Office 2003 Basics

What is a dialog box?

So far, you've learned that commands let you control how an Office 2003 program works. In order to execute many commands, your input is necessary. Dialog boxes help you accomplish this.

Dialog boxes look a lot like other windows and feature controls you use to change the function or appearance of a program.

For example, if you want to open an existing Word document—whether you choose File Open from the menu bar or click the Open button on the Standard toolbar—an Open dialog box appears, ready for your input.

While exploring various menus in Office 2003, you may have noticed an ellipsis (...) next to some menu commands. If you select a command that's followed by an ellipsis, a dialog box will appear.