16. What a Character
When you type words like "resume" or "voila," do you just ignore the fact that they're supposed to have accents, because you aren't sure how to add them? No one will notice, right? Wrong. Don't give anyone
the chance to assume you didn't know any better. Use the Windows 95 character map--or better yet, a keyboard combination--to add the proper foreign characters to your word processing documents.
Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Character Map; in the drop-down list under Font, select the font you're currently using in your document. Locate the character you need, double-click it (to add it to the Characters to Copy box), then click the Copy button. Switch over to your document, place your cursor where you'd like the character, and select that application's Paste command.
When you get the hang of this character stuff, you can add a character to a document using a simple keystroke--no character map necessary. Inside the character map, select any character, and you'll see a
four-digit number next to "Keystroke: Alt+" in the lower-right corner of the dialog box. Make a note of it. Then, from inside any document, press the Num Lock key on your keyboard, if it isn't already, then hold down the Alt key and type this four-digit number (on your numeric keypad). Magically, the character appears.
Microsoft® Windows®95 Hints & Tips by Stuart Martin.
