The Ribbon is a key component of the Microsoft Word interface. It hosts the vast majority of the commands that the programme has to offer. Its wide variety of controls are arranged in a series of Tabs. To make a Tab active, click on its name. The controls displayed in each Tab are related in some way. Thus, for example, the controls in the Home Tab are the ones which are most frequently used in Microsoft Word: controls such as Cut, Copy and Paste and commands for changing the character and paragraph formatting of your text.

The Insert Tab contains commands for adding elements to your page such as tables, pictures, headers and footers.

Another example of a context sensitive Tab is the one which appears whenever you insert a table. You will notice that Word immediately displays two context sensitive Tabs relating to tables: Design and Layout.

As long as an area within the table is highlighted, these Tabs will remain visible and they have the same status as the regular Tabs. You can switch between them and regular Tabs at will. Once again, as soon as you click outside the table to deselect it, the context sensitive Tabs relating to tables will disappear.

The Mailings Tab contains controls for creating mail merge documents. This involves the combination of a data document, which normally contain a list of recipients, with a main document, which is normally a letter, to produce a series of personalised mail merge documents which can then be sent out to each recipient.

The Insert Tab contains commands for adding elements to your page such as tables, pictures, headers and footers.

The Review Tab contains tools for proofing your document. Here, you can check your spelling and grammar and there are also tools for reviewing a document by adding comments and then tracking these comments as the document is passed from person to person.

Finally, we have the Developer Tab. This contains controls for creating and editing macros and Visual Basic applications.

As well as the regular Ribbon Tabs, Microsoft Word 2007 also contains context sensitive Tabs. These are Tabs which only appear in a certain context.

For example, if you insert a table, you will notice that Word immediately displays two context sensitive Tabs relating to tables: Design and Layout. As long as an area within the table is highlighted, these Tabs will remain visible and they have the same status as the regular Tabs. You can switch between them and regular Tabs at will. However, as soon as you click outside the table to deselect it, the context sensitive Tabs relating to tables will disappear.

As long as an area within the table is highlighted, these Tabs will remain visible and they have the same status as the regular Tabs. You can switch between them and regular Tabs at will. Once again, as soon as you click outside the table to deselect it, the context sensitive Tabs relating to tables will disappear.