Exploring an unfamiliar feature using Help and tooltips

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. You find a button in a program and have no idea what it does. What is the quickest first step?

A Click it repeatedly until something happens

B Hover your mouse over it to read the tooltip

2. Which one is a tooltip?

A A small label that appears when you hover over a button

B A tool that deletes your file

3. You want to find out how to add page numbers, but you can't see the button. What should you do?

A Delete the document and start again

B Type 'add page numbers' into the app's search box or Help menu

4. Before trying a new feature on your important assignment, what is the safest thing to do?

A Try it on a copy of the file

B Try it on the only version you have

5. You tried a new feature and it messed up your text. What can you do straight away?

A Use Undo (Ctrl+Z) to reverse the change

B Close the app and hope it fixes itself

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Hover over a button		AGiving up too soon. Open the Help menu or type the task into the app's search box to find the feature.
2Help > Search		BCtrl + Z
3Try a new feature on a copy of your file so your original stays safe		CType your task into the app's search box to find the menu command or Help article for it
4If a new feature does something you did not want, you can reverse it straight away		DFile > Make a copy
5Click every button on your final assignment to see what happens		EExperimenting on the only copy of your work could ruin it. Hover to read tooltips and test on a copy instead.
6Give up because you cannot find the Mail Merge button		FWait with your mouse over an icon to see a tooltip that tells you what the button does

Definitions

Help and tooltips

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

Hover over a button to read its _______

Open the ____ menu to read instructions

Type your task into the app's ______ box

Try the new feature on a ____ of your file

Press Ctrl+_ to undo a mistake

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A hover(button)

B read(tooltip)

C try(feature, original)

Question 2

A open(Help)

B type(searchBox, "table")

C close(topResult)

Question 3

A copy = duplicate(file)

B open(copy)

C try(feature)

D if bad: redo()

Question 4

A find(icon)

B click(icon)

C read(tooltip)

D copy = duplicate(file)

Question 5

A copy = delete(file)

B try(feature, copy)

C if bad: undo()

Answer Key

Exploring an unfamiliar feature using Help and tooltips

Section A: Quick Questions

B — Hover your mouse over it to read the tooltip

A — A small label that appears when you hover over a button

B — Type 'add page numbers' into the app's search box or Help menu

A — Try it on a copy of the file

A — Use Undo (Ctrl+Z) to reverse the change

Section B: Match the Pairs

Hover over a button → Wait with your mouse over an icon to see a tooltip that tells you what the button does

Help > Search → Type your task into the app's search box to find the menu command or Help article for it

Try a new feature on a copy of your file so your original stays safe → File > Make a copy

If a new feature does something you did not want, you can reverse it straight away → Ctrl + Z

Click every button on your final assignment to see what happens → Experimenting on the only copy of your work could ruin it. Hover to read tooltips and test on a copy instead.

Give up because you cannot find the Mail Merge button → Giving up too soon. Open the Help menu or type the task into the app's search box to find the feature.

Section C: Definitions

Help and tooltips — Hover over a button to read its tooltip, open the Help menu or type your task into the app's search box, then try the feature on a copy of your file so you can undo any mistakes.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Hover over a button to read its tooltip

Open the Help menu to read instructions

Type your task into the app's search box

Try the new feature on a copy of your file

Press Ctrl+Z to undo a mistake

Section E: Spot the Error

C — After reading the tooltip, you should try the new feature on a copy of the file, not the original. Then any mistakes can be undone or thrown away safely. It should be try(feature, copy).

C — After searching Help for your task, you open the top result so you can read the steps. Closing it means you learn nothing. It should be open(topResult).

D — If the feature does something you did not want, you use undo to reverse it. Redo repeats a change instead of reversing it. It should be if bad: undo().

B — A tooltip appears when you hover over a button, not when you click it. Clicking runs the feature before you know what it does. It should be hover(icon).

A — The first step is to make a copy of your file so you can practise safely. Deleting the file destroys your work and leaves nothing to test on. It should be copy = duplicate(file).