Manage and share documents online By Google

[Paul]

To write a Word document, Excel and PowerPoint, open, modify, no need to install Microsoft Office on your computer: your browser is enough!

In fact Google offers free service documents that provides a word processor compatible with Word, a table compatible with Excel and software compatible with PowerPoint presentations.

Combined with a free Google account, documents and allows you to create new documents, import existing documents, to store them online, work on it wherever you go and retrieve them anywhere at any when.

To use documents, you must have a Google account (free), as a recent browser such as Internet Explorer 6, 7 or Firefox 1.5 or higher.

Note that if the service is totally free, some restrictions apply: the file size is limited to 1 MB (10 MB for presentations) and you can store up to 5 000 files.

Once your documents are created, you can at any time to share them with other users, in order to work together. You can export them to your computer, to save them to PDF for example.

[Paul]

Open a Google account

Like most Google services, documents requires that you have a Google Account. If you already have one, you can skip to the next step. Otherwise, you must create one for free.

In your Web browser, go to the address http://docs.google.com.

Then click on the button Adopt Google Docs now.



Fill in the form that appears including your email address current.

Check the box Check this box ... then click on the accept button. Create an account.



Then open your email. You have received a mail from Google to confirm your registration. Open the message and click the link that appears. Your account is now activated. Close your web browser.

[Paul]

Connect to the Google Docs account

Now that you've created a Google Account, you can connect it to use Google services, including documents that allows you to have a real office suite online.
In your Web browser, go to the address http://docs.google.com.

On the right side of the page, entitled Google Account, enter your email address and password associated with your Google Account.



Then click the Connect button.

You are connected to your Google account and redirected to the documents.

[Paul]

Read and edit an existing document

You have received a Word document, Excel or PowerPoint email. Save it to your hard drive and start your Web browser. Log in to your Google account.
Once identified and redirected to Google Docs, click the Import button.



Click the Browse button.

Locate the file to be opened on your hard drive and click Open.

Then click the Upload button.

Your document is then added to your list of documents online and then open.

It only remains for you to modify and then save it at the end of work by clicking Save and Close.

[Paul]

Create a new document

Google Docs lets you create new documents of different types: text, spreadsheets and presentations.
Log in to your Google Docs account.

Click the Create button.



Then select the type of document to create, document such as a text document.

A new window opens on word processing. You can create your new document as if you use software on your computer.



Once your document is finished (and often to avoid losses in case of power), click the Save button to save your changes.

[Paul]

Store and find documents

As you create or import documents on Google Docs, you may have trouble getting there. The solution: store your documents, use filters offered and run the search.

Log into your Google account.

Click the Create button.

Then click on the Folder.



A new folder is added to the list all the files. Click on it.

Then click on its name in the blue bar.



You can then change the name of your choice.

Click on the link Add a description, then enter a description of the file.

Then click the Select a color and select color to associate with the file.

Then repeat the operation for the other folders you want to create.

To move a document, check its box and then click the Move.

Then select the folder where the document move and click Move to Folder.

Note : The left column of the management of your documents you can access your folder list. Some filters are also easier to find files. It is thus possible to display all files of the same type in the dropdown list items by type.

• To check a document, type your keywords in the search box.
• To refine your search, click Show search options.
• Fill in the various information about the document you are looking for, as its type, date, etc..
• Finally, click on the Search button documents. The documents found are displayed.

To save a search that you use the following, please click the Save this research. Give a name to the search and click the OK button. You can then run this search in the category of registered Searches left pane. Simply click above you will start.

[Paul]

Retrieve a document

Google Docs allows you to easily retrieve a file on your hard disk for printing or archiving for example. You can export your documents in Office formats, OpenOffice and even PDF.

In the list of Google Docs documents, check documents to recover.

Click the More Actions.



Then choose from the list that is the format of the file to retrieve, save as Word for example.

Click the Save button.



Choose the location on your hard disk where to put the file, change the name if necessary and then click Save.

The file is downloaded and saved on your computer.

[Paul]

Share a document

If you want another person to view or modify a document, you can share it.
From the General page of Google Docs, click the checkbox to the left of the file name to share.

Click the Share button.



For the person with whom you share the document can change the file, select the option as a collaborator, or select as viewers.

Enter the email address of the person.

Finally click Invite collaborators.



Enter a message to invite your friend and click the Send button.

Your friend will receive a message containing a link. It just click on it to view and edit the document. Note that if it does not have a Google Account, it will create one. Free of course!

The changes made by your friend appear in your document.