the file from Google Docs, it goes to the downloads folder of our browser (by default, the “Downloads” directory on the C: drive). Those. downloading is done through the functionality of the browser without the use of third-party torrent clients or programs!

Note: If you are having trouble finding the downloaded file, you can find it through your browser's Downloads menu (you can also press Ctrl+J to open this window). In addition, the file can be searched through Windows search by its name.

Access settings in Google Docs

In order for another person to open our document, and even be able to make changes to it, we need to set up a file access system. For this you need:


2. Be sure to click the "Enable access by link" option and select the access option that we want to provide from the drop-down list. There are 3 options available here:

Comment (through the comment option, if there is a link to the file, users will be able to leave comments);

Edit (in this case, the user who clicked on the link to the file will be able to make their own changes to our document, which will be recorded in the "History of changes").


3. Select the type of access that interests us, click the adjacent button "Copy link". By the way, you can also copy the link manually from the URL line. The copied link goes to the clipboard, freely pasted into a personal message to the person to whom we want to show the document or give the opportunity to edit it.


To complete the procedure and close the access settings, click the "Finish" button.

Important: for sure, the reader paid attention to the "People" line, in which we can set up sharing for each E-mail. At the same time, corresponding letters with attached documents and our messages will be sent to the mail addresses indicated here.

For example, we will enter the E-mail of the project manager here and set him the ability to correct / edit the document. Next, we will enter several E-mail of our customers and, for example, give them the opportunity to comment on the text. In conclusion, we can specify the secretary's E-mail so that he can view the document and print it, without being able to comment or edit the file.


This is how the sharing system for different user groups is set up in practice!

Note: please also note that when setting up access via E-mail individually, we do not have to open access via a link at all! Even vice versa. If the document is especially secret, access via a direct link must be closed! And people are invited to the project only by E-mail and privately.

An example of a Google Docs document link that we will give to other users to provide access to the file - https://docs.google.com/document/d/10w9xPFn77VLQOwfc_8J2i1qoi39u4rN-qD8ciYUolvM/edit?usp=sharing


Google Docs (Google Docs) - comments, how to comment

Working with documents in Google would not be so convenient without the commenting option. With its help, when sharing a file, the project manager, without interfering with the work of his colleagues or subordinates, can simply leave comments on individual fragments of the file. Comment example:


To leave a comment you must:

1. Get access to the ability to comment on the file, and not just view it. Since we created this document ourselves, the option of commenting and even editing is available to us by default, as the author of the document.

2. Select the desired fragment in the text (letter, word, line, paragraph, paragraph, section, pictures) and to the right of this line click on the "Add comment" icon.


3. In the block that opens, simply enter your comment from the keyboard and click "Comment".

4. In addition, we may also respond to comments from other people who are collaborating on this file. If you click on a comment, an empty field "Enter an answer ..." will appear under it, and the "Issue resolved" button will also be available.

5. If we want to change our comment or delete it, we will use the vertical ellipsis icon to the right of the “Issue resolved” button. When you click on the ellipsis, options will appear - "Edit" and "Delete".


6. You can view the full list of comments to the file, as well as the history of responses to comments, using the "Comments" button, which is located next to the "Access settings" option.


7. After working with a specific file, we can go to the list of all documents if we click on the list icon in the upper left corner:


practical meaning

The practical value of the procedures and operations described above lies in the sharing and editing of some documentation.

By the way, many trainers who provide services online via the Internet conduct training and check homework according to the same principle. The student performs the work, provides access to the document for the trainer and gives a link in the report, and the trainer reads and comments, makes his own corrections.

The second case - we need a group of company specialists to work on the text. To do this, you need to: upload the file to Google Docs and send links to colleagues for editing and commenting.

As soon as the work is completed, we will be able to open the corrected document using the same link and track all its changes/edits and comments. Additionally, we can fix some little things and download the finished file to your computer, print it on paper or save it in the Google Drive cloud. It's so easy and simple!

Google Docs (Google Sheets): how to work with tables

Let's now move away from the "Word" documents and get acquainted with Google tables (similar to office program MS Excel). To quickly go to the Home page of the Google Docs service, use the link:

https://docs.google.com/document/

You can immediately see that some files have already appeared in recent documents, viewed or created earlier. But, first of all, we will be interested in the MENU:


To open the menu, you will have to click on the list icon. In the menu block that opens, now select the "Tables" item.


All further operations in Google Sheets will be similar to how we worked with Google Docs. For example:

1. To create a table, you need to click the plus icon in the lower right corner again.


2. The interface of the Tables reminds us of office Excel, with the only difference that there are options "Comments", "Download file", "History of changes", "Access settings", as well as other functions specific to Google Docs.

To put it simply, all the operations that we did in Documents can be easily performed in Sheets. Naturally, the tables are also available:

Automatic calculations according to given formulas;

Graphs, visual charts, filters and functions;

All arithmetic operations performed online;

Settings for individual cells, data output options;

Options for copying, cutting, pasting, printing, data import/export;

Other features we won't go into here.


Note: If desired, files from Google Sheets and Docs can be combined into common files, freely copied and integrated both inside and outside of Google Docs. For example, we can create some documents or tables, and then insert them into our personal website for users to see!

How to publish Google Docs (tables, texts, presentations) on the Internet

Let's imagine that we have a text file or a table that needs to be shown to the readers of our site, forum, blog, online store. To do this, directly from documents / tables / presentations, you need to:

1. Go to the "File" menu.


3. In the block that opens, we can choose the desired publication method - Link or Embed.

4. On the "Link" tab, we additionally have a choice of what exactly and in what format we will publish on the Internet. For example, it can be the entire document or only its individual sheets (if we are talking about tables), we can give a link to a DOCX, XLSX, PDF, ODT file, a web page, TSV, CSV format and others.


5. On the "Embed" tab, we similarly select whether it will be the entire document or only a fragment. Additionally, we can adjust the settings of published materials, the possibility of their automatic update when changing files in Google Docs.


Google Docs (Google Slides): How to work with presentations

Another Google Docs service tool is presentations, which are analogous to Microsoft programs PowerPoint. To open the presentation tool, you need to again:

1. Return to the main Google Docs.

2. Expand the main menu (hidden on the left).

3. Find the "Presentation" item in the menu and run it.

4. Create a new file by clicking on the "PLUS" icon, which has been mentioned here more than once.

5. In the new presentation window that opens, we can get to work.


We will not describe the features of working with presentations in this article, since such a presentation took up a lot of space and time for our readers. The basic principles here are similar to working in PowerPoint, with the only difference that the service also has options that are specific to Google Docs tools.

The most critical difference between "Presentation" and Spreadsheets or Documents is the ability to launch and view the sequence of created frames. This option is called “Watch”, and it is located next to the “Comments” button:


A few words in conclusion (results of the work)

On this, our review of the functionality of the Google Docs service will be considered complete. Naturally, each individual service will have its own features and settings, which the reader will already get acquainted with on his own, in the process of work.

At this stage, for a beginner, the main thing is to understand that Google Docs is convenient, easy and practical! With this service, you can not only store your files, but also:

Set up sharing;

News common work with one single file;

Create some kind of information inserts for your sites;

Develop and use information and graphic materials on the site;

Set up and organize the maintenance of reporting documentation of a company or enterprise (where different departments, sections and services are involved in the work);

Conduct training sessions remotely with homework checks;

Solve almost any task related to documentation and presentations!

If you have any questions and difficulties, we advise you to open the "Help" (located in top menu interface), which is found in all Google services. The help contains comprehensive information on the operation of the system and the features of the Google Docs service.

Google has taken care of its users by integrating text editor MS Word to Google Drive.

The result is a good free text editor "in the cloud", with which you can not only type, edit, print reports or other documents, but also instantly send them. These are Google Docs.

Why did I write: "Google took care of its users"? Yes, yes, Google provides its services only to those users who have their own Google account, or rather, have their own mailbox on gmail.com something like Nadezda @ gmail.com.

If there is no mail in Google, then start it. The main thing is to come up with a suitable username and password for mail.

Everything below, I write for those who have (or will) have their own Google account.

1. What can you do in Google Docs?

In Google documents online, almost the same functionality as in the usual, local Word from Microsoft (MS Word), namely:

  • Mobility Google Docs is useful for those who move and work with documents where it is convenient and where there is an Internet connection. You can continue working on a document even when disconnected from the network.
  • Want to create documents from scratch? Easy! In addition, it is possible to download regular Word documents from your computer and edit them.
  • Documents are uploaded to Google Docs in html, txt, odt, rtf, doc, docx, pdf format.
  • You can work with a whole team on a document: just send a link to the document to your colleagues.
  • All changes in the document are logged and in an unforeseen case, when, for example, “the cat walked over the keyboard”, you can “roll back” to the previous version of the document.
  • You can work with Google Docs on Android and iOS devices. To do this, you need to install the appropriate free app“Google Docs” on your android device or iOS.

2. Google Docs Text Tools

The first thing to note is the ability to write text, perhaps this is the most important thing.

There are also tools that allow you to work with text:

  • Colour,
  • the size,
  • fonts,
  • alignment,
  • formatting,
  • spell check,
  • insert tables, figures,
  • and "children's" opportunities.

3. How to create a google document

Before you start working with the text, you should write it or download it, for example, from your computer. Let's try to create a new document, as they say, "from scratch". So, it can be done like this.

Enter your login and password.

2) Click on the "Create" button located in the left vertical menu(number 1 in Fig. 1), after which a list will appear in which we select Google documents (Docs).

The same can be done using the Shift + t keys.

Rice. 1. In Google Drive, find a GoogleDocument and create it

After entering the text, it can be styled or "combed". Let's start with styles. We are invited to arrange our text as plain text, with headings and even make a table of contents.

If you place the cursor in any place in the text or select some part of the text, then in the window marked with the number 1 in Fig. 2, the style that matches the marked text will immediately appear.

Rice. 2. How to change text styles: Plain text, Title, subtitle, etc.

On fig. 2, the text “Punish me with contempt” is selected and in window 1 in fig. 2 shows that it is "Plain Text".

To make the title of the document, you need to select the appropriate text and click on "Title" (number 3 in Fig. 2), it will have the largest font. This is usually the title of a book or project.

The following chapters can be made in the text:
Heading 1 - number 5 in fig. 2,
Heading 2 - number 6 in fig. 2, smaller font than Heading 1,
Heading 3 - number 7 in fig. 2, smaller print than Heading 2.

In addition to headings, there can be subheadings - number 4 in Fig. 2.

5. Automatic table of contents

1) After the text is marked up using the above styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.), you can create a Table of Contents for the entire document.

2) We put the cursor in the place where the table of contents will be, usually this is the beginning of the text.
3) Go to the "Insert" menu (number 8 in Fig. 2).
4) There we select the last menu item - "Contents".

Thus, the table of contents will be automatically generated.

6. Choose the text font

Fonts are created by designers and have a certain license. It is impossible to add for the Russian language - this is considered a copyright infringement. Therefore, the Google Docs service is left with a choice of free fonts for which the service has the right to use.

Rice. 3. How to change the font in Google Docs

To select any font, select the text (number 1 in Fig. 3). And then click on the list with fonts (number 2 in Fig. 3), and select the one you need (for example, number 3 in Fig. 3).

What is in fig. 3 there is a checkmark next to the font Arial means that the selected text (number 1 in Fig. 3) is typed in this particular font.

It is enough to poke anywhere in your text and the Google Docs Toolbar (number 2 in Fig. 3) will tell you everything about this text: what font it has, color, font size, style, etc.

7. Text font size

To change the text font size in a Google Docs document, select the desired text fragment (number 1 in Fig. 4), and then click on the appropriate font size from the drop-down list (number 2 in Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. How to Change the Font Size of Text in a Google Docs Document

If there is no suitable size for the selected text, for example, 13 or 20, then click in the field marked with the number 2 in Fig. 4, and enter the desired font size there.

8. Text Formatting

If you want to format the text, first be sure to select the part of the text that you want to "comb" using formatting, and then click on any formatting option (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5 Buttons for Formatting Text in Google Docs

As seen in fig. 5, the following formatting options are available:

  • B- Bold

To make an important part of the text bold, you need to select (in other words, paint over) this text, and then click on the "B" icon, or press the hot keys Ctrl + B.

If you want to remove the selection of text from bold and make it plain text, select this text and click on the “B” icon, or press Ctrl + B.

  • I- Italics

If you highlight the text and then click on the " I”, or press the hot keys Ctrl + I, then the text will also become oblique(highlighted in italics).

To remove italics from text, you need to select the text with italics and use the icon " I”, or the keys Ctrl+ I.

  • U - underlined

Select a part of the text and click on the icon " U", or press the keys Ctrl + U, the text becomes underlined.

Didn't like underlined text? Select (paint over) it and use the icon " U”, or the keys Ctrl+ U.

  • A- Text color

First of all, select the text, and then you can change the font color or background color for the selected text

9. Change text color and background

To change the color or background of the text, first select the desired fragment. Then click the button on the toolbar, select "Text Color" or "Background Color" and specify a color.

Rice. 6. Change text color, text background color

The Google Docs service offers to style text by changing its color and background. To do this, just select the required area of ​​text and click on the button with the underlined image. capital letterBUT”, after which a list will appear (Fig. 6), in which you can select the appropriate color and font background.

10. Comments to the text for editing

If any text causes you doubts, then you can mark it: select it, press “Insert comment” (Ctrl + Alt + M) and indicate the reason, so that later it will be clear what needs to be corrected.

Rice. 7 Insert comments on the selected text to explain the corrections that need to be made

It can also be useful when several people are working on the same document.

11. Other formatting tools

You are writing an article in which you want to link to a source that confirms your words, then click on the “Insert link” button, then enter the text of the link, and add it in the field below.

Rice. 8 Formatting Tools in Google Doc

You can not do without the situation when you need to align the text. Most often, this is a heading that needs to be centered. To perform this procedure, select the desired area and in the top menu choose how you want to align: left, center or right.

Buttons from left to right:

  • Align text to the left (Ctrl+Shift+L)
  • Center (Ctrl+Shift+E)
  • Right Align (Ctrl+Shift+R)
  • Align Left (Ctrl+Shift+L)

To perform Alignment, select the desired area and select how you want to align it in the top menu: left, center, or right.

4 in fig. 8 - Line Spacing (or Line Spacing)

You don’t need to select anything here, just click on the “Line Spacing” button and select the required indentation, by default it is 1. You can also set the spacing yourself: click on the “Set spacing” button and adapt it to yourself.

5 in fig. 8 - Numbered list (Ctrl+Shift+7)

Create a menu for a restaurant that has different kinds salads? Of course, a tool for working with lists will come in handy here. It is possible to choose a bulleted or numbered list. You can also change its design: click on the dropbox (arrow) next to the one you want to select.

6 in fig. 8 - Bulleted list (Ctrl+Shift+8)
7 in fig. 8 - Decrease indent (Ctrl+[)
Increase Indent (Ctrl+])
8 in fig. 8 -Clear formatting (Ctrl+Space)

12. Google Doc View Modes

Despite their uselessness when creating files, it is still worth familiarizing yourself with them, they will suddenly come in handy.

In the "View" menu (Fig. 9), you can select different document viewing modes.


Rice. 9 Google Doc View Modes

You will need this tool in any case, because you can go into view mode and see what the final document will be like, and then return to editing and correct the errors found.

13. Insert

Rice. 10 You can insert a table with a maximum of 20x20

Using the “Insert” tool (number 1 in Fig. 10) you can insert

  • image,
  • table or
  • formula,
  • and also to make a footnote used in books to explain something.

You can also work with pages: add a table of contents, numbering, bookmarks. As you can see, there are enough tools to write your book.

14. Useless goodies

Of course, it is hard to believe that there will be children's buns in such a serious service. Yes, they are quite childish. But they can be called that because they harm the document.

This is a translation of the document through Google translator, as well as a spell checker. You shouldn't use them. It is better to pay a little and get a quality result.

15. Let colleagues help you with your work.

To do this, you need to give them access to a Google Doc.

Rice. 11 Giving Google Docs Access to Your Colleagues

You can exhibit in open access my job. To do this, in the upper right corner, click on the “Access Settings” button (number 1 in Fig. 11), go to “Advanced” settings (number 4 in Fig. 11) and set the file access level (number 3 in Fig. 11) .

Setting access is also useful if several people are working on a google document when teamwork is in progress. You can add people who will subsequently have the right to edit, read and comment on the document. Very much useful tool if used correctly.

16. Saving and other features

The main feature of Google Docs is that the file is saved automatically in Google Drive and you do not need to press the “Save” button or Shift + f12 every time, as in MS Word.

For each Google document, a history of changes is saved (number 5 in Fig. 11) and there is a chance to find a normal copy, where everything was not as bad as it became.

You can also rename a Google Doc and download it to your computer in various formats.

In addition to these functions, the service allows you to print a document on a printer directly from the cloud: in the top menu there is a button with a printer image (number 1 in Fig. 9), after clicking on which a page with file settings for printing will open.

On fig. 9 shows that in the top menu there is not only “File”, but also “Help”. By clicking on this option, you can get even more information than the one above.

Computer literacy exercise

Dear colleagues! Checking Google Docs. To do this, follow the link:

We print a couple of lines of text. Does Google Doc work?

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Online editors, although not a complete replacement for desktop office suites, however, they have their undoubted advantages, among which is the possibility of working together with documents. No less important are the "cloud" properties of online offices and related services, which allows them to be used to store files and workflow.

AT this review 5 online office packages will be considered in detail according to the following criteria:

  • Interface: convenience, design, response speed, observed failures during operation.
  • Word Processor Toolkit: the presence of all the necessary tools for working with text, inserting tables, images and other elements; toolbar functionality, menu composition.
  • office applications: since it is impossible to consider all the components of office suites within the framework of one article, key attention will be paid to the word processor as part of the office, other applications will be discussed briefly. Table editors may be covered in a separate review, since this is also a fairly broad topic for research and comparison.
  • Supported formats: Import/Export options.
  • Collaboration: tools for setting access rights, categorization.
  • File storage: Disk space provided (primarily in free version, if available), synchronization with PC; limits on the size of documents for storage/loading, file sharing functions.
  • mobile version: The presence of a mobile web version, as well as applications for various devices.
  • Rates: tariff plans, the availability of a free version.

Reviewers:

  1. Google Docs
  2. Zoho Docs (Zoho Office Suite)
  3. Microsoft Office Web Apps
  4. Teamlab Office
  5. Thinkfree Online

Google Docs

Service Google Docs, or Google Docs, appeared as a result of the merger of two components - Writely (word processor) and Google Spreadsheets (working with spreadsheets), created by Upstartle and 2Web Technologies, respectively. Both products were taken over by Google and integrated with Google Accounts in 2006. In 2012, the online office was assigned to Google Drive, supplemented by this moment with other applications.

Interface

Registration office applications Google Docs is made in the style typical for other Google services - Gmail, Calendar, etc. Therefore, with a global design update carried out by Google, it is not uncommon for changes to affect all Docs applications.

Most of the functional elements have gray, white and blue tones. No color icons, strict style. In principle, such a departure to minimalism is also characteristic of Microsoft, as will be seen in the case of a set of Office applications web apps.

The toolbar is located in one row, above is the menu, buttons for commenting and granting access. Unnecessary panels can be hidden at any time, leaving only the toolbar visible. It is also easy to remove the ruler and / or the formula bar through the "View" menu section. Thus, editing in the browser becomes more comfortable by expanding the workspace and focusing on the most necessary tools.

In general, editing documents occurs without slowdowns. Unstable operation can be observed when opening several dozen documents - but in this case everything depends on the browser resources. Of the shortcomings, failures should be noted, which, although rare, still occur on Google servers - at such moments it is impossible to edit the document.

Writely Toolkit

The main operations are placed on the toolbar, auxiliary commands are placed in the menu bar. For some reason, the developers considered that inserting objects (tables, figures, special characters, etc.) is not needed on the panel for quick access, so this group is also moved to the menu. Generally speaking, many menu and panel commands are duplicated.

Basic options are available for fonts: selection of paragraph style (with preview), typeface (limited to a set of 8 fonts), outline style (among which there is no strikethrough, although it is found in the Sheets component). Alignment, indents, spacing settings are also available.

Curiously, additional fonts can be embedded in a document. and in addition, an extended list of default fonts is provided. So, if you change the document language to English, the result will surprise you. Why the developers have hidden the option to add a custom font to Russian-language documents is not clear.

You can add bookmarks, internal links (anchors), a table of contents to the document. Pretty much everything you need to create structure and layout word processor implemented. Noticed that you can't add digital signature for protection or a watermark. In the latter case there is alternative way using a custom css style, but this, of course, is not very convenient and obvious.

Spell check available: you can add new terms to the dictionary, the context menu offers correction options. However, you cannot manually specify the language for checking the text, the only workaround is to change it in the document settings ("File → Language ...").

Hotkeys can be found in the memo (Ctrl + /), by hovering over the command icon, or through the menu.

office applications

Google Drive includes applications for working with text documents(Writely component, or Docs), tables (Sheets), presentations (Slides), forms (Forms), drawings (Drawings). According to , there are only three main components - Documents, Spreadsheets and Slides. Any of them can be accessed at start page Google drive.

Sheets

The Sheets (or Spreadsheets) processor allows you to work with spreadsheets, functions, and perform calculations. There are several notable features in this online version compared to any offline spreadsheet processor - say, MS Excel. Firstly, it is possible to connect Google Apps Script scripts (a kind of alternative to VBA scripts), which opens up the widest possibilities for creating applications, automation, etc.

Secondly - integration with forms for collecting data in tables. Forms is not mentioned in the Google help as a component of documents, but it is an important part of office applications. Forms interact closely with Sheets tables. Using the application, you can create questionnaires, voting, data collection forms, which can be conveniently viewed in the form of tables in the future. At the same time, text fields, radio buttons, and other interactive elements can be used to build voting polls, etc.

The list of functions compared to MS Excel is limited and available only in English implementation. However, it is not difficult to get used to it, especially since you need to understand: this is not a tracing paper of formulas from an offline office package. For a list, see List of Google Sheets features. You may notice that Sheets has its own functions: for example, for importing data from HTML and XML, Google functions, etc.

Working with cells is standard: sorting, filtering, creating ranges, conditional formatting. At the same time, no freezes were noticed, although there are pauses when capturing large ranges. Some familiar commands are missing. For example, for a simple task like finding duplicates, you have to use Apps Script or other workarounds.

In Sheets, you can build simple pivot tables. There are tools for constructing diagrams: linear, combined, bar, pie, histograms, etc. There are also less common types of them - organizational, geographical. Perhaps the only thing missing is (available as a gadget, and not in the best implementation).

Slides (Presentations)

The slide application is designed to create presentations for export to PDF, PPTX, or to view directly in a browser. Transition effects, animation, templates are supported. You can add videos, charts from related Docs applications, WordArt objects, and more to your presentation.

There are some features of Slides that should be listed for later comparison with other services. Firstly, multi-selection of slides, and in addition to standard operations with the clipboard, you can massively make changes - change transitions, change the structure of layouts. Second, insert notes. As the comparison of cloud offices shows, this possibility is far from obvious and conveniently implemented everywhere. Thirdly, a fairly simple, not overloaded interface.

Drawings

The Drawings application (in the Russian version it sounds more blurry - “Google Drawings”) allows you to create drawings using lines, shapes, text. Work is simplified by guides, snapping to a grid and automatic distribution.

The service can be used both for creating sketches, simple design, and for creating graphs and diagrams. Forte Drawings - the ability to collaborate on a document. Without this, perhaps, the value of the program would have decreased, because graphic editors of this kind - in abundance.

Collaboration

One of the main cloud benefits Google Docs - ease of collaboration with documents and distribution of roles. We can briefly list several important functions.

All changes in the process of working with the document are displayed in real time as cursors of different colors in those positions where editing takes place (in the case of the Writely component). In Sheets and Slides, the corresponding cell/slide is highlighted.

Chat is available in the sidebar, so you can have a discussion in the document, this option was not found in the Drive interface. Commenting on text, cells and slides is also available.

Access rights are fairly easy to manage. can open general access to the document, as well as add a user and specify his access level (editor, owner, commenting, reading).

Contacts can be easily combined into groups, which makes the distribution of rights more efficient, especially when working in a team.

Collections used to be available in Google Docs, but after being "rebranded" to Google Drive, they have been replaced by folders. And if before that it was possible to add a file to several collections, now this possibility is missing. It can be assumed that this was done due to the impossibility of synchronizing collections and folders in local storage. In addition, when using folders, there are no difficulties with access rights for user groups. On the other hand, with tags (as, for example, in Zoho Docs) in Google Docs, it would be much more convenient to clean up.

Supported document formats

Documentation

Two ISO document standards are supported - OpenDocument (open/export) and Office Open XML (open only), plus proprietary formats. As a result, the import / export list in the Docs word processor looks like this: Word, ODF, RTF, PDF, HTML and ZIP. When uploading documents to the service, the files can be converted from MS Office into a format for further editing by means of the service.

tables

Import: XLS, CSV, TXT and ODS
Export: XLS, CSV, TXT, ODS, PDF and HTML

Presentations

Import: PPT and PPS
Export: PDF, PPT and TXT

Images

Export: PNG, JPEG, SVG and PDF

In addition to the specified list, there is also a separate list of formats supported by the Google Drive universal viewer, which is also available for mobile devices(see below).

File storage

The "Save" button on the toolbar in Google apps There are no documents, all changes are saved automatically. Documents keep records previous versions with the possibility of opening them in preview mode or downloading to a computer.

As already mentioned, the file storage is Google Drive. 5 GB storage is free. Documents can be up to 1,024,000 characters in size, or 1MB for text files uploaded to Google for editing. For tables, the limit is 400,000 cells, for presentations it is 50 MB, which is approximately 200 slides.

Rates

Google Drive is free, higher storage rates listed. There are discounts for educational and non-profit organizations. You can also use Docs as part of the Google Apps cloud services suite.

[+] Free and no significant restrictions
[+] Convenient, non-distracting design
[+] Smart collaboration in the cloud
[+] Integration with Google services
[+] Regular updates
[+] Template Gallery
[-] Occasionally there are malfunctions
[-] No possibility to personalize the workspace (branding)