What is AppleWorks, and what does it do?

Note: The software discussed here is no longer in common use at Indiana University, and UITS may no longer be able to verify the document's accuracy. The UITS Support Center may no longer have the manuals and other materials required to support this software adequately.

AppleWorks is a multipurpose suite much like Microsoft Office. It can handle word processing, spreadsheets, databases, drawing, painting, and presentations. Unlike Microsoft Office, which is divided into specialized applications, AppleWorks is a single program that handles multiple document types. When you start AppleWorks, you are presented with a palette that allows you to choose which function you would like AppleWorks to perform. This palette includes the following tabs:

• Basic: The Basic tab shows the icons for each document type as described above. Simply click the icon for the function that you want AppleWorks to perform, and a new window will open, ready for you to begin working.
  
  
• Assistants: The Assistants tab contains helpful assistant programs that will aid you in creating certain frequently used documents, such as a calendar or business cards.
  
  
• Templates: The Templates tab contains a listing of templates that you can use as a starting point for some common types of documents. Unlike the Assistants feature, Templates are complete documents that have already been created, which you can edit to meet your needs. Some common documents included in the Templates tab are banners, letterhead, award certificates, and to-do lists.
  
  
• Web: The Web tab allows you to connect to the web and download any new templates that Apple or others have developed from Apple's web site.
  
  
• Recent Items: The Recent Items tab contains aliases pointing to your recently accessed documents. Click the document that you want to work on, and it will open automatically. By default, AppleWorks will remember the 10 most recently accessed documents, but you can change the number that it will remember in the preferences.
  
  
•  + : The + (plus sign) tab allows you to create your own tab, which can contain any sort of information you wish.

AppleWorks saves files in its own format, but for most document types you can export files to different formats, including Microsoft Word and Excel.

For more information about AppleWorks, visit Apple's web site at:

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