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PsuThesi Overview

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Overview

 

General

PsuThesi is a Penn State thesis package for Microsoft Word users. PsuThesi is compatible with MS Word for Windows version 2003. It includes Word templates, styles and functions to help produce a dissertation, masters thesis or Schreyer honors thesis according to guidelines set forth by Penn State University. Among the options and functions which PsuThesi provides are:

 

  • Automatic file creation and thesis layout
  • A dynamic thesis settings file
  • Automatic numbering, cross-referencing and tables of contents
  • A final thesis master document generator
  • Coloring options for draft versions of your thesis

The package functions by having a thesis folder (called "Mythesis" in this discussion) in which two Word templates and a settings file are stored, along with your actual thesis documents and some instructions. The thesis documents are created for you automatically at startup. If the folder "Mythesis" is then transported to another computer, the system should function in a similiar manner on the new computer.

The template called "PsuStyles" controls the layout of the thesis; the template called "PsuThesi" controls the programmed functions and toolbars; and the file called "PsuSettings" contains your personalized thesis settings which are used by PsuThesi (or a new PsuThesi) to perform functions acccording to your choices. The document files in which you will write (or import) your thesis have a predefined naming convention: FrontMatter, Chapter1, Chapter2, ..., Bibliography, Appendix1, Appendix2, etc.. Thus, the files in your "Mythesis" folder might look like this:

 

Appendix1
Appendix2
ASignaturePage
AVita
Bibliography
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
FrontMatter		 PsuInstallSteps
PsuReadMe
PsuSettings
PsuStyles
PsuThesi
PsuUsersGuide

Once you have downloaded the software and expanded it into the Mythesis folder, you start the system by simply opening the template "PsuThesi". After PsuThesi self-loads into Word's global templates, it will determine that you are a first-time user and initiate the following sequence:

 

  • A thesis setting menu will be presented for you to complete
  • A FrontMatter document is created based on your thesis type
  • You will then be asked to set the thesis base font
  • And then your thesis document files will be created

When this first-time startup is complete, you are ready to begin and you will also have a new toolbar called the "PsuThesi" toolbar:

 

  icon of mortar board     Toolbox   Display   Files     FrontMatter   Chapter   Bibliography   Appendix   Notes     Graphics   Helper     icons of toolbar  

 

Definitions

 

Template:   An entity in Microsoft Word which can govern how a document looks (via styles) or what programs (macros) are available to a document, or both. All documents in Word have a template "attached" to it governing the document's layout - the default template is called "Normal.dot".
.dot:   The extension used on the names of Word document templates (dot), e.g., "PsuThesi.dot".
Style:   A named entity within a template which governs how a paragraph (or sometimes a phrase of words) should be formatted. Every paragraph in a document has a style applied to it - the default style is "Normal".
Macro:   A named entity within a template which contains dynamic program functions. That is, commands which can be executed at any time to perform some function within Word.
Toolbar:   A named entity within a template which generally contains pull-down menu items related to the document which would have the template attached to it.
PsuStyles.dot:   The document template attached to your thesis documents which governs the page setup and formatting of all styles assocxiated with your thesis. This template must be in your thesis folder.
PsuThesi.dot:   The program template which is loaded into Word's global template area and controls the thesis functions which are selectable from the "PsuThesi" toolbar. This template should be in your thesis folder.
PsuSettings.ini:   This is your personalized thesis settings file which must be stored in your thesis folder. This file is used by PsuThesi to control how formatting should take place.
Automated   
Reference:  		 A reference (also called a cross-reference) generally means the referral to some entity elsewhere in a document, usually by some identifying number. For example, you might write “(see Table 3-2)” - this would be the reference “3-2” to the caption number associated with the actual table, Table 3-2. Caption numbers and their corresponding references can be automated so that text can be moved around with the numbering automatically being updated.