Microsoft PowerPoint XP
The Environment
The environment of PowerPoint XP reflects the changes of the Office XP environment. Notice how in the Normal view you can work with the slide, add notes, and work in the Outline and Slides pane all at the same time. The most significant addition to the overall environment is the Task Pane that appears on the right of your screen, allowing you to easily perform tasks without having to repeatedly open different menus and dialog boxes. This document will explain these aspects.
Viewing the Environment
PowerPoint X has the same view options as other versions of PowerPoint; however, the PowerPoint XP views look slightly different and are more versatile. To find out more about PowerPoint views, see The PowerPoint Views.
The Normal view in PowerPoint XP has a slightly changed environment. In addition to being able to add notes to slides, format the slides, and work in the outline all at the same time, you can also work in the slides view.
Viewing the Environment: Adding Notes in the Normal View
Underneath the slide, you will notice a box with the text Click to add notes. This is the box to add notes.
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Click within the Click to add notes text box
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Type the notes you want to include for that slide
Viewing the Environment: Using the Slides in the Normal View
By default, in the Outline and Slides pane to the left of the slide, the Slides tab is selected showing all the slides in your presentation. 
This view works the same as the Slide Sorter view but is more readily accessible. In this view you can easily rearrange the order of your slides by clicking and dragging them into place. This view also shows if you have transitions set on your slides.
Viewing the Environment: Using the Outline in the Normal View
When you select the outline tab in the Outline and Slides pane to the left of the slide, the Outline of your presentation will appear. If you have text included on those slides, the text will also show in the outline. Using the outline in the Normal view means you can format, add, or delete text from the slide's outline. This can be more convenient because you do not have to manually flip back and forth between slides.
To format the text in the Outline:
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Select the outline of the slide you wish to format
The slide of the selected outline appears. -
From the selected slide outline, select the text you wish to format
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From the Format menu, select Font... and format text appropriately
For instructions on how to customize your fonts, see Customizing Fonts as part of the Customizing Slides document.
To add text in the Outline:
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From the selected slide outline, place the cursor where you want to add text
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Click the mouse
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Type the appropriate text
To delete text in the Outline:
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Select the text you wish to delete
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Press [Delete]
The Task Pane
The Task Pane allows you to easily perform tasks without having to repeatedly open different menus and dialog boxes. For instance, if you want to insert a new slide, the Task Pane will display all the different text and content layouts for you to easily choose from. This image shows only a portion of the Task Pane with the Slide Layout screen selected.
