Professional Documents
Culture Documents
orgUserGuide
forVersion2.x
[OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x]
[0.2]
Firstedition:[20050411]
FirstEnglishedition:[20050411]
Copyrightandtrademarkinformation
ThecontentsofthisDocumentationaresubjecttothePublicDocumentationLicense,Version
1.0(the"License");youmayonlyusethisDocumentationifyoucomplywiththetermsof
thisLicense.AcopyoftheLicenseisavailableat:
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TheOriginalDocumentationisOpenOffice.orgUserGuideforVersion2.x.
Contributor(s):G.RoderickSingleton.
PortionscreatedbyG.RoderickSingletonareCopyright2005,2006.AllRightsReserved.
Alltrademarkswithinthisguidebelongtolegitimateowners.
[Note:acopyofthePDLisincludedinthistemplateandisalsoavailableat:
http://www.openoffice.org/licenses/PDL.rtf.]
Feedback
Pleasedirectanycommentsorsuggestionsaboutthisdocumentto:
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Acknowledgements
IwishtorecognizetheTechnicalWritersofSunMicrosystemsforthefinemodeltheyhave
providedfororganizingthisdocument.IalsowishtothankErwinTenhumbergforhisblog,
MaryEllenDawleyforherindexingeffort,RossJohnsonforhisediting/correctionsand
manitobanforthedockingtextinchapter2.
Modificationsandupdates
Version
Date
DescriptionofChange
[0.9]
[20051111]
[grs:9thdraftissuedforcommentswitchedtomasterdoc,
stewart'samendmentsandaddedachapteronXMLusage
(flatfile)]
[0.10]
[20051111]
[grs:10thdraftissuedforcommentfixpagenumbering
[0.11]
[20060131]
[grs:11thdraftissuedforcommentupdatedindex
[0.12a]
[20060220]
[rj:12thdraftissuedforcommentcorrectionsfor2.0to
replace1.1.xreferences
[0.13]
[20060221]
[grs13thdraftissuedforcommentintegratedRossJohnson's
changesandeditedforconsistentgrammar.
[0.14]
[20060302]
[grs:14thdraftissuedforcommentdocumentlayouttobe
morebookish
[0.15]
[20060410]
[grs:15thdraftissuedforcommentAddedPOSTNETsection
[0.16]
[20060619]
[grs:16thdraftissuedforcommentAddedfilerecoveryinfo
toTroubleshootingchapter
[0.17]
[20060627]
[grs:17thdraftissuedforcommentCorrectedOverview
[0.18a]
[20060719]
[grs:18athdraftissuedforcommentupdatedconcordance
filesectionandaddedJMFsectiontoChapter14andwps
howto.
[0.19]
[20060731]
[grs:19thdraftissuedforcommentAddednewexportPDF
feature
[0.20]
[20060816]
[grs:20thdraftissuedforcommentFixedmanylegacyterms
andaddedlanguage/writingaidsandcommentonstyle
painter
[0.21]
[20061018]
[grs:21stdraftissuedforcommentIntegratedztyxand
walteramupdatestochapters3,4and10
[0.22]
20070306
[grs:22nddraftissuedforcommentaddedmoreinfoon
keyboardshortcutstoChapter5Impressandminor
changes.
[0.23]
[20070409]
[grs:23rddraftissuedforcommentFixedpagninationerrors
Contents
Overview................................................................................................... ........................1
UsingtheGuide...........................................................................................................................1
ImportantFeatureswith2.x.......................................................................... ..................3
OpenStandardsXMLFileFormat(OASISOpenDocument)....................................................3
NewMultipaneView.................................................................................................................3
NewCustomShapes(compatiblewithMicrosoftAutoShapes)
..................................................3
MoreSlideTransitionsandAnimationEffects...........................................................................3
EnhancedPDFExport.................................................................................................................3
NewenhancedDatabaseFeatures...............................................................................................5
MailMergeWizard.....................................................................................................................5
EnhancedWordCount
Feature
...................................................................................................5
SupportforNestedTables...........................................................................................................5
DigitalSignaturesSupport
..........................................................................................................5
XFormsSupport..........................................................................................................................5
WordPerfectFilters..................................................................................................................6
Calcnowhas65,536Rows.........................................................................................................6
EnhancedDataPilotSupport.......................................................................................................6
NativeInstallers..........................................................................................................................6
NativeDesktopIntegration.........................................................................................................6
FloatingToolbars........................................................................................................................6
StylePaintBrush.........................................................................................................................6
Quickstarterfor*NIXOperatingSystems..................................................................................7
MultipleLanguageSupport
.........................................................................................................7
NewChartingModule.................................................................................................................7
Chapter1:UsingOpenOffice.orgHelp.......................................... ................................9
OpenOffice.orgStepbyStepHelp.............................................................................................9
Tips............................................................................................................................................10
Turningtipsonandoff.........................................................................................................10
ExtendedTips.......................................................................................................................10
Turningextendedtipsonandoff.....................................................................................10
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
HelpAgent................................................................................................................................10
TurningtheHelpAgentonandoff......................................................................................11
Chapter2:WorkingWithOpenOffice.org............................................................... ....13
TheUserInterface................................................................................................................13
StartingOpenOffice.org.......................................................................................................13
TheOpenOffice.orgWriterWindow...................................................................................14
ToolbarsintheOpenOffice.orgWindow.............................................................................14
TheTitleBar....................................................................................................................14
TheMenuBar..................................................................................................................15
TheToolbars....................................................................................................................15
ExamplesofFloatingToolbars........................................................................................16
UsingFloatingToolbars..................................................................................................17
Thedocumentwindow....................................................................................................17
Dockingtoolbars..............................................................................................................17
Dockingwindows............................................................................................................18
ChangingtheVisibilityofButtonsonToolbars..............................................................18
OpeningandSavingDocuments
...............................................................................................19
OpeningDocuments.............................................................................................................19
SavingDocuments....................................................................................................................22
ChangingtheWorkDirectory..............................................................................................23
SavingDocumentsAutomatically........................................................................................23
BackupaFileAutomatically...........................................................................................23
SavingRecoveryInformationAutomaticallyEvery'n'Minutes.....................................23
OpenOffice.orgFileFormats....................................................................................................24
XMLfileformatnames........................................................................................................24
OpenOffice.orgXMLfilestructure......................................................................................25
DefinitionoftheXMLformats............................................................................................26
SettingTabstops...................................................................................................................26
SendingDocumentsasEMail
..................................................................................................27
SingleMessages...................................................................................................................27
MailMerge............................................................................................................................27
PrintingDocuments...................................................................................................................28
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ii
DisplayingPrintPreviews....................................................................................................29
ReducedPrintingofDocuments...........................................................................................30
Toprinttwopagesbesideoneanotherononesheetofpaper.........................................30
PrintinginBlackandWhite
.................................................................................................30
Printingtextandgraphicsinblackandwhite
..................................................................30
PrintingallDrawandImpressdocumentsinblackandwhite
........................................30
Printingonlytextinblackandwhite
...............................................................................31
PrintingallWriterdocumentswithblackandwhitetext
............................................31
PrintingthecurrentWriterdocumentwithblackandwhitetext
................................31
PrintingBrochures................................................................................................................31
Spellcheck.................................................................................................................................32
AutomaticSpellcheck
...........................................................................................................32
CheckingMultilingualTexts................................................................................................33
StartingSpellcheck
...............................................................................................................34
ExcludingTextFromtheSpellcheck
..............................................................................35
AddingWritingAidsforOtherLanguages...............................................................................35
GettingNewWritingAids....................................................................................................35
UsingAutomaticFunctions.......................................................................................................40
UsingAutoCorrectandAutoFormat
.........................................................................................40
TurningoffURLRecognitionby
AutoCorrect
....................................................................42
UndoURLrecognition
....................................................................................................42
TurnoffURLrecognition
................................................................................................42
OtherAutoCorrectfunctions
................................................................................................42
CreatingaLetterTemplateWiththeWizard............................................................................44
Find&Replace.........................................................................................................................45
FindingaWordinText........................................................................................................45
SearchingforWholeWordsOnly........................................................................................46
MatchCase......................................................................................................................46
SearchingforTextWithWildcards.................................................................................46
SearchingBackward........................................................................................................47
CurrentSelectionOnly....................................................................................................47
SearchingforStyles.........................................................................................................47
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
iii
SearchingforTextAttributes..........................................................................................47
SearchingforSpecialFormats........................................................................................48
SimilaritySearch.............................................................................................................48
ListofRegularExpressions..................................................................................................48
DigitalSignaturesandPrintingorExportingDocuments
.........................................................51
Onlyopenpassword,norestriction..................................................................................53
openpassword,restricted..................................................................................................53
Permissionrestrictedonly....................................................................................................53
PDFwithoutrestriction(Defaultbehaviour)........................................................................53
Permissionsavailable................................................................................................................53
Printing.................................................................................................................................53
Changes................................................................................................................................53
Enablecopy..........................................................................................................................54
Enableaccessibility..............................................................................................................54
ProgrammingPDFSecurityinMacros...............................................................................54
Chapter3:ManagingTextDocumentsWithWriter....................................... ...........57
TheOpenOffice.orgWriterFunctions......................................................................................57
Writing..................................................................................................................................57
DesigningandStructuring....................................................................................................57
DesktopPublishingwithOpenOffice.orgWriter.................................................................58
Calculations..........................................................................................................................58
CreatingDrawings................................................................................................................58
InsertingGraphics................................................................................................................58
CustomizableProgramInterface..........................................................................................58
Drag&Drop...........................................................................................................................58
ExtensiveHelpFunctions.....................................................................................................58
TheOpenOffice.orgWriterWindow........................................................................................59
WindowsofOpenOffice.orgWriter..................................................................................59
EnteringandFormattingText
...................................................................................................60
EnteringNewText...............................................................................................................60
Toenternewtext:............................................................................................................60
Linebreaks.......................................................................................................................60
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
iv
Automaticcorrection.......................................................................................................60
Wordcompletion.............................................................................................................60
InsertingText........................................................................................................................60
SwitchingBetweenInsertModeandOverwriteMode........................................................61
Usingthekeyboard:.........................................................................................................61
Usingthemouse:.............................................................................................................61
EnteringTextAnywhereonaPage......................................................................................61
SelectingandDeletingText
.................................................................................................62
Deletingcharacters..........................................................................................................62
Deletingtext.....................................................................................................................62
Selectingtexttodeletewiththemouse.......................................................................62
Selectingtexttodeletewiththekeyboard..................................................................62
Deletingnonadjacentpiecesoftext...........................................................................62
Statusbaruses..................................................................................................................63
SettingtheViewingZoomFactor...............................................................................63
EditingorActivatingHyperlinks
................................................................................63
ApplyingVariousFonts......................................................................................................63
KeyboardNavigatingandSelectioninWriter.....................................................................64
InsertingSpecialCharacters
.................................................................................................64
InsertingProtectedSpaces,HyphensandConditionalSeparators
.......................................65
Nonbreakingspaces........................................................................................................65
Nonbreakinghyphen......................................................................................................65
Hyphen,emdashandendash
.........................................................................................65
ManualHyphenation.......................................................................................................65
EmphasizingText.................................................................................................................66
ChangingthecolourofText
.................................................................................................66
RotatingText........................................................................................................................66
DefiningBorders..................................................................................................................67
ChooseFormatfromthemenubar,Borderstabpage.....................................................67
UsetheBordersfloatingtoolbarwithTables
..................................................................69
SuperscriptsandSubscripts..................................................................................................71
Applyingsubscripts/superscriptsretrospectively............................................................72
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
WritinginUppercaseorLowercase
.....................................................................................72
MovingTextSectionsinDocuments...................................................................................72
ResettingFontAttributesWhileTyping..............................................................................73
ExampleprocedureforresettingFontAttributes
............................................................73
QuickFormattingUsingtheAdjacentParagraphFormat....................................................73
UsingSections......................................................................................................................73
SectionsandColumns..........................................................................................................75
InsertingSections.................................................................................................................75
EditingSections....................................................................................................................75
FormattingTextWithandWithoutStyles................................................................................76
DirectFormattingorFormattingWithStyles......................................................................76
TheStyleConceptinOpenOffice.org.......................................................................................77
TheStylesintheStylesandFormattingWindow................................................................77
ParagraphStyles...................................................................................................................77
ParagraphStyle.....................................................................................................................78
CharacterStyles....................................................................................................................80
HierarchicalStyles................................................................................................................80
NumberingStyles................................................................................................................81
CreatingNewCharacterStylesorParagraphStyles............................................................81
CreatingDocumentTemplates
.............................................................................................82
TheAdvantagesoftheStylesandFormattingWindow.......................................................83
FormattingMultipleParagraphs...........................................................................................83
ChangingaStyletheEasyWay...........................................................................................83
PageStylesandPageNumbers............................................................................................84
CreatePageStyles...........................................................................................................84
EditingPageStyles..........................................................................................................88
PageBreaksasParagraphFormats..................................................................................88
ChangingtheFormatofPageNumbers...........................................................................89
PageStylesSummary......................................................................................................91
DefiningdefaultTemplates.......................................................................................................92
TemplatesandStyles.................................................................................................................93
CopyingStylesBetweenTemplatesandDocuments...........................................................93
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
vi
NewStylefromSelection.....................................................................................................94
TransferringFormatsWithFillFormatMode
......................................................................94
UpdatingStylesFromSelections.........................................................................................94
ThisishowtoupdateaStyle:..........................................................................................94
Stylecanalsobeupdatedbyusingdraganddrop:..........................................................95
EnteringandFormattingTextAutomatically
.......................................................................95
DisablingtheAutoCorrectFunction
................................................................................95
ASCIIQuotationmarksarereplacedwithCustomQuotes
.............................................95
Sentencesalwaysbeginwithacapitalletter
....................................................................95
Threeidenticalcharacterswillbecomeawholeline.......................................................96
AutomaticSpellcheck
...............................................................................................................96
ToexcludewordsfromSpellcheck
......................................................................................96
UsingAutoText
.........................................................................................................................97
DefiningAutoText
................................................................................................................98
UsingAutoText
inNetworks
................................................................................................99
PrintingAutoTexts...............................................................................................................99
AutoTextWith
AutoComplete
................................................................................................100
ExceptionsinAutoCorrect
.................................................................................................100
Example.........................................................................................................................100
TextFrames.............................................................................................................................101
Inserting,EditingandLinkingTextFrames.......................................................................101
InsertingTextFrames....................................................................................................101
EditingTextFrames......................................................................................................102
LinkingTextFrames......................................................................................................102
UsingTextAnimation
.............................................................................................................104
DrawingLinesinText
............................................................................................................107
EditingTextWithFontWork
..................................................................................................108
AligningTextWithLines.......................................................................................................110
Aligningtextonafreeformline........................................................................................110
Aligningtextwithstraightlines..............................................................................................110
TheNavigator..........................................................................................................................111
JumpingFromOneObjecttoAnotherinText...................................................................111
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
vii
JumpingtoaSpecificPage.................................................................................................112
ChaptersinNavigator.........................................................................................................113
IndexesandTablesofContentsinWriter...............................................................................114
DefiningIndex/TableofContentsEntries..........................................................................114
EditingorDeletingIndexandTableEntries......................................................................115
CreatingaTableofContents..............................................................................................116
CreatingAlphabeticalIndexes...........................................................................................117
CreatingUserDefinedIndexes..........................................................................................117
UsingaConcordanceFile
..................................................................................................119
Preparation.....................................................................................................................119
EnteringData.................................................................................................................119
Examplefile...................................................................................................................120
CreatingBibliographies......................................................................................................122
Updating,EditingandDeletingIndexesandTablesofContents
......................................123
EditingtheFormatofanIndex/TableofContents.............................................................123
IndexesCoveringMultipleDocuments..............................................................................124
HeadingsandNumbering........................................................................................................125
NumberingandNumberingStyles.....................................................................................125
TurningBulletsOnandOff................................................................................................125
TurningNumberingOnandOff.........................................................................................126
Examplenumberedlistwithsublevels:.........................................................................127
OutlineNumbering.............................................................................................................127
AutomaticBulletsandNumbering.....................................................................................128
NumberingIllustrationsbyChapters..................................................................................129
DefiningNumberRanges...................................................................................................129
UsingMasterDocumentsandSubdocuments.........................................................................131
ImportingListsFromOtherTextPrograms............................................................................136
ChangingNumberingviatheKeyboard.............................................................................136
InterruptingandContinuingNumbering.................................................................................137
Deletetheautomaticnumbering
.........................................................................................137
Formattingtheparagraph...................................................................................................137
Continuingnumberingwithanewstartingvalue...............................................................137
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
viii
NumberingLines.....................................................................................................................138
LineNumberingforAllParagraphs...................................................................................138
LineNumberingforParticularParagraphs.........................................................................138
TablesinText..........................................................................................................................139
InsertingTables..................................................................................................................139
Insertinganemptytableusingthemouse:....................................................................139
InsertinganemptytableviatheInsertmenuorfloatingtoolbar:..................................139
Insertingasinglerowtablebytyping++...or||............................................................139
InsertingfromOpenOffice.orgCalcwiththeclipboard................................................139
InsertingfromOpenOffice.orgCalcusingdraganddrop............................................140
DeletingTables...................................................................................................................140
InsertingParagraphsBeforeTablesatStartofPage..........................................................141
Resizecolumns,rows,andcells....................................................................................141
TableAutoFormat..........................................................................................................141
Tablepropertiesingeneral............................................................................................141
CalculatinginTextDocuments...............................................................................................143
FormulaeinTextDocuments.............................................................................................143
FormulaOptions............................................................................................................143
BasicCalculationFunctions......................................................................................143
BasicFunctionsintheSubmenu...............................................................................143
Operators...................................................................................................................143
StatisticalFunctions..................................................................................................144
TrigonometricFunctions..........................................................................................144
MoreDefinedValues................................................................................................145
CalculatinginText.............................................................................................................145
CalculatingWithformulaeLocatedinText
.......................................................................146
ConditionalText.................................................................................................................147
Definingandusingconditionaltextbyexample
........................................................147
Definingaconditionalvariable
.................................................................................147
TypeReminderinthedocument,andthenaddspace................................................147
Definingaconditionandtheconditionaltext:
..........................................................148
Displayingtheconditionaltext:
.....................................................................................149
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ix
CalculatinginTextDocumentTables................................................................................150
CalculatingAcrossMultipleTables...................................................................................151
CalculatingCellTotalsinTables
.......................................................................................152
MergingandSplittingCells
................................................................................................152
MergingCellsinOpenOffice.orgWriter.......................................................................152
SplittingCellsinOpenOffice.orgWriter.......................................................................152
MergingCellsinOpenOffice.orgCalcOLEObjects....................................................152
CancellingthemergingofcellsinOpenOffice.orgCalcOLEObjects........................152
InsertingorDeletingRows/ColumnsUsingtheKeyboard
................................................153
RepeatingMultipleHeadingRowsinaTable...................................................................153
EnlargingandReducingCellsinTextTables....................................................................153
AdaptingTableWidths.......................................................................................................154
Images,Drawings,ClipartandFontWork
..............................................................................156
PositioningObjects.............................................................................................................156
CaptionsandNumberRanges
............................................................................................157
DefiningCaptions
..........................................................................................................157
Editingordeleting
captions
...........................................................................................157
Insertinganobjectinanumberrange............................................................................157
NumberingIllustrationsbyChapters..................................................................................158
InsertingGraphics..............................................................................................................158
InsertingGraphicsviadialogue.....................................................................................158
InsertingGraphicsFromOpenOffice.orgDraworImpress..........................................159
InsertingGraphicsviaDragandDropFromtheGallery
..............................................159
AddingGraphicsTotheGalleryviaDragandDrop.....................................................160
InsertingGraphicsWithaScanner................................................................................160
InsertingaChartFromOpenOffice.orgCalc.....................................................................160
DraggingandDroppingtheChartwithMoveorCopy.................................................160
ChartswithLinkedData................................................................................................161
InsertingDecorativeHorizontalLines...............................................................................161
Headers,FootersandFootnotes..............................................................................................162
SomeNotesConcerningHeadersandFooters
...................................................................162
InsertingPageNumbersinFooters....................................................................................162
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
FormattingHeadersandFooters
........................................................................................165
DefiningDifferentHeaders
................................................................................................165
InsertingPageNumbersofContinuationPages.................................................................165
InsertingLinesUnderHeaders
...........................................................................................166
FootnotesandEndnotes......................................................................................................167
InsertingandEditingFootnotes..........................................................................................168
Insertingafootnoteviaanicon.....................................................................................168
Insertingafootnoteviaadialogue.................................................................................168
TipsforWorkingwithFootnotes..................................................................................169
SpacingBetweenFootnotes...............................................................................................169
Spellcheck,Dictionaries,Hyphenation
...................................................................................170
ControllingSpellcheck
viathedialogue
.............................................................................170
AutomaticSpellcheck
.........................................................................................................171
Toexcludewordsfromthe
Spellcheck
:........................................................................172
RemovingWordsFromUserDefinedDictionaries
...........................................................172
Hyphenation.......................................................................................................................172
Automatichyphenation..................................................................................................172
ManualHyphenation.....................................................................................................173
Thesaurus............................................................................................................................174
FormLetters,BusinessCardsandLabels...............................................................................176
CreatingFormLetters.........................................................................................................176
BriefInstructions(ForQuickResults)..........................................................................176
FixedandVariableFields..............................................................................................176
CreatingandPrintingLabels
andBusinessCards
..............................................................178
DesigningBusinessCardsviadialogue.........................................................................178
DesigningLabelsandBusinessCards
...........................................................................179
PrintingLabelsWithSerialNumbers
............................................................................179
PrintingAddressLabels
.................................................................................................180
AvoidingBlankParagraphs................................................................................................181
Newsletters..............................................................................................................................183
CreatingaNewsletterFromaTemplate.............................................................................184
CreatingPageStyles......................................................................................................184
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xi
EditingHeaders
.............................................................................................................184
EditingColumns............................................................................................................184
EditingParagraphStyles................................................................................................185
WorkingwithFrames....................................................................................................186
FormattingaFrame.......................................................................................................186
AnchoringFrames.........................................................................................................186
DefiningaFrameWrap................................................................................................186
DefiningaWrapRegion....................................................................................................187
UsingcolouredorGraphicBackgrounds
..........................................................................188
CreatingaTableofContents.............................................................................................188
FurtherInformation............................................................................................................191
UsingAutomaticHyphenation
......................................................................................191
LettersWithEnvelopes...........................................................................................................192
UsingaReadyMadeLetterTemplate...............................................................................192
CreatingaLetterTemplateUsingtheWizard....................................................................192
CreatinganEnvelopeTemplate.........................................................................................193
InsertinganEnvelopeintoaDocument.........................................................................194
AdjustingthePrinterforthePrintout...........................................................................195
CreatingandPrintingaLetterWithanEnvelope..............................................................195
CreatinganSingleEnvelope..............................................................................................195
AddingaPOSTNETBarCodetoanEnvelope..................................................................196
GetaPOSTNETfont.....................................................................................................196
BuildingaCompletePOSTNETBarCodeforPrinting................................................196
AddingMoreLanguagestoOpenOffice.org..........................................................................197
SettingTextLanguage
........................................................................................................197
AddingMoreTextLanguages............................................................................................198
SettingUILanguage
...........................................................................................................200
AddingMultipleLanguageSupportusing
LanguagePacks
...................................................200
Chapter4:SpreadsheetsinCalc..................................................... ............................203
OverviewoftheFunctionsinCalc..........................................................................................203
Calculating..........................................................................................................................203
DatabaseFunctions.............................................................................................................203
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xii
ArrangingData...................................................................................................................203
ExaminingandExtrapolating
Data
....................................................................................203
WhatIfCalculations..........................................................................................................203
DynamicCharts..................................................................................................................204
ImportingandExportingData............................................................................................204
ImportingintoCalc........................................................................................................204
ExportingfromCalc......................................................................................................205
ReferencingDatainNetworksandtheInternet.................................................................205
TheCalcWindow..................................................................................................................206
StructureofaSpreadsheet..................................................................................................206
RowsandColumns.............................................................................................................207
MultipleSheetsinaDocument..........................................................................................208
InsertingSheets..............................................................................................................208
RenamingSheets...........................................................................................................208
ValuesandFormulaeasCellContents...................................................................................210
CalculatinginSpreadsheets................................................................................................210
UsingBuiltinFunctions....................................................................................................212
AShortDescriptionofWhatCellsCanContain................................................................213
Text.....................................................................................................................................213
Numbers.............................................................................................................................215
CalculatingWithformulae......................................................................................................218
CalculatingWithDatesandTimes.........................................................................................219
InsertingandEditingNotes................................................................................................220
HandlingMultipleSheets........................................................................................................221
DisplayingMultipleSheets................................................................................................221
WorkingWithMultipleSheets...........................................................................................221
PrintingSpreadsheets.........................................................................................................222
FormattingaSpreadsheet........................................................................................................223
FormatingNumbers............................................................................................................223
Dates..............................................................................................................................223
FormattingCellsandSheets...............................................................................................224
UsingAutoFormatforTables
.............................................................................................224
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xiii
LayoutofSpreadsheets...........................................................................................................225
DesigningSpreadsheetsClearly.........................................................................................225
FormattingTextinaSpreadsheet.......................................................................................226
FormattingNumbersinaSpreadsheet...............................................................................226
FormattingBordersandBackgroundsforCellsandPages
................................................226
AddressingCells.....................................................................................................................227
AddressesandReferences,AbsoluteandRelative.............................................................227
RelativeAddressing.......................................................................................................227
AbsoluteAddressing.....................................................................................................227
WhentoUseRelativeandAbsoluteReferences...........................................................227
AddressingbyName..........................................................................................................229
RecognizingNamesasAddressing....................................................................................229
OnlyCopyVisibleCells
.....................................................................................................230
ReferencingaCellinAnotherDocument..........................................................................231
UsingReferencesinformulae.................................................................................................232
ReferencestoOtherSheets.................................................................................................233
UsingCharts............................................................................................................................235
EditingChartTitles
............................................................................................................238
EditingChartLegends........................................................................................................238
AddingTexturetoChartBars
............................................................................................239
EditingChartAxis..............................................................................................................239
DatabaseFunctionsinCalc.....................................................................................................240
DefiningDatabaseRanges.................................................................................................240
CreatingRecordsinaSpreadsheet.....................................................................................240
DefiningDatabaseRanges.................................................................................................242
SortingDatabaseRanges....................................................................................................242
FilteringDatabaseRanges..................................................................................................243
GroupingDatabaseRangesandCalculatingSubtotals......................................................245
TransferringDataFromaDataSourcetoaSpreadsheet
...................................................246
OpeningaDatabaseFileinCalc
...................................................................................246
EvaluatingDataWithCalc......................................................................................................249
DataPilot.............................................................................................................................249
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xiv
WhatuseistheDataPilot?..................................................................................................250
CreatingDataPilotTables...................................................................................................250
SelectingDataPilotOutputRanges....................................................................................252
EditingDataPilotTables.....................................................................................................252
FilteringDataPilotTables...................................................................................................252
UpdatingDataPilotTables.................................................................................................252
DeletingDataPilotTables...................................................................................................252
ConsolidatingData..................................................................................................................253
ApplyingGoalSeek................................................................................................................255
NamingCells......................................................................................................................255
StartGoalSeek...................................................................................................................256
ApplyingMultipleOperations............................................................................................256
MultipleOperationsinColumnsorRows.....................................................................256
Examples........................................................................................................................256
CalculatingWithOneFormulaandOneVariable........................................................257
CalculatingwithSeveralformulaeSimultaneously......................................................257
MultipleOperationsAcrossRowsandColumns...............................................................257
CalculatingwithTwoVariables....................................................................................258
UsingScenarios.......................................................................................................................259
UsingReadyMadeScenarios............................................................................................259
CreatingPersonalScenarios...............................................................................................259
ValidityofCellContents........................................................................................................261
UsingCellContentsValidity..............................................................................................261
Samplemacro:....................................................................................................................263
PrintingorExportingSpreadsheets.........................................................................................264
PrintingSheetDetails.........................................................................................................264
DefiningNumberofPagesforPrinting..............................................................................264
PrintingSheetsinLandscapeFormat.................................................................................265
PrintingRowsorColumnsonEveryPage.........................................................................265
SavingandOpeningSheetsinHTML....................................................................................267
SavingSheetsinHTML.....................................................................................................267
OpeningSheetsinHTML..................................................................................................267
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xv
formulaeandValuesasCSVFiles..........................................................................................268
ExportingformulaeandValuesasCSVFiles....................................................................268
ImportingaCSVFile.........................................................................................................268
AutoFill...................................................................................................................................270
ApplyingSortLists.............................................................................................................270
AutomaticRowFilling.......................................................................................................270
ProtectingSheets................................................................................................................271
CreatingaReference..........................................................................................................272
FurtherInformation............................................................................................................272
Insertinganote..................................................................................................................273
Insertingasheetintoanotherdocument............................................................................273
Displayingformulae..........................................................................................................273
Usingprintranges..............................................................................................................273
FreezingColumns...............................................................................................................273
SplittingaCalcWindow....................................................................................................273
ConditionalFormatting......................................................................................................273
DefiningValidity................................................................................................................275
CreatingInputHelp............................................................................................................275
LinkingSheetInformation.................................................................................................276
Chapter5:CreatingPresentationsWithImpress.............................................. ........277
OpenOffice.orgImpressToolbarsandWindows.................................................................278
HowtoCreateaBasicPresentation........................................................................................279
CreatingaPresentationWiththeWizard...........................................................................279
CreatingaSimplePresentationWithouttheWizard..........................................................284
SwitchingPresentationViews............................................................................................285
ArrangingSlides.................................................................................................................286
IncorporatingSlideShowEffects.......................................................................................287
InSlideEffects..............................................................................................................287
ShowingaPresentation......................................................................................................287
EditingPresentations...............................................................................................................288
DefiningBackgroundcolours
.............................................................................................288
SwitchingPageStyles........................................................................................................289
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xvi
PresentationStyles..............................................................................................................289
UsingOutlineView.................................................................................................................290
SlideTransitions,EffectsandAnimation...............................................................................291
AutomaticSlideTransition.................................................................................................291
EffectsforObjects..............................................................................................................291
SelectingHiddenObjects...................................................................................................292
IndividualPresentations.....................................................................................................292
Exporting,PrintingandPresenting.........................................................................................294
PrintingaPresentationSlide..............................................................................................294
ExportingPresentationsasWebPages...............................................................................295
ExchangingDataviatheClipboard....................................................................................296
CreatingaBusinessReport.....................................................................................................297
CreatingaBusinessReportinPresentationForm..............................................................297
EnteringTextintheOutlineView.....................................................................................298
ChangingtheSlideLayout.................................................................................................298
DesigningSlides.................................................................................................................298
CreatingaSlideShow.............................................................................................................300
DefiningorChangingSlideOrder.....................................................................................300
CreatingCrossFadeEffects..............................................................................................300
StartingPresentations........................................................................................................300
WorkingwithConnectors.......................................................................................................302
"EdgetoEdgeConnectors................................................................................................302
"MiddletoMiddleConnectors.........................................................................................303
EditingConnectors.............................................................................................................303
UsingaSnapGrid.............................................................................................................303
EditingGluePoints............................................................................................................304
HintsandTipsforaSuccessfulPresentation..........................................................................305
UsingtheMouseasaPointer.............................................................................................305
ChangingBulletSymbolsinOutlineView........................................................................305
Inserting,DeletingandRenamingSlides
...........................................................................305
CreatingandPrintingHandouts.........................................................................................306
OrganizingandPrintingNotes...........................................................................................306
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xvii
UsingtheNavigator............................................................................................................307
EditJumpTargets...............................................................................................................307
ModifyingObjectSize.......................................................................................................307
CreatingAdditionalObjects..............................................................................................307
ChangingFontandFontSize............................................................................................307
Modifyingcolours.............................................................................................................307
KeyboardNavigatingandSelectioninImpress.................................................................308
Chapter6:CreatingDrawingswithDraw
................................................................ ..309
OpenOffice.orgDrawFunctions.............................................................................................309
CreatingandPublishingVectorGraphics
..........................................................................309
Creating3DObjects...........................................................................................................309
ManageOrganizationCharts
..............................................................................................309
Drawing..............................................................................................................................309
Export.................................................................................................................................310
Construct.............................................................................................................................310
Integrate..............................................................................................................................310
TheOpenOffice.orgDrawWindow........................................................................................311
ToolbarsandWindowsinOpenOffice.orgDraw............................................................311
DrawingRectanglesandEllipses
andEnteringText
.........................................................312
RotatingandResizingObjects
...........................................................................................314
ArrangingandAligningObjects
.............................................................................................315
ArrangingObjects..............................................................................................................315
AligningObjects.................................................................................................................315
DrawingSectorsandSegments
..........................................................................................316
EnteringText......................................................................................................................317
NormalText........................................................................................................................317
FittingTexttoFrames........................................................................................................317
Callouts...............................................................................................................................318
ConvertingTextInto3D....................................................................................................318
Drawing,EditingandConverting...........................................................................................319
CurvesandObjects.............................................................................................................319
DrawingCurves.............................................................................................................319
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xviii
EditingCurves....................................................................................................................320
VectorizingBitmaps...........................................................................................................321
ConvertingTextCharacterstoCurves...............................................................................322
ConvertingtoCurves,Polygons,3D..................................................................................323
WorkingWithObjects............................................................................................................326
DuplicatingObjects............................................................................................................326
CrossFadingBetweenTwoObjects
..................................................................................327
GroupingObjects..........................................................................................................328
EnteringGroups.............................................................................................................328
ExitingGroups...............................................................................................................328
NavigatingBetweenObjectsofaGroup.......................................................................329
CombiningObjectsandConstructingShapes.........................................................................330
CombiningObjects.............................................................................................................330
ConstructingShapes...........................................................................................................330
ShapesMerge..............................................................................................................331
ShapesSubtract...........................................................................................................331
GraphicObjectsinDrawingsandPresentations.....................................................................332
InsertingBitmaps................................................................................................................332
EditingBitmaps..................................................................................................................332
ApplyingTexttoBitmaps.............................................................................................332
SavingBitmaps...................................................................................................................333
WorkingWithcolours.............................................................................................................335
ThecolourBar
....................................................................................................................335
DefiningCustomcolours
....................................................................................................336
ReplacingcoloursusingtheEyedropper............................................................................338
GradientsandPatternsforObjectsand
Background
..............................................................340
DefiningGradients.............................................................................................................340
DefiningacustomcolourGradient
....................................................................................340
InteractivelyDefiningacolourGradient
............................................................................341
OrganizingtheAttributeTables.........................................................................................342
3DGlobe.................................................................................................................................343
CreatingTextureona3DObject........................................................................................343
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xix
UsingIllumination..............................................................................................................345
More3dEffects..................................................................................................................345
3DEffects:Favourites...................................................................................................345
3DEffects:Geometry....................................................................................................346
3DEffects:Shading
.......................................................................................................346
3DEffects:Illumination................................................................................................347
3DEffects:TexturesandMaterial................................................................................347
Designing3DObjectsFromFontCharacters.........................................................................348
FirstStep:.......................................................................................................................348
SecondStep:..................................................................................................................349
ThirdStep:....................................................................................................................350
FourthStep:...................................................................................................................352
FifthStep:......................................................................................................................353
UsingaGrid.......................................................................................................................355
MechanicalorConstructionDrawings
....................................................................................356
CreatingaConstructionPlan..............................................................................................357
UsingSnapLines...........................................................................................................361
UsingDimensionLines......................................................................................................361
WorkingWithMultipleLayers..........................................................................................362
UsingOnecolourperLayer
...............................................................................................363
Chapter7:DatabasesandDataSources
........................................................... ..........364
Creatingadatabasefile
...........................................................................................................364
Creatingatable.......................................................................................................................365
Creatingarelatedtable............................................................................................................366
Creatingarelationshipbetweentables....................................................................................367
Creatingadataentryform.......................................................................................................367
Makingdataentryeasier.........................................................................................................368
Modifyingadatefield
........................................................................................................368
Addingalistboxtoaform.................................................................................................369
Addingacombobox
toaform
...........................................................................................370
Changingthetaborderofaform.......................................................................................371
ViewingData..........................................................................................................................372
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xx
Copyingtheform...............................................................................................................372
Changingtheform'sproperties...........................................................................................372
Settingasortorderforaform............................................................................................372
Creatingaquerytofindtoday'sappointments........................................................................373
Addasortordertothequery..............................................................................................374
ChangingtheJointypeinthequery...................................................................................374
Creatingareport......................................................................................................................375
SometipsforusingtheCalendardatabase.............................................................................376
Addingdatatoarelatedtable.............................................................................................376
Opentheformfortherelatedtable................................................................................376
OpentheDataSources
window
.....................................................................................376
Refreshingtheform.......................................................................................................377
FilteringData......................................................................................................................377
RegisteringaDataSource
.......................................................................................................378
Connectingtoothertypesofdatabases...................................................................................378
AddressBooks........................................................................................................................379
RegisteringanAddressBook
.............................................................................................379
UsingtheWizardtoimportanAddressBook...................................................................379
ManuallyRegistering
anExistingAddressBook
.............................................................379
SystemAddressBookasDataSource................................................................................380
ImportingandExportingDatainTextFormat
...................................................................380
ExportinginCSVTextFormat..........................................................................................381
FormDesign............................................................................................................................382
FormsinOpenOffice.org....................................................................................................382
Availablecontrols..........................................................................................................383
Customizingcontrols.....................................................................................................384
Creatingagroupofoptionbuttons................................................................................385
Doanyothercontrolshaveanwizard?..............................................................................385
Attachingadatasourcetoaform..................................................................................385
Associatingdatawithafield..........................................................................................386
Activatingformcontrolsinadocument
........................................................................386
Howtousetheform......................................................................................................387
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xxi
SearchinginTablesandFormDocuments............................................................................388
SearchingWithaFormFilter
............................................................................................389
Operators........................................................................................................................389
Commands....................................................................................................................390
Chapter8:CustomizingOpenOffice.org.................................................. ..................392
ModifyingandCustomizingtheUserInterfaceofOpenOffice.org.......................................392
ConfiguringtheKeyboard..................................................................................................392
ConfiguringMenus.............................................................................................................393
ChangingToolbars.............................................................................................................394
Inserting,MovingandDeletingIconsonToolbars
............................................................394
ChangingIconViews.........................................................................................................395
ChangingtheLookoftheUserInterface................................................................................396
SelectingMeasurementUnits
.............................................................................................396
Moving,DeletingorCopyingIcons...................................................................................396
SendingFaxesandConfiguringOpenOffice.orgforFaxing
..................................................397
CreatingaLANFriendlyFaxingSolutionunderLinux....................................................397
CreatingaLANFriendlyFaxingSolutionunderWindows...............................................397
SendingaFaxviadialogue.................................................................................................398
ConfiguringOpenOffice.orgforFaxingviaIcon...............................................................398
FurtherInformation.................................................................................................................398
Chapter9:AdvancedTechniques...................................................... .........................399
CopyingandMovingDataUsingDragandDrop
..................................................................399
DraggingandDroppingWithinaOpenOffice.orgDocument...........................................399
InsertingObjectsFromtheGallery
....................................................................................399
Insertinganobjectasacopy..........................................................................................399
Insertinganobjectasalink...........................................................................................400
Insertinganobjectasabackgroundgraphic
..................................................................400
Insertinganobjectasatexture(pattern)foranotherobject..........................................400
CopyingGraphicsFromtheGallery
..................................................................................400
InsertingGraphicsFromaDocumentintheGallery.........................................................400
CopyingGraphicsBetweenDocuments.............................................................................401
CopyingDrawObjectsintoOtherDocuments...................................................................401
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xxii
InsertingaDrawobjectinatextdocument
........................................................................402
InsertingaDrawobjectinaspreadsheet
............................................................................403
DragandDropWiththe
DataSourceView
............................................................................404
Usingdatainatextdocument............................................................................................404
Applyingdatatoatabledocument.....................................................................................404
Insertingcontrolsinatextform.........................................................................................404
CopyingSheetAreastoTextDocuments...............................................................................405
InsertingDataFromSpreadsheets......................................................................................405
InsertingDataFromTextDocuments................................................................................405
CopyingTextUsingDragandDrop
..................................................................................406
RevisionMarkingFunction.....................................................................................................407
RecordingandDisplayingChanges...................................................................................407
AcceptingorRejectingChanges........................................................................................408
ComparingVersionsofaDocument..................................................................................409
MergingVersions...............................................................................................................409
RecordingChanges.............................................................................................................409
VersionManagement..............................................................................................................410
ProtectingContentsinOpenOffice.org...................................................................................411
ProtectingAllDocumentsWhenSaving............................................................................411
Turningonprotection...................................................................................................411
Turningoffprotection...................................................................................................411
ProtectingRevisionMarking..............................................................................................411
Turningonrevisionprotection.....................................................................................411
Turningoffrevisionprotection.....................................................................................411
ProtectingCellRangesinCalc...........................................................................................411
ProtectingSectionsinWriter..............................................................................................412
Turningonprotection...................................................................................................412
Turningoffprotection...................................................................................................412
ProtectingCellsinaOpenOffice.orgWriterTable............................................................412
AutomaticProtectionofIndexesandTables......................................................................413
Turningonprotection...................................................................................................413
Turningoffprotection...................................................................................................413
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xxiii
Protectingframes,graphicsandOLEobjects....................................................................413
ProtectingDrawingObjectsandFormObjects..................................................................413
Turningonprotection...................................................................................................413
Turningoffprotection...................................................................................................413
ProtectingRecords..............................................................................................................414
DigitalSignaturesandEncryption
..........................................................................................414
Overview............................................................................................................................414
Certificates..........................................................................................................................414
HowtogetaCertificate?
...............................................................................................414
Selfsignedcertificates..............................................................................................415
CertificatesfromaCertificateAuthority
..................................................................415
IntegratingaCertificatewithOpenOffice.org
....................................................................415
ChangingDefaultsandOtherConfigurationItems................................................................416
SavingConfigurationWithDocument...............................................................................416
InsertingandEditingTabStops.........................................................................................416
MovingTabsontheRuler.............................................................................................417
ChangingthePropertiesofTabs....................................................................................417
DeletingTabs.................................................................................................................417
ChangingtheDefaults...................................................................................................417
ChangingthecolourofText
...................................................................................................418
InsertingLandscapepagesintoaPortraitorientedDocument...........................................418
MoreonTemplates.................................................................................................................419
ChangingDefaultTemplates..............................................................................................419
ModifyingDefaultTemplates............................................................................................419
ResettingDefaultTemplates..............................................................................................419
UsingCustomTemplates
...................................................................................................419
UsingOpenOffice.orgoveraNetwork..............................................................................420
Chapter10:IntroducingOpenOffice.orgBasicandMacros
....................................421
AccessingtheSampleMacros................................................................................................421
CallingtheSampleMacros................................................................................................421
EditingtheSampleMacros................................................................................................422
TheSampleMacros.................................................................................................................423
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xxiv
AutoText.............................................................................................................................423
ChangeAllChars.................................................................................................................423
GetTexts.............................................................................................................................423
ReadDir...............................................................................................................................423
Userfields............................................................................................................................423
Chapter11:UsingOpenOffice.orgMath.................................. .................................424
FormulaEntry.........................................................................................................................424
Toolbar..............................................................................................................................424
CommandIconBox............................................................................................................425
CommanddialogueBox.....................................................................................................425
CreatinganEquationwithdialogueCommands.....................................................................426
SpecialFormating...................................................................................................................427
Exponentiation:...................................................................................................................427
Subscripting:.......................................................................................................................427
Leadingandtrailingsuperscriptandsubscript:
..................................................................427
Centresubscript/superscript:
............................................................................................427
Underbrace/Overbrace:...................................................................................................428
VarioustypesofBrackets...................................................................................................428
SpecialCharacters...................................................................................................................429
SpecialOperators....................................................................................................................430
IntegralSign:......................................................................................................................430
SummationCharacter:........................................................................................................430
ProductCharacter:..............................................................................................................430
VectorsandMatrices...............................................................................................................431
Vector.................................................................................................................................431
Matrix.................................................................................................................................431
Formatting...............................................................................................................................432
Size.....................................................................................................................................432
Colour.................................................................................................................................432
Layout.................................................................................................................................432
Alignment...........................................................................................................................433
Examples.................................................................................................................................434
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xxv
Chapter12:BuildingFormswithXforms
................................................. ................435
StepbyStepProcedure...........................................................................................................435
Chapter13:XmlEnhancements................................................. ................................446
FlatXMLfilter........................................................................................................................446
CreatinganewDocbookFilter...............................................................................................451
Chapter14:TroubleshootingCommonProblems.............................. .......................452
ErrorMessagecontainsGetStorage:"NoContent"............................................................452
UnderWindows...............................................................................................................452
Multiuserinstallations:.................................................................................................452
Singleuserinstallations:................................................................................................452
UNIXsystems....................................................................................................................453
Outlinenumberingisnotretainedafterasave........................................................................453
Howgetthepagecount
tonotcountatitlepage?
OrHowdoIoffsetthepagecount
?........................................................................................454
Whattodowhendocumentprintsorexportswithblankpages............................................454
WhattotodowithaGeneralerrorGeneralinput/outputerror..............................................455
HowtorecovercontentfromaOpenoffice.orgfile...............................................................455
StepsforrecoveringadamagedOpenoffice.orgfile:.........................................................455
HowtogetsoundsunderLinux?...........................................................................................456
Overview............................................................................................................................456
Starting...............................................................................................................................456
InstallingtheJRE...............................................................................................................457
ActivatingtheJREinOpenOffice.org...............................................................................457
InstallatingtheJMF............................................................................................................457
IntegrationoftheJMFinOpenOffice.org.........................................................................458
RegistrationofthePluginsintheJMF..........................................................................459
IntegrationofthePluginsinOpenOffice.org................................................................459
Timeforthesecondtest.................................................................................................460
IntegrationofthePluginsinOpenOffice.org................................................................461
Timeforthethirdtest....................................................................................................461
Whattodoifitfails?..........................................................................................................462
HowtoopenMicrosoftWorksDocumentsinOpenOffice.org2.x........................................462
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xxvi
Index.................................................................................................................. ............464
PublicDocumentationLicense,Version1.0............................... ................................472
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
xxvii
Overview
Overview
TheOpenOffice.orgUser'sGuideattemptstoprovideanswerstoquestionsaboutworking
withOpenOffice.org.ItisfocusedonOpenOffice.org2.xreleases,butitshouldalsobe
usefulwith1.9and1.1.xreleases.Graphicsare,forthemostpart,thoseusingtheolderstyle
iconsratherthanthenewerCrystalgraphics,whicharecurrentlyonlyintheen_USand
de_DEreleasesof2.0.x.Somearealsofromthe1.1.xuserguidewheretheyaresimilarto
existingones.Allthesewillchangefrequentlyasthe1.9/2.0cycleprogresses.
Inaddition,useoftheOpenOffice.orgHelpfacilityisalsocovered.ThroughHelp,userscan
getdetailedanswerstoallquestionsatanytimebypressing(F1),openingtheHelpmenuor
clickingtheHelpbuttons.MoreinformationonusingOpenOffice.orgHelpcanbefoundin
Chapter1,WorkingwithOpenOffice.org.
Othersourcesofsupportareavailablethroughtheusers@openoffice.orgmailinglist,the
OpenOffice.orgsupportnewsgroupsprovidedbygmane.organdthelatestnewsabout
OpenOffice.orgatwww.openoffice.org.
UsingtheGuide
ThisUser'sGuideisdesignedforuserswhoarealreadyfamiliarwiththebasicfunctionsof
theircomputer.Wheretherearedifferencesincertainfunctionsbetweensupportedoperating
systems,thesedifferencesareexplained.Iffunctionsdescribedherearenotavailableona
particularplatform,thisisasystemrelatedlimitationcausedbytheplatforminuse.
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
Overview
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ImportantFeatureswith2.x
ImportantFeatureswith2.x
OpenStandardsXMLFileFormat(OASISOpenDocument)
Beginningwithversion2.0OpenOffice.orgusestheopenstandardOASISOpenDocument
XMLformatasthedefaultfileformat.TheOASISOpenDocumentformatisavendorand
implementationindependentfileformat,andthusguaranteesfreedomandindependence.
InadditiontoOpenOffice.orgitself,theopensourceofficesuiteKOfficeaswellas
OpenOffice.orgderivativesliketheStarOfficesoftwaresupporttheOASISOpenDocument
fileformat.TheOASISOpenDocumentfileformatisalsooneofthefileformats
recommendedbytheEuropeanCommission.
NewMultipaneView
ThenewMultipaneviewincreasestheproductivityandusabilityofOpenOffice.org.The
Multipaneviewprovidesallimportanttoolsandwindowsthroughonecoherent,integrated,
andsimpleuserinterface.FormerMicrosoftPowerPointusersshouldfindOpenOffice.org
2.0easytouse.
NewCustomShapes(compatiblewithMicrosoftAutoShapes)
OpenOffice.orgnowsupportsCustomShapeswhichareverysimilartoMicrosoft's
AutoShapes.Asaconsequence,AutoShapesareimportedanddisplayedcorrectly.
CustomShapesareshapesthatcannotonlychangetheirsizebutalsotheirappearance.
MoreSlideTransitionsandAnimationEffects
OpenOffice.orgnowsupportsmanymoreanimationeffectsandslidetransitions.Nowusers
havemoreoptionstogivetheirpresentationsaprofessionalappearance.Inaddition,the
extendedsupportforeffectsimprovestheMicrosoftPowerPointcompatibility.
EnhancedPDFExport
OpenOffice.org1.1introducedthePDFexportfeature.Version2.xnowextendsthebasic
exportfeature.Withthenewversionitispossibletodefinethecompressionlevelsof
embeddedimages.Inaddition,thePDFsupportnowcorrectlyhandlesthumbnailimagesand
hyperlinks.
Inaddition,withthereleaseof2.0.4,OpenOffice.orghasaddedanumberofsecurity
features,Theseare:
1. AnewSecuritytabtotheExportasPDFfeatureasshownbelow:
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ImportantFeatureswith2.x
2. EncryptioniscompatiblewithPDFv1.4,onlyARCFOUR(RC4compatible)128bit
encryptionisprovided.
3. PermissionssettingsarethosesupportedbytheStandardPDFsecurityhandler.PDF
readersandviewersareexpectedtosupportthesefeatures;however,somemaynot.
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ImportantFeatureswith2.x
NewenhancedDatabaseFeatures
OpenOffice.orgalwayshaddatabasefrontendtools,butinpastversionstheywerevery
hidden.OpenOffice.org2.xstartstohandledatabaseslikeanyotherapplication,i.e.anew
databasecanbecreatedviathe"File>New"menu.FornoviceusersOpenOffice.org
providesanewTableWizardthatallowstocreatedatabasetableswithoutanyknowledgeof
databasesandSQL.ThenewembeddedJavatechnologybasedHSQLDBdatabaseengine
allowstocreate"databasedocuments".Thesesimpledatabasefilesdon'trequireabackend
databaseserverlikeMySQLorAdabasD.Allinformation(tabledefinitions,data,queries,
forms,reports)isstoredinoneXMLfile.
QueryinQueryisavailablewithOpenOffice.org2.0.4asdatabasequeriesareanessential
featureofanydatabasemanagementsystem.Thisfeatureprovidestheuserwiththe
possibilitytocustomizetheviewtothedata.Adatabasequerynowassembles,filters,and
sortsinformationspreadovermultipletablesoftherelationaldatabase.
MailMergeWizard
ThenewMailMergeWizardwillmakeitveryeasytodomailingstohundredsofrecipients.
Thewizardguidesusersstepbystepthroughtheprocess.Differentdatasourcescanbeused
fortheaddressinformation.Therearedifferencesthoughfrom1.1.x.
EnhancedWordCountFeature
With1.1.x,itwasonlypossibletofinddocumentstatisticsunder"FileProperties..."orby
installingawordcountmacrotocountthenumberofwordsinaselection.OpenOffice.org
2.0eliminatesthisrestriction.Nowanewwordcountdialoguecanbefoundinthe"Tools"
menu.
SupportforNestedTables
WithOpenOffice.org2.0itisnowpossibletocreatetableswithintables(nestedtables).This
increasestheoverallusability,butalsoimprovestheMicrosoftWordcompatibility.
DigitalSignaturesSupport
Anothernewfeatureisthesupportofdigitalsignatures.OpenOffice.orgusescertificates
storedintheregularrepositories.
XFormsSupport
OpenOffice.org2.0nowallowstocreateformsbasedontheopenW3CXFormsstandard.
WithXFormsitisveryeasytoimplementsimplelogicwithoutanyprogramming.
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ImportantFeatureswith2.x
WordPerfectFilters
OpenOffice.org2.0includesaWordPerfectfilterdevelopedbytheopensourcecommunity.
Developersareinvitedtocontributetothisproject.
Calcnowhas65,536Rows
OpenOffice.org1.1.xsupportedonly32,768rowsinspreadsheetdocuments,whichcaused
MicrosoftExcelinteroperabilityissues.ThenewversionnowtakesOpenOffice.orgtothe
samelevelasMicrosoftExcel.
EnhancedDataPilotSupport
WiththeDataPilotinOpenOffice.org2.0(similartoMicrosoftExcel'sPivotTablefeature)it
isnowpossibletocreatenewgroups,filterdatabasedonvalues,showdifferencesand
percentagesinsteadofabsolutevalues,etc.
ThenewDataPilotfeaturesturnOpenOffice.orgCalcintoaverypowerfultoolfordata
analysis.
NativeInstallers
OpenOffice.org2.0supportsthenativeinstallationmechanisms.Forexample,.MSIand
.CABfilesareprovidedonMicrosoftWindows,RPM,and.debfilesareavailableforLinux.
Foruserswithmoresophisticatedmanagementrequirements,Sunprovidesconfiguration
managementtoolsaspartoftheStarOfficesoftware.StarOffice8willalsointroduceMacro
migrationtools.
NativeDesktopIntegration
OpenOffice.org2.0integratesnicelyintothedesktopenvironment.Thus,OpenOffice.org
looksandbehaveslikeanyotherapplicationonagivenplatform.OnWindowsXPitlooks
likeaWindowsapplication,andonLinuxitusesthesameUIwidgetsasGIMPorEvolution.
FloatingToolbars
ToolbarsaremuchmoreflexibleinOpenOffice.org2.0.Itisnowveryeasytoattachand
detachtoolbars,movethemaroundandcustomizethem.
StylePaintBrush
Annewicon
painterinthe
hasbeenaddedtotheStandardtoolbar.Thisiconisashortcuttothestyle
StyleandFormattingWindow.
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ImportantFeatureswith2.x
Quickstarterfor*NIXOperatingSystems
ThereleaseofOpenOffice.org2.0.4,nowaddsquickstartcapabilitytothe*NIXreleasesin
thesamemannerasquickstartunderWindows.
MultipleLanguageSupport
OpenOffice.org2.xbringsaneasierwaytohaveOpenOffice.orgsupportmultiplelanguages
bymeansoftheuseoflanguagepacks.OpenOffice.orghasinexcessof92languagesin
processatthetimeofwriting.Languagepacksare,frothemostpart,createdbytheir
associatedNativeLanguageCommunity(NLC).PleasechecktheNLCwebsitethatsupports
thelanguageneeded.
NewChartingModule
ThetargetforthenewchartingmoduleisOpenOffice.org2.3.(Fordetails,see
http://graphics.openoffice.org/chart/chart.html)Thefollowingisasummaryofwhatonecan
expectwiththisnewfeature:
NewChartWizardthatsimplfiesthecreationofchartsandprovidesalivepreview.
FlexibleSourceRangesthatallowuserstochooseseparatedatarangesforsinglepartsof
singleseriesnow.Forexampl,selectionofdifferentxvaluesfordifferentseries.
Settingsfor3Dchartsmdeeasierviaasingledialoguethatnowcontainseasieraccessto
simpleandrealisticlookandsimplifiedperspectivesettings.
Enhancedlogarithmicscalesthatpermituserstochooseminimum,maximumandmajor
intervals.
Piesegmentoffsetfor3Dchartsthatallowuserstodragoutsingle3Dpiesegmentsand
donutsegments.
Enhancedautomaticscalingsothatautomaticminimumandmaximumvaluesimprove
appearanceofgeneratedcharts.
Improvedautomaticaxislabellayout.
Improvedselectionhandling.
Regressioncurvesarenowalsoavailablefor2Dlinecharts,2Dbarandcolumnchartsand
2Dareacharts
Additionalsubcharttypes:2DLinessubtype'pointsonly',2Dnetsubtype'pointsonly',
3DXY,3Dsmoothlines,3Ddonut
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
ImportantFeatureswith2.x
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
Chapter1:UsingOpenOffice.orgHelp
Chapter1:UsingOpenOffice.orgHelp
DifferentkindsofhelpareavailableinOpenOffice.org.
StepbystepinstructionswithfullreferencesviatheContentsandIndexselections
ofOpenOffice.orgHelp
HelpTipsthatpopupnexttothemousepointer
ExtendedtipswithmoredetailedexplanationsthanprovidedwithTips
OpenOffice.orgStepbyStepHelp
ToaccessHelp,usetheHelpmenuitemorclicktheHelpbuttonsintheindividualdialogues.
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
Chapter1:UsingOpenOffice.orgHelp
OpenOffice.orgHelpiscontextsensitive.Thismeansthat,whenHelpisopenedinWriterit
isspecifictoWriter.Similarly,togethelpaboutCalc,eitherfirstopenaspreadsheetandonly
thenlookforhelp,orselectHelpforthespecificmodulefromthepulldownlistatthetopof
theHelpwindow.ThepulldownlistatthetopoftheHelpwindowsetstheselectedmodule
asthecurrentsectionforsearching.
Tips
Tipsareonatinstallationbydefaultanditisrecommendedthatthisfeatureshouldalwaysbe
switchedon.WithTipsactivatedonecan,forexample,letthemousepointerrestonanicon
sothatitsnameisdisplayed.TipsmayalsobeseeninmanyotherplacesinOpenOffice.org.
Forexample,whenscrollingthroughatable,thetipshowstheroworcolumn.
Turningtipsonandoff
SelectTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>General>Tipstoenableordisablethis
feature.
ExtendedTips
SwitchontheExtendedTipsduringthefirstfewweeksofOpenOffice.orgusage.Enabling
thisoptiongivesabriefdescriptionofeachitemonthescreenwhenthemousepointeris
hoveredovertheitemforamoment.
Turningextendedtipsonandoff
ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>General>ExtendedTipstoturnextended
tipsonandoff.ThecommandischeckedwhentheExtendedTipsfunctionisswitchedon.
PressShift+F1toturnExtendedTipsontemporarily.Thepointerturnsintothe
ExtendedTipspointer.NowseetheExtendedTipsforanyelementonthe
screenasthemousepointerismoved.Assoonasthemouseisclickedorakeypressed,the
pointerreturnstothenormalmousepointer.
HelpAgent
WhencertainactionsareperformedinOpenOffice.org,theHelpAgent
automaticallyappears.Thisisasmallwindowinacornerofthedocument.
TheHelpAgentnormallyremainsvisiblefor30seconds.Whenclicked,itisreplacedbya
helpwindowprovidingsomehelpfuladviceaboutthecurrenttopic.IfaHelpAgentdealing
withthesametopicisrepeatedlyignoredorclosedinsteadofbeingclicked,itdoesnot
appearagainforthistopic.ResettingtheHelpAgentrestoresittothewayitwaswhen
OpenOffice.orgwasfirstinstalled.
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Chapter1:UsingOpenOffice.orgHelp
TurningtheHelpAgentonandoff
1. ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>General>HelpAgenttohavetheHelp
Agentappear.Ifthecommandischecked,theHelpAgentisautomaticallydisplayedwhen
certainactionsareperformedinOpenOffice.org.Also,byaccessingTools>Options>
OpenOffice.org>Generalfromthemaintoolbar,userscanresettheHelpAgent.
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Chapter2:WorkingWithOpenOffice.org
Chapter2:WorkingWithOpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.orgisreasonablyintuitivebutissufficientlydifferenttoothersuitesthataperiod
offamiliarizationrequiredbeforeuseisfluidandeffective.Thischapterstartswithageneral
explanationofthemostcommoncontrolfeaturesinOpenOffice.org,suchastoolbars,
floatingtoolbarsanddockablewindows.Thisisfollowedbyinformationonfunctionsthat
canbeusedinmostoftheprogrammodulesofOpenOffice.org.
TheUserInterface
OpenOffice.orgprovidesnotonlytheusualcontrolelementsfoundinotherapplications,
suchasmenusandicons,butahostofotherspecialfeaturesbesides.Forexample,manyof
thespecialOpenOffice.orgfeaturescanbeaccessedviaacontextmenu,openedbyright
clickingontheselectedobjects.Otheruserfriendlyfunctionsareavailablebydraggingand
droppingwiththemouse.
StartingOpenOffice.org
UnderWindows,oncetheprogramisinstalled(seetheseparatesetupguidethatispartof
thedownloadimageandisonmostCDs),theOpenOffice.orggroupshouldbeonthe
WindowsStartmenuunderPrograms.Under*NIX,itslocationdependsuponwhereitis
installedandwhichwindowmanagerisused;however,underGnomeandKDE,the
OpenOffice.orggroupmaybefoundintheMainmenu.Tocreateablanktextdocumentin
Writer,clickTextDocument.ForablankspreadsheetinCalc,clickSpreadsheet,andsoon.
NOTE:UnderWindows,theOpenOffice.orgQuickstartershouldbeintheWindowstaskbar.The
iconmaybedoubleclickedorrightclickedtoopenitscontextmenu.RightclickingQuickstarteropensasubmenu
fromwhichanew,blankdocumentcanbeopened.DoubleclickQuickstartertoopentheTemplatesand
Documentsdialogue.
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TheOpenOffice.orgWriterWindow
AtextdocumentisdisplayedandeditedintheWriterwindow.Spreadsheet,presentationsor
drawingsaredisplayedinverysimilarwindows,exceptthemenusandiconschange
automaticallydependingonthecontext.
ToolbarsintheOpenOffice.orgWindow
TheTitleBar
Thetitlebarshowsthenameoftheprogram,OpenOffice.org,andusuallythefilenameof
thecurrentdocument.IfadocumenttitleisenteredinFile>Properties>Description,this
titleisdisplayedratherthanthefilename.
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TheMenuBar
AtthetopoftheOpenOffice.orgwindow,immediatelyunderthetitlebar,isthemenubar.
Pointwiththemousetoacommandonthemenubarandpresstheleftmousebutton.The
menuopens,allowingonetochooseacommandfromthesubmenubyclickingit.Themenu
barcanalsobeaccessedfromthekeyboard,bypressingtheAltkey.
Themenusareorganizedintobasicfunctions.TheEditmenu,forexample,providesthe
functionsneededtoeditthecurrentdocument(cut,copy,paste,undochangesandsoon),
whiletheViewmenuhasfunctionsthatallowcontroloftheviewoftheelementsdisplayed
onthescreen.Inotherwords,thecommandsusedforediting,viewing,sequencing,
formattingandprintingadocumentcanonlybeusedwhenthedocumentisopenandactive.
Active,inthissense,meansthatthedocumentisfrontofanyothersonthescreen.Ifthe
commandsshouldcorrespondtoanobjectinthedocument,thenthatobjecthastobe
selected.Inaddition,themenusarecontextsensitive,.Thismeansthatonlythosemenu
commandsthatarerelevanttothecurrentworkwillbeavailable.Forexample,ifthecursor
islocatedinatextdocument,thenonlythetexteditingmenucommandsareavailable.
Likewise,ifgraphicsareselectedinadocument,thenonlythemenucommandsthatcanbe
usedtoeditgraphicswillbeavailable.Theotherinactivemenuitemsarehidden.By
choosingTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>View,onecanselecttheShowinactivemenu
itemsfieldandthenseetheinactivemenuitemsasgrayentriesinmenus.
OpenOffice.orgletstheuserchangeandcustomizethemenubarthewayasdesired.Manyof
thetoolbarsandthestatusbarmaysobemodifiedtosuitpersonalrequirements.
TheToolbars
BelowthemenubaristheStandardtoolbar.Thistoolbarcontainsiconsforseveral
importantcommandsandfunctionsthatcanbeusedinOpenOffice.orgtoopenadocument,
exporttoPDF,undoandredo,accessthenavigator,orgalleryorprintthecurrentdocument.
ImmediatelyabovethehorizontalruleristheFormattingtoolbar.Thisoffersfeaturesthat
arealwaysappropriatetothecurrentcontextsuchasalignment,fontstyles,listsand
indenting.Forexample,ifapieceofnormaltextisselected,onewillseedifferenticonsfrom
thosewithinatexttable.
Ontheleftedgeofthedocumentisthemaintoolbar.Thisvariesdependingonthe
documenttype(text,spreadsheet,presentation,drawingorformula).
Othertoolbarssuchastheoptionbarandcolourbarwillbedescribedlater.
Itiseasytochangethepositionofthetoolbars.Forexample,ifthepositionofthemain
toolbarshouldbeontherightedgeofthedocumentinsteadofontheleft,simplydragthe
knurledhandleatthefarleftinthetoolbartoanewlocationaroundtheedgeofthemain
window.
Note:underWindows,oneonlyneedstouse(Alt).
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Someiconshavesmalltrianglestoindicatethattherearemorefunctionsavailable.Theseare
calledfloatingtoolbars.Whenalongclickisappliedtotheseicons,anewwindowopens
givingaccesstoallthosefeaturesassociatedwiththaticon.Shortclicksdeliverdifferent
behaviourthanalongclickbutgivethesamefunctionality.
ExamplesofFloatingToolbars
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UsingFloatingToolbars
Wheneditingatextdocument,theInserticonisintheToolstoolbar.Doalongclickonthis
icon.Thisopensafloatingtoolbarcontainingfurthericons.
Theusernowhasafewchoicestomake:eithertoclicktheicontoactivatethefeature,orto
grabthewindowbyitstitlebaranddragitawayfromthemaintoolbarwhileholdingdown
theleftmousebutton(remembertofirstreleasethemousebuttonthatwasclickedtoopenthe
popupotherwisethetitlebarcannotbegrabbedwiththemouse).Noticethattheicon,that
wasusedpreviously,isstillthere.IfonenowclickstheFromFileicon,noticethatthisicon
hasreplacedtheoriginaliconathetopofthemaintoolbar.Useashortclicktoopenthe
directlyvisiblefunctionandalongerclicktoreopenthefloatingtoolbar.
Thedocumentwindow
Atthetoplefthandedgeofthedocumentwindowarethetoolbarsthatareneededforwork,
andthatthesevarydependingonthedocumenttypeandcontext.Atthebottomedgeisthe
statusbar.Thestatusbarcontainsdifferentfieldsdisplayinginformationappropriatetothe
typeofdocument.Someofthesefieldsgiveaccesstospecialfunctions,eitherbydouble
clickingorbyopeningtherelevantcontextmenu.Formoredetailedexplanations,referto
Help.
Dockingtoolbars
Alltoolbarsmaybepositionedaseitherfloatingwindowsordockablepanes.Thesefloating
windowsmaybedockedonanyoftheedgesoftheOpenOffice.orgwindow.Oneachedge
severaltoolbarsmaybedockedalongsideeachother.Toundockandredock,dragthehandle
attheleftortop(ifvertical)ofthetoolbar.
Inthefloatingstate,thewindowfloatsabovetheworkplacesothatthewindowsbelowitare
partiallycovered.Switchtothelockedstatetodisplaythedockedwindownexttotheworkplace.If
thewindowisdockedtotheleftoftheworkplace,thefollowingbuttonsappeardependingon
thestate:
Unhide
Ahiddenwindowcanbeunhidden(shown)byclickingthearrow
button.
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Unhide
Hide
Clickthearrowbuttontohideawindow.
Lock
Clickthisbuttontolockafloatingwindow.
Floating
Clickthisbuttontochangealockedwindowtoafloatingwindow.
Dockingwindows
SometoolsinOpenOffice.orgopeninpopupsthataredockable,suchastheStylesand
Formattingwindow,theNavigatorandtheGallery.Thesefloatingwindowsmaybedockedat
eithertheleftorrightedgesofthemainOpenOffice.orgwindow.
Todockoneofthesewindows,dragthetitlebarofthewindowtotheedgeuntilanoutline
appears.Thisoutlineindicatesthesizeandpositionofthepanethatwillcontainthetool
whenthemousebuttonisreleased.Anotherwindowmayalsobedockedadjacenttoone
whichisalreadydocked.Userscanchoosetohaveoneontopoftheotherorsidebyside.As
awindowismoved,notethatanoutlinedisplaysshowingwherethewindowwilldockand
howbigitwillbe.
Toundockatoolandmakeitafloatingwindowagain,pointtothegreyareaofthetools
toolbaranddragthetoolawayfromtheedgeuntiltheoutlineindicatesthatitisnolonger
attached.
ChangingtheVisibilityofButtonsonToolbars
Toolsandfunctionsareinitiallygroupedtogetheronadefaultsetoftoolbars.Notallbuttons
arevisiblebydefault.
Toquicklymakeabuttonvisibleornotonitstoolbar:
1. ClickonthesmalldownarrowatthefarrightofthetoolbarandselectVisibleButtons.
2. Togglethecheckedstatusofthebutton.Makesuretoclickthedownarrowappropriate
tothetoolbarbecausetoolbarsmaybeplacedsidebyside.
Note:Whilebuttonsmaybemovedorduplicatedacrosstoolbars,ornewtoolbarsmaybecreatedorremoved
completely,wewillstartwithjusttheOpenOffice.orgprovidedtoolbars.
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OpeningandSavingDocuments
Therearemultiplemethodsofloadingoropeningdocuments.Forexample,byusingtheFile
>Opendialogue,theOpeniconontheStandardtoolbarortheFile>Newmenu.
NOTE:UnderWindows,asystemdialogueisautomaticallydisplayedwhenopeningandsavingOpenOffice.org
documents.ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>GeneralandcheckUseOpenOffice.orgdialogues.This
enablesausertobepresentedwiththeOpenOffice.orgdialoguesshowninthisguide.
OpeningDocuments
Toopenanexistingdocumentthatwassavedontheharddriveoronaremovabledisk,
therearethreepossibilities.EitherchooseFile>Open,clicktheOpenFileicononthe
Standardtoolbar,orusetheCtrl+Oshortcutkeys.
Iseachcase,theOpendialogueisdisplayed.
ThisdialogueisdescribedindetailintheOpenOffice.orgHelp.However,hereareafewtips:
Changethesizeofthedialoguebydraggingthebordersofthedialoguewith
themouse.
ClicktheDefaultDirectoryicontogostraighttoone'sworkdirectory.To
defineaworkdirectory,seetheChangingtheWorkDirectorysection
LongclickorshortclicktheUpOneLevelicon.Ashortclicktakestheuser
onedirectoryhigher.Alongclickopensasubmenuwithachoiceof
superordinatedirectories.
Toonlyseefilescontainingacertainname,enterthenamewithwildcardsin
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Chapter2:WorkingWithOpenOffice.org
theFilenamepulldownlistandpressEnter.If*.txt,forexample,is
usedonlythefileshaving.txtattheendoftheirnameswillbedisplayed.
Ifs*isused,allnamesbeginningwiththeletterswillbedisplayed.
Documentsmaybeopenedwithwriteprotectionenabled.Toeditareadonly
document,clicktheEditFileiconontheStandardtoolbar.
TheTemplatesandDocumentsdialogue
TheTemplatesandDocumentsdialoguecanberegardedasakindofcommandcentrefor
OpenOffice.orgdocuments.Itprovideseasyaccesstoauser'sworkdirectoryandtoany
suppliedsampledocuments.Herefindalldocumenttemplatesboththesuppliedonesand
anypersonallycreatedones.Toopenthedialogue,chooseFile>New>Templatesand
DocumentsorpressShift+Ctrl+N.InWindows,doubleclicktheOpenOffice.org
Quickstartericononthetaskbar.
Thedialogueoffersthefollowingareas,whichcanbeselectedbyclickingoneofthe
offeringsintheshortcutbarontheleft:
NewDocumentAwaytocreateanew,emptydocumentfromasetofprepared
templates.
TemplatesChoosefromthemanyreadytousedocumenttemplates.
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MyDocumentsAquickroutetothedocumentsinaworkdirectory.Aworkdirectory
maybedefinedbyselectingTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>Pathsandenteringthe
pathrequiredforMyDocuments.
SamplesThisisanemptyfolderwheninstalled;however,someexamplesmaybe
downloadedfrom
http://documentation.openoffice.org/Samples_Templates/User/template/index.html.
(See
NewDocumentforexampletemplates)
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SavingDocuments
Savingthecurrentdocumentcanbedoneinthreeways,usingFile>Savecommand,the
SaveDocumenticon
ontheStandardtoolbar,orjustpressCtrl+S.
Forafirsttimesave,useFile>Saveas.Adialogueboxpopsuptoallowchoosingwhereto
storethefile.
WithFile>Saveas,oneassignsthedocumentanamewhereastheothertwooptionssave
withoutaskingforthefiletobenamed.Therefore,usingtheSaveasfeatureisespecially
importantwhensavingfilesforthefirsttime.Forthemostpart,chooseanynamedesired
(limitedonlybytherestrictionsimposedbytheoperatingsystem).Whenthedocumentisto
beopenedlater,finditunderthatname.
Savedocumentsregularlyasworkprogresses.Thesimplestwayistosavethecurrent
documentbypressingCtrlS.Thisreplacesthedocumentonthedatamediumwiththe
currentdocument.
Note:AnuntitleddocumentmustbegivenauniquenameforAutoSavetoobeythesettingsinTools>Options>
LoadandSave>General.DisablingAutoSaveisnotrecommended.
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ChangingtheWorkDirectory
WhentheOpendialoguecomesup,theworkdirectoryisdisplayed.Theusercanchangethis
directoryasfollows:
1. SelectTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>Paths.
2. DoubleclickMyDocumentstoopentheeditdialogue.
3. IntheSelectPathdialogue,entertheworkdirectorywantedandclickSelect.
4. ClosewithOK.
Likewise,otherdirectoriescanbeselectedusingthesamemethod.Forexample,todisplaya
differentdefaultdirectoryforinsertinggraphics,changethepathfortheentryGraphics.
SavingDocumentsAutomatically
BackupaFileAutomatically
Tocreateabackupcopyofadocumenteverytimeadocumentissaved:
1. SelectTools>Options>Load/Save>General.
2. CheckAlwayscreateabackupcopy.
Ifthecurrentdocumentissaved,usingthesamepathandfilenamewithwhichitwasfirst
opened,usingFile>SaveorCtrl+S,theoldversionwillbeoverwrittenbythenew
version.IftheAlwayscreatebackupcopyischecked,theoldversionisfirstcopiedtothe
backupdirectory.
Thedefaultbackupdirectoryis$HOME/OpenOffice.org<release>/user/backup.
Changethis,asdescribedabove,inTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>Paths>
Backupsentry.
Thebackupcopyretainsthesamenameasthedocument,buttheextensionischangedto
.BAK.Ifthebackupfolderalreadycontainssuchafile,itisoverwrittenwithoutwarning!
SavingRecoveryInformationAutomaticallyEvery'n'Minutes
1. SelectTools>Options>Load/Save>General.
2. CheckSaveAutoRecoveryinformationeveryandselectthetimeintervalinthelistbox.
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OpenOffice.orgFileFormats
OpenOffice.orgusesanXMLfileformatasthedefaultforsavingandopeningdocuments.
XMLfileformatnames
InsavingandopeningOpenOffice.orgdocumentsifnootherfiletypeis
selected,OpenOffice.orgusesthefollowingXMLformats:
ApplicationFile
extension
OpenOffice.orgWriter
*.odt
OpenOffice.orgWritertemplates
*.ott
HTMLDocument
*.html
HTMLDocumentTemplate
*.oth
OpenOffice.orgCalc
*.ods
OpenOffice.orgCalctemplates
*.ots
OpenOffice.orgImpress
*.odp
OpenOffice.orgImpresstemplates
*.otp
OpenOffice.orgDraw
*.odg
OpenOffice.orgDrawtemplates
*.otg
OpenOffice.orgFormula/Math
*.odf
Masterdocuments
*.odm
Thesefilenameextensionspermitreasonabledifferentiationwhensearchingthoughalotof
filesofdifferentfiletypesinadirectory.SincethesearecompressedXMLfiles,itshouldbe
evidentthatthesemustfirstbeunpackedbeforebeingmanipulated,forexample,byatext
editor.
Note:Ifauserwantstoworkpermanentlywithanotherfileformat,definethisasthedefault.SelectTools>
Options>Load/Save>GeneralforalternativefileformatsthatcanbeselectedforeachOpenOffice.orgdocument
type.
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OpenOffice.orgXMLfilestructure
TheOpenOffice.orgXMLfileformatsfollowtheOASISOpenDocumentstandardandare
compressedandpackedusingZIP.Useanunpackingprogram,suchasWinZipon
Windowsorunzipon*NIX,tounpackthecontentsofanXMLfile.Thestructureissimilar
tothefollowingillustration.
Archive:example.odt
Length
Method
Size
Ratio
30
Stored
30
4260
Stored
9022
Defl:N
2447
Date
Time
CRC32 Name
0.00% 15/05/05
15:25
39 31a5e1 mimetype
4260
0.00% 15/05/05
15:25
2 147
76.00% 15/05/05
15:25
Defl:N
954
6 1.00% 15/05/05
15:25
1586
Defl:N
642
60.00% 15/05/05
15:25
389
Defl:N
223
43.00% 15/05/05
15:25
756d8953 Basic/~wizard/scriptlb.xml
2 87
Defl:N
193
33.00% 15/05/05
15:25
405
Defl:N
225
44.00% 15/05/05
15:25
95c3869e Basic/scriptlc.xml
5 9152
Defl:N
5 041
92.00% 15/05/05
15:25
e86699c4 st yles.xml
13 81
Stored
13 81
0.00% 15/05/05
15:25
70e3c0fc meta.xml
6674
Defl:N
6 841
Defl:N
1230
82.00% 15/05/05
15:25
0d922df6 settings.xml
16 02
Defl:N
349
78.00% 15/05/05
15:25
8e 61970e METAINF/manifest.xml
87402
16 675 81.00%
af1ecee5 Thumbnails/thumbnail.png
12files
Note:UnderWindows,outputshouldbesimilartotheabove.
Thetextcontentofthedocumentislocatedincontent.xml.Thisfilecanbeviewedwith,
forexample,apuretexteditor.
Bydefault,content.xmlisstoredwithoutindentsoranyothertypeofformattingso
thatthetimeneededforsavingandopeningisminimized.ByuncheckingTools>
Options>Load/Save>General>SizeoptimizationforXMLformatthisprocedure
canbechangedsothatthelinessavedarestructuredinamorehumanreadableformat.
meta.xmlcontainsthemetainformationonthedocument,whichisenteredviaFile>
Properties.
Indocumentssavedwithsecurity,meta.xmlremainsunsecured.
settings.xmlcontainsfurtherinformationonsettingsforthisdocument,forexample
ontheprinter,ontherecordingofchanges,theassociateddatasourcesandsoon.
st yles.xmlretainsthestylesdefinedforthedocument.Forexample,thesecanbeseen
intheStylesandFormattingwindow.
metainf/mani fest.xmlfiledescribesthestructureoftheXMLfile.
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Additionalfilescanbecontainedinthepackedfileformat.Forexample,Graphicscanbe
foundinthePicturessubdirectory,BasiccodeintheBasicsubdirectoryandlinkedBasic
librariesarefoundinfurthersubdirectoriesofBasic.
DefinitionoftheXMLformats
TheDTD(DocumentTypeDescription)filescanbefoundin
$HOME/OpenOffice.org<release>/share/dtd.
Notethattheformatsaresubjecttocertainlicenses.NotesonthelicensesarefoundatthestartoftheDTDfiles.
MoredetailedinformationcanbefoundontheOpenOffice.orgwebsite.
SettingTabstops
OpenOffice.orgoffersmultiplewaysbywhichonecansetandeditthetabstopsusedina
document.TheproceduresforsettingandeditingtabstopsaredescribedinHelp>
OpenOffice.orgHelp>Index>Searchterm>tabstopsandarequitecomplete.
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SendingDocumentsasEMail
SingleMessages
WorkinginOpenOffice.org,onecansendthecurrentdocumentasanemailattachment
providingthatthedefaultemailprogramupissetupcorrectly.
Note:Tosetupthisfeature,selectTools>Options>Internet>EMailandconfiguretheprogramtouse.
1. ChooseFile>Send>DocumentasEmail.
2. Whentheemailcomposerwindowappears,enterarecipient,subjectandanytextand
sendtheemail.
MailMerge
AsofOpenOffice.org2.0.1,providingthatpythonisenabledatsetuptime(default),users
havetheopportunitytouseemailtosendmessagestomultiplerecipients.Thisfeaturealso
allowsprintingofthesefordeliverybypost.
1. ChooseTools>MailMergeWizard
2. Followthedialogues.
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PrintingDocuments
Uponcreatingadocument,normallyonewillwanttoprintitoutonpaperfordistribution.
Printthecurrentdocumenteitherdirectlytoaprinter,ortofile.Whenprintingtoafile,all
theinformationthatwouldotherwisebesenttotheprinterisinitiallywrittentoafile.On
anothercomputer,thefilecanthenbecopieddirectlytotheprinterconnectedtoit.
Note:OpenOffice.orgWriteralwaysformatsdocumentssothattheyareprintedaswellaspossiblewiththe
selectedprinter.Therefore,alwaysdefineadefaultprinter,evenifthereisnoavailableprinter.
ClickthePrintFileiconontheStandardtoolbartoprintthecurrentdocumentwithout
theinterventionofadialogue.
Toretainfinercontrolofprinting,eitherselectFile>Print,orusethekeyboardshortcut
Ctrl+P.
IntheFile>Printdialogue,selectaspecificprinter(ifthereismorethanoneinstalled
printer).UnderPrintrange,determinehowmanypagestoprint(oronlycertainpages),and
howmanycopiesarewanted.
Inadditiontothegeneralprintingoptionsalreadymentioned,onecanchoosespecialprinter
optionsforthedifferentdocumenttypesinOpenOffice.orgusingadditionaldialoguesthat
allowtheusertocontrolthewaythecontentsorthepagesofthedocumentareprinted.
DefinetheseprinteroptionsforthecurrentprintjobbyclickingtheOptionsbuttoninthe
Printdialogue.SelectTools>Options>(nameofdocumenttype)>Printtocreatea
generaldefinitionfornormaluse.
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Note:Therearemanydifferentprinterswithwidelyvaryingproperties.Theprintingfunctionsdifferaccordingto
theoperatingsystem,printerdriverandprintermodelused.Theselectedprinterdefinesthewidthandheightofthe
characters,andhencealsothelineandpagebreaks.OpenOffice.orgWriterandCalcalwaysformatthepagesin
thewaytheywillappearwhenprinted.
DisplayingPrintPreviews
Beforeprintingoutadocument,reviewinghowtheprinteddocumentwillappearonpaperis
oftenagoodidea.OpenOffice.orgoffersaPrintPreviewfeatureforthispurposethereby
allowingadjustmentofmarginwidths,optimizationofpagebreaksetcetera.
1. Switchtothedocumentforpreview.
1. SelectFile>PagePreview.
2.
Usetheiconsontheobjectbartozoominorout.
3.
Usethearrowkeysorobjectbariconstoscrollthroughthepagesof
thedocumentandcheckhowtheywillappearinprint.
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ReducedPrintingofDocuments
Togetareducedprintoutofatextdocument,chooseFile>PagePreview.Here,decide
whethertohavetwo,fouroranynumberofpagesbesideandontopofeachother.
Toprinttwopagesbesideoneanotherononesheetofpaper
1. ChooseFile>PagePreview.
2. LocatethePagePreviewicon
.Iftherearemoreorfewerpagesthandesired,long
clicktheicontotherightofthegrayedoutPagePreview:TwoPagesontheobjectbar
andselectthenumberofpagesneededforpreviewing.
3.
ClickonthePrintpageviewicon.
ClickingthePrintoptionspageviewicon
settingsforreducedprinting.
opensadialoguewhereonecanenter
4. ClickOKtoconfirm.
PrintinginBlackandWhite
Ifthereisacolourprinterinstalledbutprintingshouldberestrictedtoblackandwhiteonly,
useoneofthefollowingoptions:
Printingtextandgraphicsinblackandwhite
1. SelectFile>Print.ThisopensthePrintdialogue.
2. ClickonProperties.Thisopensthepropertiesdialoguefortheprinter.
3. Choosetheoptiontoprintinblackandwhite.Forfurtherinformation,refertothehelpfor
theprinterorreadtheprintermanual.
4. ConfirmthePropertiesdialogueandclickOKinthePrintdialogue.
5. Thecurrentdocumentwillbeprintedinblackandwhite.
PrintingallDrawandImpressdocumentsinblackandwhite
1. ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgImpressorTools>Options>
OpenOffice.orgDraw,asappropriate.
2. ThenchoosePrint.
3. UnderQualityselecteitherGrayscaleorBlack&WhiteandclickOK.Fromnowon,all
presentationsordrawingswillbeprintedwithoutcolour.
SelectingtheDefaultqualityoptionallowsdocumentstobeprintedincolouragainlater
on.
Grayscaleconvertseverythingtoamaximumof256gradationsfromblacktowhite.
Black&Whiteconvertseverythingintothetwovaluesblackandwhite.
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Printingonlytextinblackandwhite
InWriter,theusercanchoosetoprintcolourformattedtextinblackandwhite.Thiscanbe
specifiedeitherforalltextdocumentstobeprintedsubsequently,oronlyforaprinting
processofthecurrenttextdocument.
PrintingallWriterdocumentswithblackandwhitetext
1. ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgWriterorTools>Options>
OpenOffice.orgWeb/Writer.
2. ThenchoosePrint.
3. UnderContentsmarkPrintblackandclickOK.
AlltextdocumentsorHTMLdocumentswillfromnowonbeprintedwithblacktext.
PrintingthecurrentWriterdocumentwithblackandwhitetext
1. ChooseFile>Print.ThisopensthePrintdialogue.
2. ClicktheOptionsbutton.ThisopensthePrinterOptionsdialogue.
3. UnderContentsmarkPrintblackandclickOK.
ThetextdocumentorHTMLdocumentnowbeingprintedwillbeprintedinblacktext.
PrintingBrochures
OpenOffice.orgtextdocumentsconsistingofmorethanonepagecanbeprinted
automaticallyasabrochure.Twopagesofatextdocumentwillbereducedinsizeand
printednexttoeachotheronapageinlandscape(horizontal)orientation.Bothsidesofthe
pagewillbeprinted(mostprintersrequirethatuserstakeoutthepaperafterthefirsthalfof
theprintingprocessandfeeditinagainnsuchawayastoprintontheblankside).
OpenOffice.orgwillautomaticallyprintthepagessothattheycanbereadasabrochure.
OpenOffice.orgautomaticallyarrangesthepagesinsuchawaythatthetextcanberead
continuouslybylayingthepagestogether,foldtheminthecentreandstaplingtheminthe
fold.
Tomakeabrochureusingthecurrentdocument,selectFile>Print.Inthedialoguethat
opens,dothefollowing;
1. InPrinter>PropertiesmakesureOrientationissettolandscape
2. Whilestillinthisdialogue,setthePapersizeofthe*document*toA4orUSletter,as
needed.
3. ClickOKtoclosethedialogue.
4. ClicktheOptionsbuttoninthelowerleftofthePrintdialogue.
5. Nextselectwhethertoprintrightandleftpagesallatonce,rightpagesorleftpages.
Thefollowingshouldprovidesufficientinformationtomakeadecision:
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(a) Iftheprinteriscapableofduplexprinting,chooseLeftandRightpagesand
brochure.
(b) Withasinglesidedprinter:
i. chooseLeftorRightandbrochure.
ii. ClickOKthengotostep6.
iii. Whenprintingiscomplete,takethepagesfromtheoutputtrayandputthem
intotheinputtrayinsuchawayastoprintontheblanksideandchoosethe
oppositePagesettingasinstep1.Repeatstep(ii).
6. ClickOK
7. ClickOK
Spellcheck
OpenOffice.orghasanautomaticspellcheckwhichcanbeactivewhiletyping,oractivated
manually.
AutomaticSpellcheck
TheautomaticspellcheckcanbeturnedonandoffbyclickingtheAutoSpellingCheck
on/officonontheStandardtoolbar.Withautomaticcheckingenabled,wordsrecognizedas
incorrectarehighlightedwithawavyredunderline.
Incorrectwordsarerecognizedasincorrectifallthefollowingconditionsaremet:
aspellcheckmoduleisinstalledforthelanguageoftheword,
thismoduleisenabled,
thewordisnotfoundintheinstalleddictionaries.
thewordisnotinanyactiveuserdictionary.
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Userscancreateanynumberofcustom/userdictionaries.
CreateauserdictionarybyselectingTools>Options>LanguageSettings>WritingAids.
Astextisproofread,thewavyredunderlinesdrawattentiontopossiblespellingmistakes.Of
course,Spellcheckwillnotcatchspellingmistakesthatformotherrecognizablewords(such
asfuninsteadofrun).Aslongastheautomaticspellcheckisactivated,theredmarkings
canbeseenonthescreenbutarenotprinted.
Theeasiestwaytocorrectaredunderlinedwordistorightclickit.Thisopensacontext
menuthatofferssuggestedcorrectedspellings,andoptionstoaddthewordtothedictionary
ortoignoreit.Simplyclickthecorrectsuggestedspellingtoreplacetheredunderlinedword.
Spellchecknotonlyreplacestheredunderlinedwordwiththesuggestionselected,italso
remembersthisreplacementwhilethedocumentisopen.Ifthesametypingerrorismade
again,Spellcheckautomaticallyreplacesthemistypedwordwiththecorrectedspelling.
Ifthewordisspelledcorrectly,itmaybeaddedtoadictionarybyclickingAddand
specifyingtowhichdictionaryitistobeadded.Toignoreacorrectlyspelled,but
infrequentlyusedword,clickIgnoreAll.
CheckingMultilingualTexts
OpenOffice.orgWritercanmanagespellcheck(plusthesaurusandhyphenation)inmultiple
languages(33atthetimeofwriting).TheOpenOffice.orgsetupprogramoffersthisvia
CustomInstallationand,afterinstallationviatheModifyoptioninsetup,
whereonecanchoosewhichlanguagemodulestoinstall.
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SelectthelanguageofanentiretextdocumentwithTools>Options>LanguageSettings>
Languages.Ifitappliestotheuser'sneeds,checkForthecurrentdocumentonly.Forall
paragraphsformattedwiththesameParagraphStyle,applyalanguageviatheParagraph
Style.AlanguagecanbedefinedforindividualwordsviaCharacterStyles,ordirectlywith
Format>Character.
InTools>Options>LanguageSettings>WritingAids,checktheoptionCheckinAll
Languages.Now,Spellcheckwilltakeallinstalledlanguagesintoaccount.Wordsthatare
correctlytypedinanyoftheinstalledlanguagesareregardedascorrectlytyped,irrespective
oftheirlanguageattribute.Inmultilingualtexts,theautomaticcheckingthatwasenabledby
clickingtheiconontheStandardtoolbar,offersanotherfacilityaswell.Inthecontextmenu
ofaredunderlinedwordthatisrecognizedasincorrect,specifythatthewordorthewhole
paragraphisoneoftheotherinstalledlanguages.Thelanguageoftheunderlinedcharacters
orallcharactersoftheparagraphisautomaticallyassignedasacharacterformat.
StartingSpellcheck
Tochecktheentiretextforspellingmistakesintheclassicway(i.e.lettingSpellcheckgo
throughthewholedocumentonitsown),gototheToolsmenuandchooseSpellcheck.The
SpellcheckdialoguewillonlyappeariftherearewordsinatextunknowntotheSpellcheck.
ThevariousoptionstobeseenintheSpellcheckdialoguearedescribedindetailinthe
OpenOffice.orgHelp.IntheSpellcheckdialogue,ifanunrecognizedwordisincludedina
userdictionary,theusercanalsodefinethepermittedhyphensfortheautomatichyphenation.
Enterthehyphensinthewordasanequalssign(=).
Note:placinganequalssignattheendofthewordmeansthatthiswordwillnotbeautomaticallyhyphenated.
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ExcludingTextFromtheSpellcheck
Ifcertainareas,wordsortablesshouldnotbespellcheckedbecausetheyare,say,ina
foreignlanguageforwhichthereisnoinstalledmodule,thenspecify"Unknown"asthe
languagetobecheckedbySpellcheck.Dothisbyeitherusingdirectformattingbyselecting
thetextandthenchoosingFormat>Character>Fontorbymodifyingthecorresponding
St yleforthetext(e.g.openthecontextmenuandchooseEditParagraphStyle...).
AddingWritingAidsforOtherLanguages
OpenOffice.orgoffersuserstheopportunitytochangethelanguageoftheuserinterfaceas
wellasprovidingawizardtoinstallmoredictionaries,hyphenationdictionariesand
thesauruses.
Thisallowsuseofmorethanonelanguageinadocumentasasattributeoftheentire
documentoragroupofwords.
Asanadjuncttotheadditionofwritingaidsinvariouslanguages,userscanchangethe
defaultlanguageusedeithergenerallyorforasingledocumentbymeansofselectingthat
languageinTools>Options>Languagesettings>Languages.Rememberthatthewriting
aidsmustbeinstalledfirst.
GettingNewWritingAids
1. SelectFileWizardsInstallnewdictionaries...tostarttheprocesstoinstallmore
languages.
2. Clickthelanguageneededonthispageforinstructionsinthatlanguage.
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3. Clickthebigbuttoninthemiddleofthedocumentpagetostarttheinstallation
process:
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4. Thefollowingdialogueopenstobegintheselectionoftheneededcomponents:
5. ClickNext
6. ClickRetrievethelistandselectthoseneeded:
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7. ClickNextandselecttheHyphenationdictionariesneededandclickNextwhendone:
8. ClickNextandselecttheThesaurusesneededandclickNextwhendone
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9. ClickingNext,startsthedownloadandinstallationoftheitemsselectedinthe
previoussteps.
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UsingAutomaticFunctions
OpenOffice.orghasallkindsofintelligentassistantstohelp,allofwhichhavenames
beginningwithauto.
Thesectionintroducesafewoftheseautofunctions.Fordetailedexplanations,refertothe
OpenOffice.orgHelp.
UsingAutoCorrectandAutoFormat
Inadditiontocatchingtypingerrors,OpenOffice.orgcanformatdocumentswhiletypingor
afterwards.AutoFormatandAutoCorrectpermittheusertodraftdocumentsmuchmore
efficientlybyautomaticallyformattingandcorrectingcommonerrorswhiletheusertypes.
Hereareacoupleofexamples.
AutoCorrectisusefulifoneoftenmakesthesametypingerrors.Forexample,ifonetends
tocapitalizenotonlythefirstletterofsomewordsbutalsothesecond,simplyselectthe
AutoCorrectfunctionthatcorrectsmistakesofthissortwhiletyping.
AutoFormatformatstexts.OneAutoFormatfeatureautomaticallywilldetectparagraphs
beginningwithahyphenfollowedbyataborspace,andreformattheparagraphasabullet
point.Theautomaticbulletingisthenappliedtoanyparagraphsthatfollowaswell.
Automaticbulletingendswhentheuserentersablankparagraphcontainingonlya
Return.
Intextdocuments,toggleAutoFormatonoroffbyselectingFormat>AutoFormat.A
submenuwiththreeselectionsappears.Toautomaticallyformatwhiletyping,checkthe
WhileTypingselection.TohaveWriterautomaticallyformattheentiredocumentorthe
currentselectionatalatertime,checkthemenuselectionApply.SelectingApplyandEdit
ChangesletstheuserseealldocumentchangesmadeviaAutoFormat.Theuserthenmay
acceptorrejectallchangesormayrevieweachchangeseparately.
OnemayalsoselectandsettheoptionsinTools>AutoCorrect.AutoCorrectoffersmany
optionsthatcanbeselectivelyturnedonandoff.Someoftheseofferdifferentmethodsfor
formattingwhiletypingandpostprocessing.TheReplaceandExceptionslistsarelanguage
dependent.OpenOffice.orgfirstsearchesinthelistofthelanguageofthetext,thenthelist
forthehigherrankinglanguagefamily,andfinallyinallinstalledlanguages(Forexample,
firstin"English(US)",thenin"English",thenin"AllLanguages").
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Thefollowinggraphicshowsthevariousfunctionsavailableinthisdialogue.Adetailed
explanationofeachfunctionisgiveninOpenOffice.orgHelp.
Inadditiontothefunctionsshownhere,onecanalsoselectCustomQuotes.Thismeansthat
allquotationmarksenteredasasimplecomputercharacterwithShift+2areautomatically
turnedintocorrecttypographer'squotes.Userscanchoosethecharacterstobeusedforthis
purpose.
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TurningoffURLRecognitionbyAutoCorrect
Whentextisentered,OpenOffice.orgautomaticallyrecognizesawordthatmaybeaURLand
replacesthewordwithahyperlink.OpenOffice.orgformatsthehyperlinkwithdirectfont
attributes(colourandunderline)thepropertiesofwhichareobtainedfromcertainCharacter
Styles.
IfOpenOffice.orgshouldnotautomaticallyrecognizeURLswhiletyping,turnoffthis
featureusingoneofthefollowingmethods.
UndoURLrecognition
1. PressCtrl+Ztoundotextthathasbeenautomaticallyconvertedintoahyperlink.
2. SelectthehyperlinkandchooseFormat>Defaultifthisconversionisnotnoticeduntil
later.
TurnoffURLrecognition
1. LoadadocumentofthetypeinwhichURLrecognitionistobemodified.Forexample,if
modifyingURLrecognitionfortextdocuments,openatextdocument.
2. InOpenOffice.orgWriterselectTools>AutoCorrect....
3. IntheAutoCorrectdialogue,choosetheOptionstab.
4. DeselectURLRecognition,sothatwordswillnolongerbeautomaticallyreplacedwith
hyperlinks.
InWritertherearetwocheckboxesinfrontofURLRecognition.Thefieldinthefirst
columnisformodifyinginaposteditsessionwhilethefieldinthesecondcolumn
enablesAutoCorrecttomakethecorrectionswhiletyping.
OtherAutoCorrectfunctions
TheTools>AutoCorrect>Replacetabhasadefaultlistofitemsthatwillbeautomatically
replacedprovidedthatUsereplacementtableontheTools>AutoCorrect>Optionstab
pageischecked.Onecanaddalloftheirmostfrequenttypostothislistandhave
AutoCorrectreplacethemwiththerighttext.Alsousethisfeaturetoenterspecial
charactersorphrasesthatarekeyboardintensivetodonormally.Forexample,(C)is
immediatelyturnedintothecopyrightsymbol.
Note:ThefontssuppliedwithOpenOffice.orgincludetheEurosymbol.Ifworkingwithotherfonts,onecaneasily
inserttheEurosymbolfromanotherfontusingAutoCorrect.Whenworkinginatextdocument,chooseInsert>
SpecialCharacter.LookfortheEurosymbolandclickOK.
EnterintheAbbreviationtextboxeu,forexample.TheTextonlyboxshouldnotbemarked.ClickNew.Nowclose
thedialogue.Assoonastheeuisenteredfollowedbyaspaceorattheendofasentence,aEurosymbolwillbe
inserted.
OntheExceptionstab,enteranyexceptionsforthetwotypesofautomaticcorrection:
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AssumingtheReplaceoptionisenabledtoautomaticallystarteachsentencewitha
capital(uppercase)letter,ande.g.isenteredandisfollowedbyalowercasedthen
thedwouldbecapitalized.Sotocompensateforthisbehaviour,entere.g.intothe
Exceptionlisttopreventthistypeofcorrection.
Again,assumingtheReplaceoptionisenabledtoautomaticallyconvertthesecondoftwo
capitallettersatthebeginningofawordtoalowercaseletter,enteranyexceptionsthatare
correctlywrittenwithtwocapitalletters,suchasPCandCD.
TheseexceptionscanalsobeautomaticallyincludedbyselectingtheAutoinclude
checkboxesontheExceptionstab.Whenthisfeatureisenabledandonethenusesanidiom
inthetextthatisautomaticallycorrectedbutwhichshouldnotbecorrected,immediately
pressCtrl+Z.Doingthisnotonlyundoestheautomaticcorrection,butalsoseestoitthat
thisparticularcorrectionwillnotbemadeautomaticallyagaininthesession.
AutoCorrectcanalsobeusedtoreplaceonewordorabbreviationwithsomethingmore
appropriate.Forexample,replaceASAPwiththetextassoonaspossible;
however,theOpenOffice.orgAutoTextfunctionisabetterchoicefordoingthis.
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CreatingaLetterTemplateWiththeWizard
Ifoneiswritingapersonalletter,theWizardandstandardAutoTextsarenotessential,butin
formalbusinesscorrespondencetheseaidscansavealotoftimeandmakeworkmucheasier.
Note:Toproduceastandardletter,havealookatthesuppliedtemplates.Simplypresstheshortcutkeys
Shift+Ctr+NorchooseFile>New>TemplatesandDocuments.
StarttheWizardwiththeFile>Wizards>Lettermenucommand.
TreatthissectionasatutorialontheOpenOffice.orgtemplateWizard.AlthoughtheWizard
doesproduceadocumentthatcanimmediatelybefilledin,printed,andsent,usingthe
Wizardisreallymeanttohelpcreatecustomizedtemplates.Customizedtemplatesforsuch
thingsasbusinessletters,faxesandothertypesofdocumentsforwhichthereisaWizard
ensuresthatcorrespondencehasaconsistentformat.
Whileonemay,thereisnoneedtogothroughallthestepsoftheWizardeachtimeone
wantstowritealetter.However,inordertogetthemostfromthefollowing,itis
recommendedthatoneacceptallthedefaultsprovidedwithoutchangingthem,andthenprint
theresult.ClickNextoneachdialoguepage,sothateverypageisseenatleastonceduring
thelearningprocess.ExamineeachoftheWizardpageswhilegoingthroughtheprocessof
creatingalettertemplate.Enterdataormodifyoptionsoneachpageasnecessary.Eachpage
allowsmodificationsaccordingtoeachuser'spreferencesincludingsenderandrecipient
addresses,bothofwhichcanalsobeenteredmanually.(Forexample,senderinformationis
automaticallytakenfromthepersonaldetailsthateachuserentersatthetimeofinstallation.
ThesedetailsmaybechangedatanytimebyselectingTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>
UserDataandenteringnewinformationoreditingexistingdetails.)Predefinedelementswill
appearbutusersalwayshavethefinalsayonwhattoincludeintheirletter.
ThankstotheWizard,onedoesn'thavetostartfromscratchbutcanusepreexistingtexts
whencreatingcustomtemplates,whetherforbusinessletters,faxes,memos,orother
documents.
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Find&Replace
Whenworkingwithacomputeritisoftenusefultobeabletolocatecertainpiecesoftext
quickly.TheFindfunctioninOpenOffice.orgWriter,Calc,ImpressandDrawisthetoolto
useforthispurpose.Findcanalsolocatevariationsinthegivensearchtermorlimitthe
searchtocertainplacesinthedocument,suchasthebeginningofawordortheendofa
paragraph.
Textstringsfoundinthetextcanbereplacedbyotherstringswithorwithoutconfirmation,
althoughsometimesmanualeditingisstillnecessarywhere,forexample,therearedeviations
ingenderfoundinotherlanguages.
FindingaWordinText
Let'ssaythewordHollandappearssomewhereinalongtextandtheuserwishestolocate
it.ActivatetheFindfunctionwithCtrl+F.EnterthestringonewantstofindintheSearchfor
fieldandpressEnter.OpenOffice.orgstartssearchingfromthecurrentcursorpositiontoward
theendofthedocument.Uponreachingtheendofthedocument,anewdialogueappears
askingwhetherornottocontinuethesearchatthebeginningofthedocument.TaptheEnter
keytoconfirm.Ifthetextstringisfound,itishighlighted.
OpenOffice.orgstartssearchingfromthecurrentcursorpositiontowardtheendofthe
document.Uponreachingtheendofthedocument,anewdialogueappearsaskingwhether
ornottocontinuethesearchatthebeginningofthedocument.ClicktheEnterkeyto
confirm.Ifthetextstringisfound,itishighlighted.
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TheFind&Replacedialoguecanremainopenwithoutinterferingwithtextentryandit
canbemovedtoanyplaceonthescreen.However,whenitisclosed,itremembersthe
previouslyenteredstringssotheydonotneedtobereenteredforthenextsearch,butcanbe
selectedfromthelistbox.
OneveryusefulfeatureisthemultiselectionfacilityFindAll.Forinstance,usingFindAll,
onecouldseteveryoccurrenceoftheworddocumentinthetexttoboldface.Enterthe
searchtermintheSearchforfieldandthen
clickFindAll.Alloccurrencesarenow
selected.PlacethecursorintheReplacefield, andclicktheBoldiconinthetextobject
bartoboldfacealloccurrencesofthesearchterm.
Thedialoguegraphicaboveillustratesthatthereareseveralwaysofexpandingorrestricting
searchesbycombiningselectionsfromtheOptionsgroupboxandthebuttons.Examplesfor
eachoptionaredescribedbelow.
SearchingforWholeWordsOnly
SelecttheWholewordsonlyoptiontofindwholewordsthatmatchthesearchedforword.
Forinstance,ifthewordinisenteredasthesearchtermintheSearchforfield,all
instancesofin,orIn,asstandalonewordsinthetextwillbefound.Wordslikebin
orchinwillnotbefoundifthischeckboxisselected.Ifsearchingusingregular
expressionsorforStyles,donotselectthisoption.
MatchCase
Whenthischeckboxisselected,thesearchiscasesensitivetouppercaseandlowercase
letters.Soifsearchingforin,itwillbefound,butnotthewordIn,CombineaMatch
casesearchwiththeWholewordsonlyoptionasneeded.
SearchingforTextWithWildcards
1.StartFindbyselectingEdit>Find&ReplacedialogueoruseCtrl+F.
2.ChecktheMoreOptions>Regularexpressionsbox.
3.EnterthesearchtermwiththedesiredwildcardsandclickFind.
Regularexpressionsareenteredusingtextcombinedwithkeyboardcharactersandsymbols
thathavespecialmeaninginthiscontext:
Thewildcardforanynumberofagivencharacteristhecharacteritselffollowedbyan
asterisk(*).Notethatthisisdifferenttotheway'*'isusedinfilenames.
Example:EnterHawai*intheSearchforfield.Thismeansthatanynumberofi's,
includingnoneatall,mayfollowHawa.ThusthewordsHawa,Hawaiand
Hawaiiwillbefound.
Thewildcardforasinglecharacteristheperiodordot(.).Thisisequivalenttothe
wildcard'?'infilenames.
Combiningtheabovetworules,thewildcardforseveralunspecifiedcharactersin
successionis'.*'(periodandasterisk).Thisisequivalenttothewildcard'*'infilenames.
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Aparagraphendcanbefoundwiththedollarsign($),andthefirstcharacteratthe
beginningofaparagraphwiththestring'^.'(caretandperiod).
Regularexpressionsmayonlybesearchedwithinparagraphs.
TherearemanyotherwildcardsthatcanbeusedthatarelistedinHelp>OpenOffice.org
HelpwithasearchtermofRegularexpression.ThiscompleteListofRegular
Expressionsisincludedinthisdocument.
IfyouneedmoreinformationofRegularExpressions,pleasesee
http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/basedefs/xbd_chap09.html.
SearchingBackward
Whenlocatingafrequentlyappearingwordinalongtext,theusermightclickfindoncetoo
oftenbymistake.ChecktheBackwardboxandclickagainonFindtoreturntothe
locationofthepreviouslyfounditem.
CurrentSelectionOnly
ChecktheCurrentselectiononlyboxoptiontolimitthesearchratherthancausingthe
entiredocumenttobesearched.Thesearchwillberestrictedtothelinesthatarehighlighted
inthedocument.IftextisselectedbeforeactivatingtheFindcommand,thesearchwill
automaticallytakeplaceonlywithinthatselectedrange.
SearchingforStyles
Quicklyreformatallorpartofatextusingthisfeature.Forexample,textformattedwiththe
StyleHeading2canbereplacedwiththeStyleHeading3.SelecttheParagraph
StyleinthelistboxunderSearchfor.ThenselectthenewParagraphStyleintheReplace
withfield.StartthereplacementprocesswiththeReplacebutton.Allmatchingstylesfound
inthetextwillbedisplayedinsequence.Theusercandecideeachtimewhetherornottodo
thesinglereplacement,replaceallmatchingstylesfoundinthetext,ortocanceltheprocess.
SearchingforTextAttributes
SelectAttributestoopenadialoguefromwhichtoselectthosetextattributestobe
employedtosearchwithinadocument.OpenOffice.orgthenfindsallattributesthatdiffer
fromtheformatoftheParagraphStyle.Forexample.inthisdialogue,iftheFontWeight
checkboxisselected,theprogramcanfindallwordsthathaveaheavierfontthannormal.
ThesecouldbewordsthathavehastheBoldattributeapplied,eitherthroughdirector
indirectformatting,orthathavebeenhighlightedwithafontpreviouslydefinedasabold
font,suchasonescontainingthewords"Bold"or"Black"intheirname.Bydefault,Find
searchesonlyfordirectattributes.However,aftersearchingfortheattributes,onemayenable
theIncludingStylescheckboxinthegroupssectionoftheFind&Replacedialoguewhere
SearchforStyleswaspreviously.Then,thesearchextendsfromthedirectattributeswe
selectedpreviouslytoincludeindirectattributes,suchas.thosesetwithstyles.
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SearchingforSpecialFormats
ByclickingtheFormatbutton,oneopensadialoguefromwhichtoselectthespecific
formatsinthesearch.Forexample,ifonehasmanuallycenteredafewlinesinthetext,find
themusingtheoptionsofFormatintheFind&Replacedialogue.Nowlet'ssaythatthe
foundattributemustbereplacedwithanother,todothistakethefollowingsteps:
1. PositionthecursorintheReplacewithfield.
2. ClicktheFormatbutton.
3. Choosethereplacementattribute.
ThechosenattributesarelistedundertheSearchforandReplacewithfields.Ifno
replacementisindicatedfortheattributefoundinthetext,thedefaultsettingsare
automaticallyapplied.
SimilaritySearch
Thisfunctionseeksnotonlyforthesearchterm,butalsoforsimilarlytypedwords.As
needed,finetunethedegreeofsimilaritybyclickingthebuttonimmediatelytotherightof
theSimilaritysearchcheckbox.
ListofRegularExpressions
ThislistisalsoinHelpbutisincludedhereasaconvenience.
Character
Result/Use
Representsanysinglecharacter.Thesearchterm"sh.rt"findsboth"shirt"and"short".
Using^Peterwillfindthissearchtermonlyifitappearsatthebeginningofaparagraph.
Specialcharacters(forexample,blankspacesandcharacteranchoredframes)atthe
beginningofaparagraphareignored.
Thissymbolrepresentstheparagraphmarkforuseinaregularexpression.Forexample,
using$willonlyfindthesearchtermifitappearsattheendofaparagraph.So,ifone
searchesfor,say,Peterattheendofaparagraph,enterPeter$intheSearchforbox.
Specialcharacters(forexample,blankspacesandcharacteranchoredframes)attheend
ofaparagraphareignored.
^$
Enter^$intheSearchboxtofindemptyparagraphs.
Findszeroormoreofthecharacterimmediatelyinfrontofthe"*".Forexample,
"Ab*c"finds"Ac","Abc","Abbc","Abbbc",andsoon.
Thecharacterbeforethissymbolmustappearatleastonce:"AX+4"finds"AX4",
AXX4,butnot"A4".
Findszerooroneofthecharactersinfrontofthe"?".Forexample,"Texts?"findsthe
words"Texts"and"Text".
Onlyfindsthecharacter(nodigits)thatisspecified.Usedtoturnoffanyspecial
interpretationofthecharacterbyOpenOffice.Forexample,ifonesearchesfor\*+,
*,**and***willbefound.Thatis,theregularexpressioninterpretationof'*'is
turnedoffonlyforthatoneinstance.
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Character
Result/Use
\n
FindsahardrowbreakthatwasinsertedwithShift+Enter.Tochangerowbreaksinto
paragraphbreaks,enter\nintheSearchforandReplacewithboxes,andthenclickthe
Replaceallbutton.
\t
Findsatabspace.UserscanalsousethisexpressionintheReplacewithbox.
\>
Onlyfindsthesearchtermifitappearsattheendofaword.Forexample,"book\>"
finds"checkbook",butnot"bookmark".
\<
Onlyfindsthesearchtermifitappearsatthebeginningofaword.Forexample,
"\>book"finds"bookmark",butnot"checkbook".
^$
Searchesforemptyparagraphs.
^.
Searchesforthefirstcharacterofaparagraph.
&
UsethischaracterintheReplacewithboxtoaddthecharactersthatmatchedthesearch
criteriawhenareplacementismade.
Forexample,ifoneenters"window"intheSearchforboxand"&frame"inthe
Replacewithbox,thewordwindowisreplacedwith"windowframe".
Userscanalsoentera&intheReplacewithboxtomodifytheAttributesora
differentFormatofthesearchcriteriaenteredintheSearchforbox.
[abc123]
Findsthecharactersthatarebetweenthebrackets.
[ae]
Findsthecharactersthatarebetweenaande.
[aehx]
Findsthecharactersthatarebetweenaeandhx.
[^as]
Findsallcharactersexceptforas
\xXXXX
Findsaspecialcharacterbasedonitsfourdigithexadecimalcode(XXXX).
Thecodeforthespecialcharacterdependsonthefontused.Userscanviewthecodes
bychoosingInsertSpecialCharacter.
Findsthesearchtermsthatoccurbeforeandafterthe"|".Forexample,"this|that"finds
both"this"and"that"inthesearch.
{2}
Definesthenumberoftimesthatthecharacterinfrontoftheopeningbracketoccurs.
Forexample,"tre{2}"finds"tree".
{1,2}
Definesthenumberoftimesthatthecharacterinfrontoftheopeningbracketcanoccur.
Forexample,"tre{1,2}"findsboth"tree"and"treated".
()
Definesthecharactersinsidethebracketsasareference.Onecanthenrefertothefirst
referenceinthecurrentexpressionwith"\1",tothesecondreferencewith"\2",andso
on.
Forexample,ifthetextcontainsthenumber13487889andonesearchesusingthe
regularexpression(8)7\1\1,"8788"isfound.
[:digit:]?
Findsasingledigitnumber.Tofindanumberwithmorethanonedigit,use[:digit:]*.
[:space:]?
Findswhitespacesuchasspacesandtabs.
[:print:]?
Findsprintablecharacters.
[:cntrl:]?
Findsnonprintingcharacters.
[:alnum:]?
Findsalphanumericcharacters(numbersandtextcharacters).
[:alpha:]?
Findsalphabeticcharacters.
[:lower:]?
FindslowercasecharactersifMatchcaseisselectedintheOptionsarea.
[:upper:]?
FindsuppercasecharactersifMatchcaseisselectedintheOptionsarea.
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Note:Thelongestpossibletextwithintheparagraphisalwaysfound.IftheparagraphcontainsthetextAX4A4,
thesearchtermA.*4findsthefirstAtothelast4,i.e.AX4A4.
Note:The'()'and'\1..\9'referenceREcombinationswillbefamiliartoprogrammerswhohaveusedstandardRE's,
howevertheOpenOffice.orgversionisconfinedtothesearchterm.The'\1..\9'cannotbeusedinthereplacetermas
wouldnormallybeexpectedforstandardREs.Use'&'totransfertheentirematchingsearchtermtothereplace
term
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DigitalSignaturesandPrintingorExportingDocuments
Therearemanyprintoptionsforputtingdocumentsonpaper,includingprintingtofile.Other
waysofdistributingdocumentsaretopublishinHTMLformat,XHTM,TeX,bib,docbook
orasPDFfiles.Theseshouldbefamiliartomostusersastheyhavebeenapartof
OpenOffice.orgforsometime.
Whatisnewisthat,asofOpenOffice.org2.0.4,exporttoPDFhassomeaddedsecurity
featuresbeyonddigitalsigning.Theseareencryptionandsomedigitalrightsmanagement
(DRM)featuressuchascopy,printingoptions,changesoptionsandaccessibility.Formore
informationonPDFexport,seethespecification.
Thefollowinggraphicshowstheseoptions.
WiththenewPDFExportsecuritytabtheuserhasthefollowingpossibilities:
createaPDFdocumentthatcanbeopenedonlywiththecorrectpassword,once
passwordopenedtheusercandowhateveritlikeswithit(seeOnlyopenpassword,
norestriction);
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createaPDFdocumentthatcanbeopenedonlywiththecorrectpassword,butwith
restrictedpermissions;forexamplethedocumentcannotbeprinted,oranyofthe
selectionsfrom6to9in(seeopenpassword,restricted);
createaPDFdocumentthatcanbeopenedbyanyone,butwithrestricted
permissions;forexamplethedocumentcannotbeprinted,oranyoftheselections.
createaPDFdocumentwithoutrestrictions,everythingisallowed(seePDFwithout
restriction).
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Onlyopenpassword,norestriction
TocreateaPDFdocumentthatcanbeopenedbyusershavingthecorrectpasswordandto
enablethoseuserstodoanythingtheywantwiththePDF,doasfollows:
1. SelectEncryptthePDFdocument
2. ClickSetOpenPasswordtosetandconfirmthepassword;thepasswordcanbe
emptyorupto32characterslong;
3. DeselectRestrictpermission
Note:AnemptyopenpasswordmeansthatthePDFdocumentcanbeopenedbyanyone.
openpassword,restricted
1. SelectEncryptthePDFdocument
2. ClickSetOpenPasswordtosetandconfirmthepassword;thepasswordcanbe
emptyorupto32characterslong.
3. SelectRestrictpermissiontosetandconfirmthepassword.Asabove,thepassword
canbeemptyorupto32characterslong.
4. Selectthepermissionsasdesired,seePermissionsavailable.foradescriptionof
availablepermissions.
Permissionrestrictedonly
1. DeselectEncryptthePDFdocument
2. SelectRestrictpermissiontosetandconfirmthepassword.Asabove,thepassword
canbeemptyorupto32characterslong.
3. Selectthepermissionsasdesired,seePermissionsavailable.foradescriptionof
availablepermissions.
PDFwithoutrestriction(Defaultbehaviour)
1. DeselectEncryptthePDFdocument
2. DeselectRestrictpermission
Permissionsavailable
Thefollowingisadescriptionoftheavailablepermissions.ThesewillonlyeffectthePDF
documentwherefthechosenviewerrespectsthesettings.
Printing
Point(6)in.Theusercanchooseifthedocumentcanbeprintedornot.TheNotpermitted
selectionwilldisabletheprinting.
Changes
Point(7)in.ThechangesallowedtothePDFdocumentcanbeselectedhere,theyareself
descriptive.
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TheNotpermittedselectionwilldisableallthechanges(butcopy,seeEnablecopy).
Enablecopy
Point(8)in.Enablecopy(selection)oftextandimagestobeusedinotherdocuments
(throughpaste).Itcanbeselectedindependentlyfromtheotherpermissions.
Enableaccessibility
Point(9)in.EnabletheuseofaccessibilitytoolswiththePDFdocument.Itcanbeselected
independentlyfromtheotherpermissions.
ProgrammingPDFSecurityinMacros
Thefollowingtableliststhepropertyvaluesthatcanbeusedinprogramming.Formore
informationonprogrammingwithmacros,seeChapter10.
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Name
Type
Default
value
Notes
EncryptFile
boolean
false
specifiesthatthePDFdocumentshouldbe
encryptedwhileexportingit,meanifulonlyif
theDocumentOpenPasswordpropertyisnot
empty.
Itcorrespondstoitem(1)in.
DocumentOpenPassword
String
empty
thepasswordthatauserwillneedtoreadthe
exportedPDF,shouldbeincleartext.Mustbe
usedwiththeflagEncryptFileabove.
Itcorrespondstoitem(2)in.
RestrictPermissions
boolean
false
specifythatPDFrelatedpermissionsofthis
filemustberestricted.Itismeaningfullonlyif
thePermissionPasswordpropertybelowis
notempty.
Itcorrespondstoitem(4)in.
PermissionPassword
String
Empty
thepasswordthatauserwillneedtochange
thepermissionsoftheexportedPDF,shouldbe
incleartext.Mustbeusedwiththeflag
RestrictPermissionsabove.
Itcorrespondstoitem(5)in.
Printing
int
specifieswhatprintingisallowed:
0meaningthatthedocumentcannot
beprinted
1meaningthedocumentcanbe
printedatlowresolutiononly,
2meaningthedocumentcanbe
printedatmaximumresolution.
Itcorrespondstoitem(6)in.
Changes
int
specifiesthechangesallowedtothedocument.
0meaningthedocumentcannotbe
changed
1meaninginserting,deletingand
rotatingpagesisallowed
2meaningfillingofformfieldis
allowed,
3meaningfillingofformfieldand
commentingisallowed,
4meaningallthechangesofthe
previousselectionsarepermitted,
withtheonlyexclusionofpage
extraction.
Itcorrespondstoitem(7)in.
EnableCopyingOfConte
nt
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
boolean
true
specifiesthatthepagesandthedocument
contentcanbeextractedtobeusedinother
documents(copyfromthePDFdocument,
55
Chapter2:WorkingWithOpenOffice.org
Name
Type
Default
value
Notes
pasteelsewhere).
Itcorrespondstoitem(8)in.
EnableTextAccessForA
ccessibilityTools
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
boolean
true
specifiesthatthedocumentcontentcanbe
extractedtobeusedinaccessibility
applications.
Itcorrespondstoitem(9)in.
56
Chapter3:ManagingTextDocumentsWithWriter
Chapter3:ManagingTextDocumentsWithWriter
Inthischapter,theuserwilllearnabouttheOpenOffice.orgwordprocessingmodule,called
Writer.Startingwiththebasics,itwillintroducethemoresophisticatedfunctionsand,lastly
provideanexplanationofsomeofthetemplatesandsampledocumentsthatarepartofthe
distribution.
Remembertoexamineotherchaptersintheguideforotherimportantinformationon
workinginWriter:
Usageofmenus,windows,floatingtoolbarsetceteraisdescribedinChapter1.
InformationaboutcustomizingtheuserinterfaceofOpenOffice.org,workingwithdata
sources,e.g.forformletters,andabouttherevisionmarkingfunctioniscontainedina
separatechapterAdvancedTechniques.
TheOpenOffice.orgWriterFunctions
ThissectioncontainsabriefoverviewofthefunctionalityandcapabilitiesofOpenOffice.org
Writer.
Writing
Writerhelpsuserstocreateallsortsofwrittendocuments.Onecanproducepersonalletters,
formletters,brochures,faxes,andevenprofessionalmanuals.Documentsthatareusedoften
canbesavedastemplates,forexample,aninvoiceform.Spellcheckandthesaurusfunctions
areatone'sdisposal.Ifdesired,havetheAutoCorrectandhyphenationfunctionsactivewhile
typing.
ThereisnorestrictiontothelengthofatextdocumentinOpenOffice.org.UsetheNavigator
tomovearoundeasilyandquicklywithinthedocument.OpenOffice.orgWritercomeswitha
varietyoftemplatesforalmosteverypurpose.Alsouserscancreatetheirownusingthe
Wizard.
DesigningandStructuring
OpenOffice.orgoffersawidevarietyofoptionstodesigndocuments.UsetheStylesand
Formattingwindowtocreate,assignandmodifystylesforparagraphs,individualcharacters,
framesandpages.Inaddition,theNavigatorcanhelpcreatestructuredtextsandalsoallows
modificationofthestructure,forinstance,byshiftingparagraphsfromonepositionto
another.
Additionally,variousindexesandtablescanbecreatedintextdocuments.Onecandefinethe
structureandappearanceoftheindexesandtablesaccordingtoindividualneeds.Live
hyperlinksandbookmarksallowjumpingdirectlytothecorrespondingitemsinthetext.
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DesktopPublishingwithOpenOffice.orgWriter
OpenOffice.orgWritercontainsnumerousfunctionstoassistincreatingperfectlystyled
documents.Textcanbeformattedmulticolumnar,andhavetextframes,graphics,tables,etc.
integratedintoit.Thetextframescanbelinkedallovertheplace,evenbeyondpagelimitsto
createanewspaperformat.Functionssuchasmakinglinesregistertrue,flowofcontours
throughandaroundgraphics,anddefiningofcharacters,paragraphsandtablesinanycolour
complementthetoolstolenddocumentsaprofessionallook.
Calculations
TextdocumentsinOpenOffice.orghaveanintegratedcalculationfunctionthathelpsoneto
executesophisticatedcalculationsorlogicallinks.Tablesinatextdocumentcaneasilybe
createdinordertoperformcalculations.
CreatingDrawings
Draw,vectordrawingtool,letsuserscreatedrawings,graphics,legends,etceteradirectlyin
textdocuments.
InsertingGraphics
Pictureswithdifferentformatscanbeinsertedintoatextdocument,includinggraphicswith
aJPGorGIFformat.Themostcommonformatscanbeediteddirectlyinatextdocument
withtheimageeditor.Inaddition,theGalleryprovidesacollectionofclipartgraphics
organizedbytheme.
CustomizableProgramInterface
ThedesignofOpenOffice.org'sprograminterfaceissuchthateachusercanconfigureit
accordingtoindividualpreferences.Thevariouswindows(StylesandFormattingwindow,
Navigator,etcetera)canbepositionedasfloatingwindowsanywhereonthescreenandsome
canbedockedtoanedge.Visibleiconsandmenuscanbecustomizedaswell.
Drag&Drop
Thedraganddropfeatureenablesuserstoworkevenmorequicklyandefficientlywithtext
documentsinOpenOffice.org.Forinstance,onecandraggraphicsdirectlyfromtheGallery
intoanactivedocument.
ExtensiveHelpFunctions
TheprogramprovidesanextensiveHelpfunctionwhichservesasareferenceguidetothe
programelementsinOpenOffice.orgaswellasincludesavarietyofinstructionsforsimple
andcomplextasks.
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TheOpenOffice.orgWriterWindow
WindowsofOpenOffice.orgWriter
Theabovegraphicshowsthevariouswindowsandtoolbarsavailableforuseinmanaging
documentsandwheretheirassociatediconsarelocated.Forclarity,thewindows,listed
counterclockwise,areInsertfloatingtoolbar,InsertFieldssubmenu,InsertObject
floatingtoolbar,FormFunctionsfloatingtoolbar,DrawFunctionsfloatingtoolbar,
NavigationWindow,NavigatorWindowandStylesandFormattingwindowWindow.
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EnteringandFormattingText
Thereisnoprescribedsequenceinwhichtowork.Onecanentertextand,letussay,
underlineitoritalicizeitwhiletypingorchoosetodothislater.Userscanalsodecide
whetherornottosplitasectionoftextintotwocolumnsimmediatelyortodelaytheaction.
Textneverhastobedeletedandretypedsimplybecauseformattingneedschanging.
Basically,toedittext,firstselectitandthenchoosetherelevantcommand,suchastheoneto
formatthetextinitalics.Thereareseveralwaysofselectingtext,forexample,usingthe
arrowkeyswhilstholdingdowntheShiftkey,orwiththemousewhilstkeepingthemouse
buttondepressed.Oftentherearedifferentwaysofchoosingacommand,forexample,witha
menucommand,withatoolbariconorwithshortcutkeys.
EnteringNewText
Toenternewtext:
1. Openanexistingtextdocumentorcreateanewone.
2. Entertextusingthekeyboard.
Whenspecialcharacters,suchasthecopyrightsymboloraccentedcharactersthatarenot
availableonthekeyboardaretobeentered,selectInsert>SpecialCharacterandchose
whatisneededfromthetable.
3. PressEntertobeginanewparagraph.
Linebreaks
Usersneverneedtoworryaboutlinebreaksasthesoftwareinsertstheseautomatically.Only
pressEnteratthepointtostartanewparagraph.
Automaticcorrection
OpenOffice.orgWriterincludesaconfigurableautocorrectiontoolthatcanmakevarious
correctionswhiletyping.Forexample,automaticallycapitalizingthestartofeverysentence.
Wordcompletion
Theautomaticwordcompletionfunctionhelpswhenenteringtext.Forexample,let'ssay,
there'sanoftenusedlongword.Inthiscase,Writersuggestsaworditrecognizesas
matchingwhathasbeentypedsofar.Ifthesuggestioniswhatiswanted,PressEnter(or
defineanotherkey)toacceptit.
InsertingText
1. Openanexistingdocument.
2. placethecursoratthepointwheretextistobeaddedusingeitherthemouseorthearrow
keys,andenterthenewtext.
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Insertmodeisenabledbydefault,thusanytext,followingtheinsertionpoint,isshiftedas
newtextisentered.Tooverwritetheexistingtextatthispoint,selectOverwritemodeby
clickingtheINSRTfieldinthestatusbarasshownbelow.
SwitchingBetweenInsertModeandOverwriteMode
Usingthekeyboard:
IfthekeyboardhasanInskey,pressittotogglebetweenoverwritemodeandinsertmode.
Thecurrentmodeisdisplayedonthestatusbar.
Usingthemouse:
Onthestatusbar,clickinthefourthfieldfromtheleft,whichindicatesthecurrentmode,to
switchtotheothermode:
INSRT
Insertmodeisenabled.Thetextcursorisablinkingverticalline.Clickinthefieldto
enableoverwritemode.
OVER
Overwritemodeisenabled.Thetextcursorisablinkingblock.Clickinthefieldtoenable
insertmode.
defaultlayoutofthestatusbar:
Note:theareathatisclickedtochangefrominserttooverwrite
Afterclicking
EnteringTextAnywhereonaPage
Writerenablesonetoentertextatanypositionwithinthetypeareainthetextdocument.
Thisisthedirectcursorfunction:
1
.
ClicktheDirectCursoron/officonontheToolstoolbar.Clickingtheicon
turnsthedirectcursoronandoff.Whentheiconappearspressed,thedirect
cursorisenabled.
2
.
Clickonafreespaceinthetextdocument.Theshapeofthemousepointer
showshowthetextthatisenteredwillbealigned.
AlignLeft
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Centre
3
.
AlignRight
Enterthetext.OpenOffice.orgautomaticallyinsertstherequisitenumberof
blanklines,tabsandspaces.
SelectingandDeletingText
Somebasicstepstostart.
Deletingcharacters
Todeleteonecharactertotheleftofthecursor,pressBackspace(abovetheEnter
key).
Todeleteonecharactertotherightofthecursor,presstheDeletekey(maybelabelled
Del).
Deletingtext
Selectingtexttodeletewiththemouse
1. Leftclicktosetthecursoronthefirstcharactertobedeleted.
2. Keepingthemousebuttondepressed,dragthepointertothelastcharactertobedeleted.
Thecharacterswillbehighlighted.
3. Releasethemousebutton.
4. PresstheDeletekeytodeletetheselectedtext.
Selectingtexttodeletewiththekeyboard
1. Usethearrowkeystogotothefirstcharactertobedeleted.
2. HolddowntheShiftkey.
3. Usingthearrowkeys,movethecursortojustafterthelastcharactertobedeleted.
4. ReleasetheShiftkey.Thetextishighlighted.
5. PresstheDeletekeytodeletetheselectedtext.
Note:Toputtheselectedtextintotheclipboardforuselaterortoputelsewhereinthedocument,press
Ctrl+XratherthanDelete .Thiscutsoutthetextandplacesitontheclipboard.Topasteitbackin,
whereverandasoftenasdesired,pressCtrl+Vwhenthecursorissettothecorrectlocation.
Deletingnonadjacentpiecesoftext.
1. PressCtrlandkeepitpressed.
2. Leftclicktosetthecursoratthefirstcharacterofthefirstpieceoftexttobedeleted.
3. Presstheleftmousebuttonanddragthepointertothelastcharacterofthetexttobe
deleted.
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4. ReleasethemousebuttonandtheCtrlkey.
5. Repeatsteps1to4foreachpieceoftexttobedeleted.
6. PresstheDeletekeytodeletetheselectedtext.
Statusbaruses
SettingtheViewingZoomFactor
Note:theareathatisRightclickedtochangetheZoomfactor
Byrightclickingintheareashownabove,theusercanselectthedisplayZoomfactorforthe
document.TheoptimalsettingisparticularlyusefulwhentheStylesandFormattingwindow
orNavigatoraredockedandopened,offandon,duringasessioninthatthefullwidthpage
oftextisalwaysdisplayed.
EditingorActivatingHyperlinks
Clickinginthisfieldonthestatusbarswitchesthetexthyperlinksinthedocumentfromactive(HYP)toedit
(SEL).
Display
Effect
HYP
ClickaHyperlinktoloadthecorrespondingURL.
SEL
ClickaHyperlinktextandedititaswithnormaltext.
ToedittheURLinsteadoftheHyperlinktext,thestatusbarmusthaveHYPdisplayedinthis
field.PointtotheHyperlink,thenclickandholddownthemousebuttonastheHyperlinkis
draggedtotheHyperlinkBar.BoththetextandURLcanbeeditedfromhere.
IftheHyperlinkisinsertedasabuttonratherthanastext(seeLinkbutton),theHyperlink
canonlybeediteidifonechangesthepropertiesofthecontrolfield:Selectthebutton,open
itscontextmenuandchoosetheControlcommandandtheneditthetextonthebuttonand
theURLfromthePropertiesdialogueofthebutton.
Clickahyperlinkinadocument,bringsupadialogueaskingtoopenthelinkeddocument.
ApplyingVariousFonts
ModifytheParagraphStyletopermanentlychangethefontsizeandstyleforallparagraphs
withthatparticularparagraphformat.First,positionthecursorinthetextthattobemodified
andselectthecommandEditParagraphStyleinthecontextmenu.
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TheParagraphStyledialogueopens,withvarioustabs.ClickontheFonttabandspecify
thetype,size,andstyleofthefont.
Note:Ifonewantstoemphasizeaparticularpassageinaletter,simplyselectthetextandclicktheBoldorItalic
icon.Toformatonlyasingleword,simplyplacethecursoranywhereinthewordandclickBoldorItalic.
Makeanyothernecessarychanges,thenclicktheSaveDocumenticonandclosethe
documenttemplate.
Note:Whencreatingatemplate,remembernottotypeatextforaparticularletter.Themainpurposeofa
templateistodefinethegenerallayoutofadocument.Usethedocumentsbasedonthetemplatetoaddtextfor
aletter.
KeyboardNavigatingandSelectioninWriter
Navigatingandselectionusingthekeyboardisdoneusingthearrowkeys.Onecanalsouse
Home,End,PgUpandPgDn.Certainkeyshavedifferentfunctionsdependingonwhether
theyaresimplypressedorareusedincombinationwiththeCtrlkey.Thefollowingtable
providesanoverviewofthekeysusedfornavigation.
Key
Function
+Ctrlkey
Right/leftarrow
keys
Up/downarrow
keys
Home
Goonecharactertotheleftorright
Goonewordtotheleftorright
Goonelineupordown
HomeInatable
Gotothebeginningofthecurrentcell
End
EndInatable
Gototheendofthecurrentrow
Gototheendofthecurrentcell
PgUp
PgDn
Scrollonepageupthescreen
Scrollonepagedownthescreen
Movethecurrentparagraphupor
down
Gotothebeginningofthe
document
1.Gotothebeginningofthecurrent
cell2.Gotothebeginningofthe
table3.Gotothebeginningofthe
document
Gototheendofthedocument
1.Gototheendofthecurrentcell
2.Gototheendofthetable3.Goto
theendofthedocument
Switchtotheheaderandback
Switchtothefooterandback
Gotothebeginningofthecurrentline
InsertingSpecialCharacters
Thisishowtoinsertspecialcharacters(suchascheckmarks,boxes,telephonesymbolsetc.)
intext:
SelectInsert>SpecialCharacterstoviewtheselectionofcharactersavailable.
Inthelargeselectionfieldselectthedesiredcharacterormorethanonebyclickingwith
themouseorbynavigatingbykeyboardinsuccession.Thecharactersaredisplayedatthe
bottomofthedialoguebox.UponclosingthedialoguewithOK,alldisplayedcharactersin
theselectedfontareinsertedinthecurrentdocumentatthecursor.
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Ifaspecialcharacterisrequiredinanytextinputfield(suchasintheURLfieldofthe
StandardtoolbarorintheinputfieldsintheFind&Replacedialogue),press
Shift+Ctrl+StopopuptheSpecialCharactersdialogue.
InsertingProtectedSpaces,HyphensandConditionalSeparators
Nonbreakingspaces
Topreventtwowordsfrombeingseparatedattheendofaline,presstheCtrlkeywhile
typingthespacebetweenthewords.Thisisimportant,forexample,betweenatitleandthe
person'sname.
Nonbreakinghyphen
AnexampleofanonbreakinghyphenwouldbeinacompanynamesuchasAZ.Obviously
havingAappearattheendofalineandZatthebeginningofthenextlineisnotusually
desired.Tosolvethisproblem,pressShift+Ctrl+minussign.Inotherwords,hold
downtheShiftandCtrlkeysandpresstheminuskey.
Hyphen,emdashandendash
Toenterlongerdashes,addthecharactersequencesandreplacementunderTools>
AutoCorrect>Replace.
NOTE:ThereisaReplacedashesundertheOptionstabbutbeawarethatthisselectionisforcreatingparagraph
borderswhenasequenceofthreehyphensorthreeequalssignsareenteredthesearereplacedbyasingleline
borderandadoublelineborderrespectively.
Hereisamethodtouse:
1. Openatextdocumentandplacethecursorinaconvenientlocation.
2. UsetheSpecialCharacterdialoguetofindthelong(em)dashtouseandinsertitinthe
document.
3. Copythecharacter.
4. OpenTools>AutoCorrect>Replace.
5. PastethedashcharacterintotheWithfield
6. EnterthedesiredcharactersequenceintotheReplacefield.Forexample,twohyphens
()totriggerthereplacement.
Nowthereisashortcutthatdefinedthatautomaticallyreplacestheuserdefinedinput
sequencewiththeoptionaldashselected.Thisdashcanalsobeinanotherfont.
ManualHyphenation
AlthoughOpenOffice.orgoffersautomatichyphenationbyenteringaseparatorinsideaword,
userscanoverridethisfeaturebyenteringCtrl+minus.Thusthewordcanbe
hyphenatedattheendofthelineregardlessofthestateautomatichyphenationforthis
paragraph.
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EmphasizingText
Therearemanywaysofemphasizingtextinaspecialway.Herearesomeofthem:
UsetheiconsintheObjectbarforregularFormattingneeds.Forexample,changethe
texttoboldortoanotherfontstyle,changethetextcolourandbackground,orcentrethe
text.
Wholeparagraphcanbeemphasizedusingborders.Placethecursorintheparagraphthat
istobeemphasized,rightclicktoitscontextmenuandselectParagraph,thenclickon,
forexample,theBorderstab.Atthispoint,abordermaybeselectedtoframethe
paragraph,andalsowithshadowshading,ifdesired.Ifnecessarythedistancebetweenthe
borderandtheparagraphtextcanbeadjustedunderSpacingtocontents.
UsingaTextFrame,providesthefollowingpossibilities:
a) Textcanreceiveaborder
b) Textcanbeplacedoutsideofthetextmarginonthesideofthepage.
c) Textframescanbelinkedwhentextshouldflowfromoneframetoanother.
ChooseFormat>Paragraph>Backgroundtoapplyabackgroundcolourtothe
paragraph.
UsetheDrawTextfunction:OpentheDrawfunctiontoolbar(ontheStandard
toolbar),selecttheTexticon,dragopenaframeandenterthetext.Thistextcanbe
positionedasdesired,whichincludesrotatingatvariousangles,orcurvingandslanting
thetextwiththehelpofFormat>Object>FontWork.
ChangingthecolourofText
ClickthelittledownarrowoftheFontcolouriconinWriterandothermodulestoobtaina
floatingtoolbarfromwhichtochooseacolourfromtherangeofcolours.Alternatively,long
clicktheiconitself.
Fontcolouricon.Notethecolournameisshowninthebaratthebottom.
Whenusingashortclickwithnotextselected,themousepointerchangesitsappearancetoa
tiltedpaintcanpouringpaint.Dragthehotspotofthemousepointeracrossthetargettext
area.Thistextareanowtakesontheselectedcolour.Thefunctionremainsactiveforaslong
astheiconisactive(looksdepressed),oruntilsimplyclickingwithoutdragging,oruntilthe
(Esc)keyispressed.
RotatingText
Textcanberotatedbyenteringitintoatextframeasfollows:
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OpentheShowDrawFunctionsfloatingtoolbarontheStandardtoolbar.
OntheDrawFunctionstoolbar,clickontheTexticon.Themousepointer
changestoa'+'whichindicatesthatatextframemaydefinedandopened.
Openupatextframe,releasethemousebuttonandtypeinanytext.
Clickontheedgeofthetextframe.NowseetheDrawObjectBar,which
containstheObjectRotationModeicon.appears.Clickonit.
Now,ifoneclicksononeofthehandlesinthecornersofthetextframeand
dragthemouse,thewholetextframeturnswiththetext.
FromthecontextmenuoftheTextFrame,ausercanstartthePositionandSizedialogueby
selectingtheRotationtab.Thisallowsthepreciseangleofrotationtobedefined
numerically.
DefiningBorders
Bordersofpages,paragraphs,tablesandotherobjectscanbedefinedintwoplaces:
ChooseFormat>(objectname)>Borderswhere<objectname>ispageor
paragraph.
Intables,usetheBordersfloatingtoolbarontheobjectbar.
ChooseFormatfromthemenubar,Borderstabpage
Tosetaborder,selectFormat>Page>BordersorFormat>Paragraph>Borderswhich
opensthefollowingdialogue:
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OntheleftofthedialoguepanelistheLinearrangementgroup.Noticethatthefourouter
edgesoftheUserdefinedareaaremarkedwithsmallangles.Toeditanoutermargin,clickin
theappropriatepositionbetweenthesmallangles.Abovethisareaarefourpredefined
Defaultborderswhichmayalsobeused.
Inbothcases,theselectedborderelementswillbeindicatedbyblacktriangles.Nownow
choosealinestyleoracolour,itwillbeappliedtotheselectedpartoftheborder.
Note:Ifanemptylineisselectedinthepreview,thatistosay,if,oneofthethreeconditionsLine,GrayLine
andNoLine,TheconditionNoLineappears,Thismeansthattherelevantpartoftheborderwillbedeleted.
ClickingrepeatedlyonanelementintheBordersdialogueswitchesbetweenthree
alternativemodes:
Theelementisdisplayedasaline
ClickingOKwillapplytheformattotheelement.
Theelementisdisplayedasathick
blackline
IfOKisclicked,theobjectremainsunchanged.
Theelementisnotdisplayed
ClickingOKdeletestheelement.
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UsetheBordersfloatingtoolbarwithTables
Supposethefollowingtableborderisrequiredforadocument:
Berlin
NewYork
London
Country
Germany
USA
GreatBritain
River
Spree
Hudson
Thames
>3MillionCitizens
>7MillionCitizens
>6MillionCitizens
Population
1. Placethecursoratthepositioninthedocumentwherethetableistobeinserted.
2. ChooseInsert>TabletoopentheInsertTabledialogue,andinsertatableofthe
requiredsize,e.g.4columnsand3rows.
3. SelectthewholetablebypressingCtrlAtwice,thenclicktheBordersicononthe
objectbar.Onthefloatingtoolbarclicktheiconattopleft,whichmeansNoBorder.
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4. Now,withthemouse,selectthewholeofthefirstrow,openthecontextmenuandchoose
TabletoopentheTableFormatdialogue.
5. OpentheBorderstabpage.
6. Inthelinefieldselecttherequiredlinethickness,e.g.2.50pt.
7. FirstselectfullborderingfromtheDefaults
8. InthelargeLinearrangementfield,clickonceintheareabetweenthetwotopangles
(seeillustration)toremovethetoplineandthenonOK.
8. NowselectthesecondrowofthetableandagainopentheTableFormatdialogueby
choosingTableinthecontextmenu.
9. UnderLinearrangement,clicktheareasbetweenthetwobottomangles(see
illustration)toremovethebottomlinebetweentherowsandthenonOK.
9. NowselectthethirdrowofthetableandagainopentheTableFormatdialogueby
choosingTableinthecontextmenu.
10.UnderLinearrangement,clicktheareasbetweenthetwotopangles(seeillustration)to
removethetoplinebetweentherowsandthenonOK.
10.IntheStylefieldselecttherequiredlinethicknessandclickOK.
11.Nowthetableisfinished.
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SuperscriptsandSubscripts
Usershavethefollowingoptionsforsuperscriptingorsubscriptingtext:
1. UsethekeyboardshortcutsCtrl+Shift+PandCtrl+Shift+B.
2. ChooseFormat>Character>Position.
3. UsetheTextObjecttoolbarSuperscript/Subscriptbuttons.Ifthesebuttonsarenotvisible
inthetoolbar,exposethemusingthemethoddescribedunderChangingtheVisibilityof
ButtonsonToolbars.
1. Makingtextsuperscript/subscriptwhiletyping
Supposeonewantstotype1m(superscript2):
1. Typethecharacterm.
2. PressCtrl+Shift+ P
. Ctrl+Shift+Pisthekeyboardshortcutforsuperscripttext.
3. Typethe2.
4. Pressthekeyboardshortcut,Ctrl+Shift+P,againtodisablesuperscripting.
Note:Attheendofaparagraph,aneasierwaytodisablesuperscriptingistopressthe
rightarrowkeyonce.
5. Continueenteringthetext.
SupposethatenteringH2Owithasubscript2iswanted:
1. TypetheH.
2. PressCtrl+Shift+B.Ctrl+Shift+Bisthekeyboardshortcutforsubscripttext,
Ctrl+Shift+Pforsuperscripttext.
3. Typethe2.
4. Pressthekeyboardshortcutagain.
Thereisaneveneasierwaywhenthecursorisattheendofaparagraph:Presstheright
arrowkeyonce.
5. TypetheO.
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Applyingsubscripts/superscriptsretrospectively
Let'ssaythatwhileproofingtext,thetextH2Oneedstoalteredtoincludeasubscripted2
giving(H2O).Todoso,useeitherthekeyshortcutmethod,describedabove,orusethis
methodmethodviathemenucommand:
1. Highlightthecharacterthatshouldbeinsubscript/superscript.Forexample,selectthe2.
2. ChooseFormat>Character.ThisopenstheCharacterdialogue.
3. ClickthePositiontab.
4. SelectSubscriptandclickOK.
The2nowappearsinsubscript.
WritinginUppercaseorLowercase
Writerhasthefollowingmethodsforreformattingtextinuppercaseorlowercase.
Todisplayinuppercase:HighlightthetextandchooseFormat>Character>Font
Effectstab,andunderEffectsselectCapitals.
Displayinginlowercase:HighlightthetextandchooseFormat>Character>Font
Effectstab,andunderEffectsselectLowercase.
Convertingtouppercase:Highlighttext,thenchooseFormat>Case/Characters>
Uppercaseorrightclickandmakethesameselectionformthepopupmenu.
Convertingtolowercase:Highlighttext,thenchooseFormat>Case/Characters>
Lowercaseorrightclickandmakethesameselectionfromthepopupmenu.
MovingTextSectionsinDocuments
1. Selectthetextthattobemoved.
2. Placethemousepointerintheselectedtext,thenpressthemousebuttonandkeepit
pressed.
3. Dragthemouseuntilasymbolappearsnexttothepointer,indicatingthattheselectedarea
willbemoved.Inaddition,agraytextcursormoveswiththemousepointer,indicating
wheretheselectionistobeinserted.
MousePointerShape
Meaning
Moving
Copying
Creatingalink
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Tocopythetext,ratherthanmove,it,pressCtrlwhileperformingtheactionsdescribed
above.Asshown,theactionisindicatedbyaplussignnexttothemousepointer.Onecan
pressandreleasetheCtrlkeyasoftenasneeded theactionappliestothecondition
prevailingatthetimethemousebuttonwasreleased.
ResettingFontAttributesWhileTyping
Usersmayapplydirectformattingwhiletypingtextandlaterdecidetoresetallformatting
andcontinueenteringtextusingthedefaultformat.Textisenteredusingdirectcharacter
formatting,toresettheformattingtodefault,presstherightarrowkeyoncewhichcausesthe
priortexttoreverttothedefaultParagraphStyle.Now,continueenteringtextattheendof
thecurrentparagraph.
ExampleprocedureforresettingFontAttributes
Supposeonewantstotypethewordsbolditalic,andsetthelasttwowordsto
bolditalicwhiletyping.FirsttypeEnterthisin,thenclickontheBoldand
ItaliciconsontheObjectBarfollowedbyenteringbolditalic.Tocontinue
withnormalsetting,,simplypresstherightarrowkeyonceandfinishtheparagraph.
Thisissimplerthanclickingonthetwoiconsagain.
QuickFormattingUsingtheAdjacentParagraphFormat
Whentherearetwoconsecutiveparagraphswithdifferentparagraphformatsthatshouldbe
formattedthesameway,doitquicklywiththefollowingmethod:
a) Deletetheparagraphmarkbetweentwoparagraphs.
b) PressEnter.
BothparagraphsnowhavethesameformatwiththesameStyle.
Note:toseeparagraphmarks,enableView>NonprintingCharacters
Deleteparagraphmarksinthefollowingtwoways:
1. GotheendofthefirstparagraphandpresstheDelete(Del)key.Thisactionmergesthesecondparagraph
intothefirst(knownasdeletingtotheright).Toturnthetextbackintotwoparagraphs,PresstheEnterkey
twiceandthesecondparagraphhasthesameformatasthefirst.
2. GotothebeginningofthesecondparagraphandpressBackspace(usuallyabovetheEnterkey).the
secondparagraphmergeswiththefirstparagraphbutkeepsitsformat(knownasdeletingtotheleft).
PressingEntercreatestwoparagraphsbutbothhavetheformatofthesecondparagraph.
UsingSections
SectionsinOpenOffice.orgWritertextdocumentsisolateblocksoftextforspecialpurposes.
OneexampleoftheiruseinWriterisinpreparingcompletedocumentsusingMaster
documents.Anotherisinpreparingcontractsfromasetoffixedcodicils.
ThefollowingarethewaysthatsectionscanbeincorporatedinaWriterdocument:
Sectionsoftextthathaveadifferentnumberofcolumnsthanthemastertext.
Sectionsprotectedfromfurtherediting.
Sectionsthatareonlytobeshownundercertaincircumstancesorhidden.
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Sectionsthataretobeinsertedintoadocumentasfilesorpartsoffiles.
SectionsthatcanbeincorporatedintoothertextdocumentsviaDDE
Asectionmustconsistofatleastoneparagraph.Whenselectedtextisdefinedasasection,it
automaticallyendswithaparagraphbreak.
Anothertextdocumentmaybeinsertedasasectionwithinatextdocument.Asectionfrom
anothertextdocumentcanalsobeinsertedasasection.Sectionscanbelinked,withina
singledocument,tootherlocations.Toinsertanewparagraphimmediatelybeforeoraftera
section,placethecursorattheverybeginningorendofthesectionandpressAlt+Enter.
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SectionsandColumns
Multicolumnsection:Asectioncancontainothersections.Thisfeatureallowstheuser,
forexample,tocreateatwocolumnsectiononapageoftext,andthencreateathree
columnsectionwithinthatsection.
Multicolumnpage:Thepageformat(Format>Page>Columns),whichalwaysappliesto
allpageswiththecurrentPageStyle,isindependentofthesections.
Multicolumnframe:Framescontainingcolumnsoftextmaybeinserted.Thesecanbe
movedfreelyaroundthepage(fromToolstoolbar,longclicktoopenInsertfloatingtoolbar,
clickInsertframeicon).Fortheseframes,forexample,onecanselectthatthetextinthe
framebepositionedacertaindistancefromtheedgeoftheframe(ChooseFormat>Frame
>Wrap).
InsertingSections
1. Placethecursoratthepointtoinsertthenewsection,orselectthetextthatistoforma
newsection.
2. ChooseInsert>Section.Inthedialogue,defineothersettingsforthesection.
3. ClickInsert.
Otherdocumentsorsectionsfromotherdocumentscanbeinserted.Inthiscase,Linksmust
bechecked.Enterafilenameinthetextbox,orclick...tosearchforafile.Selecta
namedsectionofthedocumentintheSectionpulldownlist.
Whenopeningadocumentthatcontainslinkedsections,apopupaskstheusertoupdate
thesesections.Iftheanswerisyes,thecurrentversionsofthelinkedsectionswillbe
updated.
UnderWindows,theDDEmethodcanbeusedtokeepinsertedsectionsuptodatewiththe
currentstatusoftheoriginalfiles.SectionscanalsobeusedasfilesinHTMLdocuments.
TheinsertedsectionsareautomaticallyupdatedwhenOpenOffice.orgloadstherelevant
HTMLdocumentagain.Webbrowsersshowthecontentofthesectionsasatthetimethe
contentwassavedasanHTMLdocument.
EditingSections
EditthesectionsinthetextdocumentbychoosingFormat>Sections.Thisdialogueallows
theusertoprotectsections,unprotectsections,revealhiddensections,changetheconditions
andremovesections;thatisturnthembackintonormaltext.
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FormattingTextWithandWithoutStyles
Plaintextcanbetooblandunlessoneappliesvisualeffectstoit,suchasgivingoverall
structuretothetext,emphasizingindividualwords,quotationsorreferencesorbreakingup
solidareasoftext.Thustheusershouldconsidergivingspecialformattingtosectionsoftext.
DirectFormattingorFormattingWithStyles
WhenworkingwithWriter,choosebetweendirectformattingandformattingwithStyles.to
applytextattributessuchasbold,italics,fonttypeandfontsize.
Applydirectformatbydirectlysettingacertainattribute(s)totheselectedtextarea.For
example,clickingtheBoldicononthetextobjectbardirectlyappliestheboldformattoa
selectedtextareaortosubsequentcharactersatthecursorwhiletyping.Directformattingis
moreappropriateforonetimeuse.If,forexample,tomakeawordbold,justpositionthe
cursorinthewordandclicktheBoldicon.Thisworksquicklyandintuitively.
Styles,ontheotherhand,applyattributestotextinanindirectmanner.AStyleisalabelled
collectionofdefaultsettingsthatformattext.Indirectformatting,withthehelpofStyles,is
muchpreferablewhenformattinglengthydocumentsinauniformfashion.Stylesdorequire
someadvancepreparation.FirstcreatetheStyle,thenapplytheStyletothetext.Bothtasks
arebestdoneusingtheStylesandFormattingwindow.
Bywayofexample,let'sassumethateachoftheheadingsisformattedwitha24point
He lveticafontbutthisnowneedstobechangedinalltheheadingstoa20pointTimes
fontandinbold.Doingthismanuallyrequirestimeandpatience;however,hadtheformat
beendefinedasaStyle,saywiththenameHead1,thatwasappliedtotheheadingsinthe
document,onecouldsimplymodifytheHead1Style,andallheadingswouldbe
automaticallychangedtomatchthenewsettings.
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TheStyleConceptinOpenOffice.org
Stylesforcharacters,paragraphs,frames,numberedlistsandpages(orcellsintables)are
alwayssavedwiththedocument.Ifwanted,onecancopytheStylesofonedocumentto
anotherdocumentandchoosewhetherorenottooverwrite(replace)Stylesofthesame
name.
OnenicefeatureofOpenOffice.orgisthatonecanturnanydocument,includingthe
Character,Paragraph,Frame,NumberingandPageStylesitcontains,intoatemplate.When
anewdocumentbasedonthistemplateisopened,allthoseStylesareavailabletotheuser.
OpenOffice.orgcomewithpredefinedStylesforalldocumenttypes.Thus,whenanewtext
documentisopenedusingFile>New>TextDocument,anew,blankdocumentisopened
withthesefixedsettings.Onemayaddormodifythestylesusedwithadocumentaswork
progressesand,ifdesired,thisdocumentcanbeturnedintoadefaulttemplatebysavingit
viaFile>Templates>Save.AnyStylesthatarecustomdefinedandarecontainedinthe
defaulttemplatewillthenapplytoallnewdocumentscreatedwiththistemplate.
TheStylesintheStylesandFormattingWindow
OpentheStylesandFormattingwindowbyselectingFormat>StylesandFormattingor
bypressingF11orbyclickingtheStylesandFormattingiconontheFormattingtoolbar.
AlltheStylesandFormattingwindowfunctionsareexplainedinOpenOffice.orgHelp.
AtthetopoftheStylesandFormattingwindowareiconsforselectingtheStyletypeto
display.Theseare,fromlefttoright:Paragraph,Character,Frame,Page,NumberingStyles,
FillFormatMode,NewStylefromSelectionandUpdateStyle.
ThescrollingframeoftheStylesandFormattingwindowliststhoseavailablestylesinthe
activeStylecategorythatisspecifiedinthelistboxatthebottomoftheStylesand
Formattingwindow.
Forexample,inthegraphicbelow,thewordAutomaticisselectedinthelistbox.Writer
offerstheStylesthatmakesenseinthatcontext.ToseealltheStylesofaStyletype,select
AllSt ylesfromthelistbox.
ParagraphStyles
SelectParagraphStyles,ifitisnotalreadyselected,byclickingtheParagraphStylesiconin
theStylesandFormattingwindow.ThelistofParagraphStylesappears.
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DoubleclickanentryinthelistofParagraphStyles.Theparagraphinwhichthecursoris
positionedwillnowbeformattedwiththatParagraphStyle.DoubleclickintheStylesand
FormattingwindowonanotherParagraphStyle,andtheformattingofthecurrentparagraph
changesaccordingly.
Toformataparagraphasaheading,followthisprocedure:
1. TypethelinetobeformattedasaheadingandpresstheEnterkey.
2. Setthecursorinthatline.
3. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow.Forexample,bypressingtheF 11key.
4. DoubleclicktheParagraphStyleHeading1.
ThisoneparagraphnowhastheparagraphformatHeading1.Ifonewantstoknow
whichattributesareincludedinthisparagraphformat,clickHeading1intheStylesand
Formattingwindow,thenrightclicktoopenthecontextmenu.ThenchooseModifytoopen
theParagraphStyle:Heading1dialogue,whichtellseverythingaboutthepropertiesofthis
ParagraphStyle.
WhenonedecidesnottomodifythisParagraphStyle,simplyclosethedialoguebyclicking
theCancelbutton.But,thisParagraphStyleshoulddefinethecorrespondingmodifications
thenclosethedialoguewiththeOKbutton.Thesemodifiedsettingswillnowapplytoall
paragraphs(oldandnew)havingtheHeading1
ParagraphStyle.
ChangescanalsobeappliedthetoallParagraphStylesthatarederivedfromtheParagraph
StyleHeading1.TheParagraphStylesHeading1toHeading10 areall
hierarchicallyderivedfromtheParagraphStyleHeading.Byselecting
Hierarchicalfromthelistboxatthebottom,onecanimmediatelyseewherea
selectedStylefitsinthehierarchyofstyles.Simplyput,thestyleimmediatelyhigherupis
theonefromwhichthestyleisderivedandthefollowingone,whichisderivedfromthe
customstyle.
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Bywayofexample,ifonechangestheleftindentto2.54cm(1inch)intheParagraphStyle
Heading,forexample,thatthiswillchangetheleftindentforallParagraphStyles
Heading1toHeading10 to2.54cm.Changesthatusersmakedirectlyinoneof
theStyledialogueshavepriorityoverthepropertiesinheritedfromhigherrankingStyles.
RightclickonastyleandopenitwithModifytogettheParagraphStylesdialogueand
thenchoosetheOrganizetab.IftheLinkedwithlistboxischecked,onewillseefrom
whichStyletheselectedStyleisderived.
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CharacterStyles
Inthefollowingillustration,theStylesandFormattingwindowdisplaysalistofavailable
CharacterStyles.TheseStylesdonotmodifythewholeparagraph,butonlythesingleword
inwhichthecursoriscurrentlypositionedoraselectedtextrange.
UseormodifythesuppliedStyles,ordefinecustomStylesandusethose.Thebestwayisto
startbyselectingaStylefromtheStylesandFormattingwindow(withasingleclick),which
maythenbeusedasthestartingpointforcreatingacustomStyle.One,then,merelyhasto
enterthepropertiesthataredifferentfromtheselectedStylesincetheotherpropertiesare
inheritedfromtheparentStyle.
ThefollowingtabledescribesthebaseStylesandthevariousattributesavailable.
StyleType
AttributeSelection
Paragraph
StylesIndentsandSpacing,Alignment,Hyphenation,
Tabs,Font,Language,Initials
CharacterStyles
Font,FontSize,Language
FrameStyles
Position,Anchoring,Borders
PageStyles
Header,Footer,Margins,Columns
NumberingStyles
NumberingType,Outline,Bullets,AssigningNumbering
Styles
HierarchicalStyles
Stylescanbehierarchicallylinkedtoeachother.Thus,onedefinedStylecanbederivedfrom
anotherwiththeresultthatthenewStylecontainsonlythedifferencesfromthebasic
Style.Thisisconvenient,iflateronechangesthebasicStyle,tohavealltextwiththe
derivedStylealsoupdatedaccordingly.
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Forexample,startwiththeParagraphStyledefault.ItusesthefontTimesNew
Romanin12pointtocreateaStylecalledindentedtextwheretheonlyaddition
isaaleftindentwithnootherchanges.Later,theuserdecidestochangethefontintext
bodyandthenthefontisautomaticallychangedintheindentedtextStyleaswell.
Stickingwiththisexample,ifoneredefinedtheleftindentationinthedefault,itwould
havenoeffectontheparagraphsformattedwithindentedtextbecause,inthe
hierarchy,themorecloselyassociatedformatalwayshaspriority.
NumberingStyles
SimplebulletingandnumberinginadocumentcanbeeasilysetusingtheiconsontheWriter
objectbar.Likewise,theiconsforbold,italicetcetera.canbeusedtoassigndirect
formattingthatisnotalreadypartoftheStyle.TheStylesandFormattingwindow,too,offers
variousNumberingStylesthatmaybeappliedbydoubleclickingthenameoftheStyle.
Formorecontrolofnumberinginadocument,useFormat>BulletsandNumberingwhich
offersseveralotheroptionsthatmaybemoresuitableandwhichcanbeusedtocreate
customstyles.
CreatingNewCharacterStylesorParagraphStyles
CreatinganewStyleonthebasisofanexistingStyleisastraightforwardprocess.The
followingisastepbystepprocedurewithwhichtostart:
a) Firstofall,applynew,directformattingtoanycharactersoranyparagraph,whichwill
becometheStyle.Todothis,eitherusethetextobjectbaroropentheFormatmenuand
chooseCharacterorParagraph.
b) Selectthetextorparagraphcontainingthenewformatting.Forwordsorparagraphs,
simplypositionthecursorintherespectivewordorparagraph.
c) AtthetopoftheStylesandFormattingwindow,clicktheParagraphStylesicontocreate
anewParagraphStyle.Likewise,clicktheCharacterStylesicontocreateanew
CharacterStyle.
d) AtthetopoftheStylesandFormattingwindow,clickNewStylefromSelection.This
openstheCreateStyledialogue.
e) EnteranameforthenewStyleandclickOK.
AscanbeseenintheStylesandFormattingwindow,anewStylehasbeencreatedinthe
CustomSt ylesgroupmakingitavailableforuseforindirectformattingindocuments.
AusermayalsocreateanewStylewithoutusinganexistingStyleasthestartingpoint.Here
isamethodbywhichtocreateanewparagraphstyle.
a) IntheStylesandFormattingwindow,chooseParagraphStylebyclickingitsicon.(the
onefarthesttotheleftintheStylesandFormattingwindowstoolbar.)
b) CallthecontextmenuoftheStylesandFormattingwindow(clickrightmousebutton).
c) ChooseNe w...
d) EnterthedataforthedesiredStyle
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e) closethedialoguewithOK.
YetanotherexampleshowshowtodefineaParagraphStyleforasubtitleandassumesthere
areseveralsubtitlesinthetextthatarecandidatesforformattingwithacustomParagraph
Style.
1. PositionthecursorinaparagraphinthetextthattoformatwiththenewParagraphStyle.
2. ApplyaParagraphStyletotheparagraphasaninitialformat.Thiswayonedoesnotneed
todefinealloftheattributesoneself.Forexample,doubleclickontheHeading1
ParagraphStyleintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
3. TheparagraphisnowformattedasHeading1.
4. Highlighttheentireparagraph.Itwillappearhighlighted.
5. ModifythetypeofcharactersbyselectinganitalicfontintheCharacterdialogue
(ChooseFormat>Character>Font)orbyclickingtheItalicsicononthetextobject
bar.
6. IntheStylesandFormattingwindow,clickontheNewStylebyExampleiconandenter
anameforthenewStyleinthedialoguebox,forexample,Head1
7. ClickOK.
8. NowapplythenewHead1ParagraphStylebyplacingthecursorintheparagraphand
doubleclickingtheHead1StylenameintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
WherethedesiredStylealreadyexistsinadocument,selectandapplyitfromtheApply
Stylepulldownlistontheobjectbar.
CreatingDocumentTemplates
ForanyuserdefinedParagraphorCharacterStylestobeavailableinotherdocuments,first
createatemplate.Itisbestifoneusesacurrentdocumentsothatthetemplatewillcontainall
theStyleswantedandneeded.Thefollowingstepswillhelpcreateanewtemplate:
1. Havethedocumentsopen.Ifdesired,deletealltextfromthecurrentdocument,leaving
onlytheStyles.
2. CallthemenucommandFile>Templates>Save.
3. InthedialogueDocumentTemplates,selectthecategoryintowhichtosavethetemplate.
IntheNewTemplatetextfield,enterthenameforthetemplate.
4. clickOKtocompletetheprocessofcreatingatemplate.
Withthetemplatesaved,thenexttimewhenFile>New>TemplatesandDocumentsis
usedtoselectatemplateforcreatingadocument,thistemplatewillselectablefromthose
available.AlltheuserdefinedTextandParagraphStyleswillthenbeavailableforthenew
document.
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TheAdvantagesoftheStylesandFormattingWindow
FromtheprecedinginstructionsusersshouldnowknowhowtoapplythestylesintheStyles
andFormattingwindowtotext,howtoapplycustomStylesandhowtocreateatemplatethat
usesthesecustomstyles.ThisgivesanadvantageinthatStylesdonothavetoberedefined
everytime.PlusonecanapplyStylesfromonetextdocumenttoanothertextdocumentby
eitherselectingFormat>StylesandFormattingorbyopeningtheStyleandFormatting
windowandusingLoadStylesfromtheNewStylefrom
Selectiondropdown
menu.Inthisway,thedesiredformattingcanbeappliedtothe
documentquicklyand
easily.ButtheStylesandFormattingwindowoffersstillmorepossibilities.
FormattingMultipleParagraphs
Intheworkdescribedabove,thesameParagraphStyleHeading1wasappliedtoeach
ofseveralparagraphs.TheStylesandFormattingwindowcansavealotoftimeonthistask:
1.IntheStylesandFormattingwindow,selecttheStylethatshouldbeappliedonmultiple
paragraphsbyclickingtheStyleonce.
2.AtthetopoftheStylesandFormattingwindow,clickonthe
FillFormatMode
icon.Themousepointerchangestoasymbolindicatingthismodeassoonasitmovesback
intothedocument.
3.ClickonceoneveryparagraphinthetexttowhichtoapplytheselectedStyle.
4.Finally,toswitchoffthismode,clicktheFillFormatModeiconagainorpressthe
Escapekey.
ChangingaStyletheEasyWay
Thesectionprovidesascenarioformakingastylechangequickandeasy.Tostartonehas
usedthecustomStylemadeintheprevioussectionstoformatadocumentwiththenew
Head1Style.However,later,theusermaydecidethatitwouldlookbetteriftheheadings
werespacedwithslightlywidergapsbetweentheletters.Thefollowinggivesthestepsto
makingthischange:
1. LocatethelongestheadingformattedwiththeHead1Styleinthedocumentandclick
threetimesinthatheadingtoselecttheentireline.
2. Makethedesiredchanges.Tolockthecharacterspacing,usethismethod:
a) chooseFormat>Character,orchooseCharacterfromthecontextmenufor
theselectedline.
b) IntheCharacterdialogue,clickthePositiontabandintheSpacinglistbox
selectExpanded.Inthespinbutton,increasethespacingtomaketheheading
wider.
c) ClosethedialoguewithOK.
3. NowadditionaldirectformattinghasbeenononeoftheheadingsformattedwiththeStyle
Head1.AlldirectandStyleformattingshouldnowbeaddedtotheHead1Paragraph
Style.ThisstyleisstillselectedintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
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4. AtthetopoftheStylesandFormattingwindow,click
headingsformattedwithHead1willbe
themodifiedStyle.
theUpdateStyleicon.All
automaticallyreformattedwith
Stylescanalsobeconfiguredtoadapttoanychangesautomatically.Intheproperties
dialoguefortheStyle,clicktheOrganizertabandmarkAutoUpdate.Thisallowsusersto
changetheformattingof,say,aparagraphformattedwiththisStyleandhavetheformatting
ofallotherparagraphswiththesameStylebeautomaticallychangedaswell.
PageStylesandPageNumbers
Oftentextdocumentsarecreatedwithoutapagenumberonthetitlepagebutwithlowercase
oruppercaseromannumeralsonthepagesoftheTableofContents(onedoesnotknowhow
manyyet),andtostartnumberingtherestofthepageswithArabicnumerals.
Note:DifferentPageStylesaretheOpenOffice.orgWriterequivalentofsectionchangesinothertextprograms.
Pagenumbersarebetterlocatedinfootersorheadersratherthanintherunningtext,
toensurethattheydonotchangetheirpositionwhentextisinsertedordeleted.Thesteps
belowshowhowtodothis:
1. CreateanewPageStyle
2. ApplythenewPageStyle
3. EditthePageStyle
4. UsethefooterParagraphStyletoformatpagenumbers.
Note:DonotusetheOffsetboxunderInsert>Fields>Other>Documenttabtochangethepagenumberofa
page.Theoffsetisonlyused,forexample,attheendofapagetodisplaythenumberofthenextpage,i.e.tooffset
thedisplay;itdoesnotchangethepagenumberitself.
Themanuallyenteredpagenumber(incontrasttotheautomaticallynumberedpagenumbers)isanattributeofthat
particularpage.Thispropertyissetasdirectformattinginthefirstparagraphofthatpage.
CreatePageStyles
1. Openthedocumentinwhichtoenterorchangethepagenumbersorbeginwithanewtext
document,althoughuserswillneedtofirstentersometextandpagebreakstobeableto
followthestepsdescribedhere.
2. OpentheStyles
andFormattingwindow.
3. SelectthePageStylesviewintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
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4. CallupthecontextmenuofoneofthePageStylesandselecttheNew...command.
OnewillnowseethePageStyledialoguewiththeOrganizertabpage.Thecursorwillbe
blinkingintheNametextboxinwhichtoenterthenameofthefirstnewPageStyle.
5. EnterTitlePageandpresstheEnterkey.ThepropertiesofthenewPageStylescanbe
changedlater.
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6. InthecontextmenuoftheStylesandFormattingwindowclicktheNew...commandagain
anddefinethePageStylewiththenameTableofcontents.
7. RepeatthewholeprocedureagainforthenewMaintextPageStyle.Ofcourse,thenames
usedhereareonlymeantasexamples.Inarealsituation,onewouldnaturallyenterthe
namesofchoice.
Withthecompletionoftheabovesteps,thereshouldnowbethreenewStylesthathavebeen
created.
1. Placethecursoronthefirstpageofthedocument.DoubleclicktheTitlepageentryin
theStylesandFormattingwindow.
So,nowthefirstpageisassignedthisPageStyle.Toconfirmthis,onewillseethename
TitlepageinthePageStylefieldonthestatusbarbelow.Bytheway,userscanalsoedit
(doubleclick)andassignexistingPageStylesviathecontextmenuofthePageStylefield
onthestatusbar.
If,however,onenowscrollsthroughthepagesofthedocument,itmaybenoticedthatthe
TitlepagePageStylehasbeenappliedtoeverypage.Ifallthepageshadbeendefinedby
theStandardPageStyle,theyarenowalldefinedbythenewStyle.PageStylesalways
applytoallprecedingaswellasfollowingpages,unlessapagebreakoccurswitha
changeofPageStyle.
OntheOrganizertabpage,ifaNextStyleforaPageStyleisentered,thismeansthat
afterapagebreak(whetheritisenteredmanuallyoroccursautomatically)theNextStyle
willbetakenasthePageStyle.Intheexampledescribedhere,forthePageStyleTitle
pageonecanselecttheNextStyleTableofContents.TheTableofContentsPageStyle
isthenalwaysappliedtothenextpageafterthetitlepage.Thissavesauserfromhaving
togothroughtheproceduredescribedbelowinvolvingtheManualBreakdialogue.
Note:AlwayschoosetheTableofContentsPageStyleastheNextStyletofollowtheTableofContents,since
noonecanbesurethenumberofpagesthattheTableofContentswillrequire.
2. NowplacethecursoratthebeginningofthepagewheretheTableofContentsshould
begin.GoaheadandenteramanualpagebreakwithachangeofPageStyles.
3. SelectInsert>ManualBreak.TheInsertBreakdialogueappears.
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4. SelectasTypethePagebreakoption.InthelistboxselecttheTableofContentsPage
Stylewhichwillthenbeginatthispointinthedocument.
5. ClickOK.
6. Placethecursoratthebeginningofthefirstlineinthemaintext.
7. ChooseInsert>ManualBreak.TheInsertBreakdialogueappears.
8. SelectasTypethePagebreakoption.Inthepulldownlist,selecttheMaintextPage
Style,whichshouldbeappliedafterthispoint.MarktheChangepagenumbercheckbox
andselectthenewpagenumber1.
9. NowclickOK.
Note:Forheadersorfooterstocontaindifferentcontentsontherightandleftsides,justunchecktheSamecontent
left/rightcheckboxunderFormat>Page>Footer.
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UnderFormat>Page>Page,onecanselectthepagelayoutmirrored.Thisletstheuser
defineaninnerandanoutermarginforthetext.Theleftandrightpagesofthemaintext
oftenhavedifferentPageStylessothat,forexample,theleftpageshaveaheader,butthe
rightonesdonot.TherearealreadyLeftpageandRightpagePageStylesprovidedforuse;
sousetheseinsteadofMaintext.Thefirstpageofthemaintextispage1andcontainsthe
RightpageStyle;assigntheLeftpageStyleastheNextStyleandviceversa.TheseStyles
canbeassignedtothecorrespondingpagesintheStylesandFormattingwindowcontext
menuwiththeModifycommand.OntheOrganizertabpage,choosetheNextStyle.
Caution:Thereisanactiveissuethatinsertsblankpageswhereone
leastexpectsthem.Ifthisisaproblem,pleaseusetheworkaroundat
page454
EditingPageStyles
ThenewMaintextPageStylecanhaveapagenumberinthemiddleofthefooter.Tomake
itso,dothefollowing:
1. SelectMainTextintheStylesandFormattingwindow,rightclicktoopenthecontext
menuandselectModify.
2. TheparagraphStyledialoguewindowopenstodisplaythedefinitionsforMainText.
3. ClicktheFootertab.
4. ChecktheFooteronbox.
5. ClickOKwhichplacesanemptyfooteronthedocumentpage.
6. Clickthemousecursorinthefooterareaofthepagetoenterdata.
7. ChooseInsert>Fields>PageNumber.IfView>FieldShadingsisenabled,thepage
numberappearsinagrayfieldotherwisewithnoshading.
8. TohavePageprecedethepagenumber,placethecursorinfrontofthefieldandenter
Page.
9. ClicktheCentrediconontheobjectbartocentrethecurrentparagraph.
10.Theappearanceofthefooteranditscontentsarenowdefined.
PageBreaksasParagraphFormats
Inthefirstparagraphofthemaintext,directparagraphformattingwasautomaticallyapplied,
determiningthatthetextautomaticallybeginsonthenewPage1.Thiswillalsoapplyifno
textexistsafterthemanualbreakonthenewpage.Tocheckthisforthefirstparagraphafter
themanualbreak,chooseParagraph...fromthecontextmenu(notEditParagraphStyle,
sincethisisadirectformattingattributeforaparagraph).
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IfaparticularparagraphshouldbeonanewpagewithanewPageStyle,thenthatwouldbea
propertyofthatparticularparagraph.AssignthispropertyunderFormat>Paragraph>
TextFlow.
ChangingtheFormatofPageNumbers
PagenumbersmaybespecifiedaseitherdirectorasapropertyofthePageStylejustlike
othertextattributes.Usingdirectformatting,however,shouldonlybeemployedinafew
instances.Whendirectformatting,oneeditsthethefielddirectlyasfollows:
1. Doubleclickthefieldwiththepagenumber.TheEditFields:Documentdialogueopens.
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2. Selectthedesiredfieldformat.
3. ClickOK.
Betterthanthedirectformattingmethod,justdescribed,istomakethepagenumberformata
propertyofthePageStyleasexplainedbelow:
1. OpenthecontextmenuonthepageandselectPage.Thentheuserwillsee,forexample,
thePageStyle:defaultdialogue.Insteadofdefault,thetitlebarofthedialogue
containsthenameofthecurrentPageStyle.
2. GotothePagetab.
3. IntheNumberingpulldownlist,determinehowthenumberingshouldappearonall
pageswiththisStyle.
4. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
5. NowselecttheAsPageStyleformatforthefieldwhichshowsthepagenumber(seethe
descriptionofdirectformatsabove).
Usersmaychangeotherpropertiesinthefooter,suchasthefont,byeditingtheFooter
ParagraphStylesothatthechangeswillapplytoallfooters.
Placethecursorinthefooter.CallthecontextmenuandchooseEditParagraphStyle.
IncreasingthespacingofthefooterfromthetextaboveisalsoaformatattributeofthePage
Style:
1. SelectthepagestyleintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
2. RightclickandselecttheModify...commandinthethecontextmenu.
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3. InthePageStyledialoguesetthedesiredwidthandheightofthefooter.
PageStylesSummary
Unlikeassigningacharacterstyleorparagraphstyle,whereonefirstselectsthetextthen
doubleclicksintheStylesandFormattingwindowonthenameofthestyletoapplythe
chosenstyle,applyingpagestylesisdifferent.
Apagestyleisalwaysapropertyofthefirstparagraphofapagewhetherornotthisthefirst
paragraphofthecurrentpageorthefirstparagraphofapreviouspage.However,notevery
firstparagraphhasthePageStyleattribute.Sincethisisthecase,OpenOffice.orgWriter
searchesforthepagestyleattributeofthecurrentpagebystartingatthecurrentcursor
positionandcontinuestosearchtowardthebeginningofthedocument,checkingeachfirst
paragraphofapagetolocateapagestyleasattribute.
Tochangefromonepagestyletoanother,usethecontextmenuofthefieldintheStatusbar
whichdisplaysthecurrentpagestyle.
PageStyleMenu
Uponrightclickingonthisfield,onegetsapopupcontainingalistofpagestyles,selectthe
pagestylewantedforthispageandWritersearchesbackwardsuntilthefirstparagraphatthe
beginningofapagehasbeenfound.Thisparagraphisnowbegiventhenewlyselectedpage
styleandthisstylewillbeappliedfromthispointuptotheendofthedocumentoruntila
newfirstparagraphcontaininganotherpagestyleisfound.
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DefiningdefaultTemplates
Wheneverusersfindsthattheyareforeverchangingtheformattingofnewdocumentstosuit
requirements,itistimetouseaseparatetemplate.InWriter,thisisknownasthedefault
template.Iftheuserchooses,thisdefaulttemplatecanbesetsothateverytimeanewtext
documentisopenedandthisisthetemplatethatisemployeduponselectingFile>New>
TextDocument.Thefollowingdemonstratesonewaythatthiscanbedone:
1. Createoropenadocumentthatcontainstheuser'sfavouritestylesandformatting.
2. Deletethetextofthedocument,asdesired,sothatonlythestylesandothersettings
remain.
3. SavethedocumentastemplatebychoosingFile>Templates>Save.Doingsosavesthe
documentasatemplatein$HOME/OpenOffice.org<release>/user/templateunder*NIX
and,underWindows,%HOME%\OpenOffice.org<release>\user\template.Thisisthe
user'sdefaulttemplatedirectory.
4. SelectFile>Templates>Organize.
5. Intheleftlistboxoftemplates,doubleclickMyTem plates.Theexpandedlistview
willincludethenameofthedefaulttemplatethatwassaved.Clickthename.
6. OpenthecontextmenuandchooseSetasdefaultTemplate.Closethedialogue.This
templatewillnowbeusedasthedefaulttemplate.
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TemplatesandStyles
OpenOffice.orgtemplatesarefilesthatonecanuseasbaseforcreatingpersonal,custom
documents,inthemannerofaroadmap.Templatescancontaintext,logos,othergraphic
objectsandotherconstructs.Also,everytemplatecontainsasetofstylesthatareviewablein
theStylesandFormattingwindow.Foreachdocumenttype(text,table,drawing,
presentationetc.),asingletemplatefileisdefined,calledadefaulttemplate(file).This
templateisalwaysusedasthedefaultwhen,forexample,createanew(usuallyempty)
documentwithFile>New.
Nearlyeverydocumenttypehasitsowntemplate.Listsofthedifferenttemplatesfortext
documentscanbefoundintheOpenOffice.orgHelpabouttextdocumentsascanthosethat
thatapplytodrawings,presentationsandspreadsheets.
CopyingStylesBetweenTemplatesandDocuments
ByselectingFile>Templates>Organizer,thefollowingdialogueappears.
UsethisdialoguetocopytheStylescontainedinaparticulartemplateorinaparticular
documentindividuallytoanotherdocument.Doubleclickingthenameofafolderintheleft
windowexpandstolistallthetemplatescontainedinthatfolder.Doubleclickingoneof
thesefilescausesthecategoryStylestoappear.Onceagain,doubleclicktoexpandthelistof
thestylescontainedinthetemplatedocument.Butinthecaseofadocumentoneonlysees
theStylesthatareactuallyusedinthatdocument.
Whendragginganddroppingelementsfromonetemplateordocumenttotheanother,the
mousepointershowsthelocationtowhichthecontentmaybedragged.Eitherthemouse
pointerisacirclewithalinethroughit,inwhichcasethecontentcannotbemovedtothat
place,orthemousepointerhasaninsertlinethatmarkstheplacewherethecontentwillbe
movedtowhenthemousebuttonisreleased.
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CreatingNewStylesFromSelections
Createanewstylebycopyinganexistingstyle,asfollows:
1. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow.
2. Inthedocument,selectformattedtextoraparagraphthathastheformatfromwhichto
createthenewstyle.
3. Clicktheicon
ontheStylesandFormattingwindowStandardtoolbar.
NewStylefromSelection
Newstylescanalsobecreatedfromaselectionbydragginganddroppingit:
1. Selectthetypeofstyletobemadebyclickingthecorrespondingiconatthetopofthe
StylesandFormattingwindow(e.g.Paragraph,Character,Frame,PageorNumbering).
2. Selectthatpartoftheparagraph,textorobjectformwhichtoformthenewstyle.
3. DragthistothemainStylesandFormattingwindowareaandreleasethemousebutton
overafreeareawhentheinsertionlineisnolongervisible.
TransferringFormatsWithFillFormatMode
ApplyinganewStyleinFillFormatMode:
1. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow.
2. IntheStylesandFormattingwindow,selectthestyletocopy.
3. ClicktheFillFormatModeicon.
4. Positionthepaintcanpouringcursorontheobjecttowhichtoapplythestyleselected.
5. Pressthemousebutton.
Note:Thereisanexceptiontothisprocedure:whenapplyingaCharacterStyleintheFillFormatMode,selectthe
characterwiththemouse(paintcanpouring)whileholdingdownthemousebuttoninsteadofonlyclicking.
Toquitthefillformatmode,clicktheiconagainorpressEsc.
Warning:Ifthewateringcaniconisactivated,arightclickanywhereinthe
documentundoesthelastpaintcanpouringaction.Becarefulnottoaccidentally
rightclickandthusundoactionsthatshouldbekept.
UpdatingStylesFromSelections
ThisishowtoupdateaStyle:
1. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow.
2. Inthedocument,selectaformattedtextorparagraphwiththeformattoadoptasastyle.
3. IntheStylesandFormattingwindow,selectthestyletoupdate(singleclick,donot
doubleclick!)
4. IntheStylesandFormattingwindow,clickon
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Stylecanalsobeupdatedbyusingdraganddrop:
1. SelectthestyletobeupdatedintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
2. Selectthesectionofparagraphtext,theformatofwhichistobeusedtoupdatethestyle
selectedintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
3. DragthetextintothemainStylesandFormattingwindowareaandreleasethemouse
buttonwhentheinsertionlineisseenaboveanentry.
Withthisprocedure,theparagraphstyledirectlyabovetheinsertionlineisgiventhenew
format.
EnteringandFormattingTextAutomatically
Thissectiondealswithcertainautomaticfunctionsthatinvolveenteringandformattingtext.
DisablingtheAutoCorrectFunction
Writerhasfunctionsthatareturnedonbydefaulttocorrectmanycommontypingerrorsas
oneworks.However,thisbehaviourmaynotalwaysbedesirable.Anyautomaticcorrection
canbereversedimmediatelyafteritismadebypressing(CtrlZ).
BelowisadescriptionoftheplacesinOpenOffice.orgwhereonecandisableautomatic
corrections(andreenablethem):
ASCIIQuotationmarksarereplacedwithCustomQuotes
1.Openatextdocument.
2.ChooseTools>AutoCorrect.
3.ClickontheCustomQuotestab.UncheckReplace.
Sentencesalwaysbeginwithacapitalletter
1.Openatextdocument.
2.ChooseTools>AutoCorrect.
3.ClickontheOptionstab.UnmarkCapitalizefirstletterofeverysentence.
Awordisreplacedwithanotherword
1.Openatextdocument.
2.ChooseTools>AutoCorrect.
3.ClickontheReplacetab.Lookforthewordpairanddeleteit.
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Threeidenticalcharacterswillbecomeawholeline
Whenthreeofthefollowingcharacters(_=*~#)areenteredatthestartofanew
paragraphandEnterispressed,apagewidelineofvariousthicknessresults.Thelineisa
borderofthepreviousparagraph.ChooseFormat>Paragraph>Borderstoeditordelete
it.
Toturnthisfeatureoff:
1.Openatextdocument.
2.ChooseTools>AutoCorrect.
3. GototheOptionstab.UnchecktheApplybordercheckboxifthisautomatic
conversionshouldnolongeroccur.
AutomaticSpellcheck
Fromwithinatextdocument,clicktheAutoSpellcheckon/officonontheStandard
toolbar.Allwordsmarkedasincorrectbythespellingcheckerwillthenbeunderlinedin
red.
Clickonwordsunderlinedinthiswaywiththerightmousebutton.Acontextmenuthen
appears.
Thecontextmenuoftenprovidesalistofsuggestedwords,oneofwhichonemayclickto
selectit.Thesuggestedwordthenreplacesthewordunderlinedinred.
IfthewronglytypedwordisreplacedusingtheAutoCorrectfunctioninthecontextmenu,
thewordpairwillbeenteredintheAutoCorrectreplacementtable.Tocallupthistable,
chooseTools>AutoCorrect>Replacetab.
Ifthewordunderlinedinrediscorrect,itcanbestoredinacustomdictionaryusingtheAdd
command.
ToexcludewordsfromSpellcheck
Forwordsmarkedasincorrect,userscanexcludethemfromspellcheckingasfollows.
1. Rightclickonthewordtoopenthecontextmenu.
2. ChooseIgnoreAll.
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UsingAutoText
WritercontainsanAutoTextfunctionwhichhelpsuserstouseshortcutsand
abbreviationstoaddexpandedwordstoletters,faxesoranyotherOpenOffice.org
documents.
ToinsertAutoTextdothefollowing:
EntertheshortcutforanAutoTextitemandpresstheF3key.
ThereisasetofpredefinedAutoTextblocksalreadyinexistence.Forexample,enterDT
andpresstheF3keytoinsertadummytextwhichcanbeusedtocheckthelookofapage
filledwithtext(andotherobjects).LikewiseenteringFNandpressingF3willinsertan
OpenOffice.orgMathformulathatissequentiallynumberedattherightpagemargin.
ChooseEdit>AutoText.
TheAutoTextdialoguecontainsanumberofAutoTexts.Ascanbeseen,AutoTextscan
evencontaingraphicsandtables.
LongclickontheEditAutoTexticonontheInserttoolbarandselectanAutoTextcategory
asshownbelow:
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UsetheleftmousebuttontoselecttheAutoTextforinsertion.Uponreleasingthemouse
button,thetextisinsertedinthetextatthecursorposition..
Note:UsetheAutoCompletefunctioninasimilarmanner.DirectionsfordoingthisfunctionarefoundinHelp.
DefiningAutoText
Writethedesiredtext.Itmaycontainformattingandembeddedgraphics.Selectthetext.
NowselectEdit>AutoText.Inthelargelistbox,selectthecategory(e.g.'default'),assigna
nameforthenewtextcomponentinthetextboxandcorrecttheabbreviationifnecessary.
NowsavethetextcomponentviaAutoText>Newandclosethedialogue.
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UsingAutoTextinNetworks
MultipleAutoTextlistscanbeused.AnexamplewouldbeinatypicalOpenOffice.org
networkinstallation:
AreadonlycompanywideAutoTextlistmightbelocatedontheserverandauserdefined
AutoTextlistlocatedinauser'sindividualworkarea.Bothcanbereadandusedwhile
typing.
ChooseTools>OptionsOpenOffice.org>Paths.
DoubleclickAutoText.Twopathsareenteredhere.Thefirstpathwilltaketheselected
AutoTextlistfromtheserverinstallationwhilethesecondpathtakestheAutoTextlist
fromtheuserworkarea.WhentwoAutoTextlistsfromthedifferentlocationshavethe
samename,OpenOffice.orgusestheonefromtheuserlocation.
PrintingAutoTexts
ToprintalistofallAutoTexts,runtheAutoTextmacrofromtheOpenOffice.orgBasic
Gimmickslibrary.ThismacrolistsallAutoTextnamesandshortcutsinanewtext
document.
1. SelectTools>Macros>RunMacro.
2. DoubleclickOpenOffice.orgMacrosandthendoubleclickGimmicksintheexpanded
lefthandlist.
3. SelectAutoTextinthenewlyexpandedlist.
4. ClickRun.
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AutoTextWithAutoComplete
ToenableAutoCompletionofselectionsintheAutoTextdialogue,checkDisplayremainder
ofnameassuggestionwhiletyping.
Sowhiletyping,enterawordinthetextthatexistsasanAutoTextname,thissequenceis
recognizedafterthethirdmatchingletteristypedandaHelptipappearscontainingthe
wholenameoftheAutoTextentry.Iftheofferingisacceptable,pressEntertoinsertthe
AutoText.
Note:HelptipsometimecontainseveralAutoTextnamesthatbeginthesameway,useCtrl Tab toscroll
forwardsandShiftCtrl Tab toscrollbackwardsthroughthelisttoselectthetextwanted.
ExceptionsinAutoCorrect
ShouldAutoCorrectcorrectawordthatisenteredbutthiscorrectionisnotwanted,restore
theoriginalwordbyusingtheUndofunction.Thisactionwillalsoaddthewordtothelistof
exceptionsinAutoCorrectprovingthatAutoIncludeischeckedintheAutoCorrect
dialogue.(Bydefaultitischecked.)
Example
Bydefault,AutoCorrectautomaticallycorrectstwocapitalsatthestartofaword.However,
inthecaseofproductnamesandothersimilartexts,twoinitialcapitalsmayexactlywhatis
needed.
Supposethere'sanewproductcalledESt.Undernormalsettings,AutoCorrect
automaticallychangesthistoEst;however,bypressingtheCtrlZkeysequencethe
automaticreplacementisreversed(Undo)andthewordEStisautomaticallyaddedtothe
listofexceptionsintheAutoCorrectdialogue.
Note:SeealsothefunctionsforautomaticnumberingofheadingsinHelp.
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TextFrames
Makingtextlookasgoodasitasreadsislikelysomethingdesired.Toachievethis,userscan
customizeitsappearanceformaximumimpact.
Inserting,EditingandLinkingTextFrames
Atextframeisaboundedareathatcancontaintext,graphicsandotherobjectsandbeplaced
anywhereonapage;forexample,tomakecolumnsforanewsletter.
Linkingthecontentofaframetoanother,let'sthetextflowbackwardandforwardbetween
them.
Clicktheedgeofanytextframetoselectitandeighthandlesappear,fourofwhichare
locatedinthecornersandoneinthemiddleofeachside.
InsertingTextFrames
Existingtextintoamaybeputintoaframeoranemptyframeopenedintowhichtextcanbe
addedlater.Followingthesestepstocreateaframe.Ifusingexistingtext,highlightthetext
fortheframethenproceedasshownbelow:
1. LongclicktheInserticonontheToolstoolbarandopenitsfloatingtoolbar.
InsertFrameManually
2. OntheInsertfloatingtoolbar,pressthemousebuttonontheInsertframemanuallyicon
toopenthecolumnpreview.
3. Inthepreviewmovethemousepointtoselectthedesirednumberofcolumns.
4. Withthecrosshaircursor,createaselectionframetodefinethenewlocationandareafor
theparagraph.PresstheEscapekeytocancelframeformation.
Anytextthatwashighlightedisnowautomaticallydeletedfromthenormal,continuoustext
andinsertedintothetextframe.
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EditingTextFrames
Selectatextframebyclickingononeofitsedges.Onceselected,ausercandraganddropto
changeitspositionbygrabbinganedgeandthusmovethewholeframe.Ifonedoesthesame
actionusingoneofthehandles,thesizeoftheframechanges.So,draggingahandleonone
ofthesidesenlargesorcompressesthetextframeinonedirectiononly,whereasdragginga
cornerhandleenlargesorreducesitintwodimensions.
Rightclickingwithinaselectedframepopupsthecontextmenu.Thoptionsinthismenu
allowonetomakefurtheradjustments.
Asseenintheabovegraphic,anumberofselectionscanbemade.Forexample,choose
Alignmentwhichpositionstheframerelativetootherframes,drawingobjects,graphicset
cetera.UsetheWrapsubmenutochooseifnormaltextshouldwraparoundtheframe,wrap
ononeofthesidesornotwrapatall.SelectingFrameinthecontextmenuisthesameas
choosingFormat>Framefromthemenubarandopensadialoguethatgivesaccessto
managingallpropertiesoftheframe.
Thecontentsandfunctionsavailablefrouseintextframesarethesameasintextdocuments
andcancontainpictures,multiplecolumns,tables,drawingsetcetera.
LinkingTextFrames
Severaltextframesmaybelinkedtoeachotheroverdifferentpagesofadocument.Thetext
automaticallyflowsfromonetothenext.
1.Inordertocreatealink,clicktheedgeoftheframetobelinked.Eighthandlesappear
aroundtheedges.
2.ClicktheLinkiconontheobjectbar.
3.Clicktheframethatistobelinked.
Whenalinkedframeisselected,anyexistinglinksareindicatedbyaconnectingline.
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Note:Theheightofaframethatislinkedwithasubsequentframeisautomaticallyfixed.Theheightisnolonger
automaticallyadaptedtothecontentoftheframe.Onlytheheightofthelastframeofachaincanbeadaptedtothe
textcontent.
ClicktheLinkoftheobjectbarwhenaframeisselectedandthecursorchanges.Thecursor
candisplayasonoftwoicons:achainwithanarrowwhentwoframescanbelinkedby
clicking,orachainwithastopsignwhenlinkingisnotpossiblewherethecursoris
positioned.Anoteisdisplayedinthestatusbarineachcase,forexample,whylinkingis
possibleornotpossible.
Note:Linkingisonlypossiblefromoneframetothenext.Thatmeansthataframethatisalready
linkedtoaframecannotbelinkedtoanotherframewhichfollows.Therefore,thelinkiconcannotbe
activatedifaframealreadyhasanextlink.Also,twoframescanonlybeunlinkedwiththeUnlinkFramesicon
fromthefirstframe.
Linkingofframescannothappenunderthefollowingconditions:
Thetargetisnotempty.Automaticallycaptionedframesarenotconsideredemptyand,
thus,cannotbethetargetofalink.
Thetargetalreadyhasapreviouslink.
Sourceandtargetareindifferentsections.Forexample,oneframeisinaheaderandthe
otherframeisinafooter.
Thesourcealreadyhasanextlink.
Sourceandtargetarethesame.
Closedchainsorchainsfromtheinsideoutorfromtheoutsideinarealsonotpermissible.
Thelatteristhecaseifaframeisinsertedintoanotherframeandthesemustbelinked
witheachother.
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UsingTextAnimation
Writer'sTextAnimationfeatureenablescompositionofapplicationswithcoloured,animated
text.Forexample,forasimplewebsite.Thefollowingstepbystepprocedureshowshowto
doit:
1. Openanew,blankOpenOffice.orgWriterdocument.
2. SelectFormat>Pagetoselectabackgroundforthewholepage.
3. OpentheDrawFunctionstoolbarusingtheShowDrawFunctionsiconintheStandard
toolbar
4. ClicktheRectangleicon.
5. Createarectangleinthecentreofthepage.
6. Openthecontextmenufortherectangleobjectbyrightclickingsomewherewithinit.
7. ChooseAreatoopentheAreadialogueandthenselecttheAreatab.
8. IntheFillsectionlistboxchooseeitherColourorGradientiftheonewantedisn't
currentlyselected.
9. Selectacolouroragradient.
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10.ClosethedialoguewithOK.
11.Openthecontextmenuoncemore.
12.SelecttheLine...commandtodefinetheborderpropertiesoftherectangleandchoosea
colourandawidth.
13.ClosethedialoguewithOK.
14.Doubleclickinthemiddleoftherectangleandenteranytextregardlesswhetherthetext
extendsbeyondthewidthoftherectangleornot.
15.Clickagainontheborderoftherectangleinordertoselectit.
16.OpenthecontextmenuandselectText.
17.IntheTextdialogue,clicktheTextAnimationtab.
18.UnderTextAnimation,selectEffects
19.SelectthepulldownlisttheoptionScrollThrough.
20.OntheTexttabpage,setthedistancefromtheleftandrightborders.(Theborderofa
framegoeshalfinsideandhalfoutside.)
21.ClickOK.
22.Thetextanimationwillstarttorunimmediately.
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23.Toalterthesizeoftheanimatedtext,selecttherectangleagainanddoubleclickinthe
centre.Nowselectthetextandapplyalargerfontsize.
24.Asuitabletextcolourcanalsobechosenbyopeningthecontextmenuandchoosing
Character.
Note:EnlargeorreducethepagevieweitherbychoosingView>Zoomorviathecontextmenuofthescalefield
onthestatusbar.Ifthescreendisplayistoberefreshed,pressShift+Ctrl+R.
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DrawingLinesinText
Thereareanumberofwaystoaddlinestoapageoftextandanylinesthatareincorporated
inadocumentcanhaveattributesdefined,suchastheangle,width,colour,etcetera,however
theuserchooses.
Herearesomewaystoaddlines.
UsetheshortcutsdescribedunderThreeidenticalcharacterswillbecomeawholelineon
page96.
ApplythepresetparagraphstyleHorizontalLinebyplacingthecursoronablankline
anddoubleclickingtheHorizontalLinestyleintheStylesandFormattingwindow.
IftheentryforhorizontallinesisnotvisibleinthelistofParagraphStyles,switchthe
viewintheStylesandFormattingwindowfromAutomatictoAllStyles.
Drawalineabove,besideorbelowaparagraphbychoosingFormatParagraph>
Borders.ThisfunctionisexplainedindetailintheOpenOffice.orgHelp.
Topersonallydefinethelineattributesanddirection,usetheLinedrawingobjectas
follows:
1. OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheShowDrawFunctionsicontoopentheDraw
Functionstoolbar.
2. ClicktheLineicon.Themousepointerchangestoacrosshairsymbolwithaline
besideit.
3. Inadocument,locatewherethelineshouldbegin,click,holddownthemousebutton
anddragtothepointwheretoendtheline.HoldingdowntheShiftkey,restricts
drawingtohorizontal,vertical,anddiagonallinesonly.
4. Releasethemousebuttononcethelinehasthedesireddirectionandlength.
5. Todrawmorelines,repeatsteps2and3.
6. EndthisfunctionbypressingtheEsckeyorbyclickingtheSelectioniconfromthe
DrawFunctionsfloatingtoolbar.
7. Oncealllinesarecomplete,selectallofthelinesatthesametimebyclickingeach
linewhileholdingdowntheShiftkey.Byusingthismultipleselectionmethod,one
canassignallofthemacommoncolour,widthoranyotherattributeasneeded.
Note:IftheselinesorotherdrawobjectsareexportedinatextdocumenttoHTML,Beawarethatsuchobjects
arenotdefinedaspartoftheInternetpagedescriptionlanguageHTMLandarethereforenotexporteddirectly
intoHTMLformatbutareexportedasgraphics.
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EditingTextWithFontWork
TheFontWorkprogrammoduleisusedforgraphicaltexteffectsinasimilarmannertothe
WordArtfunctionavailablewithMicrosoftOffice.Ifthisfunctionalityisneeded,hereis
theproceduretofollow:
1. OpentheDrawingFunctionsfloatingtoolbarfromtheMaintoolbar.
2. SelecttheTexticon.
3. Drawatextframeonthepage.
4. Enterthetext,forexampleFontWork.
5. ChooseFormat>Object>FontWork.ThisopenstheFontWorkwindow,fromwhich
toselectthedesiredeffects:
6. Clicktheupperlefticonwiththesemicircletodisplaythetextasacurve.
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7. ClickVerticalintheShadowoptions.Specify0.10inchesforthexaxisshadowdistance.
Thetextshouldnowappearsimilartotheillustration.
8. Sincethefirstandlastlettersmaynotbeeasytosee,inserttwoblankspacesbeforeand
afterthetext.doubleclickthetext,editit,andthenclickoutsidetheobject.
9. SelectingtheFontWorkobjectcauseseighthandlesappearwhichcanbeusedtochange
thesizeandshapeofanobject.Forexample,dragoneofthehandlesinthedesired
direction.
10.FinishedFontWorkobjectscanbecopiedtotheclipboardandsopastedintoother
documentsformodification,sizingorotherattributes.
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AligningTextWithLines
Aligningtextonafreeformline
1.DrawafreeformlineusingthefreeformlinefunctionontheDrawFunctionsfloating
toolbar.
2.Doubleclickontheline.
3.Enterthedesiredtextorcopyitfromtheclipboard.
4.ChooseFormat>Object>FontWork.
5.ClickforexampleontheRotateicon.
Aligningtextwithstraightlines
Slantingtextsothatitfollowsananglefromonepointonthetextpagetoanotherpointuses
asimilarproceduretoaligningtextonafreeformline.Here'show:
1. Usingthedrawfunctions,drawastraightlinefromonepointtoanother.
2. Inthelistboxontheobjectbar,selectthelinestyleInvisible.
3. Doubleclickontheline,whichisnowinvisible(butthetwoendsmaystillbeseen).
4. Doubleclickexactlybetweenthem.
5. Enterthetext.
6. Clickoutsidethelineobject.
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TheNavigator
TheNavigatorisanotherimportantfeatureofOpenOffice.orgthat,alongwiththeStylesand
Formattingwindow,thathelpsmanageformatteddocuments.
ActivatetheNavigatorbyclickingthecorrespondingitemintheEditmenu.
Inparticular,theNavigatorhelpsonetonavigate,ormoveaccurately,tothepartsofa
documentrequiredandprovidesdetailedinformationaboutthecontentofthedocumentinan
understandablemanner.
Intextdocuments,theNavigatorprovidescompletelistsofallheading,graphics,tableset
ceterainadocument.Simplenavigation,suchasgoingstraighttoaspecificplaceina
document,onlyrequiresdoubleclickingthedesiredentryintheHeaderlist.Besidessimple
navigation,theNavigatorcandomuchmoreinassistinguserstomanagedocuments.For
example,adocumentisstructuredusingheadings,throughtheNavigator,ausercanchange
thesequenceandhierarchicallevelsofwholechaptersandsubchaptersquiteeasilyby
clickingtheappropriateiconsintheNavigator.
TheNavigatorcanbedockedtotheedgeofawindowusingtheproceduredescribedunder
Dockingwindowsonpage18.
JumpingFromOneObjecttoAnotherinText
ClickingtheNavigationiconintheNavigatorwindowtoolbaropenstheNavigation
window.
Navigation
ThisNavigationwindowhasfunctionstoallowmovementinadocumentfromoneobject
(graphic,table,etcetera)tothenextorpreviousoneofthesametype.
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Forexample,clicktheNavigationiconintheNavigatorwindowandintheNavigation
windowclicktheGraphicsicon.ThegraphicobjecttypewillbeselectedandtheNavigation
windowwilldisappearimmediatelysothattheusercanaccessthePreviousandNexticons
intheNavigatorwindowtoolbar.PresseitherthePreviousorNexticonstosearchforthe
nextnearestgraphicinthatdirection.
IntheNavigationwindow,thedoublearrowsattherighthandendofthetoolbarmayalsobe
usedtosearch.
Note:TohavetheNavigationwindowstayopen,firstgrabit'sbluetitlebaranddragitawayfromit'sinitial
position.Anydistancewilldo.Nowitwillstayontopuntilclosed.
AnotherwaytoaccesstheNavigationwindowcanbefoundintheverticalscroll
baratthebottomrighthandsideofthedocumentwindow.
WhentheNavigationdoublearrowsintheverticalscrollbarappearblack,a
usercanmovethroughthedocumentpagebypage.Likewise,ifthearrows
appearblue,onecansearchtoeachobjectofthesamecategorythathasbeenlast
selectedintheNavigationwindow.
JumpingFromOneRemindertoAnother
UsetheNavigatortosettemporaryremindersthatstayineffectuntilthedocumentisclosed.
Thisishandywhenlookinguporaddingsomethinglaterasitmakesiteasytomovebetween
particularlocationsinthedocument.Forexample:
1. Positionthecursorwherethereminderistobeset.
2. ClicktheSetRemindericonintheNavigator.Thereminderwillnotbevisibleinthe
document.
3. Whenjumpingtoareminder,selecttheReminderentryintheNavigationwindowand
onecannowmovethroughtheremindersbyclickingthePreviousandNextarrows.
JumpingtoaSpecificPage
MovingquicklytoparticularpagesinlongdocumentsiseasyeveniftheNavigatorisnot
openedordocked.
DoubleclickthecurrentpagenumberontheStatusbar,andtheNavigatorwindowswitches
betweenopenandclosed.
EnterthenumberofthetargetpagenumberintothespinbuttonatthetopoftheNavigator
panel.Afterashortdelaythepageisautomaticallydisplayed.PressEnterandthecursoris
automaticallyplacedatthetopofthatpage.
Akeyboardshortcut,Ctrl+Shift+F5,placesthecursorintheNavigatorpagespinbutton.
IftheNavigatorisinactiveitisopenedfirst.
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ChaptersinNavigator
Inlongdocuments,usetheNavigatortoobtainanoverviewandchangethesequenceof
chaptersortheirlevelinthehierarchyofchaptersandsubchapters.Theonlyconditionis
thatHeadingParagraphStylesmustbeappliedtothechapterheadings(orchoosethe
ParagraphStyleswhichwillberecognisedasheadingsunderTools>OutlineNumbering).
Draganddroptochangethesequenceofchapters.Userscanalsodothisbyclickingonthe
PromoteChapterandDemotechaptericons.Thecontentofthechaptersandofthe
relevantsubsectionsisofcoursealsomoved.
Tomovethechapterheadingswithoutmovingtheircontents,draganddropwhileholding
downtheCtrlkey.(TheDragModeicononlyaffectsdraganddropbehaviourbetween
Navigatoranddocument).Whenusingthisfunction,switchonHeadingLevelsShownby
clickingontherelevanticonintheNavigator,toseewhatishappeninginthedocument.
OtherNavigatorFeatures
Whenonewantstoknowabouttheobjectsinadocument,theNavigatorcanbeveryhelpful,
particularlyinlongerdocuments,.Forexample,thereisanHTMLpageopen,theNavigator
tellsataglancewhichhyperlinksthepagecontainsincludinganyhiddenhyperlinks.
However,hiddenhyperlinkswillbewithoutreferencetext.
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IndexesandTablesofContentsinWriter
Writerdocumentscancontainanynumberofpredefinedoruserdefinedindexes.For
example,userscanhaveatableofcontents,alphabeticalindex,illustrationindexand/or
bibliography.
DefiningIndex/TableofContentsEntries
Thefirststepinpreparingindexes,suchasatableofcontentsorotherindex,istodetermine
whichentriesinthedocumentshouldbeincluded.
Firstdefineentriesfortheindex(es)asentriesinthedocumentinthefollowingmanner:
1. Selectthewordorwordsinthedocumentwhicharetobelistedintheindex.Several
wordscanbeselectedbyholdingdowntheShiftkeyiftheyarelistedoneafterthe
other,orbyholdingdowntheCtrlkeyiftheyarespacedapart.Whenselectingasingle
word,simplypositionthecursorintheworditdoesnotneedtobehighlighted.Fora
TableofContents,usingHeadingsiseasiest.
2. EntertheselectedwordsinanindexbychoosingInsert>IndexesandTables>Entries.
Ifadifferenttermtoappearintheindex,enteritintheEntryfield.Forexample,one
couldenterdictionary,defining,whereasonlytheworddictionaryappearsinthetext.
Todefineallsimilarwordsinatextasentries,selectInsert>IndexesandTables>
EntryandcheckApplytoallsimilartexts.
Toincludethewordsinaseparateindexwithanameofone'schoice,clickonthe
NewUserdefinedIndexiconintheInsertIndexEntrydialogue.Thisopensa
dialogueinwhichtoenteranamefortheindex.Thisnamelaterappearsasthetitleofthe
index.Thetitleofanindexcanbechangedwithoutthecontentoftheindexchanging.
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EditingorDeletingIndexandTableEntries
Alldefinedindexentriesareshadedgrayinthedocumentforeasyrecognitionbut,which,is
neverbeprinted.Ifdisplayoftheshadedentriesonscreenisunwanted,switchthe
highlightingonoroffusingView>FieldShadings.
1. Toeditanentry,placethecursorimmediatelybeforeorinsideit.
2. ThenchooseEdit>IndexEntry.
3. AlterthetextintheEntrytextboxasneeded.
4. ClickontheDeletebuttontodeletethisentryfromthelist.
Ifthedisplayedtextoftheentryismodified,thealteredtextisinsertedintothegenerated
index.Onlyathingraymarkinthedocumentremainswheretheentrywas.Toeditanentry
suchasthis,placethecursordirectlyafterthethinmarkandchooseEdit>IndexEntry.
UsethearrowbuttonsintheEdit>IndexEntrydialoguetoswitchtothenextorprevious
entryofthesameindextype.
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CreatingaTableofContents
1. Placethecursoratthelocationatwhichtocreatethetableofcontents.
2. ChooseInsert>IndexesandTables>IndexesandTables.TheInsertIndex/Table
dialogueappears.ClicktheIndex/TabletabandselectTableofContentsas
Type(thefirsttimethisdialogueisstarted,thistabpageandtypearealreadyselected).
3. ClickonOKtocreatethetableofcontentsfromtheheadingsandentriesalreadydefined.
4. Toinsertadditionalparagraphsofanotherparagraphstyleintothetableofcontents,check
AdditionalStyles
5. Clicktheiconnexttotheboxtoopenthedialogue
6. Definetheparagraphstylesthatarealsotoappearinthetableofcontentsandthelevel
theyaretobeshown.Clickthe
iconnearOutlinetoopentheAssignStyles
dialogue.Thisdialoguesetsparagraphstylesforeachleveloftheindex,startingatthetop
level.
i. Selectoneoftheexistingdocumentparagraphstylesfromwhichtogenerate
eachentryatthisleveloftheindex.
Whenchangingheadings,rearrangingtheirsequenceorinsertingnewchapters,remember
toupdatethetableofcontentsasfollows:
PlacethecursorintheTableofContents.
Rightclicktoactivethecontextmenu
SelectUpdateIndex/Table.
SelectTools>Update>AllIndexesandTablestoupdatealltheindexesandtablesof
contentsinadocument.
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CreatingAlphabeticalIndexes
1. Placethecursorinwhichtocreatetheindex.
2. SelectInsert>IndexesandTables>IndexesandTables.
TheInsertIndex/Tabledialogueappears.
3. OntheIndex/Tabletab,selectAlphabeticalIndexinType.
4. ClickOKtogeneratethealphabeticalkeywordindexusingthedefaultsettings.
Theareseveraloptionsthatcanenhancetheusabilityofanyindex.Forexample,tohighlight
lettersunderwhichentriesexistassubtitles(alphabeticaldelimiterintheEntriestab),or
toallowcasesensitivitytobetakenintoaccountwhensorting,andmuchmore.
EditingtheparagraphstylesintheStylesandFormattingwindowisthebestmethodfor
changingtheformattingoftheindividuallinesintheindexasalldirectformattingis
overwrittenatthenextupdate.
CreatingUserDefinedIndexes
Userscancreateasmanyuserdefinedindexesasneeded.
Step2 Createanamedindexentrycollection:
a) OpenInsert>IndexesandTables>Entry
b) SelectUserDefinedfromtheIndexlistbox
c) ClicktheNewUserDefinedIndexiconinthedialogue
i. Namethenewindex.
ii. ClickOK.
d) Addentriesforthisnewindex.Atleastoneentrymustbeinsertedintothenew
indexbeforeclosingtheIndexEntrydialogueortheindexwon'tbecreated:
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i. Inthedocument,findacandidatelocationortextforthenewindex.
ii. Positionthetextcursoratthatposition,orselectawordorphrasethatwillgo
intotheindex.
iii. IntheIndexEntryfloatingwindowclicktheInsert.
iv. Repeatthisprocessfromstep1.d.i.orcontinuewithstep1.e.
e) IntheIndexEntryfloatingdialogueclicktheClose.
Step3 Finally,createtheindexinthedocument:
1. Positionthecursorontheplacewheretheuserdefinedindexistobecreated.
a) ChooseInsert>IndexesandTables>IndexesandTables....toopenthe
dialogueInsertIndex/Table.
b) IntheTypelistbox,selecttheentrymatchingthenamethatwasgiventothe
indexcollectioninstep1.c.i.
c) GivetheindexatitlebyeditingtheTitlebox.
d) ChecktheStylesbox
e) Clickthe
icontoopentheAssignStylesdialogue.Thisdialoguesets
paragraphstylesforeachleveloftheindex,startingatthetoplevel.
i. Selectoneoftheexistingdocumentparagraphstylesfromwhichtogenerate
eachentryatthisleveloftheindex.
ii. Clickthe>>buttontorecordthatstyleandmovetothenextindexlevel.
iii. Foreachindexlevel,repeatthisprocessfromstep2.f.i,orcontinuewithstep
2.g.
f) ClickOK.
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g) MarktheothercheckboxesunderCreatefromtocreatetheindexfromallthe
objectsofacertaintype.
h) AssignnamestotheobjectsintheOptionstabofthecorrespondingproperty
dialogue.
i) ClickOKtogeneratetheindexfrommarkedentries.
UsingaConcordanceFile
Aconcordancefileisavariationofanindexinthatitprovidesexactreferencestowordsin
thedocumentandpermitscrossreferencingandsubindexing.Thusaconcordancefile
containsanumberofkeywordsandinformationastohowthesewordsaretobeseeninan
index.
Onewaytocreateanalphabeticalindexistouseaconcordancefile.Userswillneedtoknow
whattermsarewantedintheindex,andhowtheseshouldbedisplayed.OpenOffice.org
allowsanindextohaveuptothreelevels:parent,subparent,indexeditem.
Preparation
PlacethecursorinthedocumentwheretheindexistobeinsertedthenselectInsert>
IndexesandTables>IndexesandTables.OntheIndex/Tabletab,enterintotheTitlebox
thenamethatwillbetdisplayedatthebeginningoftheindex.IntheTypebox,choose
AlphabeticalIndex.UnderOptionscheckConcordancefileandafterclickingonFile,choose
New.ASaveAsdialogboxpopsupandanamemustbeassignedtotheindexandSaved.
Theextensionautomaticallygiventotheconcordancefileis.sdi.Theotherfieldsandtabs
intheInsertIndex/Tablescreenareusedtodesignthelayoutoftheindex.
EnteringData
The'EditConcordanceFile'screenisnowdisplayedwithsevencolumns:Searchterm,
Alternativeentry,1stkey,2ndkey,Comment,Matchcase,andWordonly.
'Searchterm'istheactualtermtobesearchedforinthedocument.Thesearchtermcanbe
morethanoneword.
'Alternativeentry'isthetermthatwillbeshownintheindex.IftheSearchandAlternative
termsarethesame,Alternativecanbeleftblank.
'1stkey'istheparenttermthatthecurrenttermshouldbelistedunderinamultilevelindex
andisleftblankifthetermistostandonitsown.
'2ndkey'isthesubparenttermthatthecurrenttermshouldbelistedunderinamultilevel
indexandisleftblankifthetermistostandonitsownorifitonlyhasoneparent.
TheinformationintheCommentfielddoesnotgetprintedintheindexandcanbeusedfor
anyadditionalinformation.
'Matchcase'meansthatuppercaseandlowercaselettersareconsideredwhensearchingfora
termandis'No'bydefault.
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'Wordonly'meanstermswillonlybepickedupifthefullsearchtermword(s)arefoundin
thecorrectorder.Forexample,ifthesearchtermis'inpresent'everyinstanceoftheword
'in'followedbytheword'present'willbeindexedbut'inpresentation'or'inapresent'will
notbeindexed.'Wordonly'is'No'bydefault.
Afterenteringthetermspress'OK'tosavetheconcordancefile.
Torevieworchangeentries,rightclickanywhereinthethedocumentandchooseEdit>
Index/TabletobringuptheInsertIndex/Tabledialogue.Thenchoose'Edit'underthe
'File'button.
Aconcordancefilecanalsobecreatedormodifiedmanually.Followtheabovestepsto
createaconcordancefile,thoughitisonlynecessarytoenteronelineofdata.Savethefileto
createthe.sdifile.ThisfilecannowbeopenedinWriterandadditionalentriescanbe
madeorexistingentriescanbemodified.Whensavingthemodifieddocumenttheremaybe
awarningmessageaboutformatting,answer'Yes'tosaveintheTextfileformat.Thiswill
keepthe.sdiextension.
Thetextdocumentdisplayseachentryoftheconcordancefileasaseparatelineandthe
itemsareseparatedbysemicolons.Thefieldsare:Searchterm;Alternativeentry;1stKeyor
Parent1;2ndKeyorParent2;MatchCase;Wordonly
Ifthereisnoinformationforaspecificfield,thatspotshouldbeleftempty.
Commentedlinesbeginwith#andareignoredbytheindexingsystem.
'Match case'and'Word only'areinterpretedas'No'or'False'iftheyare
emptyorcontainazero.Allothercontentsareinterpretedas'Yes'orTrue.
Ifthesearchtermandalternativeentryarethesame,leavethealternativeentryblank.Ifthe
userwantstomakesurethetermisdisplayedaparticularway,enteritintheAlternative
entryfieldexactlyasitshouldbedisplayed.Forexample,searchingfortheword'e-mail'
inthedocument,itshouldbeindexedregardlessofwhetheritisupperorlowercase;
however,displayoftheindexentrymustbeuppercase.Thus,theconcordancefileentry
shouldbee-mail;E-mail;;;0;1 OR E-mail,E-mail;;;0;1.Withoutthe
alternativeentry,theindexwilldisplaythefirstinstanceof'email'foundinthedocumentso
itmayormaynotbecapitalized.
Ifthesearchtermhasnoparent,leaveParent1andParent2blank.Parent 1isthe
highestparent,Parent 2isasubparentofParent 1.
Examplefile
Inadocumentonanimalstheindexcouldhavealistingforcatbreeds.Parent 1wouldbe
'cats',Parent2wouldbe'longhaired','shorthaired'or'semi longhaired'
Examplesofentries(thecommentedlinesaregivenforexplanationandarenotrequired):
#American Shorthairisthesearchtermandthe#alternative
entrysoonlyneedstobelisted#once
#Catsisthehighestlevelparentwith#shorthairedasa
subparent.
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#Matchcaseis0whichmeansfalse,soallupper#andlower
caseinstanceswillbeselected
#Wordonlyis1whichmeanstrue,soonly#instancesofthe
fullwordswillbeselected.
#Itwouldnot#includeAmericanshorthaired.
AmericanShorthair;;cats;shorthaired;0;1
Himalayan;;cats;longhaired;0;1
MaineCoon;;cats;semilonghaired;0;1
NorwegianForest;;cats;semilonghaired;0;1
Persian;;cats;longhaired;0;1
Abyssinian;;cats;shorthaired;0;1
Bengal;;cats;shorthaired;0;1
#feedcatsandcattreatsarebothsearchterms#thatwill
beincludedinthefollowingindex#entry:
#cats
#care
#feeding
feedcats;feeding;cats;care;0;1
cattreats;feeding;cats;care;0;1
Onceentriesaremadeintheconcordancefile,itmaybenecessarytomakesureonlythe
desiredtextisindexed.Userscaneitherlookattheindexresultsoruse'Find and
Replace'inthedocumentandentereachsearchtermtoseewhattextwillbeindexed.If
somethingisbeingindexedthatisnotwanted,onewillneedtomodifythesearchtermto
eliminatetheunwantedtext.
Forexample,adocumentonnaturecouldincludeinformationabouttreesandanimals.An
indexentryforbarkwouldpickuptreebarkandtextaboutanimalsbarking.Toinsurethat
onlythetreebarktextisindexed,ausermighthavetochangetheentryfrom:
bark;;tree;;0;1
to:
tree bark;bark;tree;;0;1
and:
bark of the tree;bark;tree;;0;1
Theorderofentriesinaconcordancefiledoesnoteffectthedisplayorderwhichis
alphabetical.However,keepinglikeitemstogethermakesiteasiertotrackdownanyerrors
ortofindanentrythatneedstobechanged.
TurningonView>FieldShadingsallowsuserstoseewhichtermsareindexedandmight
helpdeterminewhatindexitemshavebeenforgotten.
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CreatingBibliographies
Bibliographyentriesareoftenintheformof:Smith[Smith1995]hasalsocarried
outresearchonthismatterorsimilarsothatthereaderknowsthatmoredetailed
informationcanbefoundinthebibliographyunderSmith1995 withthefullnameofthe
author,titleofthebook,publisher,dateofpublicationandamyriadofotherpossibleterms.
DecidewhatdetailsshouldappearinthebibliographyandthenuseInsert>Indexesand
Tables>IndexesandTableswithaTypeofBibliographytodefinehowtheentrieswill
lookwhendisplayed.
SelectTools>BibliographyDatabasetoopenthebibliographydatabase.Examinethe
columnsandfindonelabelledTypethenusedifferententriesformagazinearticlesthanfor
entriesconcerningbooks.Forthisreasonthebibliographydatabaseisdividedintodifferent
typesofsourcesofliterature.AnewrecordcanbeinsertedintheInsertBibliographyEntry
(byclickingtheNewbutton),buttheseadhocrecordswillbesavedonlyinthecurrent
document,notintheBibliographyDatabase,andthenonlyiftherelevantnewentryis
actuallyinserted.
Note:Whensavingadocumentwithbibliographyentries,allinformationbelongingtotheentrieswill
automaticallybesavedinahiddenfield.Inthisway,alldatawillbeincludedwhenthedocumentisdistributed,for
example,onadisk.Itdoesnotmatterwhetherthebibliographywascreatedinthedocumentornot.
1. Toinsertthebibliographyentriesintothetext,positionthecursorinthetextwherethe
entryistoappearandthenchooseInsert>IndexesandTables>BibliographyEntry.
Thefollowingdialoguewillappear:
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2. Firstdecidewhethertoselecttheentryfromtherecordscontainedinthebibliography
databaseorfromtheentriesthatarecontainedinthecurrentdocument(andwhichcan
differfromentriesofthesamenameinthebibliographydatabase).Anentryinthe
documentcontentcanbeidenticaltoanentryintheBibliographyDatabase.Theentryin
thedocumenthasprecedence.
3. IftherequiredentryalreadyexistsasadatarecordselectitinthelistboxShortnameand
clickInsert.Ifthedesiredentrydoesnotyetexist,createanewentry.IftheNewbuttonis
usedtodothis,onecandefineanewrecord,butthiswillonlyberecognizedinthecurrent
document.
Iftherecordshouldbeincludedinthebibliographydatabase,chooseTools>
BibliographyDatabase,enterthenewrecordandtheninsertthebibliographydatabase
entryinthedocument.
Updating,EditingandDeletingIndexesandTablesofContents
IndicesandTableofContentsaresnapshotsofwhatispresentatthetimetheyarecreated.
Obviouslythereareoccasionswhentheseneedupdating,editingordeleting.Thefollowing
instructionsgivethestepsneededtoaccomplishanyoftheabovetasks.
1. Placethecursorintheindex/tableandrightclicktoopenthecontextmenu.
2. Selectthedesiredcommand:
a) UpdateIndex/Table
b) DeleteIndex/Table
c) EditIndex/Table
d) EditParagraphStyle
Note:(d)EditIndex/TableisonlyavailableifInsert>IndexesandTables>IndexesandTables>Index/Table>
Protectedfrommanualchangesisselected.Thisisbecause,bydefault,indicesandtablesofcontentsare
protectedfromchanges.
EditingtheFormatofanIndex/TableofContents
TheEntriestabontheInsert>IndexesandTables>IndexesandTablesdialoguepermits
editingtheformatofanindex.Inthistab,alterthewayinwhichentries,tabstopsandpage
numbersarearrangedetcetera.UsingtheStylestab,assignotherParagraphStyles.For
detailedinstructions,refertotheOpenOffice.orgHelp.
Hyperlinkscanbeautomaticallyassignedtotheentriesinthetableofcontentsusingthe
followingmethod:
1. GototheEntriestabpage,
2. Placethecursorinthestructurerowbeforetheentry<E#>
3. ClicktheHyperlinkbutton,thenplacethecursorafter<E>andclickHyperlinkagain.
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Wherethelistisatableofcontentsforthedocument,clickahyperlinktogostraighttothe
firstoccurrence;however,forthistoworkthetableofcontentsmustbegeneratedfrom
headings.
IndexesCoveringMultipleDocuments
Thereareseveralwaysofcreatinganindexcoveringmultipledocuments:
Createanindexineachindividualdocument,thencopytheindexesintoadocumentand
posteditthem.
Amoreelegantsolutionistoselecteachindividualindexasasection(Insert>Section)
andinsertthesesectionsinacommonindexdocumentasalink.
Ifoneisworkingwithamasterdocument,commonindexesarepossibleacrossallsub
documents.
Moreinformationaboutmasterdocumentscanbefoundlaterinthismanual.
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HeadingsandNumbering
Mosttextdocumentsbenefitfromuseofheadingsandnumbering.Writerprovidesautomatic
functionsthathelptheusermanagethestructureandformattingofdocumentsviaheadings
andnumbering.
NumberingandNumberingStyles
NumberinginadocumentmaybeappliedeitherasdirectformattingorbyusingaStyle,in
thesamemannerasisdonewithotherparagraphattributessuchasJustifiedorLine
Spacing.TheiconsonthenumberingobjectbarandtheoptionsintheFormat>Bullets
andNumberingdialogueapplydirectformatting.Directformattingisalsoappliedwhen
automaticnumberingisusedviatheAutoFormat/AutoCorrectfunction.
Note:TheAutoNumberingofAutoCorrectisnotappliedtotheStyleslistedintheStylesandFormattingwindow
underSpecialSt yle s.
ANumberingStylecanbeappliedaspartofcertainParagraphStylesorapplieddirectlyto
theparagraphs.Withtheformercase,onecantakeadvantageoftheparagraphformatting
systemfornumberingaswell.ChangingaNumberingStyleensuresthatallnumbering
createdwiththisStylewillbeautomaticallyreformatted.NumberingStylesaredescribedin
theOpenOffice.orgHelp.
TurningBulletsOnandOff
Bulletsmaybeturnedonanoffinadocument.Thefollowingisonemethodtoturna
bulletedlistonandoff:
1. Placethecursorinaparagraphtobemarkedwithabulletsymbol,orselectanumberof
paragraphs.
2. ClickontheBulletson/officonontheText
ObjectBar.Theparagraphorparagraphs
willbeformattedasabulletedlist.
3. Inanexistingbulletedlist,ifoneclickstheBulletson/officon,theparagraphswillturn
backintonormaltext.
4. Inabulletedlist,clickingontheiconatthefarrightoftheobjectbarchangestheText
ObjectBartotheNumberingObjectBarwhichcontainsiconsformovingandrearranging
numberedparagraphs.Byopeningthecontextmenuontheobjectbar,userscanalso
selectwhichbartodisplay.
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Onecanselectfurthersettingsforthebulletedlistinwhichthecursorispositionedwiththe
Format>BulletsandNumberingdialogue.
ChoosedifferentbulletsymbolsunderFormat>BulletsandNumbering>Optionsby
clickingonthebuttonwiththreedots.ThisopenstheSpecialCharactersdialoguebut
onlyifBulletwasselectedintheNumberingpulldownlist.
TurningNumberingOnandOff
Turningnumberingonandoffcanbeaccomplishedasfollows:
1. Highlighttheparagraphstobenumberedorreturnedtonormaltext.
2. ClickontheNumberingon/officonontheText
ObjectBar.Theparagraphsare
formattedasanumberedlistor,withanexistingnumberedlist,theparagraphswillturn
backintonormaltext.
Numberedlistsarebestcontrolledinthesamemannerasbulletedlists,i.e.withtheiconson
theNumberingObjectBar.Whenanumberedlistismoveddownalevel,thesubordinate
numberedlistatthislevelstartsfromoneagain.UsingtheShowsublevelsboxinFormat>
BulletsandNumbering>Options,selectwhichpreviouslevelsshouldbeincludedinthe
numberedlist.
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Examplenumberedlistwithsublevels:
1 Lineone
2 andlinetwo.Ifoneentersareturnthenextthenewparagraphwillautomaticallybe
numbered3.PressingaTabatthispointincrementsthelistsublevel,indentsandchanges
thenumberto1atwhichpointonecanaddtext.
1. andnowthereisasublevelofline2.Todecrementthesublevelofalistparagraph,
putthecursoratthebeginningoftheparagraphtextandpressShift Tab.
Theabovelistisnotnumberedasfullyasitmightbebutservesasanexample.Normallythe
fullnumberofthelastlineshouldindicatethesublevelas2.1aswell.Todothisapply
Format>BulletsandNumbering>Outlinetothatlevel.ThiswillbereflectedinFormat
>BulletsandNumbering>Options.
OutlineNumbering
ChooseTools>OutlineNumberingtonumberheadingsautomatically.Bydefault,the
ParagraphStyleHeading1isassignedtothehighestlevelofOutlineNumbering.
Forcustomparagraphstylesthatshouldbeused,applythesestylesinthisdialogueoneach
individuallevel.
Note:IfaNumberingStyleisselectedfromtheNumberpulldownlist,thenallparagraphsinadocumentthat
havetheHeading1formatwillhaveconsecutivenumbersplacedinfrontofthem.
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Withrespecttocustomstyleswherethereis,currently,aParagraphStyleHead1thatis
usedforheadingsatlevel1.
1. IntheLevellistboxselect1
2. IntheParagraphStylepulldownlistselectHead1.
3. ClickOK.
Now,allparagraphstowhichHead1isappliedwillbelistedintheNavigatorunder
Headings.
RememberthatchapterscanberearrangedtheintheNavigator(seethesectiononthe
Navigator)whenchangingtheirorderortheirplacinginthehierarchy.Usingthisfeaturealso
updatesthenumbering.
ClickononeoftheiconsPromoteChapter,DemoteChapter,PromoteLeveland
DemoteLevel,or
MovethechapterheadingintheNavigatorusingthemouse.
Theresultisthatnumberingofallaffectedchaptersisadjustedautomatically.
AutomaticBulletsandNumbering
WriteralsoautomaticallyrecognizesbulletsandnumberingduringentryifFormat>
AutoFormat>WhileTypingwaspreviouslychosen.NumberingthatusesRomannumerals
isalsorecognizedandcontinued.
Note:Alistcanstartwithanyvalue:e.g.,itdoesnothavetobeginwithI.
AstepbystepexamplewithRomannumerals:
1. EnterI.(withaperiodafterit),alsofollowedbyaspaceandtext.Arightparenthesismay
alsobeusedasasubstituteforaperiod.
2. PresstheEnterkeytocreateanewparagraph.
3. ThenewparagraphwillbeginwithII.,i.e.,theRomannumeralfortwo.
4. Entersometext,presstheEnterkeyandthenextparagraphwillbeginwithIII.
5. Repeatasneeded.
Romannumberingcanbeginwithanynumeraldesired,Forexample,withci(corresponds
to101),whichwillbefollowedbycii(102)etcetera.
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NumberingIllustrationsbyChapters
Numberingillustrationsbychapter,sothatillustrationsarelabelledIllustration
1.1 ,Illustration1. 2 ,andsooninthefirstchapterandIllustration
2 .1 ,Illustration2.2,etcetera.inthesecond,iseasilydone.Usethefollowing
proceduretodothis:
1. Organizeadocumentinchapters.
ChooseTools>OutlineNumberingtonumberthechapterheadingsthatareformatted.For
example,wherethereistheParagraphStyleHeading1,selecttheHeading1Style
fromtheParagraphStylelistboxandtheoption1, 2,3,..fromtheNumberlist
boxbelowit.
2. Selectthefirstillustrationfornumbering.
3. ChooseInsert>Caption....
4. Inthedialoguethatappears,selectIllustrationasthecategoryandArabic(123)asthe
numbering.Captiontextcanalsobeenteredinthisdialogue.
5. ClickOptions.
6. SpecifythechapternumberingintheNumberRangeOptionsdialogue.Forexample,
selectoption1underLevelandspecifytheseparatorwantedforchapternumbering.
7. ClickOK.
8. IntheCaptiondialogue,clickOK.Theillustrationsarenownumberedbychapters.
9. Repeat17forallotherillustrationsinthedocument.
Numberingnowoccursautomatically:Allillustrationswithinonechapterlevelare
numbered,appropriatelyandthechapterlevelnumberingwantedcanbechangedinthe
NumberRangeOptionsdialogue.
NOTE:ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgWriter>General,andunderCaptionmarktheAutomatic
checkbox.WhenthebuttonnexttoObjectselectionisclicked,theCaptiondialogueappears.Hereonecan,for
example,determinethatallillustrationsintextdocumentsfromnowonreceivecaptionsautomatically.
DefiningNumberRanges
Defineseparatenumberranges,orsequencestonumbereachgroupofelementsina
documentthatbelongtogether.Forexample,notes,warningmessages,quotations,etcetera.
Thefollowingprocedureshowshowtodothis:
1. Forexample,typeNoteNumberinfrontofthefirstnote.
2. ChooseInsert>Fields>Other....
3. OntheVariablestabpage,selecttheNumberRangefield.
4. FortheName,enterNote.
5. ClickInsert
6. Closethedialogue.
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ThisNotenumberrangeenablesuserstoautomaticallynumberallthenotesina
document.InthefieldValue,selectanewinitialvaluefortheentirenumberrange.Thisis
usefulwhendealingwithadocumentinaseriesofconnecteddocuments.
Numberrangesandcaptionscanberestartedwitheachchapter.IntheCaptionandFields
dialoguesuserscanchoosethechapterlevelatwhichtobeginrenumbering.
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UsingMasterDocumentsandSubdocuments
AnewemptymasterdocumentiscreatedbychoosingFile>New>MasterDocument,or
creatingamasterdocumentfromanexistingdocumentbychoosingFile>Send>Create
MasterDocument.
Note:Existingmasterdocumentshavetheextension.odm,thusdistinguishingamasterdocumentfromnormal
WriterdocumentsintheOpenFiledialogue.
OpenamasterdocumentbychoosingFile>New>MasterDocumentandthenewmaster
documentisopenedasanemptytextdocument.ProvidingthattheNavigatorisnotdocked
andcollapsed,theNavigatoropensimmediatelyinglobalmode.
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TheNavigatorprovidesthefunctionsneededfornavigatingandeditingamasterdocument.
DoubleclickadocumentintheNavigatortoloaditforediting.Nowtheusercaneither
entertext,suchasheadings,orinsertsubdocuments,byclickingtheInsert
iconand
choosingthedesiredentryTextorFile.Anewdocumentcanalsobeinsertedabyalong
clickontheicontogetthecontextlistandselectingNewdocumentwhereupononefirst
entersthenameandpathforthedocumentandthencontinuesontowritethenewdocument
andsaveit.
ParagraphStylesthattheuserdefinesandusesinthesubdocumentsareautomatically
adoptedinthemasterdocument.Ifthemasterdocumentissavedafterwards,theseStyleswill
beavailableeverywhereinthemasterdocument.TheStylesdefinedinthemaster
documenthavepriorityoverStyleswiththesamenameinsubdocuments.
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Note:Whenusingmasterdocuments,usethesametemplateasabaseforallsubdocumentsandthemaster
documentitself.AsanewStyleisneededinthedocument,simplyaddittothedocumenttemplateandreloadthe
masterdocumentsothatthenewStylecanbeappliedtoalldocumentsautomatically.
UsePageStylestoensurethatallsubdocumentsalwaysstartonanewpage(i.e.alwaysona
newrightpage).ThereisabuiltinPageStylecalledRightpagethatcould,for
example,belinkedtotheParagraphStyleHeader1.Forexample,byassigningapage
breaktotheParagraphStyleHeader1,everyHeader1willalwaysbeatthetopof
arightpage.IftheNextStyleisassignedtothePageStyleRightpageselectLeft
pageinsteadandviceversa.
Ifthecursorispositionedinatextinthemasterdocument,theentryTextisshadedgray
becauseconsecutivetextsarealwayscombinedtoonesingletext.Newtextcanbeinserted
betweenindividualinserteddocuments.Thenewdocumentsortextsarealwaysinserted
abovethecurrententry.However,onecaneasilychangetheirorderwithDrag&Droporwith
theiconsMovedownandMoveup.
Documentsareinsertedinthemasterdocumentasprotectedareas.Thatmeansthese
documentscannotnormallybeeditedwithinthemasterdocumentbuitispossibleto
navigatethroughthedocumentwiththecursorandreadthem.
Allindexesarecreateddirectlyinthemasterdocumentand,automatically,includeall
subdocuments.
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Whenoneormoresubdocumentsarechangedaftercreatinganindex,the
indexesinthemasterdocumentshouldalsobeupdated.Todothis,clicktheicon
Update(asshowntotheleft)ontheNavigatorformasterdocumentsandselect
theentriestobeupdatedfromthesubmenu.Likewise,referencesworkina
MasterDocumentanditssubdocuments,inthesamemannerainsubdocuments
themselveswhenthesearedefinedinthedocumentsinvolved.Forexample,if
figuresinasubdocumentarenumberedfromFigure1toFigure10 ,
figuresinthenextsubdocumentcannumberedstartingatFigure11 ).
AMasterdocument,togetherwithallitsparts,canbesavedasacombinedOpenOffice.org
Writerdocument.Todoso,dothefollowing:
1. IntheNavigator,clicktheToggleicon.
2. IntheNavigatorlist,doubleclick"Sections".
3. RightclickasectionnameandchooseEdit.
4. SelectallofthesectionsintheSectionlist,andthenclickRemove.
5. ClickOK.
6. ChoosethecommandFile>Export.andselectthenormalOpenOffice.orgWritertext
formatinthelistboxFiletype.
Printingamasterdocumentwithallsubdocuments,texts,andindexesisthesameasprinting
anyotherOpenOffice.orgdocument.SimplyusetheprintdirecticonontheStandardtoolbar
orviaFile>Printdialogue.
Tocheckifalinkexistsforasinglesubdocumentorallsubdocuments,positionthemouse
pointerintheNavigatoronthecorrespondingentry.Thepathinformationfortheoriginal
documentappearsinasmallpopupwindow.Shouldthefileisnolongerbefoundatthe
originalpath,awarningFilenotfoundisshownalongwiththeoriginalpathandtheentryis
displayedinredintheNavigator.
Warning:Graphicsinsertedinasubdocumentandanchored"topage"willnot
bedisplayedinthemasterdocumenteventhoughthegraphicalwaysappears
correctlyinthesubdocument.Accordingtotheclosingentryonissue50669,this
isexpectedbehaviour.Toquote:
It'salimitationoftheOpenOffice.orgmasterdocumentconcept.Itisnot
possibletousereferencetoacertain"page"definedinasubdocumentbecause
themasterdocumentreorganizesthepageflow,pagenumberandreferencesto
collatealldocumentstogether.Thisway,theabsolutereferencetoapageXina
subdocislostinthemasterdoc.Thegraphiclosesitsanchorreferenceand
simplydisappears.
WORKAROUNDToavoidthisproblemdothefollowing:
a) Settheanchorto"ToCharacter"or"ToParagraph"and
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b) Choosesuitablehorizontalandverticalreferencestothepageinthe
propertiesdialogue,under"Type>Position".
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ImportingListsFromOtherTextPrograms
Wordprocessorsinternallyorganizebulletedandnumberedlistsinauniquemanner,suchas
usingspecialfontsorgraphicsthatmaynotbeavailableinOpenOffice.org.So,should
OpenOffice.orgimportforeigntextandpresentthisinformationincorrectly,usethefollowing
stepstoovercometheseimportproblems:
1. Importthedocumentfromtheotherapplication(File>OpenandthentheFilesoftype
listbox).Wherebulletsarenotappliedcorrectly,usetheotherapplicationtotrysavingthe
documentanotherexportformat,suchasinRTFformat,andthenimportthisnew
document.
2. UsetheFind&Replacedialogue.
a) Selectthestringofcharacterswhichnowappearsatthestartofeachlistandcopy
totheclipboard.Thiscouldbe,forexample,anasterisk(*)followedbyatab.
b) StartFind&Replace.
c) InsertthecontentsoftheclipboardintheSearchforfield(Ctrl+v).
Note:Toensurethatthesearchtextisonlyfoundatthestartoftheparagraphbyinsertingacaret(^)before
thesearchtextandcheckingtheRegularexpressionsbox.
d) ClickonFindAll.ToselectallimportedlistsbutdonotclosetheFind&
Replacedialogueatthistime.
e) ClickontheBulletson/officonontheObjectBartoconvertalltheimportedlists
toOpenOffice.orglists.
f) BackintheFind&Replacedialogue,clickonReplaceAll.SincetheReplace
withfieldisempty,allselectedstringswillbedeleted.Forexample,theasterisk*
andtab,usedabove,willdisappear.
g) IntheBulletsandNumberingdialoguedefinethetypeofbulletsforbulleted
lists.
ChangingNumberingviatheKeyboard
Tomovethenumberingdownalevelinthehierarchy(orfurthertotheright),placethe
cursoratthebeginningofthenumberedparagraphandpresstheTabkey.
PressShiftandTabtogethertomoveanindentedbulletedornumberedlistupone
level(totheleft).
Toinsertatabstopatthebeginningofanumberedline,press(Ctrl+ Tab).
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InterruptingandContinuingNumbering
Sometimes,withaseriesofautomaticallynumberedparagraphs,thereisoneparagraphthat
mustnothaveanumberasthefollowingexampledemonstrates:
1. Firstparagraph.
2. Paragraphtwo.
Anunnumberedparagraph.
3. Paragraphnumberthree.
Todothis,choosefromthefollowingmethods:
Deletetheautomaticnumbering
1.Selectallparagraphs1to4andclickontheNumberingon/officon.
2.Placethecursorbeforethefirstcharacterofthethirdparagraph.
3.PresstheBackspacekeytodeleteonecharactertotheleft.
Note:Theparagraphremainsindentedbutlosesitsnumber.Thefourthcharacternowhasthe
number3.ThismethodalsoproducesthedesiredresultaftersavinginHTMLformat.
Formattingtheparagraph
1.Selectallparagraphs1to4andclickontheNumberingon/officon.
2.Placethecursorinthethirdparagraph.
3.ClickagainontheNumberingon/officon.
Thisishowtheunnumberedparagraphwasproducedintheexampleabove.However,with
HTMLformat,theinterruptioncreatestwoseparatelynumberedlists.
Continuingnumberingwithanewstartingvalue
1. Numberparagraphs1and2withtheNumberingon/officon.
2. Placethecursorinthefourthparagraph.
3. ChooseFormat>BulletsandNumberingandgototheOptionstab.
4. IntheNumberingpulldownlistselect1, 2,3....
5. IntheStartatspinboxselectthestartingvalueinthiscase3.
6. ClickOK.
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NumberingLines
Whenlinesaretobenumberedwithinadocument,selectthelinenumberingpropertiesthat
arewantedviatheTools>LineNumbering.Theusercandecide,forthewholeofthe
document,whetherblanklinesshouldbecountedaswell,andwhetherlinesintextframes
shouldlikewisebecounted.Decidetheintervalsatwhichlinesarenumberedandinsert
separatorsbetweentheseintervalstoidentifyaparticularlinenumber.Thelinenumbering
appearsonthescreenandisprinted.
Otherlinenumberingpropertiescanbeappliedtotheparagraph(Format>Paragraph>
Numbering)ortotheParagraphStyle.Doingitthiswayensuresgreaterflexibility,asone
canexcludeaparagraphfromthelinenumberingorrestartthenumberingataparagraph
withanyvalue.
LineNumberingforAllParagraphs
1. SelectTools>LineNumbering.
2. ChecktheShownumberingcheckbox.
Thisnumbersalltheparagraphsinthedocument.
LineNumberingforParticularParagraphs
1. Enablethelinenumberingforallparagraphsasdescribedabove.
2. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindowandclicktheDefaultparagraphstyle.
3. Rightclicktoopenthecontextmenu.
4. ClickModifytoopentheParagraphStyle:Defaultdialogue.
5. SelecttheNumberingtab.
6. UncheckIncludethisparagraphinlinenumbering.Asallparagraphstylesarederived
fromtheDefaultstyle,noparagraphwillbenumberedunlessasubordinateparagraph
styleexistsandwasmodifiedaccordingly.
7. Now,inthedocument,highlightalltheparagraphsthataretobenumbered.
8. SelectFormat>Paragraph>Numbering,checktheIncludethisparagraphinline
numberingcheckbox.
9. ClickOKwhendone.
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TablesinText
Tablesandspreadsheetscanbeincludedintextdocuments.
InsertingTables
Thereareanumberofwaystoinserttablesintextdocuments:
Insertinganemptytableusingthemouse:
1. Placethecursoratthepositioninthetextwheretoinsertthetable.
2. PointwiththemousetotheInserttableiconontheInsertfloatingtoolbar.
3. Pressthemousebuttonandmovethemousedownandtotherightuntiltherequired
numbersofrowsandcolumnsappearinthepreviewareaundertheicon.
4. Releasethemousebutton.(Toaborttheprocess,beforereleasingthebuttonmovethe
mouseuportotheleftuntilthewordCancelappearsinthepreviewarea.)
InsertinganemptytableviatheInsertmenuorfloatingtoolbar:
1. Placethecursoratthepositioninthetextwheretoinsertthetable.
2. SelectInsert>TablefromtheFunctiontoolbarorclickbrieflyontheInsertTableicon
ontheInsertfloatingtoolbar.EitheropenstheInsertTabledialogue.
Insertingasinglerowtablebytyping++...or||...
Typeasequenceoftwoormore'+'or'|'charactersatthestartofanewparagraphandendit
bypressingtheEnterkey.Theparagraphisautomaticallyconvertedtoatablewithasingle
rowandthenumberofcolumnsequaltoonelessthanthenumberof'+'or'|'characters.
Separatethe'+'or'|'charactersbyoneormoreofanyof(,<tab>,<space>,=,_)inorderto
determinetheinitialcolumnwidths.
Thisfeaturecanbeturnedoff/onviatheTools>AutoCorrect>Optionsdialogueby
togglingtheCreateTablecheckbox.
InsertingfromOpenOffice.orgCalcwiththeclipboard
1. OpenthetextdocumentandtheCalcdocumentfromwhichtoinsertarangeofcells.
2. Selectarangeofcellsfromthespreadsheet.Copyittotheclipboard,forexamplewith
Ctrl+c.
3. Switchtothetextdocument.Therearenowvariousoptionsforinsertingtherangeof
cells:
UsethenormalcommandEdit>PasteorCtrl+Vtoinserttherangeofcellsasan
OLEobject.DoubleclickontheOLEobjectinordertoedititwithCalctoolsand
commands.Clickoutsidetheobjecttoquiteditmode.
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ChooseEdit>PasteSpecialtoopenthePasteSpecialdialoguewhichhasseveral
optionsfromwhichtochoose.Thesameoptionscanalsobefoundonthesubmenuof
thePasteiconontheStandardtoolbar:
Options
Calc
GDImetaFile
Bitmap
HTML(HyperText
MarkupLanguage)
Formattedtext[RTF]
DDElink(onlyunder
Windows)
Unformattedtext
Isinsertedas...
OLEobjectaswithCtrl (V)ordraganddrop
Graphic
Graphic
AHTMLtable.
AstandardOpenOffice.orgWritertableobject
Tablestructureandcontents,withoutformatting.With
updating.
PlaintextwithTabdelimiters
InsertingfromOpenOffice.orgCalcusingdraganddrop
OpenthetextdocumentandtheCalcdocumentfromwhichtoinsertarangeofcells.
1. Highlighttherangeofcellsfromthespreadsheetthatshouldbeinthedocument.
2. Clickinthisselectedrangeofcellsandholddownthemousebutton.Waitamomentuntil
thecursorchanges.
1. Withoutreleasingthemousebutton,dragtheselectedrangeofcellsintothetext
document.Shouldthetextdocumentnotbevisible,firstmovethemousepointertothe
textdocumenticononthetaskbarandwaitamomentuntilthetextdocumentopens.In
thetextdocument,agrayinsertioncursorfollowsthemousepointertothelocationof
wherethetableistobeplaced.
3. Releasethemousebuttonwhenthegrayinsertioncursorisatthelocationwherethetable
istobeinserted.
DeletingTables
Whendeletingawholetablefromatextdocument,theuserhasthefollowingoptions:
1. Byparagraph:
a) Selectfromtheendoftheparagraphbeforethetabletothestartoftheparagraphafter
thetable.
b) Press(Del)orBackspace.
2. Bytable:
a) Placethecursorinthetable.
b) selectallcells,forexamplebypressing(Ctrl+a)
c) openthecontextmenu.
d) selectRow>Delete.
Note:Method2(bytable)alsoworksatthebeginningorendofadocument.
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InsertingParagraphsBeforeTablesatStartofPage
Occasionallyatablewillgetinsertedattheverybeginningofatextdocumentor
immediatelyafterafixedpagebreak,andnowtextmustbeinsertedbeforethistable.Thisis
notdifficultbuthowtodoitcanbepuzzling.Here'show:
1. Placethecursorinthefirstcellofthetable,rightatthestartofanycontentinthatcell.
2. PressEnter,whichaddsaparagraphbeforethetableandmovesthecursortoit.
1. FormattingTablesinTextDocuments
Anewtableinsertedintoatextdocumentcanhavethedefaultformatwhichmeansthatthe
firstrowhastheParagraphStyleTableHeading,andallotherrowswillhavethe
TableContentsStyle.Textenteredinthefirstrowwillautomaticallybeboldedand
centered.Thissectiondescribesvariousformattingoptionsthatcanbeusedtodeterminethe
overallappearanceofatable.
Resizecolumns,rows,andcells
Tablecolumnsandrowscaneasilyberesizedjustbymovingtheirborders.Onecanalso
easilymergerangesofcellsintoasinglecell,orsplitindividualcellshorizontallyor
vertically.ForthisthereareiconsontheTabletoolbar,calledMergeCellsandSplitCells,
whichcanbeused,orusethecorrespondingentriesintheTablemenu.Thisgivesgreat
flexibilityinformattinganytable.
TableAutoFormat
Toquicklysetupexistingtables,anumberofpredefinedtablestylesareavailableviathe
Table>AutoFormatdialogue.
Autoformattingcannotbeapplied,however,ifthetablehasalreadyhadit'scellstructure
modified(cellsmergedorsplit,evenifcellsweremergedandthenrestoredtotheiroriginal
splitstate,etcetera).
Tablepropertiesingeneral
Withthecursorinthetable,opentheTableFormatdialogueeitherwiththemenucommand
Table>PropertiesortheTablecommandinthecontextmenu.
Tochangethetablebackground,forexample,proceedasfollows:
1. Selectthecellstowhichtoassignabackgroundcolour.
2. Now,eitherchooseTable>PropertiesorclickTableinthecontextmenuoftheselected
cells.
3. IntheTableFormatdialogue,clicktheBackgroundtab.
Noticethetwolistboxesatthetopofthedialogue.Intheleftbox,chooseacolouror
graphicsasthebackground.Intherightbox,definewhethertoapplythebackgroundto
theselectedcells,thewholerow,ortheentiretable.Cellformattingtakespriorityover
rowformatting.
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4. ClickOKuponmakingachoice.
5. Tablescanbedesignedwithevengreaterimpactusingthematicallyappropriate
backgrounds.Whilebackgroundcoloursandgraphicsarealwaysinsertedbehindtextand
valuesinatable,graphicsandotherobjectscanalsobeinsertedintothetable.
a. Setthecursorinthecellwheretheobjectistoappear.
b. Toinsertgraphics,chooseInsert>Picture>FromFile.
c. IntheInsertPicturedialogue,selectthedesiredgraphicsfile.
d. ClickOpen.
e. ClickontheinsertedgraphicobjectandselectthePicturecommandfromthecontext
menu(ordoubleclickonthegraphicobject).InthePicturedialogue,varioussettings
canbedefinedforthegraphicanditsfunctioninthedocument.
Forexample,definehowtextistowraparound,whichwilldetermineifthetext
shouldflowaround,throughorbesidethegraphicobject.Userscanalsoseta
hyperlinkwhichcanbeloadedwheneverthegraphicobjectinthetextdocumentis
clicked.Furthermore,agraphicobjectcanbelinkedtoamacroandinsodoing,
assignvariouseventstoit.Onecould,forexample,usethiscapabilitytoprogram
certainfunctions,suchashavingasoundplayedwhenthemousepointertouchesthe
graphicobject.
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CalculatinginTextDocuments
FormulaeinTextDocuments
PressingF2openstheFormulabar.Clickingtheformulaicon
intheformulabaropens
asubmenufromwhichonecaninsertaformula.
Theformulaappearsintheinputlineatthecurrentcursorposition.Tospecifyarangeof
cellsinatable,selectthedesiredcellswiththemouse.Thecorrespondingcellreferences
alsoappearintheinputline.Enteradditionalparameters,asnecessary,andclickApplyto
confirmtheentry.Aformulacanalsobeentereddirectly,iftheappropriatesyntaxisknown.
Thisisnecessary,forexample,intheInsertFieldsandEditFieldsdialogues.
Note:TheSUMfunctionisonlyvalidinformulaewithinatablecell.
FormulaOptions
BasicCalculationFunctions
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
MULor*
Division
DIVor/
Calculatesthetotal.
Example:<A1>+8
Calculatesthedifference
Example:10<B5>
Calculatestheproduct.
Example:7MUL9
Calculatesthequotient
Example:100DIV15
BasicFunctionsintheSubmenu
Sum
SUM
Round
ROUND
Percent
PHD
SquareRoot
SQRT
Power
POW
Calculatesthesumoftheselectedcells.
Example:SUM<A2:C2>displaysthesumofthevalues
incellsA2toC2
Roundsanumbertothespecifieddecimalplaces.
Example:15.678ROUND2displays15.68
Calculatesapercentage
Example:10+15PHDdisplays10.15
Calculatesthesquareroot.
Example:SQRT25displays5.00
Calculatesthepowerofanumber.
Example:2POW8displays256.00
Operators
Variousoperatorsmaybeinsertedinaformula.Choosefromthefollowingfunctions:
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List
Separator
Equal
EQor
==
NotEqual
NEQ
or!=
Lessthanor
Equal
LEQ
Greaterthan
orEqual
GEQ
Less
Greater
BooleanOr
OR
BooleanX
Or
XOR
BooleanAnd
AND
BooleanNot
NOT
Separatestheelementsinalist.
Exampleofusingalist:
MIN10|20|50|<C6>|<A2:B6>|20
Checksifselectedvaluesareequal.Iftheyareunequal,the
resultiszero,otherwise1(true)appears.
Example:<A1>EQ2displays1,ifthecontentofA1
equals2.
Testsforinequalitybetweenselectedvalues.
Example:<A1>NEQ2displays0(wrong),ifthecontent
ofA1equals2.
Testsforvalueslessthanorequaltoaspecifiedvalue.
Example:<A1>LEQ2displays1(true),ifthecontentof
A1islessthanorequalto2.
Testsforvaluesgreaterthanorequaltoaspecifiedvalue
Example:<A1>GEQ2displays1(true),ifthecontentof
A1isgreaterthanorequalto2.
Testsforvalueslessthanaspecifiedvalue
Example:<A1>L2displays1(true),ifthecontentofA1
islessthan2.
Testsforvaluesgreaterthanaspecifiedvalue
Example:<A1>G2displays1(true),ifthecontentofA1
isgreaterthan2.
TestsforvaluesmatchingtheBooleanOR
Example:0OR0displays0(false),anythingelseresults
in1(true)
TestsforvaluesmatchingtheBooleanexclusiveOR
Example:1XOR0displays1(true)
TestsforvaluesmatchingtheBooleanAND
Example:1AND2displays1(true)
TestsforvaluesmatchingtheBooleanNOT
Example:NOT1(true)displays0(false)
StatisticalFunctions
Choosefromthefollowingstatisticalfunctions:
Mean
MEAN
Minimum
Value
MIN
Maximum
Value
MAX
Calculatesthearithmeticmeanofthevaluesinanareaora
list.
Example:MEAN10|30|20displays20
Calculatestheminimumvalueinanareaoralist.
Example:MIN10|30|20displays10
Calculatesthemaximumvalueinanareaoralist.
Example:MAX10|30|20displays30.00
TrigonometricFunctions
Choosefromthefollowingtrigonometricfunctions:
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Sine
SIN
Cosine
COS
Tangent
TAN
ArcSine
ASIN
ArcCosine
ACOS
Arc
Tangent
ATAN
Calculatesthesineinradians
Example:SIN(PI/2)
Calculatesthecosineinradians.
Example:COS1
Calculatesthetangentinradians.
Example:TAN<A1>
Calculatesthearcsineinradians.
Example:ASIN1
Calculatesthearccosineinradians.
Example:ACOS1
Calculatesthearctangentinradians.
Example:ATAN1
MoreDefinedValues
PI
Euler's
constant
True
False
PI
E
3.1415...
2.7182...
TRUE
FALSE
notequalto0
=sum<C4>
CalculatinginText
1.Placethecursoratthepositioninthetextwherethecalculationresultshouldappear.
2.Press(F2)todisplaytheFormulabaratthetopofthemaineditwindow(abovethe
horizontalrulerifrulersareshown).
3.Enterthedesiredformula,forexample(4+6)* 100.
4.PressEnterorclickonApplytoinserttheresult.
UsetheFormulaicontoperformmorecomplexcalculations.Clickingonthisiconopensa
branchedsubmenufromwhichtoselectaformula.Theformulaeareplacedontheformula
baratthecursorposition,andusersarefreetoswitchbetweeninputtingformulaeandvalues
fromthekeyboardandviatheFormulaicon.
Asanexampleofamorecomplexcalculationtobeperformedinatext,supposewewantto
calculatethemeanvalueofthreefigures.
1. DisplaytheFormulabarwith(F2).
2. OpenthesubmenuoftheFormulaicon.
3. ChooseMeanfromthestatisticalfunctions.Theinputfieldwilldisplay=mean.
4. Enterthefirstnumberandthenaverticalbar(|)asthelistseparator.
5. Enterthesecondnumber,anotherseparatorandthenthethirdnumber.Theinputfieldmay
nowshow,forexample,=mean12|22|34.
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6. PressEnter,toinsettheresultasafieldinthetext.
7. Doubleclickonthefieldtoeditit.
CalculatingWithformulaeLocatedinText
Ifthetextalreadyhasaformula,theresultcanbeenteredintothetextwithoutusingthe
Formulabarasfollows:
1. Selectthecalculationformulainthetext.Thistextmustnotcontainanythingotherthan
figures,arithmeticoperatorsandanycurrencysymbols.
Example:12+24*2
2. HoldtheCtrlkeydownandpressthenumberpadplus(+)key,orchooseTools>
Calculate.Thecalculationresultwillbestoredontheclipboard.
3. Setthecursoratthepointwheretheresultofthecalculationistobeinserted.
4. PressCtrl+V,orchooseEdit>Paste.
Inthisexample,theresult,60,isinserted.Iftheformulaisstillselectedatthetimeof
insertion,theresultreplacestheformula.
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ConditionalText
Fieldscanbeusedinadocumenttodisplaytextwhenaconditionismet.Forexample,one
candefinetheconditionaltextthatisdisplayedinaseriesofreminderletters.
Settingupconditionaltextisatwopartprocess:
1. Createavariable,then
2. Createthecondition.
Definingandusingconditionaltextbyexample
Definingaconditionalvariable
Thefirststepintheprocessisdefiningavariablefortheconditionstatement.
TypeReminderinthedocument,andthenaddspace.
1. SelectInsert>Fields>Other.
2. ClicktheVariablestab.
3. ClickSetvariableintheTypelist.
4. TypeanameforthevariableintheNamebox,forexampleReminder.
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5. ClickTextintheFormatlist.
6. Enter1intheValuebox,
7. ClickInsert.
Todisplayintegers,clickthe1234format.
Definingaconditionandtheconditionaltext:
Thesecondstepintheprocessistodefinetheconditionthatmustbemet,thetexttobe
displayedwhentheconditionismetornotmet,andtoinserttheplaceholderfordisplaying
theconditionaltextinthedocument.
1. Placethecursorwheretheconditionaltextistobeinsertedinthetext.
2. ChooseInsert.Fields>Other.
3. ClicktheFunctionstab.
4. ClickConditionaltextintheTypelist.
5. TypeReminderEQ"3"intheConditionbox.Inotherwords,theconditionaltext
willbedisplayedwhenthevariableinthefieldthatwasdefinedinthefirstpartofthis
exampleisequaltothree.
Thequotationmarksenclosingthenumber3indicatethatthevariable,definedinthefirst
partofthisexampleisatextstring.Seeaboveforalistofoperatorsthatcanbeusedwhen
definingacondition.
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6. TypethetexttodisplaywhentheconditionismetintheThenbox.Thereisnolimitto
thelengthofthetextthatcanbeentered.Onecanevencopyandpasteaparagraphinto
thisbox.
7. ClickInsert,andthenclickClose.
Displayingtheconditionaltext:
Inthisexample,theconditionaltextisdisplayedwhenthevalueoftheconditionalvariableis
equalto3.
1. Placethecursorinfrontofthefieldthatwasdefinedinthefirstpartofthisexample.
2. ChooseEdit>Fields.
3. ReplacethenumberintheValueboxwith"3".
4. ClickClose.
1. Ifthefielddoesnotautomaticallyupdate,pressF9.
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CalculatinginTextDocumentTables
OpenOffice.orgWritertablescanalsoincludecalculations,andthesecanextendbetween
tables.
Forexample,therearetwotables,labelledTable1andTable2inwhichthefirstcellof
Table1mustbemultipliedbythefirstcellofTable2andtheproductreturnedincellA2
ofthecurrenttable.Inthiscase,thetablenamesserveastableidentifiers.
Here'show:
1. EnternumbersintocellsA1ofTable1andA1ofTable2.
2. PositionthecursorincellA2ofTable2.
3. PressF2tobringuptheFormulabar.Italreadystartswithan'='readyfortheusertotype
aformula.
4. ClickoncellA1ofTable1.OpenOffice.orgwillinsertthecellreference
<Table1.A1>intotheformulabar.
5. Theformulabarisstillwaitingfortheusertocontinueenteringtheformula,sonowtype
*(themultiplyoperator).
6. ClickoncellA1inTable2.OpenOffice.orgwillinsertthecellreference<A1>intothe
formulabarwithnouseraction.Notethatthistimethereferencedoesnotneedthetable
identifier.
7. PressEnternowtocompletetheformulaandtheproductispresentedinTable2cellA2.
1. Note:WiththehelpoftheNavigationBaronecannavigatequicklyandeasilybetween
thetableformulaeinthedocument.
Ifatableformulareferstoaninvalidtablecell,a**Faultyexpression**isdisplayedinthecell.Invalidtable
cellsareeitherdeletedcellsorthosewhicharethemselvesfaulty.
Itisonlypossibletorefertotablecellvaluesfromwithintables.Onetricktoinsertingatable
calculationresultwithintextisdemonstratedbythisnextexample.
ToaddcellsB1:B 10fromTable1andpresentthesuminalineoftext,:
CreatethetextandTable1.
1. Placethecursorinthetextwherethesumistoappear.
2. Insertaframe(Insert>Framemenucommand).IntheFramedialogueselectthe
AnchorasAsCharacter.
a) Deselecttheborder.
b) ClickOKtoclosethedialogue.
1. Deselecttheframebyclickingoutsideit.
Note:whenenteringtextintheframe,clickintheverycentreoftheframe.Theframeshouldnotbeselected,but
thetextcursorshouldbeinsidetheframe.
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c) InsertasinglecelltableinsidetheframeusingInsert>Table.
d) Setarowandacolumnvalueof1,uncheckHeading,anduncheckBorder.
e) ClickOK.
f) ThecursorispositionedinTable2.
b) DefinetheformulabyeitherpressingF2ortypinganequalsign(=)intothecell(thisisa
shortcut),atwhichpointtheFormulabarwillbedisplayed.
TheformulaforcalculatingthetotalofcellsB1toB10is:=<Table1.B1:B10>.
Butdon'ttypethisyetbecausethereisasimplerway.
5. HighlightthecellsinTable1tobesummed.Dothisbykeepingthemousebutton
pressedasthepointerisdraggedfromthefirsttothelastcellbeingsummed.
6. ClosethemathematicalformulabyclickingtheAccepticonontheCalculationBar.The
resultofthecalculationwillbeseeninTable2.
7. Iftherearechangesinthecellsbeingsummed,updatetheresultbypressingfunctionkey
(F9).
Note:Insteadoffirstinsertingtheborderandtheninsertingatableinsidetheborder,startbyinsertingasingle
celltable,thenselectthewholeofthiscelltheonlywaytodothisiswiththeshortcutkeys(Ctrl+a)andthen
clickontheInsert>Frameicon.Theborderautomaticallysurroundsthetable(incidentally,thisalsoworkswith
anysectionoftext).Nowsettheanchortocharacter,cutthewholetabletotheclipboardandpasteitwhereit
shouldgo,removethebordersfromtheframeandtableandapplyfurthersettings.
CalculatingAcrossMultipleTables
Calculationsinanytextdocument,wheretherearemorethanonetablewhichcontainsdata
requiredforcalculation,canbedoneinOpenOffice.orgWriter.Forexample:
Inserttwotableseachwithseveralrowsandcolumns.
1. Enterafewfiguresinthetables,butleaveatleastonecellempty.
ThetablesshouldbeautomaticallynamedTable1andTable2.Ifonechooses,each
tablecanbegivenadifferentname(Table>Properties,Tabletab,textboxName)using
onlylettersandnumbersfornaming.
1. Positionthecursorinanemptycell.
2. PressF2todisplaytheFormulabar.
3. Asanexample,enterSUM.
4. Individuallyclickthecellscontainingfiguresinbothtablesthatarepartofthecalculation.
Aftereachclick,enteraplussign(+)fromthekeyboard,andcontinuetothenextcell
containingafigure.
5. Finally,clicktheApplyiconontheFormulaBar.Forexample,ifaddingupthefirsttwo
rowsofeachtableandshowingthetotalinTable2,theformulais
=sum< Table 1.A1>+<A1>.
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CalculatingCellTotalsinTables
1. Insertatablewithmultiplerows(Insert>Table)intoanewtextdocument.
2. Enteraseriesofnumbersintoacolumn,onenumberperrow,leavingthelastcellofthe
columnempty.
3. Placethecursorinthelastemptycellofthecolumn.
4. ClicktheSumiconintheTableobjectbar.
5. TheFormulabarappears,andaformulaindicatesthecellsofthecolumntobeadded.The
cellsareseparatedbyaverticalbar(|).
6. PresstheEnterkeytoconfirm,orclickApplyintheFormulabar.Thesumwillappear
inthelastcell.
Whennumbersarechangedinthetable,thesumisautomaticallybeupdated.If,forexample,
formattingthenumbersascurrency,selectthecellsandchooseNumberFormatfromthe
contextmenu.TheNumberFormatdialogueappears,wheretheusercanchooseanew
format.
MergingandSplittingCells
Onecanselectadjacentcellstogether,thenmergethemintoasinglecell.Conversely,alarge
cellthathasbeencreatedbymergingsinglecellscanbedividedbackintoindividualcells.
ThecommandsaredifferentinOpenOffice.orgWriterandCalc.
MergingCellsinOpenOffice.orgWriter
1. Highlightallthecellstobeincludedinthemergedcell.
2. SelectTable>MergeCells.
SplittingCellsinOpenOffice.orgWriter
1. Setthecursorinthecelltobesplit.
2. SelectTable>SplitCells.
Adialogueallowssplittingthecellintotwoormorecells,horizontallyorvertically.
MergingCellsinOpenOffice.orgCalcOLEObjects
1. Highlightallthecellstobeincludedinthemergedcell.
2. SelectFormat>MergeCells.Thestateofthismenuitemistoggledon.Notethatthis
menuitemreflectsthestateofthecurrentselectedcell.
CancellingthemergingofcellsinOpenOffice.orgCalcOLEObjects
1. Setthecursorinthecelltobesplit.
2. SelectFormat>MergeCells.Thestateofthismenuitemistoggledoff.
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InsertingorDeletingRows/ColumnsUsingtheKeyboard
Thefollowingmethodsdescribehowtoinsertanddeleterowsandcolumnsusingthe
keyboard:
Toinsertanewcolumnorrow:
1. PutthetableininsertmodebypressingAlt+Ins.OpenOffice.orgwillwaitup
tothreesecondsfortehusertopressoneofthefollowingkeycommands:
i. Presstherelevantarrowkeytoinsertanewroworcolumntotherightorleft,
aboveorbelowthecurrentroworcolumn.
ii. HolddowntheCtrlkeyaswellastherelevantarrowkeytoaddacellinthat
direction,(bysplittingeitherthecurrentoranadjacentcell).
1. Todeleteacolumnorrow:
2. PutthetableindeletemodebypressingAlt+Del.OpenOffice.orgwillwaitupto
threesecondsfortheusertopressoneofthefollowingkeycommands:
i. Presstherelevantarrowkeytodeletearoworcolumntotherightorleft,
aboveorbelowthecurrentroworcolumn.
ii. HolddowntheCtrlkeyaswellasthearrowkey,tomergethecurrentcell
withtheadjacentcell.
RepeatingMultipleHeadingRowsinaTable
1. Ifautomaticallyrepeatingmorethanonerowwithinatablefollowingapagebreak,
thisishowtodoit:
1. Selectthefirsttablerow.
2. OpenthecontextmenuandchooseCell>Split.
a) IntheSplitCellsdialogue,selectthehorizontaldirection.
b) Enterthenumberofrowsthataretoberepeated
c) confirmwithOK.
Allrowsatthebeginningofatablethatiscreatedinthismannerwillnowberepeatedaftera
pagebreak.
EnlargingandReducingCellsinTextTables
Thewidthandheightofrowsandcolumnsarechangeableusingthekeyboard,bydragging
anddroppingwiththemouseorbycommandsinthecontextmenu.Columnwidthscanalso
bechangednumericallyviaadialogue.
RowsandcolumnscanalsobeevenlydistributedwiththeiconsontheOptimize
floatingtoolbarontheTableObjectBar.
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Rowsandcolumnscanalsobemodifiedeitherinthetabledirectly,orwiththeaidofthe
rulers.Ifthemousepointerisrestedonaverticaldividinglineinthetable,thepointer
appearsasaseparatorsymbol,andonecansimplydragthedividinglinetothedesired
position.(Theusermayneedtoclickonceoutsidethetablebeforethisprocedurewillwork.)
Thedividinglinesontherulercanbemovedinthesameway.
Whenthekeyboardisusedtoenlargeandreduceatable,alwaysholddowntheAltkey
whilepressingoneofthefourarrowkeys.Thecurrentcolumnorrowisenlargedorreduced
bywhateveramountissetunderToolsOptions>OpenOffice.orgWriter>Table>
Keyboardhandling.Rowsandcolumnsarehandledseparately.
Thecurrentroworcolumnisenlargedorreducedatitsrighthandorloweredge.Ifones
pressestheShiftkeyaswellasAlt,thelefthandorupperedgewillbemoved.Hereare
twoexamplesthatexpectthatthecursorissetsomewhereinthemiddleofamediumtolarge
texttable:
1. HolddowntheAltkey,andpresstherightarrowkey.Thecurrentcolumnis
expandedbytheamountspecifiedTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgWriter>Table.
Theleftedgeofthecolumnremainsfixedwhiletherightedgemoves.
2. Now,holddowntheAltkeytogetherwiththeShiftkeyandpresstherightarrow
key.Therightedgewillremainfixedwhiletheleftedgewillmovetotheright,thereby
reducingthecolumn.
Theheightoftherowscanbeadjustedinthesameway.However,sincetherowsarepresetto
aminimumheight,onemustfirstincreasetheirsizebeforetheresultisobvious.
BypressingtheCtrlkeyduringtheprocess,theenlargementorreductionwillapplyonly
totheactivecellratherthantotheentireroworcolumn.Theproportionsofthetableremain
fixed.
AdaptingTableWidths
ThedisplayattributesofatablearedefinedbythesettingsunderTools>Options>
OpenOffice.orgWriter>Table.
Behaviorofrows/columnsFixedmeans,forexample,thatifonecellismadewider
theadjacentcellwillbecomenarrower.Othercellswillnotbeaffected,andtheoverall
widthofthetablestaysthesame.
Behaviorofrows/columnsFixedandProportionalmeansthatalladjacentcells
becomeproportionallynarrower.Inotherwords,widecellswillshrinkmorethannarrow
ones.Again,tablewidthremainsconstant.
Behaviorofrows/columnsVariablemeansthatthewidthoftheentiretableis
variable.Wheneveranindividualcellismadewider,theentirewidthofthetableexpands
aswell.
Wheninsertingordeleting(cells,rowsorcolumns),thetablemodedecideshowthe
neighbouringcells,rowsorcolumnsshouldbehave.Inthetablemode,newrowsand
columnsareonlyinsertedinafixedwayifthereissufficientspace.
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Images,Drawings,ClipartandFontWork
Images,drawings,clipart,andspecialFontWorkobjectscanbeinsertedinthetext
document.
PositioningObjects
Therearevariouswaysofanchoringtheobjectsonatextpage,suchasgraphicsandtext
frames.Thefollowingdescribesthevariousoptions,basedontheexampleofaframe:
Anchoring
Effect
asaCharacter
Framesareplacedinthedocumentlikeanyothercharacter,
hence,theyhaveanimpactonthelinesizeofthelineandtheline
break.
toCharacter
FrameiswithitsXandYcoordinatesassociatedtoacharacter,
forexample,intheXdirectionalwaystothemarginandintheY
directionalwaystotheheightofthecharacter(marginalframe).
TheframeshouldbesetatFlow.
toParagraph
Frameisassociatedtoaparagraph,changesitspositionwiththe
paragraph.
onthePage
Framehasalwaysthesamepositioninrelationtothepage
margins.
onFrame
Frameisinsidethesuperiorframeinafixedposition.
Theanchordetermineswhatspecifictextfeaturetheobjectisboundtoasthedocument's
contentandformattingisaltered.Forexample,itispossibletosettheframeonafixed
positioninrelationtoapagemargin,toaparagraphmargin,toatextarea,etc.
Theframepositiononevenpagescanbeautomaticallymirrored,sothatafixedpositionin
relationtotherightsideofthepageproducesacorrespondingpositionontheleftsideofthe
page.Forexample,agraphiccanalwaysbepositionedinsidetheouteredgeofpages.Where
thegraphicis,say,anarrowpointingtothetext,itisagoodideatomirrorthisautomatically
onevenpagestoo.Todothis,usetheMirroronevenpagesoptionontheTypetabofthe
Graphicsdialogue(choosePictureinthecontextmenuofthegraphic).
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CaptionsandNumberRanges
Intextdocumentsonecancreateseparate,continuouslynumberedcaptionsforfigures,tables
anddrawingobjects.
Userscanalsodefineasmanyseparatenumberrangesasdesired.Thecaptionsarelinkedto
thefigures,tablesordrawingobjectsinaframe.Selecttheframewhentheobjectismoved.
DefiningCaptions
1. Selectthefigureortheobjectorplacethecursorinthetablethatrequiresacaption.
2. OpentheCaptiondialoguewiththecommandInsert>Caption.
3. Thedialogueshowsapreviewofhowthecaptionwilllook.Furthertextcanbeinsertedin
theCaptionfield.
4. ClickOK.
Note:Ifonewouldliketoplaceatabstopbetweentheautomaticcaptions(e.g.,Figure1)andtheadditional
text,canbeinserteditinthedocumentlater.PressCtrl+Tabtoinsertatabstopatthebeginningofaparagraph.
TheparagraphformatofanautomaticallyappliedcaptionisobtainedfromtheParagraph
StyleIllustration,Table,DrawingorText.Alloftheseparagraphstyles
arederivedfromtheCaptionParagraphStyle.Soifallcaptionsalwaysaretoappearin
green,forexample,simplymodifytheCaptionParagraphStyleaccordinglyintheStyles
andFormattingwindow.Toexaminethis,switchtheStylesandFormattingwindowtothe
AllSt ylesviewortothehierarchicalview.
Editingordeletingcaptions
Acaptionisnormaltextwhichisplacedtogetherwithanobjectinacommonframe.
1. Editthecaptiontextjustlikenormaltext.
2. Deletethecaptiontextjustlikenormaltext.
Insertinganobjectinanumberrange
Supposethedocumentcontainsillustrationsaslinkedgraphics,andthesearelabelledina
numberrangecalledIllustration.Nowtheuserwantstoaddadrawingobtained
withthedrawingtoolsasafurtherillustration.Extendtheautomaticnumberrange
Illustrationasfollows:
1. Belowtheadditionalillustration,insertanewlineandapplytheParagraphStyle
Illustration.
2. OpentheInsert>Fields>Otherdialogue.PressingCtrl+F2isanotherwaytoopen
thisdialogue.
3. OntheVariablestab,selecttheTypeNumberrange.UnderSelectionselect
Illustration.
4. ClickInsert
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5. Closethedialoguebox.
Ifillustrationsaremovedwiththeircaptionsbyhandsothatthesequencechanges,itmaybe
necessarytoupdatethenumbersbypressingF9.
NumberingIllustrationsbyChapters
Numberingillustrationsbychapter,sothatillustrationsarelabelledIllustration
1.1 ,Illustration1. 2 ,etc.inthefirstchapterandIllustration2 .1 ,
Illustration2.2,etceterainthesecondisoftenuseful.Here'showtoproceed:
1. Organizethedocumentbychaptersifthisisnotalreadydone.SelectTools>Outline
Numberingtonumberthechapterheadingsthatareformatted,forexample,withthe
ParagraphStyleHeading1.SelecttheHeading1StylefromtheParagraph
Stylelistboxandtheoption1, 2,3,..fromtheNumberlistboxbelowit.
2. Selectthefirstillustrationtonumber.
3. SelectInsert>Caption....
4. Inthedialoguethatappears,selectIllustrationasthecategoryandArabic(123)
asthenumbering.Captiontextcanalsobeenteredinthisdialogue.
5. ClickOptions.SpecifythechapternumberingintheNumberRangeOptionsdialogue.
Forthisexample,selectoption1underLevelandspecifytheseparatorwantedfor
chapterwisenumbering.
6. ClickOK.
7. IntheCaptiondialogue,clickOK.Theillustrationsarenownumberedbychapters.
Dothesameforallotherillustrationsinthedocument.Thenumberingoccursautomatically:
Allillustrationswithinonechapterlevelarenumbered,andtheusercanenteratwhich
chapterleveltoswitchthenumberingintheNumberRangeOptionsdialogue.
NOTE:ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgWriter>General,andunderCaptionmarktheAutomatic
checkbox.WhenthebuttonnexttoObjectselectionisclicked,theCaptiondialogueappears.Thisiswhereone
can,forexample,determinethatfromnowonallillustrationsintextdocumentsreceiveacaptionautomatically.
InsertingGraphics
Graphicobjectscanbeinsertedinatextdocumentinseveralways.Thefollowingsections
describethemostuseful.
InsertingGraphicsviadialogue
1. Setthecursoratthepositioninthedocumentwheretoinsertthegraphic.
2. ChooseInsert>Picture>FromFile.ThedialogueInsertPicturewillappear.
3. SelectthedesiredgraphicandclickonOpen.
Bydefault,graphicsareinsertedwithitsalignmentcenteredabovethecurrentparagraph.
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InsertingGraphicsFromOpenOffice.orgDraworImpress
Graphicobjectscanbecopiedandinsertedfromonedocumenttoanotherbydraggingand
droppingtheobject.
1. Openthedocumentinwhichtoinsertthegraphicobject.
2. Openthedocumentfromwhichtocopythegraphicobject.
3. Ifthegraphichasahyperlinkconnectedtoitthenthemousepointerwillchangetoa
GrabbingHandwhenthemouseisoverthegraphic.InthiscaseswitchfromHYPmode(in
theStatusbar)toSEL(select)modebyclickingintheboxwhereitappears.
4. Selectthegraphicbyclickingonit.
Note:Onsomesystems,pressingtheAltkeyandclickingthegraphicobjectselectstheobjectwhileinHYPmode
withoutactivatingahyperlinkthatmaybeconnectedtoit.OnothersystemstheAltkeyisusedtoshiftthefocus
totheMenubar.
5. WhileholdingdowntheCtrl key,keepthemousebuttonpressedanddragthegraphic
objectintotheotherdocument.
Note:Whenthedocumentsarenotvisiblenexttoeachother,firstdragthemousepointertothedestination
documentbuttonintheDesktopTaskbar.Continuetoholdthemousebuttondownandthedocument,addressed
inthisfashion,isdisplayed,andthe[stillpressed]mousepointermaybemovedwithinthedocumentand
released.
1. Releasethemousebuttonassoonasthegraytextcursorisatthepositiontoinsertthe
copyofthegraphicobject.
Iftheobjectisconnectedtoahyperlinkandthemethod,outlinedinthenoteabove,isnot
used,thehyperlinkwillbeinsertedinsteadofthegraphicobject.Graphicsinsertedfroma
webpagearegenerallylinkedtotheremotewebsite.UseEdit>Hyperlinktoembedthe
graphicinthedocument.
InsertingGraphicsviaDragandDropFromtheGallery
AusercanDraganddropagraphicobjectfromthegalleryintoatextdocument,spreadsheet
orpresentationtoinsertthegraphicobject.
1. Whendragginganddropping,withoutpressingakeyorwhilepressingtheCtrlkey,
aplussignappearsnexttothemousepointerandthegraphicobjectisinsertedasan
object.
2. WhendragginganddroppingwhilepressingtheShiftandCtrlkeystogether,a
linkingarrowisseennexttothemousepointerandtheobjectisinsertedasalinked
object.Alinkedobjectisnotcopiedintothedocumentbutreferstoanobject
elsewhere.Iftheobjectelsewhereismodified,thenalllinkedinstancesofitarealso
changed.Thesizeoftheobjectinthedocumentdoesnotchange,soOpenOffice.org
willautomaticallyscaletheviewoftheobjectifnecessary.
Whenagraphicobjectisreleaseddirectlyonadrawingobject,thefollowingrulesapply:
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1. Whendragginganddropping,withoutpressingakeyorwhilepressingtheCtrlkey,
aplussignappearsnexttothemousepointerandthegraphicobjectisinsertedasan
objectontopoftheexistingobject.
2. WhendragginganddroppingwhilepressingtheShiftandCtrlkeystogether,a
linkingarrowisseennexttothemousepointerandtheexistingdrawingobjectis
replacedbytheobjectfromtheGallery.Thepositionandsizeoftheobjectthatis
replacedremainsvalidforthenewgraphic.
AddingGraphicsTotheGalleryviaDragandDrop
GraphicobjectscanbeaddedtotheGalleryand,thus,havethemconvenientlyavailablefor
useinanydocument.
1. SelectMyThemeintheGallerythemesbox,oraddanewviatheNewTheme
buttonandselectit.
2. PressandholdtheCtrlkeywhiledragginganddropagraphicobjectfromthe
documenttotheGalleryimagesbox.
3. OpenthecontextmenuofthenewgalleryimageandselectTitle.Enteranamefor
theimageandpressOK.
Addanythemestoorganizepersonal,readyuseimages.
InsertingGraphicsWithaScanner
TocarryoutscanninginWriter,ascannerwithappropriatedriversoftwaremustbeinstalled
onthelocalsystem.(UnderWindows,OpenOffice.orgsupportstheTWAINstandardwhile,
underUnix,OpenOffice.orgsupportstheSANEstandard.)
1. Setthecursoratthepositioninthedocumentwherethegraphicistobeinserted.
2. SelectInsert>Picture>Scan.
Thesubmenucontainsacommandtoopenadialogueforselectingthescanningsource.
3. Fromthesubmenu,selectthecommandtorequestscanning.
Thescannerdriveropensawindowinwhichtofollowthescannermanufacturer's
instructions.
4. Oncethescanningprocessiscompleted,theimageisinsertedinthedocument.
InsertingaChartFromOpenOffice.orgCalc
DraggingandDroppingtheChartwithMoveorCopy
1. OpentheOpenOffice.orgWriterdocumentintowhichthechartwillbeinserted.
2. OpentheOpenOffice.orgCalcdocumentcontainingthechart.
3. Clickandholdthemousebuttononthechart.Waituntilthemousepointerchangestothe
ArrowwithFramepointer.
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DragthechartintotheOpenOffice.orgWriterdocument.
Thiswillmovethechart.Tocopythechart,pressandholdtheCtrlkeywhiledragging.
Note:IftheWriterdocumentisnotvisible,firstarrangethewindowsappropriately.Iftheoperatingsystemor
windowsmanagerprovidesataskbar,dragthecharttotheWriterbuttononthetaskbar,holdthatpositionfor
amomentwhiletheWriterwindowopensintheforegroundandthendropitinthenowvisibledocument.
4. IntheWriterdocument,positionthechartormodifythescaleasonewouldanyobject.
5. Tolatermodifythechartdata,doubleclickandeditit.
ChartswithLinkedData
IfachartdependsondatainaCalcdocumentandthisdatachanges,achartinsertedbythe
abovemethodisnotautomaticallyupdated.Tokeepthechartandthedatauptodate,doas
follows:
1. IntheCalcdocument,copythecellrangefromwhichthechartiscreated.
2. IntheWriterdocument,longclicktheInsertObjecticonontheStandardtoolbartoopen
thesubmenu.
3. SelectInsertOLEObject.
ThedataisnowinatableintheWriterdocumentandisalwayslinkedviaOLEtothe
sourcedataintheCalcdocument.(NoteDDEisrelatedtoOLEandishandledaspartof
theimplementation.)
4. Positionthecursorinthetable.
5. LongclicktheInsertObjectsiconontheStandardtoolbartoopenthefloatingtoolbar
6. ClicktheInsertCharticon.
InsertingDecorativeHorizontalLines
ChooseInsert>HorizontalRulertoopenadialogueforselectingdecorativelines.
Thelinesaregraphicsanchoredtothecurrentparagraphandcenteredbetweenthemargins.
TheselinesmayalsobefoundinaGallerytheme.Ifonewantstocontinueusingalinefrom
theInternet,addittotherelevantthemeintheGallery.Thelinecanthenbeselectedfrom
thisdialogue.
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Headers,FootersandFootnotes
SomeNotesConcerningHeadersandFooters
HeadersandfootersarealwayslinkedtothePageStyle.AllpageswiththesamePageStyle
automaticallyhavethesameheadersandfooters.ByusingFieldsintheheadersandfooters,
onecaninsertvariablecontentinatextdocument,suchaspagenumbersandchapter
headings.
HeadersandfootersarealsoavailableforHTMLWriterdocuments.However,because
headersandfootersarenotprovidedintheHTMLdefinition,theyareexportedasspecial
tagsandarecorrectlyinterpretedagainuponloadinganWriterHTMLpage.Thus,web
browsersshowthecontentoftheheaderorfooterasthetextwhichwasthereatthetimeof
theHTMLexportwhileWriterinsertsthefieldsagainandupdatestheseasandwhen
necessary.(Authorandsender,ontheotherhand,areonlyinsertedasfieldsiftheuser,isthe
authororwasthelastonetomodifythedocument.)Headersandfootersareexportedin
HTMLdocumentsiftheyareenabledinWebLayoutmode.
Ifthecontentofheadersandfootersneedstochangeatdifferentpointswithinadocument,it
isbesttocreatedifferentPageStylesandapplythesetothepages.
ChooseInsert>HeaderorInsert>Footertotoggleheadersorfooterson/offfora
particularPageStyle.Theseoperationsdon'taffectthecurrentpage,unlessthecurrentpage
hasthatPageStyle.
Format>Pagemayalsobechosentostartadialoguethatallowsselectingheadersor
footersforthecurrentPageStyle.HerefindacheckboxSamecontentleft/right.Ifthisis
notmarked,formatdifferentheadersandfootersontheleftsidesthanontherightsides.
Note:Ifoneonlywantstoassignasinglepageadifferentheader,theusercouldalsoinsertatextboxtocoverthe
headertext.Anchortheframetothepage,andassigntheWrapThroughoptionandthebackgroundcolour
White .
InsertingPageNumbersinFooters
Supposethatthecursorisonapagethathasapagestylethatnowrequiresafooterbe
inserted.Bydoingso,allpagesthatalsousethisstylewillalsodisplaythisfooter.
Note:Thisistheonlywaytoeditthecontentofaheaderorfooter,thatis,byfindingorcreatingapagewiththe
targetpagestylefirst.
1. ChooseInsert>Footerandselect,fromthesubmenu,thepagestylecorresponding
tothestylebeingusedforcurrentpage.Thiswilltogglethefooteronforthispage
style(assumingitwasnotonalready).Thecursornowappearsinthefooter.
2. ChooseInsert>Fields>PageNumber.Thepagenumberappearsasafieldinthe
footer.
That'sit.Iftheusernowwantstoformatthisfield,forexamplebycenteringitacross
thepageandaddingsometextsothatitappearsasPage9of12,thisishow
it'sdone:
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i. PlacethecursoranywhereinthefooterandclickontheCenteredicononthe
Formattingtoolbar.
ii. TypethetextPagebeforethefieldandofafterthefield.
iii. NowchooseInsert>Fields>PageCount.
1. InsertingChapterInformationinHeaders
Fieldscontainingthefilename,date,time,chapterheadings,etceteracanbeinsertedintoa
header.
1. EntertextinadocumentandapplythestyleHeading1tochapterheadings.
2. Activatetheheaderforthepagestyleusedbythecurrentpage(Format>Page>Header
orInsert>Header).
3. Clickwithintheheadertopositionthecursorinit.
4. TypeChapte r:
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5. SelecttheInsert>Fields>Othercommand.
a) IntheFieldsdialogue:
b) SelecttheDocumenttab
c) ChooseChapterintheTypebox,
d) FormatChaptername.Wheretheheadertocontainparagraphsformattedwith
Heading2insteadofHeading1,entera2underLayer.
e) ClickInserttoaddthedesiredinformationtotheheader,andthenclosethedialogue
box.
f) Noweverypageofthedocumentusingthispagestylewillautomaticallydisplaythe
chosenchapterheadingintheheader.
Otherinformationcanbeinsertedintoaheaderinthesamemanner.Findothermenu
commandsunderInsert>Fields.ChoosefromDate,Time,PageNumber,PageCount,
Subject,TitleandAuthor.Additionalfieldcommandscanbeselectedordefinedunder
Other.
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FormattingHeadersandFooters
Headersandfooterscanbeformattedwithmultipleobjectswhereanobjectcouldbetext,a
fieldorwhatever.ThefooterusedinthisdocumentusesatabletocontaintheTitlefieldand
thepagenumberfield.
Tabstopscanalsobeusedeffectivelyforthispurpose.Theprocedureforsettingandediting
tabstopscanbefoundviaHelp>Contents>Index>Searchterm>tabstops.
DefiningDifferentHeaders
AdefinedheaderandfooterwillappearinallpagesthathavethesamePageStyle.However,
differentheadersforthefirstpageorforevenandoddnumberedpagesareoftenneeded.For
example,onemaywantthenameofthechaptertoappearontheleft(even)pagesandthe
nameofthefirstsubchaptertoappearontheright(odd)pages.Sinceheadersareaproperty
ofthePageStyles,usersneedtodefinetwodifferentPageStylesandapplythemtothe
respectivepages.TherearepresetStylesforFirstpage,LeftpageandRightpage,which
canbeadaptedtoone'sspecificneeds.
TakethePageStyleforleftpages,thisstylemighthavedifferentinnerandoutermargins,
whilethestyleforrightpageshasamirrorimageofthosemargins.Ifdifferentheadersand
footersarenotneeded,simplychooseamirroredpagelayout(underPageLayoutinthe
tabPage).
SwitchingbetweenoddandevenPageStylesandbetweenFirstPageandLeftPagescanbe
doneautomaticallybydefiningtheNextSt yle.IfonedefinesthePageStylewithNext
St yleandapplythenewPageStyletothefirstpage,thenOpenOffice.orgwill
automaticallyapplythecorrectPageStylestothecontinuationpages.Hereisamethod:
1. Openanewtextdocument.
2. ClickthePageStylesiconintheStylesandFormattingwindow(Format>Stylesand
Formatting).
3. ChoosetheStyleFirstPagetouseasthebasisforacustomPageStyle.
4. OpenthecontextmenuandchooseNew.
5. InthePageStylesdialogue,gotothetabOrganizer.
a) GivethePageStyleaname,suchasPage1,and
b) defineLeftPageastheNextStyle.
6. FortheLeftPagedefineRightPageastheNextStyle,andfortheRight
Page,chooseLeftPage.
InsertingPageNumbersofContinuationPages
FootersareinsertedusingInsert>Footer.
1. Aftercreatingthefooter,setthecursorinitandselectInsert>Fields>Other....
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2. ChoosetheDocumenttabandunderTypeselectPage,underSelectselect
NextpageandunderFor mat,selectAsPageSt yle.
3. FinallyclickInserttoinsertthefieldcommandinthefooterofthecurrentdocument.
Thedocumentwilldisplaythepagenumberofthenextpage,withtheexceptionofthelast
page.
IfthewordsContinueonpageshouldalsoappearinfrontofthepagenumberbutshould
notappearifthereisnonextpage,dothis:
1. Setthecursorinfrontofthefieldthatjustinsertedinthedocument
2. OpentheFieldsdialogue.
3. SelectafieldofthePagetype,underSelect,selectNextpageandunder
Format,selectText.
4. IntheValuetextbox,enterthetexttobedisplayedifanextpageexistsinthe
document.EnterContinueonpage(notethespaceattheend!).
5. ClickInsert.
Ofcourse,onecanalsoenterinsteadofContinueonpage,somethingelse.For
example,.../,toindicatethenumberofthenextpage.
InsertingLinesUnderHeaders
Adjusttheappearanceoftheheaderdirectlyintheheaderitself.Forexample,byclickingon
anexistingheader,userscanformatthetextindividuallyorasawholeparagraph.Additional
attributesareavailableintheFormat>PagedialogueinthetabHeader.
SelectingtheHeadertabpermitsdefiningadocumentheaderforthefirsttime.Mark
Headeron.WhenthedialogueisclosedbyclickingonOK,aheaderiscreatedwhichcan
thenbefilledoutinthedocument.
ClicktheMorebuttonontheHeadertabtochooseadditionalsettingsfortheborderand
backgroundofaheader.
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DrawalineundertheheaderbygoingtotheBorderstab.UnderLinearrangementclick
betweenthetwoloweranglemarksatthebottomoftherectangle.Thistabpagecanalsobe
usedtodefinethestyleofthelineandthedistancebetweentheheadertextandtheline.
FootnotesandEndnotes
Footnotesinatextdocumentcanbedisplayedatthebottomofapage(orcolumnwhere
thereismorethanonecolumn)orattheendofadocument.Thesettingsaredefinedby
choosingTools>Footnotes.Thefollowinginformationisalsovalidforendnotes.Endnotes
arefootnotesthatappearcollectivelyattheendofadocumentinsteadofatthefootofeach
page.
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Onecanjumpfromafootnoteanchorinthedocumenttothefootnotetextquiteeasilyby
clickingonthefootnoteanchor.PressPgUptoreturnfromthefootnotetothetext.
ThefootnoteformatcanbechangedbymodifyingtheParagraphStyleFootnote,
whichisautomaticallyappliedtoallfootnotesinadocument.
Todeleteafootnote,simplydeletethefootnotemarkinthetextandthefootnotetextis
automaticallydeletedaswell.
InsertingandEditingFootnotes
Footnotescanbeinsertedintwoways:viaaniconorviaadialogue.
Insertingafootnoteviaanicon
1. Setthecursoratthepointwherethefootnoteanchorshouldappear.
2. OpentheInsertfloatingtoolbar
ontheToolstoolbar.
3. ClickontheInsertFootnoteDirectlyicon.
Insertingafootnoteviaadialogue
1. Setthecursorinthedocumentatthepointwherethefootnoteanchorshouldappear.
2. SelectInsert>FootnotetoopentheInsertFootnotedialogue.
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Wheninsertingafootnoteusingtheicon,footnotenumberingisautomatic.TheInsert
Footnotedialogueontheotherhandallowsindividualsettingsforthefootnote.
TipsforWorkingwithFootnotes
1. Clickinthetextofafootnotetoalloweditingormodification.
2. PressPgUptojumpfromthefootnoteareatothefootnoteanchorinthetext.
Placethecursorinadocumentimmediatelybeforethefootnotecharacterofapreviously
insertedfootnotetoedititspropertiesandchooseEdit>Footnoteordoubleclick
immediatelybeforethefootnotecharacter.
Whendefininggeneralsettingsappliedautomaticallytofootnotesinthedocument,select
Tools>FootnotestoopentheFootnoteSettingsdialogue.
1. FormatfootnoteswithPageSetupbychoosingFormat>Page...>Footnote.
Inmulticolumnpages,thefootnoteisinsertedinthecolumnwherethefootnoteanchoris
located.
Userscanalsousethemousetojumpfromthefootnoteanchortothefootnote.Themouse
pointerchangesitsappearanceassoonasitisoverthefootnoteanchor.
SpacingBetweenFootnotes
Ifabiggerdistancebetweenthedifferentfootnotesorendnotesiswanted,onecanaddan
invisible(white)lineasthelowerbordertothecorrespondingparagraphformat:
1. Setthecursorinafootnote.
2. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow.
3. ClickonthefootnoteParagraphStyletobemodified.
4. Openthecontextmenu
5. SelectModify.
6. OntheBorderstabpage,selectatopandabottomlineandgivethemboththecolour
white.
7. IntheSpacingtocontentsarea,uncheckSynchronize.
8. Increase/decreasethevalueoftheupperorlowerspacing.
9. ClickOK.
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Spellcheck,Dictionaries,Hyphenation
ControllingSpellcheckviathedialogue
ChooseTools>SpellcheckorpressF 7.
InadocumentwheretherearenounknownwordsSpellcheckwillcompleteanddisplaya
messageboxtosayasmuch.ClickingtheOkbuttontherewillclosetheSpellcheck
dialogue,sooneneedstodeliberatelyspellawordincorrectlytoseehowSpellcheckworks.
NormallytheSpellcheckdialogueappearswhencalledmanuallyviathemenuorby
pressingF7.Selectingtextbeforecallingthedialogueandthencheckingthespelling
onlyinthetextthatisselectedcanbeanadvantage.TheSpellcheckdialogueisdescribedin
detailinHelp.AmanuallyinitiatedSpellcheckalwaysbeginsatthecursorposition,unless
thetextwasselected(inwhichcaseitbeginsatthebeginningoftheselectedtextandendsat
itsend).Whenthespellcheckingdoesnotbeginatthebeginningofthedocumentorifthe
endofthedocumentisreachedduringthecheckingprocess,adialogueappearsasking
confirmationthatcheckingcontinuecheckingatthebeginningofthedocument.
Thesystemalwayssearchesfirstthroughtheselecteduserdefineddictionariesand,ifthe
wordisnotfoundthere,itsearchesthroughthemaindictionary.Shouldthewordnotbethere
either,thedialogue,shownabove,isdisplayedandwhichallowstheusertoreplacethe
word.TypeitcorrectlyintheWordfieldorselectawordfromthelistofSuggestions,and
clickonReplace.
ThewordintheWordtextboxcanbepermanentlyaddedtotheuserdefineddictionary.
First,selecttheDictionarypulldownlist.Then,clickAdd.
WhenreplacingawordintheWordfieldwithanotherword,onecancheckthisotherword
byclickingontheCheckWordbutton.
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Ifneeded,allunknownwordsinatextcanbeautomaticallyenteredintheactiveuserdefined
dictionary.Forinstructions,refertoOpenOffice.orgHelp.
AutomaticSpellcheck
Fromwithinatextdocument,clicktheAutoSpellingCheckon/off
icononthe
Standardtoolbar.Allwordsmarkedasincorrectbythespellingcheckerwillthenbe
underlinedinred.
Rightclickonwordsunderlinedinthiswayandacontextmenuappears.
Thecontextmenuoftenprovidesalistofsuggestedwords,oneofwhichmaybeclicked
toselectit.Thesuggestedwordthenreplacesthewordunderlinedinred.
IfawronglytypedwordusingtheAutoCorrectfunctionisreplacedinthecontextmenu,the
wordpairisenteredintheAutoCorrectreplacementtable.Tocallupthistable,chooseTools
>AutoCorrect>Replacetab.
Ifthewordunderlinedinrediscorrect,onecanplaceitinacustomdictionaryusingtheAdd
command.
ToexcludewordsfromtheSpellcheck:
1. Selectthewords.
2. Openthecontextmenuofoneofthewords.
3. SelectCharacter.
4. SelecttheFormat>Character>Fonttab.
5. Selectthelanguage[None].
RemovingWordsFromUserDefinedDictionaries
1. ChooseTools>Options>LanguageSettings>WritingAidstab.
2. SelecttheuserdefineddictionaryandclickEdit.
3. NowtheEditUserDefinedDictionarydialogueappearsallowingtheusertosearch
throughanalphabeticlist.
4. Selecttheword
5. ClickDelete.
Hyphenation
Hyphenationintextdocumentseithercaneitherbedoneautomaticallyormanually.
AutomatichyphenationisanattributeofparagraphsandParagraphStyles.Thismeans
thatonecanswitchthehyphenationonoroffforaparagraphorforaparagraphformat
andselectitsproperties.
Manualhyphenationgivesindividualcontrol,butcanbetedious.
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Automatichyphenation
InOpenOffice.org,automatichyphenationisturnedoffbydefault.Thefollowingstepsare
usefulforenablinghyphenationonanasneededbasis:
1. Foroneormoreselectedparagraphs,openthecontextmenuandselectparagraph.
2. ForallparagraphsformattedwithacertainParagraphStyle,openthecontextmenuinone
oftheparagraphsandselectEditParagraphStyle.
a) Inthenextdialogue,clickontheTextFlowtab.
b) UnderHyphenation,checkoffAutomatically.
3. Toenablehyphenationinallparagraphs,edittheparentparagraphstyleofallderived
paragraphstyles.
a) Inthenextdialogue,clickontheTextFlowtab.
b) UnderHyphenation,checkoffAutomatically.
Toenableautomatichyphenationwithoutqueries,selectTools>Options>Language
Settings>WritingAids>OptionsandselectHyphenatewithoutinquiry.
ManualHyphenation
Formanualhyphenation,placethecursoratthepointwherethewordshouldbeseparated
andpressCtrland.
Thewordwillbeseparatedifitispossible,evenifautomatichyphenationisturnedofffor
theparagraph.
Ifahyphenisentereddirectly,Writerwillnotapplytheautomatichyphenationforthatword.
Let'sassumethewordAntarcticawouldbehyphenated:Antarctica,butthis
shouldbe:Antarctica.Enterallthreehyphensmanually(directly),includingtheone
betweeniandcaasisusedinautomatichyphenation.
Thereisaquickwaytopreventaparticularwordfrombeingaffectedbythehyphenation(orSpellcheck)
functionality:
SelectthewordandchooseFormat>Character.OntheFonttabselectLanguageNone.
Ifawordshouldbepermanentlysettopreventautomatichyphenationsuchthatitwillneverbeseparated,placeit
inanactiveuserdefineddictionarywithanequalssignafterit:
1. ChooseTools>Options>LanguageSettings>WritingAids.
2. SelectaUserdefineddictionary.
3. ClicktheEditbutton.Wherethereisnouserdefineddictionary,asyet,createonebyclickingtheNewbutton.
4. IntheEditCustomDictionarydialogue,entertheword.e.g.,Companyname=(withoutquotationmarks)
5. ClickClosetoclosethedialogue.
6. ClickOK.
Now,thewordCompanynamewillneverbehyphenated.
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SelectingTools>Language>Hyphenationavoidssearchingmanuallythroughthetextin
ordertofindwordstohyphenate.Thisstartsthefollowingdialoguewhichshowsallwords
thatcouldbehyphenatedwiththecurrentlinebreak,oneaftertheother.
Thesyllableatwhichthewordcouldbestbehyphenatedatthecurrentlinebreakis
highlighted.Inthecasewherethewordtobehyphenatedshouldhavethehyphenatan
earlierplaceintheword,usetheleftarrowbuttontomovethehighlightingtotheleft.Click
onHyphenatetohyphenatethewordatthehighlightedplaceandthenextwordthatcould
behyphenatedisdisplayed.
WhenSpellcheckrecognizestheword,thedefaulthyphensaredisplayedaswell.
Thesaurus
TheOpenOffice.orgthesaurusprovidesameanstolookupwordsthatmaybeusedinsteadof
thehighlightedword.
1. Highlightthewordinthetextforwhichanalternativeisdesiredfromthethesaurus.For
example,theword,clean.
2. SelectTools>Language>ThesaurusorpressCtrl+F7.
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3. Inthedialoguewhichthenappears,scrolldownthetwolowerlistboxesuntilasuitable
wordisfound.IfthedialogueisclosedbyclickingonOK,theselectedwordisreplaced
bythewordintheReplacefield.
Note:Notalllanguageshaveathesaurustoaccompanyaninstalleddictionary.
Whenlookingforalternativesforawordinanotherlanguageforwhichathesaurusis
installed,forexampleanEnglishword,
1. Selectthewordinthetext
2. Callupthethesaurus.
3. ClickontheLanguagebuttontoswitchtoEnglish(UK)orEnglish(US),in
ordertoselectBritishorNorthAmericanspelling.
4. ThenclickonSearch.
IfEnglishlanguageattributesareappliedtotheEnglishwordsinthetext(Format>
Character,Fonttab,Languagelistbox),thenSpellcheck,thesaurusandhyphenationwill
automaticallybeinthislanguage.Onecanassignalanguagetoparagraphstylesinthesame
way.
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FormLetters,BusinessCardsandLabels
Writeformletters,designbusinesscardsandproducelabelsallfromdataobtainedfrom
adatasourceorthatissequentiallynumbered.
CreatingFormLetters
Toaidincreatingformletters,thefollowingsectionfirstgivessomebriefinstructionsand
thendetailedinstructions.
BriefInstructions(ForQuickResults)
1. RegisteranaddressdatasourceinOpenOffice.org,ifnotdonepreviously.
InstructionsmaybefoundwiththesearchtermaddressbookinHelp.
2. File>Wizards>Lettertoopenthedialogue.
3. Setupthetemplate.
4. Selecttheaddressesfortheformletter,orenterthemmanually.
ClickCreate.Writercannowcreatetheformletter.
FixedandVariableFields
Fixedfieldsarefieldswhicharefilledoutonlyonce,i.e.,whenthefieldisinsertedintothe
document.Forexample,ifwritinganinvoicebasedonaninvoicetemplate,useafixeddate.
Bydoingsowhensettinguptheinvoicedocument,thefieldpositionwillcontainthecurrent
dateandwillnotchangelateron.Thatis,thedateoftheinvoiceisdeterminedonlyonce.
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Ontheotherhand,avariabledateisupdatedeverytimethedocumentisopenedandprinted.
Amanualupdateofthefields(i.e.withtheF9key)setstheactualdateinthefieldenteredas
Variabledate.
If,forexample,wheninsertingadateasafieldinaformletter,theusermustdecideifitisto
beinsertedasafixedorasvariabledate:
Wherethedateshouldneverchange;thatis,asifthedateistypedindirectly(withouta
field),selectafixeddateformat.Theadvantagetousingafixeddatefieldmeansthatthe
formlettercanbesavedasatemplate.Usingthistemplatestoacreateanewformletter
basedonthattemplatewillhavethedatewillautomaticallyupdatedtotoday'sdate.
Byselectingavariabledate,thedatewillbeupdatedeverytimethedocumentisopened
orprinted.
Apartfromthedate,therearevariousotherfieldswhichcanalsobeusedinaformletter.The
mostimportantfieldsaretheoneswhichdeterminewherethedifferentelementsofthe
recipient'saddressaretobeplaced.Thesefieldshaveadirectconnectiontothedatabase
tablewhichcontainstheaddresslist.Afieldwillbeinsertedintheformletterforeachdata
field,suchasname,street,city,etcetera.Whenprinting,Writerinsertsthedesireddatafields
inthefieldsfromeachrecord.Inmostcases,createtheformlettertemplate.
1. File>Wizards>Lettertoopenthedialogue.
2. Setupthetemplate.
3. Selectthedatabasecontainingtheaddressesfortheformletter.
4. SetthefieldsasdirectedbytheWizard
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5. Witheachdialogue,selectthefeaturesneeded.
6. ClickCreatetoaddthisdocumenttothetemplatesandtoopenaWritersessionto
completethebody.
7. Ifthebodytextwillbeusedinthefuture,useFile>Template>Saveandoverwritethe
initialinstanceofthetemplate.
Havingdonethis,thistemplatemaybeusedforotherformletters:
1. SelectTools>MailMergeWizardtostarttheprocessofcreatingaformdocument
basedonthetemplatejustcreated.Theletterbasedonthistemplatewillbedisplayedand
alreadycontainthefieldsfortheaddress,date,sender,etcetera.
2. ChooseFromatemplateintheMailMergedialogue.
3. PressF4toopenthedatasourceforthecurrentdocument.
4. Selecttherecordsnecessaryforuseintheformletterbyclickingtherowheadersatthe
leftinthedatasourceview.PresstheShiftkeyand/ortheCtrlkeytomakea
selection.Toprintaformletterforalltherecordsinthetable,clicktheemptyfieldabove
therowheaderstoselectallrecords.
5. Edittosuitpersonalrequirements.
6. Savethedocument.
7. NowclicktheMailMergeiconontheTableDatatoolbaratthetopofthedatasource
view.TheFormLetterdialogueappears,wheretwochoicesareoffered,tosaveasfile(s)
orprint.Onecanalsochoosetoprintselectedrecords,allrecordsoraparticularrange.If
printingarange,forexample,records1to5,ensurethatthenumbersfollowtheorder
displayedinthedatasourceview.
Tosortorfilterrecordsinthedatasourceview,byclicktherespectiveiconsonthedatabase
bar.Forexample,tosortallrecordsaccordingtopostalcode,placethecursorinthePOSTAL
CODE(ZIP)fieldofanyrecordandclickSortAscending.Nowtheformletterisallreadyto
go!
Note:Ifacompletelynewdocumentcontainingthenecessaryformletterfieldsisbeingcreated,usedraganddrop
todoso:OpenthetextdocumentandpressF4toshowthedesireddatabasetable.Pointtoacolumnheaderand,
holdingdownthemousebutton,dragitintothedocument.Thefieldforinsertingthisitemfromthisdatabasetable
isautomaticallyplacedinthedocument.
CreatingandPrintingLabelsandBusinessCards
DesigningBusinessCardsviadialogue
ChooseFile>New>BusinessCardstoopenadialoguewithseveraltabsthathelpdesign
thelookofbusinesscards.Thesearegenerallyfairlysimple,whichmayormaynotbewhat
iswanted.
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DesigningLabelsandBusinessCards
UsingFile>New>Labelsfordesigningbusinesscards,asbusinesscardsmayberegarded
asasimplified,specialkindoflabel,isoftenthebestmethod.Likelabels,allbusinesscards
arethesameand,aslabels,canbefilledwithdifferentcontents,graphics,dataobtainedfrom
adatabase,ortheycanbemarkedwithserialnumbers.
1. SelectFile>New>LabelstoopentheLabelsdialogue.
2. OntheLabelstab,underFormat,definethelabelformat.
Writercontainsmanyformatsofcommerciallyavailablesheetsforlabels,badges,
businesscardsetc.Userdefinedformatscanalsobeadded.
3. OntheLabelstab,underInscription,choosewhattowriteonthelabels.
Thisofteninvolvesdatabasefields,sothatthelabelscanbeprintedwithvaryingcontent,
whensendingFor mLettersforexample.Butitisequallypossibletohavethesame
textprintedoneverylabel.
Usethepulldownliststoselectthedatabaseandtablefromwhichthedatafieldsare
obtained.Clickonthebigarrowtotransfertheselecteddatafieldintotheinscriptionarea.
PressEntertoinsertalinebreak.Enteringspacesandanyotherfixedtextisalso
possible.
UsingtheFormattab,definecustomlabelformats,notcoveredbythepredefined
formats.Tobeabletodothis,thelabeltypeontheLabelstabmustbesettoUse r
defined.OntheOptionstab,specifywhetheralllabelsoronlycertainonesaretobe
created.
4. EnableSynchronizecontentscheckboxontheOptionstab.Ifthisischecked,onlyone
(thetopleftlabel)hastobeenteredandeditedwhiletheremainderwillberepeated
identically
5. UponclickingNewDocument,asmallwindowopenswiththeSynchronizeLabels
button.Enterthefirstlabel.WhentheSynchronizeLabelsbuttonisclicked,thecurrent
individuallabeliscopiedtoalltheotherlabelsonthesheet.
6. ClickonNewDocumenttocreateanewdocumentwiththesettingsthathavebeen
entered.
7. Printthenewdocument.
PrintingLabelsWithSerialNumbers
Printinglotteryticketsorentryticketswithserialnumbersonthemisquiteeasy.Thisishow
todoit:
1. SelectFile>New>Labels.ThisopenstheLabelsdialogue.
2. OntheLabelstab,underFormat,selecttheformatinwhichtoprint.
3. Tickets,labeltagsorrollsareavailablefromspecialistsuppliersandareoftenmadefrom
stiffpaperwithtearoffperforations,orasselfadhesivelabelsonabackingmaterial.
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4. Todefineacustomformat,selecttheFormattab.
5. CheckSynchronizecontents.
6. ClickonNewDocument.
7. Anewdocumentisnowcreated,dividedupaswanted.onlythetopleftlabelneedstobe
editedand,whensatisfied,pressSynchronizelabelstomakealllabelsappearthesame.
ThisbuttonisonlyvisibleifSynchronizecontentsischeckedontheOptionstab.
8. Enterthedesiredtextinthetopleftlabelandformatthecontents.
9. Serialnumberingcanbeappliedbyinsertingafield.
10.Placethecursoratthepointwherethenumbershouldappear.
11.PressCtrl+F2orchooseInsert>Fields>Other.
a) IntheFieldsdialogue,gototheVariablestab.
b) SelectthetypeSetvariable,ifitisnotalreadymarked.
c) IntheNamebox,enteranameforthecountingvariable,forexampleNumber.
d) Toincrementthevariablefromonelabeltothenextby1,enterthefollowingformula
intheValuetextbox:Number+1.
e) ClickInsert,thenclosetheFieldsdialogue.
12.ClickSynchronizeLabels.
13.Nowsaveandprintthefinisheddocument.
PrintingAddressLabels
Whenprintingaddressstickersforformlettersthatdonotfitinwindowenvelopes,dothe
following:
1. SelectFile>New>LabelstoopentheLabelsdialogue.
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2. Selecttheformatofthelabelsheetsthatwillbeprintedfromthedropdownmenu.
RemembertocheckSynchronizecontentsontheOptionstab.
3. ClickonNewDocumenttoclosethedialogue.
4. Whenthelabeldocumentopen,invokethedatasourceviewbypressingtheF4key.
5. ClicktheTackiconattheedgeofthedatasourceviewtoavoidhavingitcoverthefirst
label.
6. Inthedatasourceview,selecttheaddressdatasourcetable.
7. DragthedatafieldsneededfortheAddressindividuallyintothetopleftlabel.For
example,clickonthecolumnheaderNAMEand,keepingthemousebuttondepressed,
dragitintothelabel.Thisinsertsafield.
8. Putthefieldsinordertocompletetheaddressinthefirstlabelattopleft.
9. Placethecursoratthelasttextposition(afterthelastfield)inthefirstlabel.
10.OpentheFieldsdialoguebypressingtheshortcutkeysCtrl+F2.
11.ChoosetheDatabasetab.
a) SelectthetypeNextrecord,
b) ClickonInsert
c) ClickClose.
12.NowsynchronizethelabelsbyclickingtheSynchronizebuttoninthesmallwindow.
13.Inthedatasourceview,selecttherecordsthatwillprintedonthelabels,byclickingon
therowheaderstotheleft.UsetheShiftorCtrlkeyintheusualwaytoselectseveral
recordsatthesametime.
14.OntheTableDatatoolbar,click
theDatainFieldsicon.
15.Nowsaveand/orprintthelabeldocument.
Afterthelastlabelonthepage,thecommandNextRecordiseffectedautomatically.Therefore,donotinsertthe
commandmanuallyafterthelastlabelonapage.
AvoidingBlankParagraphs
Sometimefieldsinaformlettercanbeemptyandablanklineisprinted.Forexample,there
isafieldnamedCOMPANYthatshouldappearintherecipientfield,butforsomerecords
thisfieldisempty.Topreventtheseemptyfieldsfrombeingincludeddothefollowing:
1. PlacethecursorinthetextdocumentbeforetheformletterfieldCOMPANY.
2. ChooseInsert>Fields>OthertoopentheFieldsdialogue.
3. OntheFunctionstabselectthetypeHiddenParagraph.
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4. IntheConditionfield,enterthefollowingtext(withoutquotationmarks):
not(Company)
NowtheCOMPANYlinewillnotbeprinted,andtherestofthelineswillbemovedupward
iftheCOMPANYdatabasefieldisempty.
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Newsletters
Inthissection,learnhowtocreateanewsletter/newspaperasatextdocument.Thisisuseful
forcreatingnewslettersforacompanyorclub,orincelebrationofaspecialevent.Currently
OpenOffice.orgdoesnothavearesidentnewslettertemplatebutthereisaniceonethat
worksavailablefromhttp://
ooextras.sourceforge.net
/andthisisoneusedinthissection.
Toinstallthetemplateafterdownloading,dothefollowing:
1. OpenthetemplateinOpenOffice.orgWriter.
2. SelectFile>Templates>Save
3. Choosewheretosavethetemplate.Defaultisprobablybestasnospecialpermissionsare
needed.
4. Namethetemplate
5. ClickOK
Voila,thereisnownewslettertemplatereadyforuse.
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CreatingaNewsletterFromaTemplate
IntheFilemenuchooseNew>TemplatesandDocuments.Locateanddoubleclicktoopen
theNewspaperTemplate.
Thedocumentcontainsseveralusefulelementsthatcouldbeofgooduseofinanewsletter.It
contains,forexample,anautomaticpagenumberingsystemandafieldwiththefixeddate.
Onecannowentertextandpositiongraphicobjects.
Modifytheexistingheadingasneededandinsertanygraphics.
Afewothertextshighlightedingrayarevariables,whichmodifiable.
Whenthedocumentiscompleted,saveandprintit.
Editthetemplate(File>Templates>Edit)foranypersonalizationandlayoutchanges.
CreatingPageStyles
Whereapagemustincludenotonlytextbutalsoseverallargergraphics,createaseparate
PageStyleforthispurpose.
1.
OpentheStylesandFormattingwindowandclickthePageStylesicon.
2. Fromthecontextmenu,selectthecommandNewtoopenthePageStylesdialogue.
3. InthetabOrganize,assignadescriptiveNamefortheStyle.
4. Next,clickthePagetabanddefinethepageformatandmargins.
5. CheckRegistertrueandchoosethereferenceParagraphStyleTextBody.
Note:Iftheregistertrueoptionisactivate,thebaselinesofallparagraphswiththeTextBodyStylewillbeexactly
alignedsothattheyareatthesamepositionineachcolumnandoneachpageinrelationtothepage.Withdouble
sideprinting,thebaselinesoftheregistertrueparagraphwillhavethesameposition.NormallyusetheParagraph
Styleusedtocreatetheactualtext.TodefineanotherParagraphStyleasregistertrue,calluptheproperties
dialogueofthatParagraphStyle.Callitup,forexample,intheStylesandFormattingwindowviathecontextmenu
ofthatparticularParagraphStyle,selecttheModifycommand.OntheIndentsandSpacingtab,inthefieldunder
Registertrue,selectActivate.
EditingHeaders
Toeditaheader,clickintheheaderfieldinthedocument.Withthecontextmenu(Page),
activatethePageStylesdialogue.SelecttheHeaderstabandclickOptions.IntheBorders/
Backgrounddialogue,chooseabackgroundcolourandclickOK,thenconfirmthefollowing
dialogueaswell.
EditingColumns
Tochangethenumberofcolumnsorcreateadividinglinebetweencolumns,activatethe
PageStylesdialogueviathePagecontextmenu.
ClickontheColumnstab.ChangethenumberofcolumnsinthespinboxAmount,and
modifythedistancebetweenthecolumnsinthespinboxSpacing.Makesurethatthe
AutomaticWidthfieldisselected.
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Tocreateadividingline,selectanarrowlinefromtheLinelistboxunderSeparator,setthe
Heightto75%,anddefinethepositionasCentered.Finally,clickOKtoclosethedialogue.
Toplaceheadingsorsubheadingsthataremorethanacolumnwideintoamulticolumntext,
tryputtingtheminatextframe.Thetextframecanthebefreelyscaledandpositionedonthe
page.InsertaframeusingtheInsertFrameiconontheInsertfloatingtoolbar.Textframes
canmayalsohaveborders,butthisisnotalwaysnecessary.
EditingParagraphStyles
1. ClicktheParagraphStylesiconintheStylesandFormattingwindowandselectthe
paragraphstyletobemodified.
2. SelecttheModifycommandfromthecontextmenu,calluptheParagraphStyles
dialogue.Inthisdialogue,thereareseveraltabswithvarioussettingsandoptions.
Experimentwithfonteffects,forexampledropcaps.Clicktherespectivetabandselect
ShowDropCaps.DropcapsmayevenbeassignedaStyleintheCharacterStyleslistbox
underContents.
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Note:Newslettersornewspapersrequireavarietyofmainheadings,subheadings,andtextwrapstomakeiteasier
toread.IntheParagraphStylesdialogueoftheStylesandFormattingwindowcontextmenu,itwouldthusbea
goodideatocreateseveralappropriateparagraphstyles(gototheStylesandFormattingwindow>contextmenu
>clickNew...).
WorkingwithFrames
Aframepositionedoveroneormorecolumnscangivethenewspaperalesscrowded,more
interestingappearance.Suchaframecancontaintext,graphics,orevenachart.
ClicktheInserticonontheToolstoolbarandfromthefloatingtoolbar,selecttheInsert
framemanuallyicon.Themousepointerchangestoasmallcrossthatisdraggedtoopena
frameandpositionitoveroneormorecolumnsinthedocument.
FormattingaFrame
Putthecursorintheframe(deselecttheframefirst,thenclickinsideit)andenteranytextor
graphics.Theappearanceandpropertiesoftheframecan,ofcourse,bemodifiedatanytime.
Selecttheframebyclickingit,callupthecontextmenuandclickFrame....Adialoguewith
severaltabswillappearwhichallows,forexample,onetoapplyacolouredshadowtothe
frameviatheBorderstab.
AnchoringFrames
IntheFramedialogue,clicktheTypetabandselectthetypeofanchorundertheheading
Anchorto.Iftheframeistoalwaysremainonthesamepagewhichisimportantfora
tableofcontents,forexample,selectPage.Fortheframetoflowwiththetext,e.g.,for
smallsymbolswhichalwaysappearinthemarginaccompanyingacertainwordinthetext,
selectToCharacter.Or,inflowingtext,theframeshouldmovewiththetextasacharacter,
selectAsCharacter.SelectParagraphtoanchoraframetoaspecificparagraph,.
Thetypeofanchorcanalsobespecifiedfromthecontextmenu.Alternatively,clickthe
ChangeAnchoriconintheObjectbartoquicklychangetheanchor.
DefiningaFrameWrap
OpentheFramedialogue(contextmenu>Frame)todefinetheframewrapandclickthe
Wraptab.Selectthedesiredwrapstyle,andunderSpacing,definethespacingbetweenthe
frameandtext.Finally,selecttheoptionFirstParagraph.
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TheFirstParagraphfield(orthemenucommandinthecontextmenu)ensuresthatwhena
graphicispositionedbetweentwoparagraphs,onlythefirstparagraphwrapsaroundthe
picture.
DefiningaWrapRegion
Note:Asonefollowsthisprocedure,ibutcannotfindaniconinatoolbartowhichthedescriptionrefers,check
theVisibleButtonsmenuforthetoolbar.
Makinganewslettermoreattractivewithobjectsorgraphicsisdoneeasilybyhavingthetext
flowaroundanobject.SimplydrawapolygonusingthePolygoniconintheDraw
Functionstoolbar.PlacethepolygonoverthetextandassignthetexttheWrap>Contour
withitscontextmenu.
Awrapcontourto3Dobjectscanalsobedefined.Createa3DobjectwithOpenOffice.org
Draw,copyittotheclipboardandpasteitintothetextdocument.Openthecontextmenuof
theinsertedobjectandchooseWrap>Contour.Inthecontextmenuofanobjectwitha
wrapcontouristheWrap>EditContourcommand.ThiscommandcallstheContour
Editorfromwhichmanuallyreeditingtheautomaticcontourispossible.Refertothe
instructionsinHelp.
LinkingFramesandFacilitatingTextFlow
Ifthetextshouldbecontinuedinthesamemannerasinanewspaper,i.e.fromaframeon
page1to,say,aframeonpage4,andwherethetextflowfromframetoframemustbe
doneautomatically,uselinkedframes.
1. Createtwo(ormore)framesbyopeningtheInsertfloatingtoolbar,clickingInsert
Frame.
2. Selectthefirstframe(clicktheborderoftheframe).
3. ClicktheLinkFrames
iconontheFrametoolbar.
4. Now,clickthesecondframe.
5. Toentertextinthelinkedframes,positionthecursorinthefirstframeandtypein
textorinsertitfromtheclipboard.
Note:Ifcertaintextfromadocumentistoflowinlinkedframes,firstputthetextcursorinthefirstframe
(firstclickthenormaltexttocanceltheframeselectionandthenclicktheframe).
6. Nowdecideifthetextshouldbeacopyintheframeorifitshouldkeepalinktothe
originaldocument(inthiscaseitwouldalwaysreturntotheactualstandofthe
originaldocument).Ifthetextisonlytobecopied,choosethecommandmenuInsert
>File.
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7. IfthetextisasectionlinkedtoanotherfilechooseInsert>Section.IntheInsert
Sectionsdialoguethatappears,clickLinkandselectthefilewantedwiththe...
button.
8. Finally,clicktheInsertbutton.
UsingcolouredorGraphicBackgrounds
Toassignacolouredbackgroundtoaparagraph,placethecursorinthatparagraphandclick
theBackgroundcolouriconintheObjectbar.Afloatingcolourpaletteappearsfromwhich
thedesiredcolourisselectedbyclickingitonce.
Note:Whenfrequentuseofabackgroundcolourforcertainparagraphsisused,itisbesttocreateaParagraph
Styleforthispurpose.
Abackgroundcanbeagraphicimageratherthanacolour.Thebackgroundgraphicimageis
assignedtoaparagrapheitherviatheParagraphStyle(inthatcase,allparagraphsbasedon
thisStylewillhavethesamegraphicbackground),oruseFormat>Paragraph....toeditit.
ClicktheBackgroundtabandinthelistboxAsselectgraphicsinordertopickoutan
appropriategraphicimage.
CreatingaTableofContents
Tablesofcontentscanbecreatedmanually;however,ifthecontentsarealtered,thetableof
contentsmustbemanuallyupdated,aswell.Itismuchmoreconvenient(andtimesaving)to
havetheprogramcreateatableofcontentsautomatically.
1. Withthetextentered,creatingatableofcontentsonthefrontpageofthenewspaperor
newslettermaybeinorder.Todoso,followthesesteps:
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a) Drawaframemanuallyonthefrontpage,
b) SelectToPageasanchor.
c) PresstheEscapekeytosetthecursorintheframe.
2. OpentheInsertIndex/Tabledialogue(chooseInsert>IndexesandTables>Indexes
andTables).
3. OntheIndex/Tabletabpage.
4. SelectTableofContentsasType,
5. Enteranappropriateheading,e.g.,Inthisissue...intheTitlefield.
EnsurethatoneofheadingParagraphStylesisassignedsothatchapternumberingmaybe
determinedfortheheadings.ThesearedeterminedbytheStylesunderTools>Outline
Numbering.ThepredefinedParagraphStylesareHeading1throughHeading 10.
Ifthetableofcontentsshouldusetheheadingsinthedocument,specifythedesiredoutline
structureusingtheEvaluateuptolevelspinbox.
Ifother,customizedParagraphStylesfortheheadingshavebeendefined,thesecanalsobe
incorporatedintothetableofcontents.Todoso,gototheInsertIndex/Tabledialogue,
clicktheIndex/tabletabandintheCreatefromarea,marktheAdditionalStylescheck
box.Clickthebuttontotherightofthecheckbox.TheAssignStylesdialoguewillappear.
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ThisiswheretheleveloftheStyleisassigned,inthetableofcontents,foreachStyleusedin
thedocument.
ChoosemoresettingsontheEntriesandStylestabpagesandClickOKtocreatethetableof
contents.
Oncethenewsletterornewspaperisfinished,saveandprintit.
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FurtherInformation
UsingAutomaticHyphenation
Whenworkingwithcolumns,itmakessensetoactivateautomatichyphenationforevery
ParagraphStyle(dosobycallingupthecontextmenuoftheStylesandFormattingwindow
andclickingModify...toaccesstheParagraphStyledialogue>clicktheTextFlowtab).
Entera3forCharactersatlineendandCharactersatlinebegintoensurethat
hyphenatedwordshaveatleastthreecharactersatthebeginningorendofaline.Fortext
alignmentincolumns,chooseJustifyontheAlignmenttab.
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LettersWithEnvelopes
WithOpenOffice.orgWriter,alettercanbewritteninnotime.Theseinstructionsshowhow
easyitis.
Therearetworeallyeasywaystogetaresult:
Usealettertemplate,
or
UsetheWizardtocreateacustomtailoredlettertemplate.
UsingaReadyMadeLetterTemplate
1. PressShift+Ctrl+NtoopentheTemplatesandDocumentsdialogue:
2. Selectatemplate.
3. Enterthedetailsrequiredforthevariouswildcards,suchasthesalutation.
4. Typeintheremainingtext.
TemplatesincludetheuserdatathatwasenteredinTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>
UserDataandwhichmaybemodifiedatanytime.
CreatingaLetterTemplateUsingtheWizard
1. StarttheWizardbyselectingFile>Wizards.
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2. ClickLetterinthesubmenutoseethefirstpageoftheWizardforLetters.
3. SelectPersonalLetter.
4. clickNexttobringupasecondpagewithadditionaloptionsappears.
5. ChoosetheoptionNoLogo.
6. clickNext.Adialoguewillappearinwhichonecanenterthesenderdetails.
7. Thesenderaddressisdisplayedatthispoint.Thus,underShowsender?selectYes.
8. ClickthesymboltoprightinthePositionandsizearea.
9. ClickNext.
Note:Iftheinputfielddoesnotcontainasender,theprogramwilllackthenecessarydetails.Inthiscase,click
Cancel,opentheUserDatatab(inTools>Options>OpenOffice.org)andenterthenecessarydata.After
that,reopentheWizardandcarryonasdescribeduptothispoint.Senderdetailsmayalsobeentereddirectly
intheinputfieldoftheWizard;however,thesedetailsarenotcurrentlyenteredinTools>Options>
OpenOffice.org>UserData,thisprocessforeverymustberepeatedwithnewtemplatecreatedwiththe
Wizard.
10.ContinuetoclickNextuntilreachingthepagewiththefooteroptions.
11.DeactivatethecheckboxFooteron
12.ClickNexttwice.
13.EnterthenameofthetemplateintheNamefield.Ifnecessary,enteranyadditional
informationintheInfofield.(Thetemplatewillbestoredinthetemplatefolderunderthe
namechosen.)
14.ClickNext.
15.Entertheprintertraysifdifferentpapertraysaretobeusedforthefirstandsubsequent
pages.Thisisespeciallypracticalwhentheonlythefirstpageistobeonletterheadpaper.
16.ThelaststepistoclickCreate.
AfterclickingtheCreatebutton,OpenOffice.orgcreatesadocumenttemplateandplacesit
inthetemplatefolder.Atthesametime,anew,unnameddocumentappearsonthescreen,
thathasbeengeneratedasacopyfromthistemplate.
Nowstartenteringtextandthensaveandprintthedocument.However,ifonewouldliketo
keeponworkingonthelayoutofthedocumenttemplateorcreateanenvelopeforit,close
thenewdocumentwithoutsavingit.
CreatinganEnvelopeTemplate
Thissectioncontainsadescriptionofhowtocreateatemplateforanenvelopeafter
completingalettertemplateplussometipsonhowtocontinuepolishingtemplatedesign.
Astheenvelopeshouldbesavedtogetherwithitstemplate,openthelettertemplate.
1. SelectFile>Templates>Edit.
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2. Locatethelettertemplatewantedandopenit.Thetemplatesarefoundinthe
OpenOffice.orgdirectoryuser/templateintheuser'shomedirectory.(Pathnamesmay
varywithdifferentreleases.)
3. GototheInsertmenu
4. SelectEnvelope.Adialogueofthesamenameappears.
5. OnthetabpagesEnvelopeandFormat,specifytheenvelopeformatandthepositionof
theaddressesofthesenderandaddresseeontheenvelope.UsethePrintertabpageto
defineappropriateprintoptions.
InsertinganEnvelopeintoaDocument
ClickontheInsertbuttonintheEnvelopedialogue.Theenvelopewillbeinsertedabovethe
firstpageoftheactivedocument.(Inthiscase,beforethefirstpageofthepersonalletter
template)
Tocontinueeditingtheenvelope(forinstance,tochangetheformatagain),openthePage
Style:Envelopedialogue(inthecontextmenuoftheenvelopeclickPage...andselectthe
Pagetab).
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AdjustingthePrinterforthePrintout
Printingenvelopesdependsverymuchonthetypeofprinterused.Someprintersrequirea
specialcassette,whileothershaveamultipurposetraythatcanfeedenvelopes.Ifindoubt,
consultthemanualfortheprinter.
SpecifyanyprintoptionsinthePageStyle:Envelopedialogue.Toopenthisdialogue,click
anemptyspotontheenvelope,openthecontextmenu,andselectPage....Thenselectthe
Pagetab.DefinethedesiredsettingsunderPaperFormat.
CheckFile>Print...>Propertiestoensurethattheprinterknowsthesizeoftheenvelope
beingused.Whenthisstepisskipped,printingofanenvelopebecomesunpredictable.
CreatingandPrintingaLetterWithanEnvelope
Withthecreationofacustomizedtemplateforpersonalletters,writeandprintaletter.
1. SelectFile>New>TemplatesandDocuments.
2. Inthedialogueselectthetemplate.
3. ClickOK.OpenOffice.orgcreatesadocumentbasedonthetemplatewithoutchangingthe
templateitselfnomatterofthemodificationstothedocument.
4. Enterthetextoftheletterinthedocument.
5. Checkiftheaddresseeinformationontheenvelopeiscorrect.
6. Ifthisdocumentistobeprintedoreditedlateron,saveitandenteraname.
7. Placeanenvelopeintheprinter.
8. SelectthecommandFile>Printandprintpage1,whichistheenvelope.
9. Placenormalletterpaperintheprinter,selectthecommandFile>Printagain.
10.Printthesecondpage.Iftheletterhasmorethanonepageoftext,specifywhichpagesto
printunderPages.
CreatinganSingleEnvelope
1. OpenOpenOffice.orgWriter
2. InsertEnvelope
3. OntheEnvelopetab,entertheaddressinfo.
4. OntheFormattab,setSize>FormattoDL.Adjustlayouttosuit.
5. OnthePrintertab,Selectthelayoutthatreflectshowtofeed.
6. Onthesametab,clickonSetup.Thisopensanewdialogue.
7. OntheSetupdialogue,selecttheprinterandclickProperties.
8. OnthePropertiesdialogue,selecttheenvelopesizeinthePapersizedropdownlist.
Inthiscase,EnvelopeDL.
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9. Samedialogue,selectOrientation.Thisdependsonhowtheenvelopefeeds(seestep
5)Inanycase,landscapemeansthatthetextisrotated90degreessothatitisparallel
tothelongaxisoftheenvelopeandviceversaforportrait.
10. Ifthereisamanualfeedtray,selectthisunderDevice.
11. ClickOK
12. ClickOK
13. SelectNewDocifoneonlywantstheenvelopeorinserttoaddittotheexisting
document.
14. Inthenewwindow,checkthatallisokayandclicktheprinticon.Creatingan
EnvelopeTemplate
AddingaPOSTNETBarCodetoanEnvelope
GetaPOSTNETfont
FirstthingtodoisgetasuitablePOSTNETfont.Donotbedupedbythesharewarenotionof
'free',whichmustbeinterpretedas'freedownload'ofademoorcrippledversionofa
commercialproductforwhichusersmustpaytousebut,thankstothethetenacityofRoss
Johnson,thereisoneavailablethatworks.Pleasesee
http://www.adams1.com/pub/russadam/fonts.htmlandinthePOSTNETgroupselect
http://www.adams1.com/pub/russadam/shareware/uspsbarcode.ttf.ThisislistedasA
POSTNETTTFauthorunknownandwhichisunconditionallyfree.
OnWindows,simplyinstallthisfontsetbyfollowingtheinstructionsforinstallingfontsthat
comewithWindows.ThisTrueTypefontcanalsobesuccessfullyinstalledinto
OpenOffice.orgonLinuxinasimilarmannerusingstandardutilities.Onceyou'vedonethat,
shutdownallOpenOffice.orgwindowsandrestartthem,thefontwillbelistedinthefontlist.
Now,onecantypesomenumbers,selectthem,thenchangethefontand,Voila!,POSTNET
barcodethatisalmostcorrect.Inotherwords,thisbarcodeisincompleteandwillbe
unacceptableifprintedontheenvelopeasitis.
Note:Disablethedefaultfontpreviewmodesothatonecanseethefontnamelisted.Failuretodosowillcause
thisfontsettoappearasablankentryinthelist.
a)InOpenOffice.org2x,UseTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>View>FontListsanduncheck
Showpreviewoffonts.
b)InOpenOffice.org1.1.x,UseTools>Options>General>View>FontListsanduncheckShow
previewoffonts.
BuildingaCompletePOSTNETBarCodeforPrinting
Whilenumberscanberepresentedbythebarcode,acorrectPOSTNETbarcodeformost
postalservicesrequiresadditionalinformation.
Thefirstpieceofadditionalinformationisacheckdigit,whichiscalculatedfromthepostal
codeasfollows:
1. StartwiththePostalcode,say'12345',andsumthedigits:
1+2+3+4+5 = 15
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2. Calculatethenumberthatisneededtoaddtothisnumbertomakethelastdigitofthe
sumazero(0).Thatis,15 + ? = ?0Theanswerinthiscaseis:'5'.
e.g..15 + 5 = 20
3. Addthisnumbertothepostalcodeasthelastdigit.Inthisexample,thePOSTNET
sequenceisnow:123455
4. Finally,wrapthedigitsequenceinsquarebrackets.ThefinaltextforthePOSTNET
barcodeshouldnowbe[123455]
WhenoneformatsthistextusingthePOSTNETbarcodefont,aPOSTNETbarcode.For
example,enter[123455]intoWriter,selectthewhole[123455]textandchangethefont
tothePOSTNETbarcodefontthathasbeeninstalled.
Note:Calculatingthissequence,andputtingitonanenvelopeeasilymayproveproblematic.Perhapsotherscan
helpoutwithautomatingtheprocess;however,byusingadatabaseorspreadsheettostoreanaddresslist,then
onecouldsimplyaddaPOSTNETsequencecolumnwiththepostalcodeprecomputedinPOSTNETformator
perhapsasformatthebarcodeaspartofadatabasequery.UsingOpenOffice.orgmacrosisyetanotherwayto
obtainresults.
Withrespecttousing9digitpostalcodes,wherethereisa5digitzipplus4digitsuffix,the
rulesarethesame.Addall9digits,findthecheckdigit(sum + check = ?0),append
thatdigittomake10digitsand,finallywrapthesequenceinsquarebrackets.e.g.
[1234567895]
Thereisapparentlyanothertwodigitcodethatcanbeaddedifitiswanted,andthesamerule
appliesforthe11digitversiontomakea12digitcodewrappedin[].
Allthreeformsarevalid.
AddingMoreLanguagestoOpenOffice.org
SettingTextLanguage
Onecanchangethelanguageoftheuserinterfaceandinvokeawizardtoinstallmore
dictionaries.Helpofferssomeinstructions:
1. OpentheOnlineHelpusingtheF1keyorfromHelp>OpenOffice.orgHelpmenu.
2. SelecttheIndextabpage.
3. EnterlanguagesintheSearch termbox
4. Readthehelppage.
Note:Thelanguageforspellcheck,hyphenation,andthesaurusisanattributeforawholedocumentorfora
selectionofwords.
1. ChooseTools>Options>LanguageSettings>WritingAidsforalistofavailable
languagemodules.
2. ClickthetopEditbuttontoseewhichdictionariesareinstalledforthecurrent
language.Usethedropdownlistboxtoseewhichlanguagesareinstalled.
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3. Ifthelistboxdoesn'tlistthelanguagethatyouwant,see"AddingMoreText
Languages".
AddingMoreTextLanguages
1. ChooseFile>Wizards>InstallnewdictionariestoopenaWriterdocumentthat
helpsuserstoinstalladditionallanguages.
2. Thedocumentcontainspagesinmanydifferentlanguages.Clickyourownlanguage
onthefirstpagetoseethefollowinginstructionsinyourownlanguageasshown
below:\
3. Clickthebigbuttoninthemiddleofthedocumentpage.Thisstartsamacroto
displaymoreinfoanddownloadthedictionaryfiles(seeimage).
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4. Choosewhethertoinstallthenewfilesforthecurrentuseronlyorforallusers
dependingpermissions.
5. ClickNext.
6. ClickRetrieve the listbutton.Alistofavailabledictionariesinvarious
languageswillbedisplayedaftersomeshortdelay.
7. SelectthedictionariesinthelanguagesneededforSpellingbyusingCtrl-Right
Clickifmorethanonearerequired.
8. clickNext.
9. ClickRetrieve the listandselecttheHyphenationdictionariesforthe
neededlanguagesusingthemethodinstep7.
10.ClickNexttoproceedtoselectingThesaurusestoaccompanypreviouslyselected
dictionariesandhyphenationdictionaries.
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ChooseToolsOptionsLanguageSettingsLanguages.
SelectanotherUIlanguageinthe"Userinterface"listbox.
ClickOKandrestarttheOpenOffice.orgsoftware.
Ifthelistboxdoesn'tlistthelanguagethatwanted,seeAddingMultipleLanguage
SupportusingLanguagePacks.
AddingMultipleLanguageSupportusingLanguagePacks
UsinglanguagespacksisanotherwaytohaveOpenOffice.orginmulitplelanguages,
completewiththeuserinterfaceinthatlanguage.
1. OpenyourWebbrowserandchecktheNLCwebsitethatsupportsthelanguage
needed.Ifyoucannotfindonethere,thenenter
http://OpenOffice.org
translation.services.openoffice.org/pub/OpenOffice.org/
intthe
browser.
2. SelectanddownloadthecorrectlanguagepackfortheversionofOpenOffice.org.
3. CloseOpenOffice.organdtheQuickstarter,ifitisenabled).
4. Installthelanguagepack.
a) WithWindows,doubleclicktheexefile.
b) UnderanyUNIX,usetarcommandorarchivetoolofchoice,toopenthe
.tar.gzfilethatwasdownloadedinpreparationforinstallation.
c) Inmostcases,usetheproceduresdescribedintheSetupGuide(invarious
languages)forcompletinginstallationaccordingtostandardpracticeforthe
targetplatform/OS.
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Chapter4:SpreadsheetsinCalc
Chapter4:SpreadsheetsinCalc
CalcisthepowerfulspreadsheetprogramoftheOpenOffice.orgprogram.Itprovidesthe
functionsnecessaryforprofessionalusewithfinancialandstatisticalfunctionsaswellas
databasefunctionsandmuchmore.
OverviewoftheFunctionsinCalc
ThissectioncontainsashortoverviewofsomeimportantfunctionsandcapabilitiesofCalc.
Calculating
Calcworksprimarilyasaspreadsheetprogram.i.e.itprovidesaspreadsheetcontainingcells
intowhichtext,digitsandformulaecanbeenteredand,fromthese,calculatesimpleand
complexresults.Calc,liketheothercomponentsofOpenOffice.org,hasnumerousautomatic
functionstoeaseusage.
WhileCalcprovidesallthebasiccalculationtypes,italsohasnumerouscalculationmethods
thatcanbeenteredinteractivelyviatheWizard:Functions.Inaddition,itallows
enteringtextandflexiblyarrangingcells,soformscanbecomfortablystyled,filledin,
calculatedandprinted.
DatabaseFunctions
Datathatcanbesummarizedintorecords,suchasaddresses,inventorylevels,customer
ordersorsimilar,canalsobemanagedbyCalc.Eveniftherearenocalculations,Calccan
quicklysortadatabaserangeandsearchthedataforspecificcharacteristics,suchas
maximumorminimumvalues.
Inaddition,asheetinCalccanserveasadatasourceforcreatingformlettersandreports
withOpenOffice.orgWriter.
ArrangingData
Datacanbeorganizedineasytoreadlists.Withjustafewmouseclicks,theviewcanbe
reorganizedtoshoworhidecertaindataranges,formatrangesaccordingtospecial
conditions,orcalculatesubtotalsandtotals.
ExaminingandExtrapolatingData
ThedatainCalctablescanbeexaminedindetailinmanydifferentways.Calcisusefulfor
creatingtermpapersbecauseitsupportsmanystatisticalfunctionssuchasregression
analysis.Andfordailycalculationsatwork,theintegratedfinancialfunctionsarehelpful,
becausetheycanbeusedtoprintdetailedtablesofcurrentcreditsandloansandotherdata.
WhatIfCalculations
Resultsofchangesmadetoonefactorofcalculationscomposedofseveralfactorscanbe
viewsimmediately.Forexample,seehowchangingtheperiodinaloancalculationaffects
theinterestratesorrepaymentamounts.Furthermore,largertablesaremademanageableby
usingdifferentpredefinedscenarios.
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DynamicCharts
Calchasachartingfunctionthatcandisplayspreadsheetdatagraphicallybyselectingthe
datatobedisplayedandclickingtheInsertCharticon.Dragopenaframeattherequired
position,definespecificchartsettingsinthedialoguethatappears.Thechartisinsertedatthe
selectedpositionand,whenthesourcedataismodified,isbedynamicallyupdated.
ImportingandExportingData
Datafromotherspreadsheetsprogramscanbeimported,editedinCalcand,outputin
differentexportformats.
UsersarepresentedwithadialoguesimilartothefollowingwhentheyselectTextCSVas
thefiletypewhentheinputfileusesacharactertoseparatethefields(tabinthisexample):
ImportingintoCalc
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Wheretheinputfileisinfixedwidthfields,checktheFixedwidthboxandsetthe
columnwidthsinthemeasurementbarasshownbelow:
ExportingfromCalc
Usually,onewouldsimplyusetheSaveasdialogue.Otherexportoptions,suchasPDFare
alsoavailableinthesamemannerasforWriterortheotherOpenOffice.orgmodules.\
ReferencingDatainNetworksandtheInternet
Ratherthanbeingrestrictedtohavingonlyafixedvalueorformulathatreferstoothercells
inthesheet,eachCalccellcanalsocontainareferencetocontentsinotherdocuments.The
documentsreferredtodonothavetoexistonthelocalcomputer,theycanalsobestoredona
networkoranywhereintheInternet.
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TheCalcWindow
StructureofaSpreadsheet
Aspreadsheetismadeupofindividualsheets.Eachsheetcontainsvariouscells,arrangedin
rowsandcolumns.Eachcellcancontaineitheranarithmeticformula,textorvalue(of
virtuallyanylength).
Acalculationcanbeentereddirectlyasamathematicalformula.Forexample.,=4+5.
Butthemainreasonforusingaspreadsheetisthatitsformulaecanrefertoothercells.An
exampleofsuchamathematicalformulamightbe=SUM(A1:A8).Thiscalculatesthesum
ofthevaluesincellsA1throughA8andenterstheresultinthecellcontainingtheformula.
AdditionalformulaemayalsobeenteredincellsA1throughA8,eachreferringtoothercells
andtheircontents,andsoon.Asonecansee,thisallowscalculationofextremelycomplex
relationships.
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AnewspreadsheetsisopenedwiththecommandFile>New>Spreadsheet.Initiallyitis
namedUntitled1andremainswiththatnameuntilsavedunderadifferentname.Look
atthenew,stillemptydocumentfortheseveraltypicalelements,thatarediscussedinthe
followingsections.
RowsandColumns
Onaspreadsheet,rowsarenumberedfrom1to32000andthecolumnsaredesignatedwith
thelettersAthroughZ,AAthroughAZ,andsoon;thelastcolumnislabelledwiththeletters
IV.Eachcellonthesheetcanbeuniquelyreferencedbyrowandcolumn.Forexample,cell
A1isthefirstcellintheupperleftcornerofthesheet.
Thesenumbersandlettersappearalongtheedgeofthewindow.Therowheadercontainsthe
rownumbers,andthecolumnheadernamesthecolumns.Clickingononeoftheseareas,
selectstheentireroworcolumn.Toselecttheentiresheet,clickontheunlabelledbuttonat
theintersectionoftherowandcolumnheadersatthetopleft.
EntersometextincellA1.Astextistyped,noticethatthetextappearsbothinthecellandin
theinputlineoftheformulabar.Continuetypingtoseethatmoretextcanbeaddedthan
appearstofitinthecell.
Infact,anycellcanaccommodatetextlongerthanacell.Thewholelengthofthetextis
displayedandprinted,providedtheadjacentcellstotherightareempty.Ifthecelltothe
rightisnotempty,asmalltriangleontherighthandedgeofthefirstcellappears,indicating
thatthecellcontainsmoretextthancanbedisplayed.
Note:TurnoffthesetrianglesbychoosingTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc>ViewanduncheckingtheText
overflowbox.
Whenanumbercannotbedisplayedinacellbecauseitistoolong,orduetotheformatting,
e.g.,currencyformat,###isdisplayed.Inthiscase,increasethecolumnwidth.Setthe
widthtooptimalbysimplydoubleclickingtherightdividerinthecolumnheader.
Usealltheusualfunctionstoedittext.Notice,however,thattherightandleftarrowkeyswill
replacethecellcursorifEntrymode(byclickinginacellandenteringcharacters)is
enabled.DoubleclickingorpressingtheF2keyorclickingintheentryrow,enterstheEdit
mode.Theleftandrightarrowkeysnowreplacethetextcursor.UponpressingtheEnter
key,thetextincellA1isfinishedandthecursorautomaticallymovestocellA2.Theactive
cellisalwaystheonewiththecellcursorandthatiswhereentriesandchangesaremade.
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MultipleSheetsinaDocument
Attheloweredgeofthespreadsheetdocumenttherearetabsforswitchingamongthe
varioussheetsofadocument.Anew,emptyspreadsheetinitiallycontainsthreesheets,each
titledSheetXwhereXstandsforthenumbers1through3).
InsertingSheets
1. Usingthemouse,putthepointerinoneofthesheettabsatthebottomofthewindow.
2. RightclicktoopentheContextmenuforthecommandsgoverningeditingsheets.
3. ChoosingtheInsertcommand,openstheInsertsheetdialogue.
4. Selectthepositionandquantityofsheetstobeinserted
5. ClickOK.
RenamingSheets
1. Rightclickthetabofthesheetforrenaming,e.g.Sheet1.
2. OpenthecontextmenuandchoosetheRenamecommand.
3. Adialogueboxappearsinwhichtoenteranewname.
4. Enteranewnameforthesheet
5. clickOK.
6. AlternativelyholddowntheAltkeyandclickonanysheetnameandenterthenewname
directly.Asanalternative,thisfeaturemayornotworkwiththeinstalledwindow
manager.
Note:Thenameofasheetmayconsistonlyoflettersandnumbers.Spacesarealsopermitted.
Thenameofasheetisindependentofthenameofthespreadsheet.Enterthespreadsheet
namewhensavingitforthefirsttimeasafile.Thedocumentcancontainupto256
individualsheets,eachofwhich,canhavedifferentnames.
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ValuesandFormulaeasCellContents
Individualcellscancontaintext,numbers,datesorformulae.Cellcontentsareveryeasily
specifiedormodifiedandthesemaybeupdatedatanytimebyrecalculatingtheformulae
withcurrentdata.
Valuesinspreadsheetsmeannumbers,dates,timesandresultsofformulae.Emphasize
valuesbymarkingValueHighlightingintheViewmenu.
Ifdesired,checkthisoptioninTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc>View,inwhich
casethisfunctionwillapplypermanentlyforthecurrentdocumentandalldocumentscreated
inthefuture(other,alreadyexistingdocumentsretaintheirsettings).Ifthisfunctionis
enabled,numbersanddatesareautomaticallyshowninblue,andvaluesincellscontaining
formulaeinlightgreen.Textremainsinblack.IfValueHighlightingisnotmarked,usersare
freetochoosethecoloursandotherformattingofthecontentoftheirspreadsheets.
Textcanbeenteredinacellevenifitappearstobetoolongforthecell.Nowtryenteringa
verylongwholenumber.Ifthenumberistoolongtofitinthecell,theoverflowindicator
###.Bydoubleclickingtherighthandedgeoftheheadingofthiscolumn,thecolumnis
automaticallysettotheoptimalwidth.
Theboxatthebottomrightinthestatusbaralwaysdisplayshelpfulinformation.Ina
spreadsheet,thisboxcanbeusedtopermanentlydisplaythesumofallselectedcells.Other
valuesmayalsobedisplayed,suchasthemaximumvalueofallselectedcells.Usethe
contextmenutochangethevaluedisplayedinthisfield.Incaseofanerrorinthe
spreadsheet,thisfieldwillalsodisplayanerrormessage.
CalculatinginSpreadsheets
Thefollowingdemonstratesasimplepercentagecalculationthatcanbedoneina
spreadsheet:
1. PositionthecursorincellA3.
2. Enterthenumber150and
3. presstheEnterkey.ThecursorthenmovesdowntocellA4.
4. Enterthenumber16 incellA4.
5. PresstheTabkeythistimeratherthantheEnterkeyandthecursormovestotheright
tocellB4.
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6. EnterthefollowingincellB4:
=A3*A4/100
Wheninputisstartedwithanequalssign,thisindicatesthataformulaisbeingentered
andtheformulawillbeseenintheinputlineoftheformulabar.
7. PressEntertofinishtheformula.
8. Theresultofthecalculationis(16percentof150)incellB4.
9. ClickoncellA3,enter200.
10.PresstheEnterkey,atwhichtime,thecalculationresultisautomaticallyadjusted.
11.ClickoncellB4.
12.ClickattheendoftheformulaintheinputlineoftheFormulabar.
13.Theblinkingtextcursorindicatesanewentrycanbemade.
14.Add+A3(withoutthequotationmarks)totheformula.
15.PresstheEnterkey.
16.ThenewlycalculatedvalueoftheformulaappearsincellB4:theprevious16 percentof
A3plusthecontentsofA3.
Thesestepsintroducethemostimportantstepsinworkingwithspreadsheets:creatingand
enteringformulae,enteringdata(textandnumbers),obtainingresults,modifyingsourcedata
orformulae,andhowtoviewresultsofnewdataorformulae.
Besidesthefourbasicarithmeticoperations,thereareotheroperators,nestedbrackets
andmanyotherfunctions.TheWizard:Functionsbuttonisausefulaidwhen
inputtingfunctions.
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UsingBuiltinFunctions
Calchasmanybuiltinfunctions,oneofwhichconvertEurostoanothercurrency,suchasthe
USdollar.Thefollowingprovidesanexampleofusingfunctionstoachieveagoal.
Note:AlistoffunctionsisavailablefromHelp>Contents>Index>Searchterm>functionlist;Calc.
1. Enteraformula(e.g.=4+5or=A3*A4/100)inacell.
2. PresstheEnterkey.
3. Theresultofthecalculationappearsinthecell.
However,functionscanalsobeenteredinaformula.Anexamplecouldbe=SIN(1),which
willgivearesultofsineofone(roundedtotwodecimalplaces).
1. Calchasseveralotherfunctions,too,andadditionalfunctionscanbeaddedusing
StarBasicorAddIns.Helphasasectionoutlininghowtodothis.Inmostcases
though,thestandardfunctionsprovidedintheprogramaresufficientformost
requirements.ThefunctionwiththeSyntaxCONVERT(arguments)isshownhereas
anexamplethatwillconvertasumof100GermanMarksintoEurosbyenteringthe
followingformulainacell:
=CONVERT( 100;"DEM";"EUR")
TheresultwillbethenumberofEurosper100GermanMarks.Thevalueforconversionis
alwaysstatedfirstwithintheparentheses.Itcanbeentereddirectly,asshown,orby
reference.Iftheamountis,forexample,incellD2,enterD2intheformulaasthefirstpartof
thefunction.Theremainingparametersofthefunctionnametheunitoftheamountandthe
unitintowhichitistobeconverted.Allthreepartsofthefunctionareseparatedfromeach
otherbysemicolons.
Thus,usingtheformula=CONVERT(50;"EUR";"DEM"),displaysthenumberofGermanMark
thatistheequivalentof50Euros.Totrythis,proceedasfollows:
Inannewspreadsheet,enterincolumnD,fromD2toD20anumberofUSDsums
1. DesignatecolumnEfromE2toE20asthecellsinwhichthesamesumsinEurosmust
appear.
2. ClickincellE2.
3. Enter=CONVERT(
4. ClickincellD2.D2isnowdefinedasthefirstpartofthefunction.Thecursorremainsat
D2intheformula.
5. Enter"DEM";"EUR".i.e.enterthetextwithbothsemicolonsandthequotationmarks.
6. PresstheEnterkey.
7. Thiscompletestheentireformulawhichnowreads
=CONVERT(D2;"DEM";"EUR").
8. CellE2willcontaintheresultofthecalculation.
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9. ClickcellE2,thenthesmallfilledsquareinthebottomrighthandcornerofcellE2and,
pressingtheleftmousebutton,dragdowntocellE20.
10.Releasethemousebuttonthere.
11.TheformulaisnowcopiedfromE2toE20.Andallreferenceshavebeenautomatically
adaptedsothattheyalwaysrefertotheneighbouringcellontheleft.
AShortDescriptionofWhatCellsCanContain
Thepreviousexamplesshowthatcellscanaccommodatedifferentelements.Theseare
describedbelow.
Text
Textinacellcanbeformattedandeditedwithmostofthefunctionsavailableinatext
document.Forexample,toselectaword,doubleclickthewordeitherintheinputlineorina
cell.Ifadifferentfontorotherattributefromthetextobjectbarisneeded,themodifications
applyonlytotheselectedword.
PressingtheCtrl+Enterkeysinsertsamanuallinebreak.Thisshortcutonlyworks
directlyinthecell,notintheinputline.
Whentextmustbreakautomaticallyattherightborderofthecell,proceedasfollows:
1. Selectallcellsinwhichthetextshouldbreakattherightborder:
2. InFormat>Cell>Alignment
3. ChecktheLinebreakfield
4. ClickOK.
Calculationsarepossibleevenintext.Forexample,entertextincellA1andmoretextinA2.
IncellA3,inserttheformula=CONCATENATE(A1;A2)whichwillconcatenatethetwo
texts,inotherwords,tostringthemtogether.
NumbersmayalsobeenteredintheTextformat.FormatthedesiredcellsasText(openthe
contextmenuofthecell,byrightclicking,andchooseFormatCells>Category>
Numbers>Text),andenternumbersinthecells.Thesewillbeinterpretedastext.The
displayofthesenumbersisleftjustifiedjustlikenormaltext;however,calculationswith
numbersintextformatarenotpossible.
Ifnormalnumbershavefirstbeenenteredincellsandtheformatofthecellshasbeenlater
changedtoText,thesenumbersremainnormalnumbersandwillnotbeconverted.Only
numbersenteredlaterornumberswhicharetheneditedbecometextnumbers.
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Toenteranumberdirectlyastext,enteranapostrophe(')first,forexampleforyearsin
columnheadings' 1999,'2000and'20 01.Theapostrophewillbenotvisibleinthecell,
asitonlysignalsthattheentryistext.Thiscanbeusefulwhenenteringnumbers,suchasa
telephonenumberorZIPcode,thatbeginswithazero(0)sinceazero(0)atthestartofa
sequenceofdigitsisremovedinnormalnumberformats.
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Numbers
Whilenumbersaredisplayedinvariousways,internallythesealwaysremainnumeric.For
example,'1'and'1. 0 'arethesame.
Enterthenumber12345.6789,forexample,andthenumberwillappearinthesheetwith
onlytwodecimalplaces,i.e.12345.68.Nonetheless,theexactnumberwithallfourdecimal
placesiskeptbytheprogram.
Fractionalnumberscanalsobeenteredinacellandusedforcalculation:
1. Enter01/5inacell.
2. PresstheEnterkeyand,intheinputline,willbethevalue0.2.Thiswillbeusedforthe
calculationprovidingthatthecellformatisnumber.Calcdoesrecognizefractionsand
willautomaticallyuse1/5anddisplaythis.
However,if01/2isentered,AutoCorrectreplacesthethreecharacters1, /and2witha
singlecharacter.Likewisewith1/4and3/4.ThisreplacementisdefinedintheTools>
AutoCorrect>Replacetab.
Ifmultidigitfractionssuchas1/ 10areneeded,changethecellformattothefractionview(
ContextmenuoftheCell,chooseFormatcells).Fractionssuchas12/ 31or12/32maybe
entered;however,thefractionsareautomaticallyscaleddownsothat,inthelastexample,
3/8isdisplayed.
SelectotherdisplayoptionsbychoosingFormat>Cells.Allthedefinedformatsarelistson
theNumberstab.Apreviewshowshowtheresultwilllook.Inthisdialogue,definepersonal
formats,thatcanthenbeappliedtonumbersorothercontentofaspreadsheets.
Therearevariouswaystoenterintegersstartingwithazero:
Enterthenumberastext.Theeasiestwayistoenterthenumberstartingwithan
apostrophe(forexample,'09 87).Theapostrophewillnotbeenteredinthecellandthe
numberwillbeformattedastext.Becauseitisintextformat,nocalculationsarepossible.
Formatacellwithanumberformatsuchas\0000.Thisformatcanbeassignedinthe
FormatcodeboxunderFormat>Cells...>Numberstabanddefinesthecelldisplayas
alwaysputazerofirstandthentheinteger,havingatleastthreeplaces,andfilledwith
zerosattheleftiflessthanthreedigits.
Entirecolumns,(withnumbersintextformati.e.intheformof00 0123)canbeturnedinto
realnumbersagain(withoutzerosinfrontofthem,i.e.intheformof123)asfollows:
1. Selectthecolumninwhichthedigitsarefoundintextformat.Setthecellformatinthat
columnasNumber.
2. CallupEdit>Find&Replace
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3. IntheSearchforbox,enter^[09]
4. IntheReplacewithboxenter:&
5. CheckRegularexpressions
6. CheckCurrentselectiononly
7. ClickReplaceAll
CellsintheCurrencyFormat
InCalcnumberscanhaveanycurrencyformat.ClickingtheCurrencyiconin
theobjectlistformatsthenumberandthecellisgiventhedefaultcurrency
formatassetinOpenOffice.orgunderTools>OptionsLanguageSettings
>Languages.
Withoutcurrencyformats,theinternationalexchangeofCalcdocumentscouldleadto
misunderstandings.Forexample,anCalcdocumentisloadedbyauserwhousesadifferent
defaultcurrencyformat.
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InCalc,userscandefineanumber,formattedas1,2 34.50,toremaininEurosin
anothercountryanddoesnotchangedtothelocalcurrency.UsetheCellAttributesdialogue
toinfluencethecurrencyformat(ChooseFormat>Cells>Numberstab)bytwocountry
settings.IntheLanguagelistboxselectthebasicsettingforcurrencysymbol,decimaland
thousandsseparators.IntheFormatlistboxselectanydeviationsfromthecurrencysymbol
oftheformatdefinedbythelanguage.
If,forexample,thelanguageissettoDefaultandthelocaleissetasGerman,the
currencyformatwillbe1. 2 34,00and,perthelocaledefinition,apointisused
beforethethousanddigitsandacommabeforethedecimalplaces.Nowselectthe
subordinatecurrencyformat$English(US)fromintheFormatlistbox,togetthe
followingformat:$1. 2 34,00.Notethattheseparatorsremainthesameandthatonly
thecurrencysymbolischangedandconverted.TheunderlyingFormatofthenotation
remainsthesameasitissetinthelocalesetting.
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CalculatingWithformulae
Allformulaebeginwithanequalssign.formulaemaycontainnumbersortext,andother
dataisalsopossiblesuchasformatdetails,thatspecifyhowthenumbersaretobeformatted.
Naturallytheformulaewillalsocontainarithmeticoperators,logicoperatorsorfunction
starts.
Whenusingthebasicarithmeticsigns(+,,*,/)informulae,rememberthatusingtheMultiplicationand
DivisionbeforeAdditionandSubtractionrule.Insteadofwriting=SUM(A1:B1)it'sbettertowrite=A1+B1.
Parenthesesarealsousefulforgrouping.Forexample,theresultoftheformula=1+2*3meanssomethingdifferent
than=(1+2)*3.
HerearesometypicalCalcformulae:
=A1+ 10
DisplaysthecontentsofcellA1plus10 .
=A1* 16%
Displays16% ofthecontentsofA1.
=A1*A2
DisplaystheresultofthemultiplicationofA1andA2.
=ROUND(A1;1)
RoundsthecontentsincellA1toonedecimalplace.
=EFFECTIVE(5%;12)
Calculatestheeffectiveinterestat5%annuallywith12
payments.
Itisalsopossibletonestfunctionsinformulae,asshownintheexample.Functionsmayalso
benestedwithinfunctions.Forexample,insteadofsimply=ROUND(A1;1),calculateand
roundasinefunctionusing=ROUND(SIN(A1);2).UsetheFunctionWizardtohelpform
nestedfunctions.
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CalculatingWithDatesandTimes
Inspreadsheetsuserscandomorethanjustdisplaydatesandtimes(bothtakenfromthe
internalclockofthecomputer).Calculationscanalsobemadewithdatesandtimes.For
instance,tofindoutexactlyone'sageinsecondsorhours,followthesesteps:
1. Openanewspreadsheet.
2. EnteradateincellA1.e.g.abirthday,suchas.,1/3/48.
3. EnterthefollowingformulaincellA3:=NOW()A1
4. PressEnterorclicktheAccepticonontheformulabar(
dateformat.
).Theresultappearsin
5. Rightclickthiscell(i.e.bringupitscontextmenu)sincetheexerciseistoseethe
differencebetweentwodatesasanumberofdays,theformatofcellA3shouldbesetasa
number.
6. SelectFormatCells....
7. TheCellAttributesdialogueappears.
1. OntheNumberstab,theNumbercategorywillappearhighlighted.Theformatisset
toGeneralwhichcauses,amongotherthings,theresultofcalculationscontaining
dateentriestoalsobedisplayedasadate.
2. Setthenumberformatto1,2 34,forexample.
3. PressOKtoclosethedialogue.
8. CellA3willnowcontainthenumberofdaysbetweentoday'sdateandthespecifieddate.
9. Experimentwithsomeadditionalformulae:
1. inA4enter=A3* 24tocalculatethehours.
2. inA5enter=A4*60fortheminutes.
3. inA6enter=A5*60forseconds.
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4. PresstheEnterkeyaftereachformula.
Thetimesincethebirthdaywillbecalculatedanddisplayedinthevariousunits.Thevalues
arecalculatedasoftheexactmomentwhenthelastformulawasenteredandconfirmedby
pressingtheEnterkey.Thisvalueisnotautomaticallyupdated,althoughNOWcontinuously
changes,ofcourse.IntheToolsmenu,themenuitemCellContents>AutoCalculateis
normallyactive;however,automaticcalculationdoesnotapplytothefunctionNOW.Consider
that,ifitwere,thecomputerwoulduseallitsresourcesupdatingthesheet.
Whenspreadsheetscontainaverylargeamountofdataorverycomplicatedformulaethat
maybemodifiedbeforeviewingthecalculationresults,itmaybeprudenttocancelor
disabletheautomaticcalculationfunction.Calculationtimenaturallybecomeslongerasthe
complexityandsizeofaspreadsheetincreases.
InsertingandEditingNotes
AnotemaybeassignedtoeachcellbychoosingInsert>Note.Allnotesareindicatedbya
smallredsquare,thenoteindicator,inthecell.Notesmadevisiblewheneverthemouse
pointerisoverthecell,providedHelp>TipsorExtendedTipsisactive.
Foraselectedcell,chooseShowNotefromthecontextmenuofthecell.Doingsokeeps
thenotevisibleuntiltheShowNotecommandisdeactivatedfromthecontextmenu.
Toeditapermanentlyvisiblenote,justclickinit.Whentheentiretextofthenoteis
deleted,thenthenoteitselfisdeleted.
AnotherwaytodeleteanoteisbychoosingEdit>DeleteContents,orcallingthesame
dialoguewiththeDeletekey.
SelectTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalcViewtoshoworhidethenoteindicator
bycheckingoruncheckingtheNoteindicatorbox.
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HandlingMultipleSheets
Spreadsheetarenotlimitedtojustonesheet.Infact,severalsheetslaidontopofeachother.
Eachsheethasitsownuniquenamedisplayedonthesheettabatthebottomofthewindow.
Additionalsheetscanbeappendedtoadocumentorinsertedinfrontofthecurrentsheet.
Activatethecontextmenuofasheettabandchoosethecorrespondingcommand.Choose
Renameinthecontextmenutomodifythenameofasheet.
DisplayingMultipleSheets
Usethesenavigationbuttonstodisplaythesheettabsofalltheavailable
sheets.Clickthebuttononthefarrightofthisgrouptomovetothethelast
sheettabtoseeitsname.Todisplaythesheetitself,clickonthename.
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Whenthereisinsufficientspacetodisplaythesheettabsonthelowerwindowborder,
increaseitbymovingtheseparatorbarbetweenthetabbarandthehorizontalscrollingbar
withthemousebutton.Keepthemousebuttonpressedanddragtotheright.Rememberthis
sharestheavailablespacebetweenthesheettabsandhorizontalscrollbar.
WorkingWithMultipleSheets
Eachsheetofaspreadsheetiscompletelyindependentoftheothersheetsinaspreadsheet
document.Howeverthesamedatacanbeincorporatedintoseveralsheets.Forexample,the
samedatashouldbeinsertedatthesamelocationinthefirstthreesheets.Todoso,selectall
threesheetstogetherandenterthedatainonlyoneofthesheets.
Selectingseveralsheetstogether,issimplyamatterofclickingthesheettabsofthesheetsin
questionwhilepressingtheCtrlkey.Allselectedsheetswillnowhavewhitesheettabs,
insteadofthegraysheettabsoftheunselectedsheets.Toundotheselectionofasheet,click
itssheettabagainwhilstpressingtheCtrlkey.Clickingthesheettabofthecurrentsheet
whilepressingtheShiftkey,ensuresthatonlythisoneisselected.
Calcincludesthenameofthesheetinthereferencewhenassigningsheetreferences.Thus,
insteadofreferringto$A$1,Calcrefersto$Sheet 1.$A$1whichmakesmultisheet
referencingeasyandstraightforwardasshownintheexamplesbelow:.
ToaddressthefirstcellfrombothSheet1andSheet2inasinglereference,for
example,summarize,the3Dformulawillread=SUM(Sheet 1.A1:Sheet2.A1).The
sumfunctionhasoneaddendhere,namely,therangefromSheet1. A1toSheet
2.A1.Inthisrangetherearetwocells(aslongasnomorecellsareincludedbetween
Sheet1andSheet2).Thesimpleformula(nota3Dformula)wouldonlylisttwo
addends:=SUM(Sheet 1.A1;Sheet2.A1).
ToincludeanysubsequentlyinsertedsheetsfoundbetweenSheet1andSheet2,the
formulawouldthenbe=SUM(Sheet 1.A1:Sheet2.B2).
Thefulladdressofacellalsocontainsthecompletepathandfilenameofthespreadsheet
document.So,initsfullform,thereferencetocellA1inSheet1ofthedocument
name.sxccouldbe='file:///home/username/name.sxc'#$sheet 1.A1
under*UNIXwhere/homeisamountedfilesystemandusernamespecifiesthedirectory
wherethefileisstored.UnderWindows,thespecificationissimilarandcouldbe
='file:///c:/name.sxc'#$sheet 1.A1wherethedriveisC:.
Note:thesinglequotessurroundingthefilename,andthe#characterthatdescribesthelocationwithinthefile,in
accordancewithURLconvention.
PrintingSpreadsheets
C
lickingthePrintFileDirectlyiconintheStandardtoolbarsendsallthesheetsinthedocumenttothe
printer.However,ifthere'saprintrangeselected,thenonlyselectionisprinted.Tosettheprintrange,selectthe
cellstobeprinted,thenusetheFormat>PrintRanges>Definecommand.Thereisfurtherinformationonthis
topicintheOpenOffice.orgHelp.
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Toprinttheonlycurrentsheet,gotomenuFile>Print....InthePrintdialogue,selectthe
SelectionoptionandclickOK.If,however,thereisselectedacertainrangeofcells,only
thosecellsareprintedandinthecolumnwidthasshowninthesheet.
Ifvarioussheetsaretoprintsimultaneously,forexample,Sheet1andSheet2,select
thembeforehand(holddowntheCtrlkeyandclickthesheettabs).Thewhitetabsarethe
selectedones.Next,gotothePrintdialogue,enabletheSelectionoptionandonlythe
selectedsheetswillbeprinted.Afterhavingprintedthedesiredsheets,remembertoclickthe
sheetthatisbeingworkedonwhileholdingdowntheShiftkeysothatonlythatsheetis
selected.Failuretodothiswillresultinallmodificationsbeingappliedonallsheets.
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FormattingaSpreadsheet
Aspreadsheetishardlyeverusedwithoutformatting.Cellcontents,suchastextsand
numbers,aregivencertainformats,andthecellsthemselvesareformattedwithdifferent
colours,bordersandotherattributes.
Eithercreatethenumbersformatoruseoneofthemanypredefinedformats.Forcells,awide
selectionofcellStylesisprovidedandpersonalcellStylescanbedefinedinthesamewayas
onedoestextStyles.
Certainvaluesinspreadsheetsareoftengivenparticularemphasis,e.g.inatableofturnovers
toshowallthevaluesabovetheaverageingreenandallthosebelowtheaverageinred.This
ispossibleusingtheConditionalFormattingforspreadsheetdocuments(coveredinalater
chapter.)
FormatingNumbers
Enteranumberintothesheet,forexample,12 34.5678 .Thisnumberwillbedisplayedin
thedefaultnumberformat,withtwodecimalplaces.Onewillsee12 34. 57whenthethe
entryisconfirmed.Onlythedisplayinthedocumentwillberoundedoff;internally,the
numberretainsallfourdecimalplacesafterthedecimalpoint.
1. SetthecursoratthenumberandchooseFormat>CellstostarttheCellAttributes
dialogue.
2. OntheNumberstabthereisaselectionofpredefinednumberformats.Apreviewbox,n
thebottomrightofthedialogue,showshowthecurrentnumberwillappearwitha
particularformat.
3. Thisdialoguealsoallowsdefiningotherattributes(inadditiontonumberformats)which
applytotheselectedcellsorcellcontents.Forexample,font,size,andcolourcanbe
definedontheFonttabpage.
Modifyingthenumberofthedecimalplacesdisplayedinacellissometimes
required.TheeasiestmethodistousetheNumberFormat:AddDecimalPlaceor
NumberFormat:DeleteDecimalPlaceiconsontheobjectbar.
Dates
1. Likewise,fromthelistofoptions,thedateandtimecanbeformattedasdesired.
Theyearinthedatedetailsisoftenstatedastwodigits.Internallytheyearismanagedby
OpenOffice.orgasfourdigits,sothatinthecalculationofdifferencefrom1/1/99to
1/1/ 01theresultwillcorrectlybetwoyears.
Tools>Options>OpenOffice.org>Generaldefinesuptowhichyearatwodigityear
xxshouldbedisplayedas20xx.
Thismeansthatifadateof1/1/30orhigherisentered,itwillbetreatedinternallyas
1/1/ 1930orhigher.Allloweryearsapplytothenextcentury.So,forexample,1/1/20is
convertedinto1/1/2020.
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FormattingCellsandSheets
ThedistinctionbetweendirectandStyleformattingholdstrueforcellsaswellasfortext
documents,e.g.Achoicebetweenapplyingaparticularfontsizedirectlyasdirectformatting
toacellordefiningaStyletoapplythedesiredfontsize.Stylesmakeparticularsensefor
documentsthatareusedextensivelyoraretobetemplates.Itdoesnotmakesensetouse
Stylesfordocumentsthatareonlyprintedanddiscarded.
UsingAutoFormatforTables
AquickwaytoformatatableoracellrangeisofferedbytheFormatAutoFormat
function.Inaspreadsheet,firstselectthecellstowhichtoapplyAutoFormatting,including
thecolumnandrowheadersandanysumrowsorcolumns.Atleast3x3cellsmustbe
highlightedbeforethismenuitemisactivated.ThenstarttheAutoFormatdialogue.
ThepreviewshowsanexampleofhoweachselectedformatintheFormatpanelwilllook.
ClickOKtoapplytheformattotheselectedrangeinthespreadsheet.
Note:Ifthereisnochangeincolourofthecellcontents,thenunderTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc>
View>ShoworintheViewmenu,Highlightvaluesmaybechecked.Inthiscase,thespecifiedcolourswillbe
used.
AuserformatcanalsobesetasanAutoFormat:
1. Formataspreadsheettoasdesired.
2. Selectthewholesheet,e.g.byclickingtheemptybuttoninthetopleftcorner(abovethe
firstrowheader).
3. CalluptheAutoFormatdialogueandclickAdd....Adialoguewillappearinwhichto
givethenewformataname.
Theformatdefinedinthiswaycanthenbeusedinthefutureonotherspreadsheets.By
choosinganappropriatebackgroundcolourandapatternforthecellsinthesheet,an
eyeappealingspreadsheetiscreated.
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UsetheMorebuttontodisplayadditionaloptionsinthedialogue.Intheadditionalsection
thatisthendisplayed,selectwhichpropertiesofthechosenformataretobeexcludedfrom
theautomaticformatting.Forexample,removingthecheckmarkinfrontofFont,thefont
willnotbetakenintoaccountbytheAutoFormat.
LayoutofSpreadsheets
Sheetsdonothavetohavethelookofanyofthepredefinedformats.Therearemanywaysto
applyadifferentlayoutforspreadsheets,aswellastablesintextdocuments.
DesigningSpreadsheetsClearly
Calcassistsindesigningasheetinavarietyofways.Forexample,herearethreedifferent
viewsofthesamesheet,varyingonlyinlayout:
Thisisasamplesheetwithoutanyspecialformatting,asitappearsbydefault.
TheabovegraphicshowsthesheetformattedusingoneoftheAutoFormats,itwilllook
appealingwithoutrequiringanyfurtherediting.
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Inthisexample,thesheethasbeenformattedwithcertaincellattributesintheFormat>
Cellsdialogue.Inadditiontheviewofthegridlinesandsheetheadershasbeendeactivated
inTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc>Viewandagraphicsfileloadedasbackground
inFormat>Page>Background.
Note:AnimageloadedviaFormat>Page>Background,isonlyvisibleinprintorviaFile>PageView.
Forabackgroundimagetoappearonscreenaswell,insertthegraphicimagebychoosingInsert>Picture>
FromFileandputtheimagebehindthecellsbywayofthecontextmenucommandArrangement>Tothe
Background.
Tolaterselectthebackgroundimage,usetheNavigator.
FormattingTextinaSpreadsheet
1. Selectthetextforformatting.
2. Choosethedesiredtextattributesfromthespreadsheetobjectbar.
Note:Format>Cellsisanotherchoice.TheCellAttributesdialogueallowschoosingvarioustextattributesonthe
Fonttabpage.
FormattingNumbersinaSpreadsheet
1. Selectthecellscontainingthenumberstobeformatted.
2. Toformatnumbersinthedefaultcurrencyformatoraspercentages,usetheiconsonthe
spreadsheetobjectbar.Forotherformats,chooseFormat>Cells....Choosefromthe
presetformatsordefineapersonalformatontheNumberstabpage.
FormattingBordersandBackgroundsforCellsandPages
Basically,aformatcanbeassignedtoanygroupofcellsbyfirstselectingthecells(for
multipleselection,holddowntheCtrlkeywhenclicking),andthenactivatingtheCell
AttributesdialogueviaFormat>Cell.Inthisdialogue,selectattributessuchasshadows
andbackgrounds.
Toapplyformattingattributestoanentiresheet,chooseFormat>Page.Thispermits
definingheadersandfooters,forexample,toappearoneachprintedpage.
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AddressingCells
Cellscanbeaddresseddirectlybymeansoftheircoordinatesintherowandcolumnmatrix.
Useabsoluteorrelativereferencing,orgivecellrangestheirownnames.
AddressesandReferences,AbsoluteandRelative
RelativeAddressing
ThecellincolumnA,row1isaddressedasA1.Addressarangeofadjacentcellsbyfirst
enteringthecoordinatesoftheupperleftcellofthearea,thenacolonfollowedbythe
coordinatesofthelowerrightcell.Forexample,thesquareformedbythefirstfourcellsin
theupperleftcornerisaddressedasA1:B2.Byaddressinganareainthisway,oneis
makingarelativereferencetoA1:B2.Relativeheremeansthatthereferencetothisareawill
beadjustedautomaticallywhentheformulaearecopied.
AbsoluteAddressing
Absolutereferencesaretheoppositeofrelativeaddressing.Adollarsignisplacedbefore
eachletterandnumberinanabsolutereference,e.g.,$A$1:$B$2.
Calccanconvertthecurrentreference,inwhichthecursorispositionedintheinputline,
fromrelativetoabsoluteandviceversabypressingShift+F4.Whenstartingwitha
relativeaddresssuchasA1,thefirsttimethiskeycombinationispressed,bothrowand
columnaresettoabsolutereferences($A$1).Thesecondtime,onlytherow(A$1),andthe
thirdtime,onlythecolumn($A1).Pressingthekeycombinationoncemore,bothcolumn
androwreferencesareswitchedbacktorelative(A1)
Calcshowsthereferencestoaformula.If,forexampletheformula
=SUM(A1:C5;D 15:D 24)isclickedinacell,thetworeferencedareasinthesheetwillbe
highlightedincolour.Forexample,theformulacomponentA1:C5maybeinblueandthe
cellrangeinquestionborderedinthesameshadeofblue.Thenextformulacomponent
D 15:D 24canbemarkedinredinthesameway.
WhentoUseRelativeandAbsoluteReferences
Firstexaminewhathappenswithoutarelativereference.AssumeacalculationincellE1that
sumsthecellsinrangeA1:B2.TheformulatoenterintoE1wouldbe:=SUM(A1:B2).If,
later,anewcolumnmustbeinfrontofcolumnA,theelementstobeaddedwouldthenbein
B1:C2andtheformulawouldbeinF1,notinE1.Afterinsertingthenewcolumn,all
formulaewouldthereforehavetobecheckedandcorrectedinthecurrentsheet,andpossibly
inothersheets.
Fortunately,Calcdoesthisworkautomatically.AfterinsertinganewcolumnA,theformula
=SUM(A1:B2)isupdatedto=SUM(B1:C2).Rownumbersarealsoautomaticallyadjusted
whenanewrow1isinserted.AbsoluteandrelativereferencesarealwaysadjustedinCalc
wheneverthereferencedareaismoved.Butbecarefulwhencopyingaformulasinceinthat
caseonlytherelativereferenceswillbeadjustedbutnotanyabsolutereferences.
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Absolutereferencesareusedwhenacalculationreferstoonespecificcellinthesheet.For
example,ifaformulathatreferstoexactlythiscelliscopiedrelativelytoacellbelowthe
originalcell,thereferencewillalsobemoveddownifthecellcoordinatesarenotdefinedas
absolute.Asidefromwhennewrowsandcolumnsareinserted,referencescanalsochange
whenanexistingformulareferringtoparticularcellsiscopiedtoanotherareaofthesheet.
Assume,forexample,theformula=SUM(A1:A9)isenteredinrow10 butthecalculated
summustbeintheadjacentcolumntotheright.Inthiscase,simplycopythisformulatothe
celltotheright.ThecopyoftheformulaincolumnBwillbeautomaticallyadjustedto
=SUM(B1:B9).
Therearemanymethodstocopyaformula,oneofwhichis:
1. Selectthecellcontainingtheformula.
2. ChooseEdit>Copy,orpressCtrl+Ctocopyit.
3. Selectthecellintowhichtheformulaistobecopied.
4. ChooseEdit>Paste,orpressCtrl+V.Theformulawillbepositionedinthenewcell,
andallnonabsolutereferenceswillbeupdated.
Copyingaformulaintomultiplecellscanbequickandeasy.Onewaytocopyintoadjacent
cellareasisasfollows:
1. Selectthecellcontainingtheformula.
2. Positionthemouseonthebottomrightofthehighlightedborderofthecell,andcontinue
holdingdownthemousebuttonuntilthepointerchangestoacrosshairsymbol.
3. Withthemousebuttonpressed,dragitdownortotherightoverallthecellsintowhich
theformulawillbecopied.
4. Uponreleasingthemousebutton,theformulawillbecopiedintothecellsand
automaticallyadjusted.
Wherevaluesandtextsmustnotbeautomaticallyadjusted,thenholddowntheCtrlkey
whendragging.formulae,however,arealwaysadjustedaccordinglywhendragging.
Nowlookatwhathappenedwhenrowsandcolumnsareadded.Assumeacalculationincell
E1thatsumsthecellsinrangeA1:B2.TheformulatoenterintoE1wouldbe:
=SUM(A1:B2).If,later,anewcolumnmustbeinfrontofcolumnA,theelementstobe
addedwouldthenbeinB1:C2andtheformulawouldbeinF1,notinE1.Afterinserting
thenewcolumn,allformulaewouldthereforehavetobecheckedandcorrectedinthecurrent
sheet,andpossiblyinothersheets.
Fortunately,Calcdoesthisworkautomatically.AfterinsertinganewcolumnA,theformula
=SUM(A1:B2)isupdatedto=SUM(B1:C2).Rownumbersarealsoautomaticallyadjusted
whenanewrowisinserted.AbsoluteandrelativereferencesarealwaysadjustedinCalc.
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AddressingbyName
Aneatwayofmakingthereferencestocellsandcellrangesinformulaelegibleistogivethe
rangesnames.Forexample,nametherangeA1:B2asStartthenintheformulasimplyenter
=SUM(Start).FollowingtheinsertionordeletionofrowsandcolumnsOpenOffice.org
alsocorrectlyassignstherangesidentifiedbyname.Remember,rangenamescannotcontain
anyspaces.
Forexample,itismucheasiertoreadaformulaforsalestaxifwrittenas=Amount*
Tax_rateinsteadof=A5*B2.Inthiscase,cellA5wouldbenamedasAmountand
cellB2asTax_rate.
Inordertospecifyrangenames,followsthesesteps:
1. Firsthighlighttheareatobenamed.
2. SelectInsert>Names>Define,orusetheCtrl+F3keycombination.
3. Enterthenameforthefirstarea.
4. ClickAdd.
Othercellrangescanalsobenamedinthisdialoguebyenteringthedesirednameinthe
fieldandthenselectingtherespectivecells.UsetheDefineNamesdialoguetodefine
namesforformulaeorpartsofformulaeneededmoreoften.
5. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
RecognizingNamesasAddressing
OpenOffice.orgcancorrelatenameswithareasforthemostpartautomatically,aslongasthe
rowandcolumncoordinatesareentered.Refertothefollowinggraphic.
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Theautomaticformularecognitionallowsentering,forexample,theformula=SUM(Ju ly)
incellB8.Thisformulacanthenbecopiedtotheright.CellC8automaticallyshowsthe
formula=SUM(August),cellD8=SUM(September),andsoon.Thisfeaturealsoworks
forhorizontalcalculations.Tryitoutbyenteringtheformula=SUM(London)incellE4.
TheNewYo rkentrymustbetreatedasaspecialcasebecausethisnamecontainsaspace.
Thus,itmustbeenclosedinsinglequotationmarks:=SUM('NewYo rk').
Automaticrecognitiondoesnotworkwithformulae.Onecannotentertheformula
=SUM(sum)incellE8.Instead,enter=SUM(B8:D8)or=SUM(E3:E6).Thelatter
formulawillalsobeinsertedautomaticallyifthecursorisplacedincellE8andtheSumicon
intheFormulabarisclicked.
Thisfunctionisactivebydefault.Toturnitoff,selectToolsOptions...>Spreadsheet
Document>CalculateandunchecktheboxinfrontofAutomaticallyfindcolumnand
rowlabels.
UseInsert>Names>Labels....todefineanynamesrequiredasshownintheprevious
section.
Note:Tohavenamesautomaticallyrecognized,namesmustconsistofalphanumericcharactersandthefirst
charactermustbealetter.Tousenonalphanumericcharacters(includingspaces),enclosethenamesinsingle
quotationmarks(').Whereasinglequotationmarkappearsinaname,e.g.,Jan'97,enterabackslashinfrontof
thequotationmark(Jan\'97).ThistypeofreferencingisnotcompatiblewithearlierversionsofOpenOffice.org.
Calcautomaticallyrecognizesanarea,calledarange,ofcellsthatbelongtogether.To
determinewhichcellsmakeupaparticularrange,placethecellcursorinthedesiredrange
andpressCtrl+*butremembertouseonlythe*fromthenumericalkeypadas
Ctrl+Shift+8(theasteriskoverthe8)doesnotwork.Therangewillbehighlighted.
OnlyCopyVisibleCells
Assumetheuserhashiddenareafewrowsorcolumnsinacellrangeandnowonlythe
visiblecellsaretobecopied.
Calcbehavesdifferentlydependingonthemethodusedtohidetheinvisiblecellsandwhatis
theintendedactiontobeperformeduponthem.
Method
CellswerefilteredoutbywayofAutoFilters,default
filtersorspecialfilters.
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Method
Result
Copythevisiblecells,forexample,withcopyand
pasteviatheclipboard,withthemiddlemousebutton
ordraganddropwhilepressingtheCtrlkey.
CellswerefilteredoutbywayofAutoFilters,default
filtersorspecialfilters.
Movethevisiblecells,forexample,bywayofcut
andpasteviatheclipboardordraganddropwithout
pressinganadditionalkey.
Allcells,includingthehiddenones,are
moved.
CellswerehiddenmanuallybywayoftheHide
commandinthecontextmenuoftheroworcolumn
headers,orthroughanoutline.
Copyormovethevisiblecells.
Allcells,includingthehiddenones,are
copiedormoved.
ReferencingaCellinAnotherDocument
Cellscanalsobereferencedinotherspreadsheets:
1. Forthefollowingexample,thesourcedocumentisnamed'C:\test\test.sxc';and
itcontainsasheetnamedSheet1.
2. Openadifferentornewspreadsheetdocument.
3. PlacethecursorincellA1andenterthefollowingformula:
='C:\test\test.sxc'#Sheet 1.A1
4. Alternatively,enterthefilenameasaURLdesignation:
='file:///C/test/test.sxc'#Sheet 1.A1.Similarlyaccessafileonthe
Internetbyusing:='http://ww w.sun.com/test/test.sxc'#Sheet 1.A1.
5. Dragtheboxinthelowerrightcorneroftheactivecelltoselectarangeofcells.
OpenOffice.orgautomaticallyinsertsthecorrespondingreferencesintheadjacentcells.
Asaresult,thesheetnameisprecededwitha"$"signtodesignateitasanabsolute
reference.
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UsingReferencesinformulae
Sofarusershavebeenintroducedtoformulaecontainingabsolutevalues,absoluteand
relativereferencesandreferencestonamedranges.Occasionallywehavealsomentionedthe
Wizard:Functions.Hereisanexampleofreferencesusedinformulae,withthehelpofthe
Wizard:Functions.
Considertheexamplefromtheprevioustopic.Now,usethefunctionsWizardtocalculatethe
averageofmonthlysalesforeachlocation.
1. PositionthecursorincellB8,wheretheaveragewillbedisplayed.ActivatetheWizard:
Functionsbyclickingitsiconontheformulabar.
2. SelecttheAVERAGEfunction.Wherethecategorythatcontainsthisfunctionisunknown,
simplyleavethedefaultsettoallcategoriesandrepeatedlypresstheletterAuntilthe
AVERAGEfunctionisselected.
3. ClickNextintheWizard:Functions.OntherighthalfoftheWizard,anotherinputarea
willappearwhereonecanentertheargumentsofthefunction.
4. Clickintheinputfieldintowhichvaluesaretobeentered,inthiscasestartingwithfield
number1.EntereitherB3:B6orJanuaryorusethemousetoselectthatrangeinthe
sheet.Todoso,simplyclickonthefirstcell,B3,holddownthemousebuttonanddragto
B6.
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Whiledraggingthemousetohighlightthedesiredrange,theWizarddialoguewillbe
automaticallyminimizedsothatonlytheactiveinputfieldisvisible.Thefieldindicates
theareabeingselectedwiththemouse.Thedialoguecanbereducedorenlargedmanually
byclickingtheShrink/Maximizebuttontotherightoftheinputfield.
5. Finally,clickOKtoclosetheWizard.
Theformulaiscalculatedaccordingtothegivenarguments,andthefinalresultappearsin
cellB8.
ReferencestoOtherSheets
Inanysheetcell,userscanshowareferencetoacellinanothersheet.
1. Openanew,emptyspreadsheet.
2. Forexample,enterincellA1ofSheet1thefollowingformulaandcompletetheinput
withtheEnterkey:
=Sheet2.A1
3. NowclickthesheettablabelledSheet2onthebottomwindowbordertogotoSheet2
ofthecurrentdocument.SetthecursorincellA1thereandentertextoranumber.
4. UponswitchingbacktoSheet1,seethesamecontentincellA1aswasenteredon
Sheet2.IfthecontentsofSheet2.A1change,thenthecontentsofSheet1.A1also
change.
Inacorrespondingwayareferencecanalsobemadetoacellofanotherdocument.Open
anotherspreadsheetinadditiontothenewspreadsheet,whichisalreadysavedasafile(this
doesnotworkunlessadocumenthaspreviouslybeensaved).
1. Ifthesamplesfromhttp://
www.pathtech.org
/OpenOffice.org/templates/areinstalled,
chooseFile>OpenandopentheMovie1documentfromthespreadsheetsamples.
2. Changebacktothenew,stillalmostemptyspreadsheet.Setthecursorinafreecelland
enteranequalssigntobeginaformula.
3. NowswitchtothedocumentthathasMovie1loaded.ClickcellC3.
4. Switchbacktothenewspreadsheet.InthecalculationrownoticethatCalchasaddedthe
referencetotheformula.Bywayofexample,thefollowingwillnowbelocatedthere:
In*NIX:
='file:////OpenOffice.org/share/samples/english/spreadsheets/Movie 1.sdc'#$movievisits.C3
InWindows:
='file:///C:/
OpenOffice.org/share/samples/english/spreadsheets/Movie 1.sdc'#$movievisits.C3
5. Confirmtheformulabyclickingthegreencheckmark.
Thereferencetoacellofanotherdocumentthuscontainsthenameoftheotherdocumentin
singleinvertedcommas,thenahash#,thenthenameofthesheetintheotherdocument
followedbyapointandthenameofthecellthereC3.
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Thenameofthesheetautomaticallyreceivesaleadingdollarsign,sincethesheethas
absoluteaddressing.
Examinethenameoftheotherdocumentinthisformulaandnoticethatitiswrittenasa
URL.ThismeansthataURLfromtheInternetcanbeenteredtoo.Forexample,supposing
thereisanInternetpagecontainingcurrentstockexchangeinformationinspreadsheetcells,
justfollowthesestepstoloadthispageinCalc:
1. InaCalcdocument,positionthecursorinthecellinwhichtostartinsertingtheexternal
data.
2. SelectInsert>ExternalData.TheExternalDatadialogueappears.
3. Inthedialogue,entertheURLofthedocumentorWebpage.WritetheURLinthe
followingway:(fictionalexample)http://www.mybroker.com/table.html.Enterafile
namefromthelocalornetworkfilesystemintheusualway,i.e.,viatheFile>Open
dialogue.
OpenOffice.orgloadstheWebpageorfileinthebackground,thatis,withoutdisplayingit.
InthelargelistboxoftheExternalDatadialoguearethenamesofallthesheetsorareas
fromwhichtochoose.
4. Selectoneormoresheetsorareas,optionallyactivatetheautomaticupdatefunctionto
everynminutesandclickOK.
ThecontentsareinsertedasalinkintheCalcdocument.
5. Savethespreadsheet.Uponreopening,Calcupdatesthelinkedcells.
6. UnderTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc>General,choosetohavetheupdate,on
opening,executealways,uponrequestornever.Theupdatecanbestartedmanuallyinthe
dialogueunderEdit>Links.
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UsingCharts
Datafromspreadsheetscanberepresentedgraphicallyinachart.Awidevarietyofcharts
anddiagramssuitedforillustratingthestructureofthedatacanbeselectedandcreatedfrom
aspreadsheet.
1. Openanexistingspreadsheetorenterdatainanewsheetwithrowandcolumnheadings.
2. Selectthedatatogetherwiththeheadings.
3.
LongclicktheInsertObjecticonfoundintheMaintoolbartodisplaythefloating
toolbar.ThenclicktheInsertCharticonandthecursorwillchangetoacrosshair
symbolwithasmallchartsymbol.
4. Inthespreadsheetdocument,openaselectionrectangledefiningthelocationandsizeof
thechart.Bothcanbemodifiedsubsequently.
5. Assoonasthemousebuttonisreleased,adialogueappearsthatmakesfurtherentries
possible.SimplyclickingtheCreatebuttoncreatesachartwiththedefaultsettings.
Thisexample,usingMovie1.sxcfromthesamplearchivementionedabove,showsthe
numberoftimespeopleofdifferentagegroupsinvariouscitiesgotothemovietheatre
annually.
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Iftheagegroups,ratherthanthetowns,shouldappearonthehorizontalaxis,tiltthechart.
Aslongasthechartremainsselected,themaintoolbarcontainsaDatainColumnsicon.
Clickandrotateitwiththemouse.
Otherchangestotheindividualelementsofthechartarealsopossible.Eitherdoubleclickon
theindividualpartsofthechartor,withthechartselected,choosetheindividualfunctions
fromtheFormatmenu.Forexample,doubleclickingonthecolourpreviewinthelegend
automaticallyreformatsallrelevantdatapoints.Ontheotherhand,clickingonthe
backgroundintheboxofthelegend,formatsthebackgroundtothelegend.
IfthechartwascreatedfromthedataofaCalcspreadsheet,clickingonthedataseriesinthe
chartbecomeshighlighted.
Supposethere'sanCalcspreadsheetinthebackground,andnowitneedstobe
selectedforfurtherediting.OpentheShowDrawFunctionsfloatingtoolbar
andselectthefirsttool,theSelectarrow.Thisallowsthecharttobeselected
byclicking.
InaCalcchart,adataseriescanbeforwardsorbackwards.Aseriescanbearrangedinsuch
awaythatthelowest3Drepresentationsareasfarforwardaspossibleandthehigherones
furtherback.Tochangethearrangementinthechart,usetheappropriatecommandfromthe
contextmenuofadataseriesorchooseFormat>Order.TheoutputdataintheCalc
spreadsheetwillnotberearranged.
Note:WhenachartisinsertedinapresentationordrawingdocumentwiththeInsert>InsertChartfloating
toolbar,itisdisplayedwithasetofsampledata.Toinsertachartinaspreadsheet,highlightthecellsinthe
spreadsheetwhosevaluesshouldbedisplayedinthechart.
InWriterdocumentstoo,chartscanbeinsertedthatareobtainedfromthedataofaWritertable.Wherenodata
areselectedinaOpenOffice.orgWritertable,selectingInsert>Object>Chartalsoinsertsachartcontaining
sampledatainOpenOffice.orgWriter.
ValuesinachartcontainingsampledatacanbechangedbydoubleclickingonthechartandthenchoosingEdit>
ChartData.Whenthevaluesofachartobtainedfromselecteddataarechanged,thevaluesinthecellsofthetable
mustbechanged.Ifthechartisinatextdocument,press(F9)toupdatethechart.
Modificationofchartdataisalsopossibleif,forexample,achartiscopiedachartfromaCalcdocumentintoa
WriterdocumentandisnowdoubleclickedintheWriterdocument.Remember,however,onlythiscopyisbeing
editedandnottheoriginaldocument.
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Thetypeofchartcanalsobechanged,afterthefact.Doubleclickonthechartandchoose
Format>ChartType,adialogueappearsofferingvarioustypesfromwhichtochoose.
ExperimentwiththedifferentoptionsintheChartTypedialogue.Tryswitchingbetween2D
and3Drepresentations.WiththeColumnscharttype,aCombinationChartoflinesand
columnscanbecreated.
Thethreedimensionalrepresentationsmakespecialeffectspossible.In3Dcharts,onecan
evenadjusttheilluminationsettings,suchaslightsource,ambientlightandthecolour
filter.
3Dchartscanberotatedandflippedwiththemouseforoptimaldesign.
BychoosingInsert>Statistics,userscanapplystatisticalindicatorstoXYcharts,suchas
standarddeviations,withregressioncurvesandmorebesides.Asingleordouble
logarithmicrepresentationoftheaxescanalsobesethere.
InlinechartstherearevariousiconsthatcanbeappliedautomaticallyviaOpenOffice.org
Chart,asdesired.Manualapplicationisalsopossibleusinggraphicfilesorgraphicsfrom
theGallerysuchasBullets.
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Inachart,individualdataseriesordatapointscanbeselectedbyclickingonthemandthen
openingthecontextmenutochooseoneofthenumerousoptionstoformattheview.
EditingChartTitles
SupposetheuserhasinsertedachartinaCalcdocumentandwantstochangethetitle.
1. Doubleclickonthechart.
Agrayborderappearsaroundthechartandthemenubarnowcontainscommandsfor
editingtheobjectsinthechart.
2. Doubleclickonthedefaulttitletext.Agrayborderappearsaroundthetextwhichcan
nowbechanged.
3. PressReturntocreateanewline.
4. Asingleclickonthetitle,insteadofdoubleclicking,allowsmovingitwiththemouse.
5. SelectFormat>Title>MainTitletoedittheformattingofthemaintitle.Thisopensthe
Titledialogue.
6. SelecttheCharacterstabtochangethefontorothersimilarattributes.
7. ClickOK.
8. Inthedocument,clickoutsidethecharttoexitcharteditingmode.
EditingChartLegends
SupposethereisachartinaCalcdocumentthatrequiresapplicationofacolourgradientto
thelegend.
1. Doubleclickonthechart.
Agrayborderappearsaroundthechartandthemenubarnowcontainscommandsfor
editingtheobjectsinthechart.
2. SelectFormat>Legendordoubleclickonthelegend.ThisopenstheLegenddialogue.
3. Selecttheappropriatetab,forexample,theAreatabformodifyingthebackgroundofthe
legend.
4. FromthepulldownlistselectGradient.
5. Selectagradientfromthelist.
6. ClickOK.
7. Inthedocument,clickoutsidethecharttoexitcharteditingmode.
Note:Userscandefinecustomgradients,hatching,bitmapsandcoloursinOpenOffice.orgDraw.
Toselectthelegend,firstdoubleclickonthechart(seestep1),thenclickonthelegend.Nowethelegendmaybe
movedwithinthechartusingthemouse.
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Ifthelegendismovedoveranotherobjectofthechart,itsPropertiesdialoguecannolongerbeopenedbydouble
clickingonit,asCalcwon'tknowwhichobjectismeant.ToopenthePropertiesdialogueeitherusetheFormat
menuorclickonceonthelegend,thenopenthecontextmenuandselectObjectProperties.Thesameappliestoall
otherobjectsofthechart.
AddingTexturetoChartBars
Assignabartypetoabitmapratherthan,say,usingfullcolour.
1. Switchtoeditmodebydoubleclickingonthechart.
2. Doubleclickonthecorrespondingbar(allbarsofthiscolourarenowselected).
3. Fromthecontextmenu,selecttheObjectPropertiesentry
4. ChoosetheAreatabpage.
5. ClickonBitmap.Nowselectabitmapfromthelistboxastextureforthisbar.
6. ClickingOKtoacceptthesetting.
EditingChartAxis
WhenthescaleoftheverticalYaxisrequireschanging,dothefollowing:
1. Doubleclickonthechart.
Agrayborderappearsaroundthechartandthemenubarnowcontainscommandsfor
editingtheobjectsinthechart.
2. SelectFormat>Axis>YaxistoedittheYaxis,ordoubleclickontheYaxis.This
openstheYaxisdialogue.Modifyasneeded.
Tomodifythescaleofthexaxis,
1. SelecttheScaletabandmakeanyadjustments.
2. ClickOK.
3. Inthedocument,clickoutsidethecharttoexitcharteditingmode.
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DatabaseFunctionsinCalc
SpreadsheetsinCalcarealsoabletomanagerecordsconsistingofseveralfields,asina
database.ThinkofeachrowoftheCalcspreadsheetasarecord,whosefieldsarearrangedin
theindividualcolumns.Then,forexample,sortorgrouptheCalcdatabasebyrows,lookfor
keywordsandcalculatetotals.
Note:ThedatabaserangesinCalcspreadsheetshavenothingtodowiththedatabasesandspreadsheetsthatare
addressedinTools>DataSourcesandeditedinthedatasourcebrowser(F4).
InCalc,aspreadsheetcancontainseveralsheetswhicharemanipulated.Combiningseveraladjacentrowsofa
spreadsheetintoadatabaseareaisaway,forexample,tosortthemtogether.Furthermore,externalfilescanbe
importedintoaCalcspreadsheet,forexamplefilesindBaseformat,TherecordsfromthedBasefilewouldthen
becomerowsandthedatafieldswouldbecomecolumnsinaCalcspreadsheet.
Inthedatasourcebrowser,ontheotherhand,thedBasefile(orotherdatasource)isediteddirectly,andSQL
queries,forexample,maybeperformed.
DefiningDatabaseRanges
Forexample,ifauserwouldliketomanagethehouseholdbudgetwithCalc,enterthe
recordsinanemptyCalcspreadsheetandselecttheareaasadatabaserange.
CreatingRecordsinaSpreadsheet
1.Openanewspreadsheet.
2. Enterthecolumntitlesinthefirstrow,e.g.DateincellA1,Itemincell
B1,AmountinC1.Thenentersomeinformation.
Toformatthesheetinthesamemannerasintheillustrationabove,proceedasfollows:
1. Selectrow1byclickingontherowheader.
2. ClicktheBoldicon.
3. SelecttheentirecolumnAbyclickingonthecolumnheader.
4. Openthecontextmenu
5. ChooseFormatCells.
6. IntheCellAttributesdialogue,clicktheNumberstab
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7. ChooseadateformatforColumnA.
8. SelectcolumnCbyclickingonthecolumnheader,
9. Applyacurrencyformat.ClickingtheNumberFormat:Currencyiconontheobjectbar
issufficient.
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DefiningDatabaseRanges
1. Selectthethreecolumnareaanddefinetheselectedareaasadatabaserangebychoosing
Data>DefineRange.
2. TheselectedrangealreadyappearsintheDefineDatabaseRangedialogue.Besureto
markthecheckboxContainscolumnheaderssothatthefirstrowiscorrectlytakeninto
account.ThisboxbecomesvisiblewhentheMorebuttonisclicked.
3. Enteranamefortherange
4. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
Theselectedrangeisnowdefinedasadatabaserange,whichamongotherthings,meansthat
therows(records)canbeconvenientlysorted.Anysortlistsandfiltersthathavebeendefined
forthedatabaserangewillalsobeupdated.
SortingDatabaseRanges
SelectarangeofcellsanddefinetheseasadatabaserangebychoosingData>Define
Range.
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SetthecursorinthedatabaserangeandchooseData>Sort.Inthedialoguethatappears,
selectthecolumntobesorted,froexample,Amount,asthesortcriterionandclickOK.
Uptotwoadditionalcriteriacanbespecified,onetofollowtheother,forthesortfunction.
Forinstance,sorttheexpendituresfirstbydate,thenbyitemiftheyhavethesamedate,and
thenbyamountiftheyhavethesamedateanditem.
FilteringDatabaseRanges
Tofilteroutonlycertainrecordssothattheycanbemodified,usethespreadsheetfiltering
function.Choosebetweenusingadialoguetospecifythecriteriaexactly(inthatcaserange
definitionsarealsopossible),orcreatinganAutoFilterthatwillhelpfilteraccordingto
specificvaluesortext.
Imaginethattheoutputlistisalready8000recordslong.Withthisnumberofrecordsitisno
longerpossibletogetanoverview.Now,onlythoserecordsthatoccurredafter1/2/2000and
whichapartfromthisinvolveanamountinexcessof100currencyunitsmustbeshown.
Hereisoneway:
1. Setthecursorinthedatabaserange
2. ChooseData>Filter>StandardFiltertoopenthedialogue.
3. Enterthefollowing:
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a) Date>1/2/2000ANDAmount>100.
Inthedialogue,theexistingcontentsofthedatafieldsinthepulldownlistscanbeselected,
oranamount,say100,canbeentereddirectly.
IfOKisclickedatthistime,onlythoserecordsthatmeetallcriteriaareshown.SelectData>
Filter>RemoveFiltertoresettheview.
DisplayingonlyrecordswithaspecificcontentiseasilydonewiththeaidoftheAutoFilter:
1. Placethecursorinthedatabaserange.
2. ClickontheAutoFiltericononthemaintoolbar.Thecolumnheadersofthedatabase
rangehavenowbeengivensmallbuttons.
3. ClickonthebuttonnexttotheDatefieldandselectforexample,1/2/00.Onlyrecordsthat
containthisdatewillbeshown.
Onthemaintoolbar,resettheviewwiththeAutoFiltericon.
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GroupingDatabaseRangesandCalculatingSubtotals
Assumingthereissampledatathatcanbeexpandedandactuallyusedforabudget,thedate
shouldbesummarizedandprintedintotalsandsubtotals.Thiscanbedoneinjustafew
steps.
1. Placethecursorinthedatabaserange.
2. ChooseData>Subtotals.TheSubtotalsdialogueappears.
3. Specifythedesiredoptionsforcalculatingthesubtotals.
4. GroupsubtotalsaccordingtoDate(i.e.calculatesanewsubtotalforeachdate),and
5. UsethefunctionSum(addsthesubtotals)tocalculateAmount.
6.
WhentheEnterkeyispressedorOKisclicked,thesheetwillbegroupedaccordingtothe
subtotals.Foreverygroupofentrieswithanidenticaldate,asubtotaliscalculated.
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Thegrandtotalisdisplayedatthebottom.
Noticethecontrolstotheleftoftherowheaders.Theseenabletheusertoviewwhich
records(rows)havebeensummarized.Clickingonaminussignshowsonlytherowwiththe
results.Theeasiestwaytocontrolthedisplayiswiththesmalldigitsabovethegrouparea.
When1isclicked,onlythegrandtotalisdisplayed.Clicking2revealsthesubtotals,while
selecting3showsallelements.
TransferringDataFromaDataSourcetoaSpreadsheet
IndividualtablesofdatafromthedatasourcebrowseraretransferableintoaCalc
spreadsheetdocument.
Thereisachoiceoftwodifferentmethodsfortransferringthedata.One,thedesireddatabase
file,indBaseortextformat,tcanbeloadeddirectlyviatheFile>Opendialogue,inwhich
case,thewholedatabasetableisimportedintoaCalcspreadsheetdocument.Or,two,by
dragginganddroppingwhatisselected.
OpeningaDatabaseFileinCalc
OpenadBaseortextformatdocumentasoneopensanyOpenOffice.orgfile.
1. ChooseFile>Open.
2. Inthedialogue,gotothefolderwherethedatabasefileislocated.
3. EnterthenameofthefileorgototheFiletypelistbox,selectdBase,forexample.
4. Selectthename.
5. ClickOpen.
Toopenatextdocument,selectthefiletypeTextCSV.
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WhenmakingadBaseimport,adialogueopenfromwhichtochoosethecharactersetof
thefile.Forexample,insomelanguages,databasescreatedunderDOSusedifferent
charactersthanthoseusedindatabasescreatedunderWindows.ThedBaseIVformat
usesCodepage4 37(US).
4. AfterconfirmingthisdialoguewithOK,thedatabasefileisloadedintheCalcspreadsheet
document.
Thefirstrowprovidesinformationonthetypeandlengthoftheindividualdatafields.This
informationiscontainedasdBaseheaderinthefile.(WhensavingaCalcsheetwiththefile
typedBase,thefirstrowofdataisusedtocreatetheheaderinformation.)
Beforeworkingonthedatainthespreadsheet,wewouldliketointroducethesecondmethod
fortransferringselectedrecordsfromthedatasourceviewtotheCalcspreadsheet.
DraggingandDroppingCopiesintoSpreadsheets
Thismethodworkswithallformats,andusershavethechoiceoftransferringalloronly
selectedrecordsintothespreadsheetdocument.Tousethismethod,logintothedatasource
inCalc.
1. ChooseTools>DataSources.
2. TheDataSourceAdministrationdialogueopens.
3. ClickNewDataSource.
4. IntheDatabasetypefield,selectdBasetologintoadBasedatabase.
5. Clickthe...button
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6. Selectthefoldercontainingthedatabasefile(s)in*.dbfformat.
7. ClickOK.
8. IntheNamefield,enteranametobedisplayedforthedatasource.
9. ClickApply.
10.ClicktheTablestab.Putacheckmarknexttothenamesofthetable(s)neededinthedata
sourceview.
11.ClickOK.
12.Openthedatasourcebrowser(F4).
13.Clickontheplus(+)signnexttoTablestoviewtheexistingtablesinthedatabase.
14.InadBasedatabase,each*.dbffileinthedirectoryisatableofitsown.
15.Clickthenameofthetable.Therecordsaredisplayedinthedatasourcebrowser.
Selecttherecordsandinsertthemintothespreadsheet.
1. Tomanuallyselectarecord(s)fortransferintothespreadsheet,clicktherowheaderofthe
record(thegrayfieldwithouttextattopleft).Clickthefirstandlastrecordrowheadersof
acontinuousrangeofrecordswhilepressingtheShiftkeytoselecttherange,orhold
downtheCtrlkeyandclickthedesiredrecordsindividually.
2. Dragtheselectedrecordstotherowheadersinthesheetwheretherecordsaretobe
inserted.Thenreleasethemousebutton.
Toautomaticallytransferonlyspecificrecordsfromalargedatabaseintothespreadsheet,use
thefiltersinthedatasourcebrowser:
1. Setthecursorinthedatafieldwhichcontainsthedata(shouldbethesameinallfiltered
records).Forexample,tofilteronlyrecordsthathaveMainStreetintheiraddress,
placethecursorinafieldcontainingMainStreet.
2. ClicktheAutoFiltericon.
3. Nowonlytherecordscontainingtheprecisetext,MainStreet,arevisible.
4. SelecttheMainStreetrecords.Forexample,usingtheShiftkeyasdescribed
above,dragtheselectedrecordsintothespreadsheetdocumentandreleasethemouse
buttonatthepointwherethefirstfieldshouldbeinserted.
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EvaluatingDataWithCalc
Calcprovidesseveralpowerfultoolsforevaluatingdata.TheDataPilothelpsproduceany
kindofsubevaluationofthedataasaseparatespreadsheet.WiththeDataPilot,analyzingthe
datathoroughlyismadeeasyviaconsolidation,GoalSeekandmultipleoperations.
DataPilot
TheDataPilothelpstoanalyzeandassessdatathathasalreadybeenentered.
Itallowstheuser,fromoneandthesamevalue,togeneratereportsasafunctionofthepoint
ofviewthatismostprominent.
Imagineadataanalysistablecontainingacompany'ssalesfigures,notonlyforspecific
productgroups,butalsoforbranchesandyears.UsetheDataPilottoquicklyfindthedata
whichisinterestingandpertinenttocurrentrequirements.
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WhatuseistheDataPilot?
AtablethathasbeencreatedwiththeDataPilotisaninteractivetable,i.e.datacanbe
arranged,rearrangedorsummarizedaccordingtodifferentpointsofview.Thisfunctionality
isespeciallyusefulforSalesControl.Ontheonehanditmaybeimportanttoviewthe
turnoverfiguresatregularintervalswhile,ontheother,itmayberelevanttoanalyzesales
figuresonaregionalbasis.
CreatingDataPilotTables
1. Selectthedatarangeofatabletogetherwiththerowandcolumnheadings.
2. ChooseData>DataPilot>Start.ThedialogueSelectSourceappears.
3. SelecttheoptionCurrentselection.
4. confirmwithOK..
5. ThecolumnheadingsofthetablewillbeshownasbuttonsintheDataPilotdialogue,
whichcanthenbepositionedviadraganddropasrequiredinthelayoutareasColumn,
RowandData.
6. Dragtherequiredfieldsintooneofthethreeareas.Thefieldwillbedroppedaccordingly.
IfthebuttonisdroppedintheDataareaitwillbegivenacaptionthatalsoshowstheformula
thatwillbeusedinthedatarangetocreatethedata.
DoubleclickingononeofthefieldsintheDataareacallsuptheDataFielddialogue.
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Usethisdialoguetoselectthefunctionstobeusedfordisplayingthedatainthedataarea.To
makeamultipleselection,presstheCtrlkeywhileclickingthefunctions.
Theorderofthebuttonscanbechangedatanytimebysimplymovingthemtoadifferent
positionintheareawiththemouse.
Replaceabuttonbydraggingittotheotherbuttons.
WhendoubleclickingoneofthebuttonsintheRoworColumnarea,theDataField
dialogueappears.Here,selectifandtowhatextentCalcshouldcalculateanddisplay
subtotals.
ExittheDataPilotbypressingOK.AFilterbuttonwillnowbeinsertedintothetablethe
defaultpositionisundertheselectedareaandtwolinesfurtherdowntheDataPilottable
isinsertedwithaboldoutline.
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SelectingDataPilotOutputRanges
ClickthebuttonMoreintheDataPilotdialogue.Thedialoguewillbeextended.Selecta
namedareafromthelistboxResultstointowhichtocreatetheDataPilottable.Ifthe
requiredoutputareadoesnothaveaname,enterthecoordinatesoftheupperleftcellofthe
areaintothefieldtotherightofthelistboxResultsto.Clickingontheappropriatecellwith
themousealsoentersthecoordinates.
ByactivatingthecheckboxIgnoreemptyrows,thesewill,then,notbetakenintoaccount
whentheDataPilottableiscreated.
IfthecheckboxIdentifycategoriesisactivated,thecategorieswillberecognizedbymeans
oftheirheadingsandassignedaccordinglywhentheDataPilottableiscreated.
EditingDataPilotTables
ClickoneofthebuttonsinthetablethattheDataPilothascreatedandholdthemousebutton
down.Aspecialsymbolappearsnexttothemousepointer.
Draggingthebuttontoadifferentpositionintherowalterstheorderofthecolumns.Ifa
buttonfromtherowtotheleftedgeofthetableisdraggedintothelineheadingsarea,a
columncanbechangedintoarow.Themousepointeraltersitsappearancefromtheiconfor
acolumnheadingtothatofalineheading.
Toremoveabuttonfromthetable,justdragitoutofthetable.Releasethemousebutton
whenthemousepointerbecomesanotallowedicon.Thebuttonis,thus,deleted.
Note:Doubleclickingonthenameofatableelementhidesorshowsthemergedelementsbelowit.
FilteringDataPilotTables
AlthoughtheDataPilottablesareusuallycreatedaccordingtouserrequirements,theremay
beoccasionswhennotallofthedataprovidedbythetablesisofinterest.Ifthisshouldbethe
case,filtersshouldbeusedthatapplyconditionstothedatasuchthatiftheconditionsarenot
mettheexcessdataisremovedfromthetables.
ClicktheFilterbuttoninthesheettocalluptheentrymaskforthefilterconditions.The
Filterdialoguewillappear.Thisdialogueprovidesdifferentcriteriawhichcanbeusedfor
selectingdata.
UpdatingDataPilotTables
Ifthedataofthebasetablehaschanged,Calcrecalculatesthetablestobringtheanalysisup
todate.Herearethestepstoaccomplishtorecalculatethetables:
1. Clickwiththerightmousebuttonononeofthebuttonfields
2. ChoosetheRefreshentryorchooseData>DataPilot>Refresh.
DeletingDataPilotTables
TodeleteaDataPilottable,selectanycellintheanalysistable,thenchooseData>
DataPilot>Delete.
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ConsolidatingData
Duringconsolidation,thecontentsofthecellsfromseveralsheetswillbecombinedinone
place.Chooseafunctionsothat,forexample,displaysthesum,thestandarddeviationorthe
varianceofthedata.
1. Openthedocumentthatcontainstheareastobeconsolidated.
2. ChooseData>ConsolidatetoopentheConsolidatedialogue.
3. FromtheSourceDataArealistbox,selectanareaasastartingpointtoconsolidatewith
otherareas.
4. Iftheareaisnotnamed,clickinthefieldnexttotheSourceDataArea.Ablinkingtext
cursorappears.Typeareferenceforthefirstsourcedataareaorselecttheareainthesheet
withthemouse.
5. ClickAddtoinserttheselectedareaasaConsolidationArea.
6. SelectadditionalareasandclickAddaftereachselection.
7. SpecifywheretodisplaytheresultbyselectingatargetareafromtheCopyresultstolist
box.
8. Ifthetargetareaisnotnamed,clickinthefieldnexttoCopyresultstoandenterthe
referenceofthetargetarea(orthetopleftcellinthetargetarea).Alternatively,selectthe
areausingthemouseorsimplypositionthecursorinthetopleftcellofthetargetarea.
9. Selectacalculationrulefordetermininghowthevaluesoftheconsolidationareasshould
belinked.Thesumfunctionisthedefaultsetting.
10.ClickOKtoconsolidatethearea.
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Ifanewsheet,independentfromthesourceareas,shouldnotbecreated,butretaininglinks
tothesourceareasorconsolidatingareasinwhichtheorderofrowsorcolumnsvariesis
preferred,,clicktheMorebuttonintheConsolidatedialogue.
1. SelectLinktoSourceDatatoinsertonlytheformulaethatgeneratetheresultsinthe
targetarea,ratherthantheactualresults.Withlinkeddata,anyvaluesmodifiedinthe
sourceareaareautomaticallyupdatedinthetargetarea.Thecorrespondingcellreferences
inthetargetareaareinsertedinconsecutiverows,whichareautomaticallyorderedand
thenhiddenfromview.Onlythefinalresult,basedontheselectedcalculationrule,is
displayed.
2. UnderConsolidatebydothefollowing:
a) SelecteitherRowLabelsorColumnHeadersifthecellsofthesourceareaaretobe
consolidatedaccordingtoamatchingrowlabelorcolumnheaderratherthantothe
identicalpositionofthecellinthearea.
Toconsolidatebyroworcolumnheaders,thetextmustbecontainedintheselected
sourceareas,orincludedintheselectionwiththemouse.
Thedatafromtheconsolidationandtargetareasissavedwhenthedocumentissaved.
Openingadocumentlater,inwhichconsolidationhasbeendefined,thisdatawillagainbe
available.
Note:Thetextintheheadersorlabelsmustbeidentical,sothatrowsorcolumnscanbeaccuratelymatched.Ifthe
roworcolumnlabeldoesnotmatchanythatexistinthetargetarea,itwillbeappendedasanewroworcolumn.
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ApplyingGoalSeek
WiththehelpofGoalSeekonecancalculateavaluethat,aspartofaformula,leadstothe
resultspecifiedfortheformula.Thustheformulaisdefinedwithseveralfixedvaluesandone
variablevalueandtheresultoftheformula.
GoalSeekisbestillustratedbymeansofanexample.
Tocalculateannualinterest,createatablewiththevaluesforthecapital(C),numberof
years(n),andinterestrate(i).Theformulais:I=C*n*i/100
Note:Formulacanalsobeenteredusingthevariablenames:
Interestrate/100.
Interest=Capital*Year*
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11.NowentertheformulainE5usingthevariables=C*n*iinsteadof=A5*B5*C5.
StartGoalSeek
Assumeaninterestrateof7. 5%andthatthenumberofyears(1)willremainconstant.
However,theusermaywanttoknowhowmuchmoreorlessinvestmentwouldbeneededto
attainaparticularannualreturn.Forexample,calculatehowmuchcapitalwouldberequired
foranannualreturnof$ 15,000byperformingthefollowingsteps:
1. PlacethecursorincellE5.
2. SelectTools>GoalSeekandtheGoalSeekdialogueappears.
3. Thecorrectcell,(E5),shouldalreadybeenteredinthefieldFormulaCell.
4. PlacethecursorinthefieldVariableCell.
5. Inthesheet,clickinthecell(A5)thatcontainsthevaluetobechanged.
6. Entertheexpectedresultoftheformula(i.e.,thedesiredvalue)underTargetValue.In
thisexample,thevalueis15,000.
7. ClickOK.
8. AdialogueappearswiththeresultoftheGoalSeek.Theresultisprovidedforuseas
desired.Iftheresultshouldbeused,clickYestoentertheresultincellA5.
ApplyingMultipleOperations
MultipleOperationsinColumnsorRows
Ifthedataofadatarangeisoneabovetheother(forcolumns)ornexttoeachother(for
rows),selectthedatarangetogetherwiththecellorcellrangenexttoorbelowitasthetarget
range.IntheColumn/Rowfield,enterthecellreferencetothefirstcellinthedatarange.In
theFormulafield,enterthecellreferencetothecellwiththeformulathatappliestothedata
range.
Examples
Thecompanyproducestoyswhichsellfor$10each.Eachtoycosts$2tomake,inaddition
towhichtherearefixedcostsof$10,000perannum.Howmuchprofitwillbemadeinayear
ifaparticularnumberoftoysaresold?
Considerthefollowingtable:
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CalculatingWithOneFormulaandOneVariable
1. Openanewspreadsheetforthistutorial.
2. Tocalculatetheprofit,firstenteranynumberasthequantity(itemssold)>inthis
example2000.TheprofitisfoundfromtheformulaProfit=Quantity*(Selling
priceDirectcosts)Fixedcosts.EnterthisformulainB5.
3. IncolumnDentercertainannualsalesoneundertheother,e.g.instepsof500from500
to5000.
4. HighlighttherangeD2:E 11,andthusthevaluesincolumnDandtheemptycells
alongsideincolumnE.
5. ChooseData>Multipleoperations.
6. Withthecursorintheformulaefield,clickcellB5.
7. SetthecursorintheColumnfieldandclickcellB4.ThismeansthatthequantityinB4
isthevariableintheformulawhichisreplacedbythehighlightedcolumnvalues.
8. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
9. ProfitwillbedisplayedincolumnE.
CalculatingwithSeveralformulaeSimultaneously
1. Usethespreadsheetcreatedabove/
2. DeletecolumnE.
3. Enter=B5/B4inC5:.Thiscalculatestheannualprofitperitemsold.
4. SelecttherangeD2;F 11.i.eallthreecolumns.
5. SelectData>MultipleOperations.
6. Withthecursorintheformulaefield,markcellsB5throughC5.
7. SetthecursorintheColumnsfieldandclickcellB4.
8. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
9. ProfitwillbedisplayedincolumnEandtheannualprofitperitemincolumnF.
MultipleOperationsAcrossRowsandColumns
Calcallowsjointmultipleoperationsforcolumnsandrowsin,socalled,crosstables.The
formulacellhastorefertoboththedatarangearrangedinrowsandtheonearrangedin
columns.Selecttherangedefinedbybothdatarangesandcallthemultipleoperation
dialogue.EnterthereferencetotheformulaintheFormulafield.TheRowfieldisusedto
enterthereferencetothefirstcelloftherangearrangedinrowsandtheColumnfieldthe
firstcelloftherangearrangedincolumns.
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CalculatingwithTwoVariables
ConsidercolumnsAandBofthesampletableabove.Nowtryvaryingnotonlythequantity
producedannually,butalsothesellingprice,andcalculatetheprofitineachcase.
ExpandthetableshownabovesothatD2throughD 11containthenumbers500,1000and
soon,upto5000.InE1throughH1enterthenumbers8,10 ,15 and20.
Sellingprice
10
Directcosts
Fixedcosts
4
5
10
500
7000
6000
10000
1000
4000
2000
Quantity
2000
1500
1000
2000
Profit
=B4*(B1>B2)>B3
2000
2000
6000
1. HighlighttherangeD1:H 11.
2. SelectData>MultipleOperations.
3. Withthecursorintheformulaefield,clickcellB5.
4. SetthecursorintheRowsfieldandclickcellB1.ThismeansthatB1,thesellingprice,is
thehorizontallyenteredvariable(withthevalues8,10,15 and20).
5. SetthecursorintheColumnfieldandclickinA1.ThismeansthatB4,thequantity,isthe
verticallyenteredvariable.
6. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
7. SeeprofitsintherangeE2:H 11.Insomecases,pressing(F9)isneededtoupdatethe
table.
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UsingScenarios
Scenariosareimportantaidsformakingnumbersthataredependentoneachotherandtheir
resultingcalculationsvisible.
Modifyspecificbasicrequirementsinthetableandseethenewresult.Nameascenario,
createdinthismanner,andcompareitwithotherscenarios.
UsingReadyMadeScenarios
Ifthesamplesfromhttp://www.pathtech.org/OpenOffice.org/templates/areinstalled,choose
oneofthereadymadeexamplescenarioswithwhichtowork.
1. ChooseFile>New>TemplatesandDocumentsandfromthedialogueopenthe
Samples.
2. Openthespreadsheetexamplestoseethespreadsheetdocumentsavailable.
3. DoubleclickthedocumentwithRecarinthename.
Thisisasamplespreadsheetinwhichseveralscenarioshavebeencreated.
Areasinwhichthescenariosthatdifferbyinitialvaluesarelocatedaresurroundedby
frames.Selecttheappropriatescenariointhelistboxappearingatthetopofeveryframe.
ScenarioscanalsobeselectedintheNavigator:
1. OpentheNavigatorwiththeF5keyortheNavigatoriconontheStandardtoolbar.
2. ClicktheScenariosiconintheNavigator(theiconwiththequestionandexclamation
marks).
IntheNavigator,seethedefinedscenarioswiththecommentsthatwereenteredwhenthe
scenarioswerecreated.
CreatingPersonalScenarios
Assumingthatthespreadsheetusedintheprevioussectionisavailable,createascenarioby
selectingallthecellsthatprovidethedataforthescenario.Forexample,createanadditional
scenariocalledHighDollarRateusingthefollowingsteps:
1.Selectthecellsthatarealreadyhighlightedbytheframeoftheexistingscenario.
Remember,multipleselectcellsthatarenotcontiguous,i.e.thataredistributedacrossthe
table,mayalsobeselected.Toselectmultiplecells,holddowntheCtrlkeyaseachcellis
clicked.However,Inthiscase,simplyselecttherangeF 18:F23.
2.ChooseTools>Scenarios....TheCreateScenariodialogueappears.
3. EnterHighDollarRateasthenameofthescenarioandleavetheotherfieldsat
theirdefaultvalues.
4. ClosethedialoguewithOK.Thenewscenarioisautomaticallyactivated.
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4.Changeanyvaluesintheframestothevaluesthataretoapplytothenewscenario.Inthis
case,modifythedollarrateandallothervaluesthatcouldbeaffectedbyit,i.e.economic
growthandsalesprices.Aschangesaremade,momentslatertheresultsfromtheseoperating
figuresaredisplayed.
Todiscoverwhichvaluesinthescenarioaffectothervalues,chooseTools>Detective>
TracktoDependents.Arrowsappearthatpointtothecellsthataredirectlydependentonthe
currentcell.
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ValidityofCellContents
Foreachcelltheusercandefine,inadvance,whattypeofcontentswillbevalidforthiscell.
Thiswillmakeiteasierforotheruserstoemploythesesheetscorrectly.
Thevalidityruleisactivatedwhenanewvalueisentered.Ifaninvalidvaluehasalready
beeninsertedintothecell,orifavalueisinsertedinthecelleitherwithdraganddroporby
copyingandpasting,thevalidityrulewillnottakeeffect.Todetermineanddisplaywhich
cellscontaininvalidvalues,chooseTools>Detectiveatanytimeandselectthecommand
MarkInvalidData.
AdditionaldetailsaboutDataValiditycanbefoundintheOpenOffice.orgHelp.
UsingCellContentsValidity
1. Selectthecellsuponwhichtodefineanewvalidityrule.Whereneeded,selectmultiple
cellsbyclickingonallrespectivecellswhileholdingdowntheCtrlkey.
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Thevalidityruleisacomponentofthecellformat.Tocopythevalidityruletoothercells,
chooseEdit>CopyandEdit>PasteSpecial,andselectFor mat.
2. SelectData>Validation....TheDataValidationdialogueappears.
3. OntheValuestabpage,entertheconditionsfornewvaluesenteredintocells.Values
alreadyenteredwillnotbeaffected.
4. InthefieldAllow,AllValuesisselectedbydefault.Thismeansthatthereareno
restrictions.Asneeded,chooseoneoftheotheroptions:WholeNumber,Decimal,
Date,Time,andTextLength.
5. Thischoicesetsthefirstcondition.Bychoosing,forexample,WholeNumbers,values
suchas12.5arenotallowed,eveniftheysatisfytheotherconditions.
ChoosingDateallowsdateinformationbothintheform1/1/ 97aswellasintheform
ofaserialdate.Similarly,theTimeconditionpermitstimevaluesas12:00orserial
timenumbers.TextLengthstipulatesthatcellsareallowedtocontaintextonly.
6. AftersettingthefirstconditionunderAllow,selectthenextconditionunderData.
Accordingtowhatischosen,additionaltextfields(Value,MinimumandMaximum)
mayappeartofurtherspecifythecondition.
7. Afewpossibleconditionsresultingfromthisregistercouldbeasfollows:
Integergreaterthan1,Decimalbetween10and12.5,Dateearlierthanorequalto
1/1/2000,Timenotequalto00:00,Textwithalengthofmorethan2characters.
Aftertheconditionsforcellvalidityhavebeendetermined,ifanyvaluesaresubsequently
enteredwhichdonotmeettheconditions,Calcdisplaysawarningmessage.Fillouttheother
twotabsinthedialoguetospecifymoredetailedmessagestoaidauserworkingwitha
spreadsheet.
OntheInputHelptabpage,enterthetitleandthetextofthetip,whichwillthenbe
displayedifthecellisselected.
OntheErrorAlerttabpage,selecttheactiontobecarriedoutintheeventofanerror.
IfStopisselectedastheaction,invalidinputsarenotaccepted,andthepreviouscell
contentswillberetained.
SelectWarningorIn for mationtodisplayadialogueinwhichtheentrycaneitherbe
cancelled(thecellvaluewillberetained)oraccepted(evenifthenewvalueviolatesthe
validityrule).
IfMacroisselected,thenspecifythemacrotobecarriedoutintheeventofanerrorvia
theBrowsebutton.
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Samplemacro:
FunctionExampleValidity(CellValueasString,TableCellasString)
Dimmsgasstring
msg=Invalidvalue:&'&Cell Value&'"
msg=msg&intable:&'&TableCell&'"
MsgBoxmsg,16 ,"Errormessage"
EndFunction
Note:AfterchangingtheactionforacellontheErrorAlerttabpageandclosingthedialoguewithOK,another
cellmustbeselectedbeforethechangetakeseffect.
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PrintingorExportingSpreadsheets
Therearemanyprintoptionsforputtingspreadsheetsonpaper.Anotherwayofdistributing
dataistopublishitontheInternetinHTMLformatorasPDFfiles.
PrintingSheetDetails
Whenprintingasheetonecanselectwhichdetailsaretobeprinted:
Rowandcolumnheaders
Sheetgrid
Notes
Objectsandgraphics
Charts
Drawingobjects
formulae
Tochoosethedetailsproceedasfollows.
1. Selectthesheetforprinting.
2. ChooseFormat>Page.
Thiscommandisnotvisibleoravailableifthesheetwasopenedwithwriteprotectionon.
Inthatcase,clicktheEditFileiconontheStandardtoolbar.
3. SelecttheTabletab.InthePrintareamarkthedetailstobeprinted
4. ClickOK.
5. Printthedocument.
DefiningNumberofPagesforPrinting
Ifasheetistoolargeforasingleprintedpage,Calcprintsthecurrentsheetevenlydivided
overseveralpages.Sincetheautomaticpagebreakdoesnotalwaystakeplaceintheoptimal
position,usersmaydefinethepagedistributionthemselves.
1. Gotothesheettobeprinted.
2. ChooseView>PageBreakPreview.
3. Thisdisplaystheautomaticdistributionofthesheetacrosstheprintpages.The
automaticallycreatedprintrangesareindicatedbydarkbluelines,anduserdefinedones
bylightbluelines.Thepagebreaks(linebreaksandcolumnbreaks)aremarkedasblack
lines.
4. Thebluepagebreaklinescanbemovedusingthemouse.Lookforfurtheroptionsinthe
Contextmenu,includingaddinganadditionalprintrange,removingthescalingand
insertingadditionalmanuallineandcolumnbreaks.
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PrintingSheetsinLandscapeFormat
InordertoprintasheetuseoneofthenumberofinteractiveoptionsavailableunderView>
PageBreakPreview.Tomakeahardcopyinlandscapeformat,proceedasfollows:
1. Gotothesheetforprinting.
2. SelectFormat>Page.
Thiscommandisnotvisibleifthesheethasbeenopenedwithwriteprotectionon.Inthat
case,clicktheEditfileiconontheStandardtoolbar.
3. SelectthePagetab.
4. SelecttheLandscapepaperformat
5. ClickOK.
6. ChooseFile>PrinttoopenthePrintdialogue.
Dependingontheprinterdriverandtheoperatingsystem,itmaybenecessarytoclickthe
Propertiesbuttonandtochangetheprintertolandscapethere.
InthePrintdialogueunderPrintrange,selectthepagestobeprinted:
All>Allsheetswillbeprinted.
Pages>Enterthepagestobeprinted.Thepageswillalsobenumberedfromthefirst
sheetonwards.Ifonesees,inthePageBreakPreview,thatsheet1willbeprinted
on4pagesandonlythefirsttwopagesofsheet2,enter56here.
Selection>Onlytheselectionwillbeprinted.Ifcellsareselected,theseareprinted.If
nocellsareselected,allthosesheetswhosenames(atthebottomonthesheettabs)are
selectedwillbeprinted.BypressingCtrlwhileclickingasheetnamethisselection
maybechanged.
IfunderFormat>Printrangetheuserhasdefinedoneormoreprintranges,onlythe
contentsoftheseprintrangeswillbeprinted.
PrintingRowsorColumnsonEveryPage
Supposeasheetissolargethatitmustbeprintedonfourpages.Thepageswillbearranged
asfollows:
Page1
Page3
Page2
Page4
Thetoptworowsofthesheetshouldnotbeprintedonpages1and3,butshouldbethe
topmostrowsonprintpages2and4.ThefirstcolumnAshouldnotbeprintedonpages1
and2,butshouldbeonpages3and4.
1. SelectFormat>Printranges>EditandtheEditprintrangesdialogueopens.
2. ClicktheiconatthefarrightoftheRowstorepeatarea.
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Thedialogueshrinkssothatmoreofthesheetcanbedisplayed.
3. Selectthefirsttworowsand,forexample,clickcellA1anddragtoA2.
Intheshrunkendialoguetheuserwillsee$1:$2.Rows1and2arenowrowstorepeat.
4. ClicktheiconatthefarrightoftheRowstorepeatarea.Thedialogueisrestoredagain.
5. IfonealsowantscolumnAasacolumntorepeat,clicktheiconatthefarrightofthe
Columnstorepeatarea.
6. ClickcolumnA(notinthecolumnheader).
7. ClicktheiconagainatthefarrightoftheColumnstorepeatarea.
Note:Rowstorepeatarerowsfromthesheet.
8. Defineheadersandfooters,tobeprintedoneachprintpage,independentlyofthisvia
Format>Page.
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SavingandOpeningSheetsinHTML
SavingSheetsinHTML
CalcsavesallthesheetsofaspreadsheettogetherasoneHTMLdocument.Atthestartofthe
HTMLdocumentaheadingandalistofhyperlinksareautomaticallyaddedwhichleadtothe
individualsheetswithinthedocument.
Numbersareshownaswritten.Inaddition,inthe<SDVAL>HTMLtagtheexactinternal
numbervalueiswrittensothattheexactvaluesareavailablewhenopeningtheHTML
documentwithWriter.
1.TosavethecurrentCalcdocumentasHTML,chooseFile>SaveAs.
2.IntheareawiththeotherCalcfilters,choosetheFiletypeHTMLDocument.
3.EnteraFilenameandclickSave.
OpeningSheetsinHTML
HTMLdocumentsmaybeopenedwithwriteprotectionenabled.ToeditareadonlyHTML
document,clicktheEditFileiconontheStandardtoolbar.
OpenOffice.orgoffersvariousfiltersforopeningHTMLfiles,whichmaybeselectedviathe
File>OpendialogueintheFiletypefield(payparticularattentiontothearea,asthename
Webpagesisalwaysthesame):
OpeninWriter/WebfilterWebpagesorasdefaultwhichdoesnotrequireselectinga
filter.
AlltheoptionsofOpenOffice.orgWriter/Webarenowavailable,suchasShowHTML
source.
IntheOpenOffice.orgWriterfilteropenWebpages.
AlltheoptionsofWriterarenowavailable.However,pleasenotethatnotallediting
optionsthatWriterofferscanbesavedinHTMLformat.
IntheCalcfilteropenWebpages.
AlltheoptionsofCalcarenowavailabletotheuser.Again,notethatnotalloptionsthat
CalcoffersforeditingcanbesavedinHTMLformat.
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formulaeandValuesasCSVFiles
CSVisanacronymforCommaSeparatedValues.CSVfilesarepuretextfiles,which
containthecontentsofthecellsofatable/areaofaspreadsheet.Commas,tabs,spaces,
colonsorsemicolonscanbeusedasthefielddelimitersbetweenthecells.Textis
automaticallyputbetweeneitherquotationmarksorsinglequotes,asselected,while
numbersarewrittendirectly.
ExportingformulaeandValuesasCSVFiles
1. Selectthearea/tablethatistobewrittenasacsvfile.
2. Whereformulaearetobeexportedasformulae,e.g.intheform=SUM(A1:B5),proceed
asfollows:
a) ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc>View.
b) UnderDisplay,checktheformulaefield.
c) ClickOK.
Toexportthecalculationresultsinsteadoftheformulae,donotmarkformulae.
3. ChooseFile>SaveastoopentheSaveasdialogue.
4. IntheFiletypefieldselecttheformatTextCSV.
5. EnteranameandclickSave.
a) FromtheExportTextdialoguethatappears,selecttherecordsandthefieldandtext
delimitersforthedatatobeexported.
b) ConfirmwithOK.
Caution:Ifthenumberscontaincommasasthedecimalseparatoror
thousandsseparator,donotselectthecommaasthefielddelimiter.Ifthetext
containsdoublequotationmarks,selectthesinglequotationmarkas
separatorandviceversa.
6. Ifnecessary,aftersavingthedocument,uncheckformulaeinordertoseethecalculated
resultsinthetableagain.
ImportingaCSVFile
1. ChooseFile>Opentobringupthedialogue.
2. IntheFiletypefield,selecttheformatTextCS V.
3. Selectthefilefromthelist.
4. ClickOpen.
Whenafilehasthe.csvextension,thefiletypeisautomaticallyrecognized.
5. TheImporttextfilesdialogueopens.
6. ClickOK.
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7. IftheCSVfilecontainsformulaeasformulae,uncheckformulae(inTools>Options>
OpenOffice.orgCalc>View),sothatthecalculatedresultsarevisibleinthetable.
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AutoFill
Copyingtext,valuesandothercellcontentstoaspreadsheetisveryeasilyusingthemouse.
Heretheuserneedstoconsiderafewspecialfeatures.Whenseveralvaluesarecopiedat
once,Calcformsalogicalseriesoutoftheinitialvalues,suchthat,ifcertaintextsareentered
thatareinsortlists,thelistwillbecontinuedaccordingly.
ApplyingSortLists
Bywayofexperiment,enterthetextJanorJanuaryinanemptycell.Selectthecelland
clickthemouseontheboxinthelowerrightcornerofthecellborder.Dragoverseveralcells
totherightordownwards.Uponreleasingthemousebutton,thehighlightedcellswillbe
filledwiththenamesofthemonths.
ThispredefinedseriescanbefoundunderTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc/pen
>SortLists.Customlistscanalsobetailoredtolocalneeds,suchasalistofa
company'sbranchoffices.Theselistsarehandyforexpandingasheadingsandother
repetitivetasksbysimplyenteringthenameinthelistwithwhichtostartandthenexpanding
thisentrybydraggingasdescribedabove.
AutomaticRowFilling
1. Enteranumberinacell.
2. Withthemousedragthebottomrightcornerofthecelldownwards.
3. Whenthemousebuttonisreleased,thecellsselectedinthismannerarefilledwith
numbers.Thestartingnumberisincreasedby1ineachcase.
Iftwoormoreadjacentcellshavebeenselected,thatcontaindifferentnumbers,andtheseare
draggedtogether,anyrecognizablearithmeticpatternofthenumbersiscontinued.For
example,ifA1containsthenumber1andA2thenumber3,thenjointcopyingofthetwo
cellsbydraggingdownwardscausestheprogressiontocontinuewith5,7,9,11 andsoon.
1. Firstselecttherangeinthetabletocompletelyfill.
2. SelectEdit>Fill>Rowtoopenthedialogue
3. Selectthetypeofprogression.e.g.
1. Select2asthestartingvalue,2astheincrementandgeometricprogressionasthe
progressiontype.
Inthiswayalistofthepowersof2isproduced.
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Thedialoguealsoallowsseriesofdatesandtimestobeautomaticallyfilledin.Forexample,
toinsertthefirstdateofeachmonthoftheyearasrowheaders,proceedasfollows:
1. Enteradate,e.g.,1/1/99intoacell(withoutquotationmarks).
2. Highlightthiscellandthe11cellsbelowit.
3. SelectEdit>Fill>Series.
4. Inthedialogue,selectDateandMonth.
5. ClickOK.
Thefirstdateofeachmonthautomaticallyappearsintheselectedcells.
ProtectingSheets
Topreventthevaluesenteredinasheetfrombeingmodifiedbyanotherperson,protectthe
sheet.Todothis,followthesesteps:
1. DisplaytheProtectSheetdialogue(Tools>ProtectDocument>Sheet).
2. Enterapassword,
3. ClickOK.
Likewisetheentiredocumentcanbeprotectedsothatitisonlypossibletoopenitby
enteringthepassword.
Allcellsinanewlycreatedspreadsheetdocumenthavetheprotectedattribute.This
attributecanbeturnedonandoffviatheCellProtectiontabpageoftheCellAttributes
dialogue,whichisopenedbychoosingFormat>CellsorviatheFormatCells...context
menucommand.
TheProtectedattributecanbesetorremovedforeachcellindividually.Inanycase,it
doesnottakeeffectuntiltheentiresheetand/ortheentiredocumentisprotected.Apply
thisprotectionusingTools>ProtectDocument>Sheet...orTools>ProtectDocument
>Document....
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While apasswordcanbeappliedforprotectingthesheetandthedocument,thisisnot
required.However,ifapasswordisset,thenprotectioncanonlyberemovedlaterby
enteringthecorrectpassword.Ifnopasswordisset,thereisstilleffectiveprotection
againstadocumentbeingaccidentallymodified.
Sheetprotectionpreventsmodificationofthecontentsofthisspecificsheet.Document
protectionpreventsthesheetsfrombeinginserted,deleted,resortedorrenamed.
Ifauserhasadocumentwithconfidentialdatathatshouldbeprotectedfrombeing
openedbyunauthorizedpersons,protectitwithapassword.Thepasswordmakesthis
protectionoftheentiredocumentdependentontheprotectionmechanismofcells,sheets
anddocumentsdescribedabove.Tosaveadocumentwithapassword,selectFile>Save
As...andchecktheSavewithPasswordcheckbox.
CreatingaReference
Ifauserwantstoinsertavalue,saytheresultofaprofitcalculation,intoanothersheetor
intoanotherspreadsheetdocument,areferencemustbecreated.
1. Selectthecellwheretoinserttheresult
2. Enter=.
3. Nextselectthecellthatcontainstheoriginalresult
4. PressEnter.
Thiscellcanalsobeincludedinanotherspreadsheetorinanotherfile.Theresultis
automaticallyinsertedintothereferencecellandisalsoupdatedwhenchangesaremade
later.
Thecontentofacellcanbedraggedtoacellinanotherdocument.Withthisaction,either
choosetotransferacopyofthecell,asitnowstands,intotheotherdocumentorcreatealink
sothattheotherdocumentalwaysreflectsthecurrentcontentofthecell.
Aftersettingallthenecessarypreferencesandchanges,savethedocumentandprintit.
FurtherInformation
Thedocumentbasedonthistemplateisprotected.Inordertomakemodificationsinthe
protectedcells,firstdisabletheprotectionviaTools>ProtectDocument>Spreadsheet.
Thismustbedoneindividuallyforeveryprotectedsheet,includingthehiddensheets.
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Insertinganote
Tokeepanote,perhapsremindingonetosellacertainsharelateron,selecttherelevantcell
andchooseInsert>Note.Ashadowedareainthedocumentappearsinwhichtoentertext.
Tomakethisnotevisibleallthetime,clickintherelevantcell(cellswithnoteshaveasmall
reddotinthecorner,provided"NoteIndicatorinTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalc
>Viewismarked),openthecontextmenuandchooseShowNote.Otherwise,oneonlysees
thenotewhenthemousepointerismovedontothecell.
Insertingasheetintoanotherdocument
Selectthecellrangeandcopyittotheclipboard(CopyiconontheStandardtoolbar).Open
thedocumentintowhichtoinsertthesheet(generallyatextdocument)andinsertthesheet
(Insertcommand).
Displayingformulae
Todisplaythereferencesinthespreadsheets,chooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.org
Calc>Viewandmarkformulae.Thebestwaytoexamineanindividualformulaistoclick
thecellcontainingtheformulaandthenclicktheWizard:Functionsiconontheformula
bar.
Usingprintranges
Printrangeshavebeenusedinthesampledocumenttoprintspecificallytargetedcells.
FreezingColumns
Selectthecolumntotherightofthecolumntobefrozen,sayalistofnames,byclickingon
thecolumnheader,andclickFreezeintheWindowmenu.Thismakesispossibletoscroll
horizontally,whiletheareatotheleftofthefreezelineremainsfixed.Thisfixesthedisplay
sothatthecolumncontainingthenamesisalwaysinview.Thisfunctionisespeciallyuseful
forlargesheets.
SplittingaCalcWindow
Sometimesausermayneedtoworkwithaspreadsheetinwhichtheactivedataisindifferent
rows.Scrollingupanddowncanbeinconvenient.Inthiscasesplittingthedisplaycanbean
advantage.Selectthecelltatwhichtosplitthedisplay,andclickSplitintheWindowmenu.
Thismakeispossibletoscrollverticallyineachofthesplitsections.Thisfunctioncanbe
especiallyusefulforlargesheets.
ConditionalFormatting
Withthisfunction,informationcanbedisplayedsimplybyenteringaletter.Forexample,if
thisisanemployeelist,usethisfeaturetoinstantlyfindoutifaparticularemployeeis
present,sick,oronvacation.
Todoso,usethefollowingsteps:
1. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow(clicktheiconintheStandardtoolbar)
2. createthreeCellStyles.
3. FortheCellStyles,choosenamesthatcorrespondtotheinformationtoberepresented.In
thecaseoftheemployeelist,choose:Sick,VacationandPresent.
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4. ClickintheStylesandFormattingwindow,andopenthecontextmenuandclicktheNew
commandtoactivatetheCellStyledialogue.
5. OntheOrganize...tab,enterthewordSickandassignabackgroundcolourtotheCell
StylebywayoftheBackgroundtabpage.
6. ClickOK
7. RepeatthisprocessforthetworemainingCellStyles.
8. Now,usingthemouse,selecttherangetowhichtoapplytheconditionalformatting.
ChooseFormat>ConditionalFormattingtoopentheConditionalFormatting
dialogue.
9. ForCondition1define:Cellvalue>equalss(s=sick).IntheCellStylelistbox,
selecttheStyleSick.
10.ForCondition2define:Cellvalue>equalsv(v=vacation).IntheCellStylelistbox,
selecttheStyleVacation.
11.ForCondition3define:Cellvalue>equalp(p=present).IntheCellStylelistbox,
selecttheStylePresent.
Note:Theuseofquotationmarksisabsolutelynecessarytodefineconditions!
Uponenteringav(withoutquotationmarks)inacellinthepreviouslyselectedareaand
pressingtheEnterorArrowkey,thecellwillbedisplayedinthedefinedcolour.
Note:Amaximumofthreeconditionsispossible.
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DefiningValidity
Toavoidinvalidentriesinaspreadsheet,defineavaliditycondition.Selectthecellstowhich
thevalidityconditionistoapply,andopentheValiditydialogue(intheDatamenu).Onthe
Criteriatab,definetheacceptableentrycriteria(inthisexample:Textlength,equaland1)
intheappropriatelistsandfields.
Next,clickontheErrorAlerttab.SelecttheoptionShowerrormessagewheninvalid
valuesareenteredandclickStopintheActionlistbox.UnderErrormessage,enteran
appropriatetext(e.g.On lyv(vacation),p(present),ors(sick)are
validentries.).
Ifauserweretonowentermorethanoneletterinthecorrespondingcellinthesheet,the
messagedefinedaboveappears.
CreatingInputHelp
UsingtheValiditydialogue,customhelpfunctionscanbecreatedforapreviouslyselected
area.SelecttheInputHelptabandchecktheboxShowinputhelpwhencellisselected.
Enteratitleintherespectivefield,andenterthehelptextinthefieldbelow.Thistextisthen
displayedasaHelptipfortheuser.
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LinkingSheetInformation
Theinformationcontainedinaschedulecanalsobeusedbylinkingittothevacation
accountsandautomaticallysubtractingusedvacationdays,forexample.
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Chapter5:CreatingPresentationsWithImpress
Presentationshavemorethanjustdrawingsandgraphicstooffer.Usepresentationstolink
severalslidestoformaslideshow,toanimatetheelementsontheslidesandtoassignspecial
transitioneffectsbetweenslides.Slidesoftencontaintextwhich,intheoutlineviewmode,is
displayedandenteredinahierarchicalstructure.Changethetextorrearrangetheorderofthe
slidesatanytime.
Thereareseveralwaystocreateapresentation:
UseWizardPresentation.
Usethetemplatesandsampledocumentssupplied,whicharemodifiedasnecessary.
Startwithanemptydocument.
OpenOffice.orgImpressprovidesmanygraphicsfeaturesforcreatingpresentations,allof
whicharefoundinOpenOffice.orgDraw,too.Pleasetakethetimetoreadchapter6on
OpenOffice.orgDrawtodiscoverthecompletecapabilitiesofImpress.
Thesampledocumentsreferencedinthissectionmaybefound,atthetimeofwriting,at
http://www.pathtech.org/OpenOffice.org/templates/Samples/.
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OpenOffice.orgImpressToolbarsandWindows
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HowtoCreateaBasicPresentation
Thefollowingbriefstepbystepexampledemonstratesdifferentmethodsofhowtocreatea
presentationdocument.
Aswithtextdocuments,therearevariouswaystostartcreatingapresentation:
OpentheWizardPresentationbychoosingFile>Wizards>Presentation.TheWizard
startsautomaticallyeachtimeanewpresentationiscreated.Ifdesired,switchoffthe
automaticmodeonthefirstpageoftheWizard.TheWizardisdescribedindetailinthe
Help.
ByturningofftheWizardinTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgImpress>General,a
new,emptydocument(forexample,bychoosingFile>New>Presentation)isopened.
Alternativelyopenanexistingpresentationdocumentthatismodifiedandsavedundera
differentname.
OruseoneofthemanytemplatesavailableintheTemplatesandDocumentsdialogue.
PressingShift+Ctrl+NopensthisdialogueoruseFile>New>Templatesand
Documents.
Formoreinformationonthevariousdialoguesusedhere,refertoHelp.
CreatingaPresentationWiththeWizard
1. ChooseFile>New>Presentation.
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TheWizardPresentationopensautomatically.Thefirstpageallowsstartingwithanempty
presentation,atemplateorthelastpresentationopened.ByclickingtheFromtemplate
option,OpenOffice.orgImpresscollectsallexistingpresentationtemplatesanddisplays
theminthelistbox.
2. Forthepurposesofthisexample,selectthetemplatenew_product_introandclick
Next.OnpagetwooftheWizarddialoguechooseanotherPageSt yl eifneeded.The
selectionofpresentationlayoutsavailabletochoosefromarefromthepredefined
templatedirectories.AsonthefirstpageoftheWizard,alltemplatesaredisplayedas
PageSt yles.
Onthispage,however,thedefaultisPresentationBackgrounds.Fromthis
page,selectthepresentationmediumforthepresentation:Slide,Overhead,Screen
orPaper.Thedimensions,margins,andorientationofthepresentationwilldependon
theseselections.
3. Tocontinuefollowingthisexample,donotchangethebackgroundormediumofthe
presentation.ClickNext.
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4. PagethreeoftheWizarddealswiththeslidetransition.
a) InthefirstlistboxselecttheslideeffectCrossFadeFromLeft.
b) SelectthedefaultMediumforthespeedofchange.
5. SelectAutomaticallyasthepresentationtype(i.e.repeatedlyrunsthroughpresentation,
withfixedtimelapses,untiltheEscapekeyispressed).
6. Nowonecandeterminefurtherparameters:
a) UsetheDurationofpagespinboxtodeterminehowlongeachslideisshownbefore
thenextoneappears.Oncethepresentationiscompleted,adifferentdurationforeach
slidecanbesetindividually.
b) UsetheDurationofpausespinboxtodeterminehowlongthepausewillbeatendof
thepresentationbeforeitstartsagain.IftheShowLogocheckboxismarked,the
CreatedwithOpenOffice.orglogowillbedisplayedonthepausepage.
TheDefaultpresentationtyperunsthepresentationfrombeginningtoendwithmanual
slidetransition,e.g.bymouseclick.
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7. ClickNext.
8. Enteradditionaltextwhichthatshouldappearinthepresentationonpagefour.
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9. ClickNext.
ThefifthandfinalpageoftheWizarddeterminesthenumberoftheslidesneededinthe
presentation.Alistofnamesofalltheslidesinthepresentationisalsopresented.Ifthere
aresomeslidestoberemovedfromthepresentation,clickthePageiconwiththegreen
checkmarknexttothename.Thecheckmarkwilldisappear,whichindicatesthatthat
slidewillnotbeincludedinthepresentation.Toreversethisaction,clickthepageicon
again.
10.Clicktheplussigninfrontofaslide,theheadingsfromthefirstoutlinelevelwillbe
shown.
11.BycheckingtheCreatesummarycheckbox,theAutoPilotcreatesanadditionallast
slidewithasummaryofallthetitlesofthepreviousslidesinthepresentation.Normally
thisisnotnecessary,sincemosttemplatesalreadyincludesuchapage.
12.ClickCreatetocreatethepresentation.
ClickingCreateonanyoftheWizardpagescreatesthedocumentandeliminatesthe
needtogothroughallthepagesoftheAutoPilot.
Oncecreated,edit,save,andprintorrunthepresentation,etcetera.
Tostartapresentationonacomputerscreen,simplypressCtrl+F2keyor
clickthePresentationicononthemaintoolbar.
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CreatingaSimplePresentationWithouttheWizard
Thissectionexplains,withthehelpofasimpleexample,howtocreateapresentationbased
ononeoftheexistingtemplates.
Openanewpresentationdocumentbasedononeofthesuppliedtemplatesbychoosing
File>New>TemplatesandDocuments,orwithShift+Ctrl+N.
IntheTemplatesandDocumentsdialoguethatappears,clicktheTemplatesicononthe
leftandthendoubleclickPresentationBackgrounds.Doubleclickoneofthe
templates,suchasNotePad.
Nowthereisaslideinwhichanypredefinedtextcanbereplacewiththetextofchoice.
Note:IfthedocumentisintheMasterviewmodewhenopened,switchtotheSlideviewmodeusingthe
respectiveiconinthelowerleftcornerofthedocumentwindow.Adocumentwillalwaysbeopenedintheview
inwhichitwaslastsaved.
IfTipsand/orExtendedtipsisenables,hoveringthemousepointer
overoneofthesewillpopupwhichiswhich.
Tocreateasecondslide,clicktheInsertSlide...commandinthesmallPresentation
window.(Ifthesmallpresentationwindowisnotvisible,clickthePresentationBoxOn/Off
icon
ontheObjectbar).Inthenextdialogue,selectapagelayoutandconfirmwith
OK.
AlternativelyonecanalsoclickinthearearightoftheSlide1tabtocreateanewslide,
withoutanyselectiondialogue.Thenewslidehasthesamelayoutasthecurrentslide.
1. TheuserwillthenseeSlide2.
2. PressOK.
3. Clickonceonthelowertextframeanddeleteit,say,withtheDeletekey.
4. Clickinthetextframeatthetopandenteratitle.
5. Nextinserta3Dobjectbylongclickingthe3DObjectsicon
toolbar.
toopenitsfloating
6. SelecttheSphereicon.
7. ClickontheslidebelowtheLivein3Dtext,dragopena3Drectangle,andthenrelease
themousebutton.Voila,a3Dsphere.
8. Dragthesphereintothecentreoftheslideandenlargeitbydraggingoneofthehandlesin
oneofthecorners.Whendragging,holddowntheShiftkeysothatthesphereremainsa
sphere.
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9. Assignaninterestingcolourorcolourgradienttothespherebywayofthelistboxeson
theobjectbar.Placingabitmapasapatternona3Dobject,forexample,aworldmap
fromtheGalleryiscoveredinanotherchapter.
SavethepresentationbyeitherpressingtheCtrl+Sshortcutkeysandspecifyingthename
andlocationforthefileoruseFile>Saveasandagainspecifythelocationforstorage.
SwitchingPresentationViews
Totheright,abovetheverticalscrollbar,therearesomeiconsforswitchingviewsandfor
startingthepresentation.
DrawingView
OutlineView
SlideView
NotesView
HandoutView
StartSlideShow
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Totheleftofthehorizontalscrollbarinthedrawingview,notesviewandhandoutview,see
thefollowingicons:
SlideView
MasterView
LayerView
Navigation
ArrangingSlides
SwitchtotheSlideViewbyclickingtherespectiveiconabovetheverticalscrollbarlocated
attherightofthescreen.Nowthepositionofindividualslidescanberearrangedandeffects
definedforthetransitionbetweenslides.
Outlineview
Intheslideview,changethesequenceoftheslidesbydraggingthemtoanyotherpositionin
thepresentation.
Longclickaslideintheslideviewtocopytheslideusingdraganddropwhilepressingthe
Ctrlkey.Themousepointerwillhaveasmallplussignnexttoitwhendraggingtoindicate
acopy.DraganddropisalsopossiblebetweentheslideviewsofOpenOffice.orgImpress
documents.
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Ifthecontextmenuofaselectedslideiscalledup,theShow/HideSlidecommandwillbe
seen.Onecanusethiscommandtotemporarilyremovethecurrentslidefromthe
presentation,withoutdeletingitfromtheactualdocument.Aslidethatisnotshowninthe
presentationreceivesanamehighlightedingray.
IncorporatingSlideShowEffects
IntheSlideViewmode,definetransitioneffectstoprecedethedisplayofeachslide:
1. Clickonthesecondslideoncetoselectit.
2. OntheobjectbarunderTransition,selectAutomaticandenterthedesireddisplay
timeforthefirstslide,forexample00:01:00.Thatmeansthatthesecondslidewillbe
displayedforoneminute.
3. SelectadesiredeffectfromtheEffectslistontheobjectbar.
4. Clickthesmallbuttontotheleftunderneaththesecondslidetopreviewtheselected
effects.
5. SavethepresentationagainusingCtrl+SorfromFile>Savemenuitem.
InSlideEffects
OpenOffice.org2.xoffersinslideeffectssuchasfadeinetcetera.Toaddeffectswithina
slideuseCustomAnimations.
ShowingaPresentation
Byfollowingthepreviousstepsthereisnowafinishedpresentationreadyfordisplay.
Torunit,clicktheSlideShowicononthemaintoolbar,andthepresentationwill
startautomaticallyindefaultmode,thatistosay,infullscreenmode.
Clickoncewiththemouseandthesecondslidewillbedisplayed(precededbythedefined
transitioneffect).Afterthelastslide,ablackslideisdisplayed,whichmeansthatthe
presentationisover.EndthepresentationbypressingtheEscapekey.TheEscapekey
mayalsobeusedtostopthepresentationbeforetheend,asnecessary.
Atthispoint,moreslidesmaybeaddedtothepresentationorsomeoftheothereffects
attempted.
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EditingPresentations
ThissectionshowshowtousetheversatilefeaturesofImpresstofinetuneapresentation.
ManyofthemethodsavailableinDrawcanalsobeusedinImpress,suchasenteringtextand
convertingitinto3D,turningobjectsintocurvesandpolygons,editingconnectorsandglue
pointsandsoon.Fordetails,pleaserefertothechapteronDraw.
DefiningBackgroundcolours
Thebackgroundofaslideinapresentationordrawingdocumentcanbehandledeitherinthe
mastervieworbyassigninganotherPageStyletotheslidesorbymodifyingthecurrentPage
Style.
Switchtothemasterviewbyusingtheiconinthelowerlefthand
corneroftheworkarea.
Themasterviewpermitseditingthebackgroundforallslides.Allobjectsthatareentered
inthisview,whethercompanylogos,linesortext,aredisplayedinthebackgroundonall
slidesthatusethecurrentPageStyle(themasterpage).Thisallowsheadersandfooterson
tobereproducedonallpresentationslides.ObjectsinsertedintheMasterViewcannotbe
modifiedinthenormalSlideView.
Changeonlythebackgroundusedinthepresentationusingthefollowingsteps:
a) Rightclickinanyslide
b) ChooseSlide>PageSetup
c) SelecttheBackgroundtab
d) Chooseacolour,gradient,hatchingorbitmapforthebackground.
e) ClickOK
f) Thenextdialogueasksifthesettingsshouldapplytoallslidesorjusttothecurrent
slide.ByansweringYestothequestionBackgroundsettingsforall
slides?",theBackgroundPresentationStylewillbemodifiedforthecurrentmaster
pageandallslideswiththisPageStylewillhavethemodifiedbackground.Answering
No,meansthatonlythebackgroundofthecurrentslideismodified.
ModifythePresentationStylesintheStylesandFormattingwindowbyfollowingthese
steps:
1. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow,
2. ClickthePresentationStylesicon,
StylesofthistypeintheStylesand
ifitisnotalreadyselected,toseeallexisting
Formattingwindow.
3. SelecttheBackgroundStyle.
4. RightclicktoopenthecontextmenuforthisStyleandchooseModify.
5. ChoosethebackgroundforallslideswiththecurrentPageStyle.
6. ClickOK.
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Notethatthismodificationisonlyvalidforthecurrentpresentationdocument.
SwitchingPageStyles
Thesubordinatedesignswhichmakeuptheslidedesigndeterminethewayanobjectlooks,
includingitsbackground.TheslidedesigncanalsobecalledaMasterSlide.InImpress,
assignadifferentslidedesigntoeachslideasdesired.
1. GototheslidethatistohaveadifferentMasterpage.
2. SelectFormat>Styles>SlideDesign...toopenthedialogue
3. ClickLoad....toseetheLoadSlideDesigndialogue.
4. Selectanewslidedesignfromthedialogue,e.g.fromtheareaPresentation
Backgrounds
5. ConfirmthiswithOK.
6. IftheExchangebackgroundpagecheckboxischecked,thenewslidedesignappliesto
allpagesofthecurrentdocument.Ifthereisnocheckmarkinit,thenthisactiononly
appliestothecurrentslide.Thisprovidestheflexibilitytodefineadifferentslidedesign,
andthusadifferentbackground,forexample,foronesingleslide.Assuming,that
Exchangebackgroundpageisnotchecked,thebackgroundselectedwillnowbeassigned
totheslidecurrentlyinuse.
PresentationStyles
AspartofslidedesignthereareawholesetofPresentation
Stylesthatmaybeassignedtotheslides.OpentheStyles
andFormattingwindowtoseealistofthepredefined
Styles.ExistingStylesmaybemodifiedbutany
modificationsarevalidonlyforthoseslidesinthecurrent
documentthatusesthisslidedesignornewStylescreated.
ThebuiltinStyles,Outline1throughOutline9,enablethe
usertogivetheoutlinedheadingsandtopicsontheslidesa
uniformlook.
Openanew,emptypresentationwithaslidelayoutthat
allowsgreaterstructuraldepth.Theslidelayoutcalled
Title,Textissuitableforthispurpose.
1. ActivatetheoutlineviewmodebyclickingView>MasterView>OutlineView(starting
intheMenubar)orbypressingtheF12key.
Note:Theslidelayoutchosendeterminesthenumberoflevelsofoutline.Ifaslidelayoutwhichdoesnotpermit
anyoutlineischosen,noticethattheoutlinefunctionsarenotavailable.
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UsingOutlineView
OnewaytocreateacompletelynewpresentationisintheOutlineViewmode.Allslidetitles
appearinalistalongwiththeheadingsandsubtopics.Thehierarchyoftheheadingsaswell
asthesequenceoftheslidescanbeeasilymodified.
1. Thepreviewwindowshouldhaveopened;ifnot,itcanbeshownbychoosingView>
Preview.ThePreviewwindowenablestheusertoviewtheslidelayout,includingtext,
background,andbackgroundobjects.ThePreviewwindowcanbeatthewindowborder
bypressingtheCtrlkeyanddraggingthewindowtothepositionofchoice.
2. NowopentheStylesandFormattingwindoweitherbychoosingFormat>Stylesand
FormattingorwiththeF 11keyoropeningitifitisdocked.
3. Thecursorshouldnowbeblinkingnexttothesmalliconforslide1.
4. Enterthedesiredtext,forexampleFirstPage.Thiswillbethetitleforslide1.
5. PresstheEnterkey.Thisdisplaysasmalliconforslide2inthenextlineofthe
Outlineview.
6. Enteratitleforthesecondslide,forexample,SecondPage.
7. PresstheEnterkeyagaintogetthesmalliconforslide3.
8. NowpresstheTabkeybeforeenteringanytext.Thisactionensuresthatthetextentered
herewillbeasubtitleonslide2.
9. Continuetoentermoresubtitlesofthefirstlevelonpagetwo.
10.PressingShift+Tabmovesonelevelup.Thusenablingtheusertomakeanewslide
outofafirstlevelsubtopic.
ThelevelscreatedbyfollowingthesestepsautomaticallycontainthePresentationStylestitle,
outline1,outline2,etcetera.TheseStylescanbemodifiedbyhavinganewslide
designassignedtothem,forexample,anewfont,fontsizeandfontcolour.Thesedesigns
can,ofcourse,beedited(forexample,viatheStylesandFormattingwindow'scontext
menu).
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SlideTransitions,EffectsandAnimation
WithImpress,grabbinganaudience'sattentionusinganimatedobjectsandinterestingslide
transitionsiseasy.
AutomaticSlideTransition
Whenshowingaseriesofslides,usetheslidetransitioneffectstopresenttheminan
interestingway.Forexample,thecurrentslidecanrolloutofthewindowwhilethenew
slidesrollsin.Thiseffectiscalledrollfromleft.
ThebestthingtodoistoassignthiseffectintheSlideView.Simplyclickonthethirdicon
fromthetopinthescrollbarontherightofthepresentationwindoworchooseView>
MasterView>SlideView.
Intheslideview,allslideswhichhaveaslidetransitioneffect,haveasmallbutton.Clickthis
buttontopreviewtheselectedeffect.
TheSlideTransitionwindowisdescribedindetailinOpenOffice.orgHelp.
EffectsforObjects
Theobjectsinaslidecanhavevariouseffects,forexample,theycanrollintothe
presentationfromtheleftside,thetextcanbeslowlydrawnonscreen,etcetera.
1.
2.
Master>Drawing).
AlltheseeffectscanbeassignedusingtheDrawingView(View>
AccesstheEffectswindow,i.e.withtheEffectsiconintheMaintoolbar.
3. Selecttheobjecttowhichtoapplytheeffect.
4. OpentheEffectswindow
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5. Selectthedesiredeffect.
6.
ClicktheAssigniconintheEffectswindow,ordoubleclicktheeffecttoassignit.
7. Anobjectcanalsobefadedin(Effectsbutton)and,additionally,fadedout(intheEffects
window,ontheExtrastabclicktheObjectInvisibleicon)permouseclick.
TheEffectswindowisdescribedindetailinOpenOffice.orgHelp.
SelectingHiddenObjects
Toselectanobjectthatiscompletelycoveredbyanotherobject,clickonitspositionwhile
holdingdowntheAltkey.
Ifseveralobjectsarelyingontopofoneanother,everyAlt+clickselectsadifferent
objectlyinginthisposition.HolddownShiftaswelltoclickthroughtheobjectsinthe
reverseorder.
PresstheTabkeytoselectanobject.PressTabagaintoselectthenextobject.Press
Shift+ Tabtogothroughtheobjectsinthereverseorder.
IndividualPresentations
Aslideshowpresentstheslidesinsequence,frombeginningtoend.Tostartpresentingthe
slidesinthepresentation,eitherclicktheSlideShowicononthemaintoolbar,orusethe
keyboardshortcutCtrl+F2.
Presentationsusuallystartwiththefirstslide;however,tobeginwiththecurrentlyselected
slide,proceedasfollows:
1. ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgImpress>General.
2. IntheareaStartingthepresentation,checktheAlwayswithcurrentslidebox.
Note:thatthissettinghaspriorityovertheIndividualPresentationdescribedbelow.
Otheroptionspermittheusertoshowonlyortonevershowcertainslides:
1. Topreventdisplayofaslide,gototheSlideView(forexamplebychoosingView>
MasterView>SlidesView),selecttheslideandselectSlideShow>Show/HideSlide.
Thenameoftheselectedslidewillnowappearhighlightedingray,meaningthattheslide
willnotbeshown.
2. ChoosePresentation>Show/HideSlideagainwhentheslideshouldbeincludedagain.
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Amoreelegantwaytokeepindividualslideshiddenincertainpresentationscanbefound
underPresentation>CustomSlideShows.
1. OpentheSlideShow>CustomSlideShowsdialogue,
2. ClicktheNewbutton.TheDefineCustomSlideShowdialogueappears.
3. Inthisdialogue,enteranameforthepresentation.Ontheleft,thereisalistoftheexisting
slides.Selectaslidetoshowinthecustompresentationandclickthebuttonwiththe
arrowspointingtotheright.
4. Theslidewillbeinsertedintherightfield.Anyslidelistedontherightwillbeshownin
thecustomslideshow.
5. RearrangetheorderoftheslidesintherightfieldviaDrag&Drop.
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Exporting,PrintingandPresenting
Therearemanypossiblewaysofoutputtingfinishedpresentationdocuments.Forexample,
electronicallydisplayfinishedpresentations,printthepagesincolouronpaperorprinthigh
resolutiontransparencies,ortransferthemwhollyorpartiallytootherapplicationsandthen
usethemwithinthoseapplications.Printingoffersachoicebetweenoutputtingthedocument
directlytoaprinter,orprintingittoafilethatmaythenbecopiedtoaprinter.
PrintingaPresentationSlide
InImpress,thecurrentdocumentiseasilyprintedbyclickingthePrintFileDirectlyiconin
theStandardtoolbar.Printingisimmediate,accordingtotheprinterdefaultsettings,andno
dialogueappears.Thereisanexceptionintextdocumentswhereacertainareaoftextis
selectedand,inthisinstance,adialogueappearsuponclickingthePrinticon.Thisdialogue
asksforconfirmationofprintingthewholetextoronlytheselectedarea.
WhenprintingviathePrintdialogue,Impressofferschoicesofwhethertoprintonlya
selectedrangeofpages,onlycertainpagesidentifiedbytheirpagenumbersorallpagesof
thedocument.Takealookattheprintdialogue,whichisopenedviaFile>Printorby
pressingCtrl+P.
TheappearanceofthePrintdialoguemayvaryaccordingtotheselectedprinter.However,in
mostcases,thereareoptionstospecifywhethertoprinttheentirepresentation,certainslides,
oronlythecurrentselection.Otheroptionsspecifyhowmanycopiestoprintandhowthese
shouldbecollated.
ClicktheOptions...buttoninthePrintdialoguetodisplayadditionaloptions.Whenprinting
text,drawingandpresentationdocuments,theBrochureoptionisavailablefortwotoapage
textonasinglesheet.Thesizeofthepagesisreducedandprintedintwocolumnsperpage
anddoublesided,sothatthepagesneedonlybefoldedandfastenedinthemiddletocreatea
completebrochure.
Sincepresentationobjectsareusuallyintheformofvectorgraphics,theycanbeprintedout
inanyresolutionsupportedbythelocalprinterorfilmrecorder.Wheretheslidesaretobe
senttoafilmrecordingserviceortobeprintedonahighresolutioncolourprinterinaprint
shop,markthePrinttofilecheckboxinthePrintdialogue.Itwillthenbeprintedtoafile
thatcanbesenttothefilmrecordingserviceorcommercialprinter.
Note:firstinstallandselecttheprinterdriverfortheprinterorfilmrecorderthatwillbeusedbytheprintingor
filmrecordingservice.MostprintingandfilmrecordingservicesrequirefilescreatedforaPostScriptprinter.If
thereisnoPostScriptprinteravailable,OpenOffice.orgpermitsinstallationofaPostScriptprinterdriverthatcan
beusedtoprinttoafile.OnUNIXbasedsystems,usespadmintoactivethisdriver.
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ExportingPresentationsasWebPages
WhentheWebPageexportfileformatischosen,ImpressautomaticallystartsanWizardto
helpproduceanattractiveHTMLpresentation.AnumberofHTMLpagesarecreatedthat
areconnectedtooneanotherbyhyperlinksandinwhichthegraphicsaresavedasGIFor
JPEGimages.OnecanworkontheseHTMLpagesinWritertogivethemheadingsand
additionalhyperlinks,forexample.
1. SelectFile>Export...
2. ChoosethefileformatHTML.
3. Enterafilename
4. ClickSave.
ThisopenstheHTMLExportWizard.ThisWizardisdescribed,indetail,inOpenOffice.org
Help.
IntheHTMLExportWizard,choosewhetherthecreatedInternetpresentationshould
containframes,benavigatesusinggraphicbuttonsorwithtextlinksandwhetheralink
shouldbeofferedonthehomepageallowingtheusertodownloadtheoriginalImpress
presentation.
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InadditiontotheexportofdefaultHTMLdocumentsandHTMLdocumentswithframes,
ImpressdocumentscanbeexportedasWebCastorintheautomaticmode.
WebCastexportautomaticallyproducesscriptsforwebserverswithPerlorASPsupport.
Thisformatallowsapresenter(e.g.duringatelephonepressconferencewith
accompanyingslideshowovertheInternet)tochangetheslidesontheviewers'browsers.
Note:Examplescanbefoundin<instdir>/OpenOffice.org<release>/share/config/webcast
where<instdir>isthedirectoryinwhichthenetworkorstandaloneinstallationislocated.
Automaticexporttakesoverthesettingsfortheviewingtimeofeachpageinthe
presentation.AdefaultHTMLpresentationistheresult,inwhichthepagesareturned
automatically.
Soundremindersforturningthepagescanalsobeexported,ifdesired.Thesoundfileswould
thenbecopiedinthetargetdirectoryandplayedbackwhenaHTMLpageisloaded.
ExchangingDataviatheClipboard
Objectsinadrawingorpresentationdocumentcanalsobecopiedtotheclipboardandthen
insertedelsewhere.Theobjectsarestoredasvectorgraphicsontheclipboardusingthe
followingprocedure:
1. Selectanobjectinthecurrentdocument
2. CopyittotheclipboardwithCtrl+C.
3. Switchtotheapplicationintowhichtoinserttheobject.
4. InsertthecontentsoftheclipboardatthedesiredlocationwithCtrl+V.
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CreatingaBusinessReport
Thissectionexplainshowtocreateabusinessreportforapresentation.Inthefollowing
example,itisassumedthatthepresentationwillbeshownviaacomputer.
CreatingaBusinessReportinPresentationForm
SinceOpenOffice.orgImpresshasnobusinessreporttemplate,thissectionwillstartwitha
completelynewdocument.Tostart,followthesesteps:
1. Createanemptypresentationdocument(File>New>Presentation).UsingWizard
PresentationisdescribedquitewellinOpenOffice.orgHelp.
2. SelectEmptypresentation
3. ClickCreate.ThisbringsuptheModifySlidedialoguewheretheappearanceofthefirst
slidecanbedefined.
4. Enteranameandselectthedesiredlayout,e.g.Titleslide.
5. OntheTitleslideclickontheexistingtextandoverwriteitwithappropriatetext,
forexampleElegySoftwareandAnnualReport2003.
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6. Toinsertanotherslide,clicktheareanexttothetabatthebottomofthescreen.Assigna
nameforthenewslideandchoosealayout(inthecontextmenuoftheslidetab,click
ModifySlide).
Note:DonotassignanamelikeSlide2.Iftheorderoftheslidesneedstobechangedlater,thelabelmightnot
describethecontentofthisslide.Clear,descriptivenameslikeOvervieworIntroductionaremore
useful.
Insertadditionalslides,asnecessary,fromtheinsertmenuonthemaintoolbar(along
clickmaybeneeded).Thecorrespondingtabsappearatthebottomofthescreen.Click
thetaboftheslidetoedit,e.g.Overview,andthenclicktheOutlineViewiconabovethe
verticalscrollbar.
EnteringTextintheOutlineView
Toestablishanoutline,usetheOutlineViewmode.Usingtheiconsintheobjectbar,
promoteordemoteanoutlinepointonelevel,ormoveitupordowninthehierarchy.The
iconsinthemaintoolbarcanalsobeusedtodeterminewhichoutlinelevelsaretobe
displayed.
IntheOutlineview,allslidesinthepresentationdocumentarelistedhierarchically,andthe
titleofeachslideisprecededbyaslideicon.
EnterthedesiredtextandusetheiconsintheMaintoolbartostructuretheoutline.Createa
subsectiontoaslidebyplacingthecursoratthestartoftherespectivelineandpressingthe
Tabkey.UsetheShift+ Tabkeycombinationtomovethelineuponelevelinthe
hierarchy.Aftercompletingtheeditofthepresentationoutline,clicktheDrawingViewicon
(directlyabovetheOutlineViewicon)toreturntothenormalview.
ChangingtheSlideLayout
ChangingtheslidelayoutcanonlybedonewhileintheDrawingView(thefirsticoninthe
verticalscrollbar).Doubleclickthetaboftheslidetomodifyandselectthedesiredlayout
fromthepredefinedlayouts.
DesigningSlides
DesigningaslidecanonlybedoneintheDrawingView,andtheSelecttool
activated.
mustbe
Tochangethefontsizeandstyleofthetitle,forexample,selectitandassignnewattributes
fromtheFontandFontSizefieldsintheObjectbar.
Bordersmaybedefinedbyclickingtheparagraphtowhichtoapplytheborderanddefining
theattributesinthelistboxesLineWidthandLineStyle.
Toapplyauniformbackgroundandrecurringelements(companyname,subject)toallslides,
clicktheMasterViewicontotheleftofthehorizontalscrollbar.Thedefaulttextsinthe
masterviewmaybesafelyignoredasthesearenotvisibleontheslides.Theonlytextvisible
ontheslidesisthatwhichisenteredbytheuser.UsingtheTextfloatingtoolbaronthemain
toolbar,aframecanbeopenedforbackgroundtext.
UsingtheStylesandFormattingwindowisanexcellentmethodformanagingtheappearance
theslides.Hereisastepbystepprocedure:
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1. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindowbyclickingtheStylesandFormattingiconin
theFormattingtoolbar.
2. ClickthePresentationStylesicon.
3. Selectabackgroundstyle,and
4. OpentheModifydialogueviathecontextmenu.
5. Clickthecorrespondingslidetabandmakeanychanges.
BymodifyingtheBackgroundStyle,allslidescanbeassignedthesamebackground.
Note:SincetheMasterViewcanbeactivatedatanytime,itisalwayspossibletomakechangesatalatertime.
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CreatingaSlideShow
Incompletingaslideshow,itisnecessarytotakeafewadditionalstepstoensurea
successfulpresentation.
DefiningorChangingSlideOrder
Tochangetheslideorder,clicktheSlideView
iconabovetheverticalscrollbar.Inthis
mode,allslidesinthepresentationdocumentaredisplayedinreducedsize.Clicktheslideto
bemovedanddragitwiththemousetothedesiredposition.Thepositionwheretheslide
willbeinsertedisindicatedbyaverticalblackbar.
CreatingCrossFadeEffects
Toapplycrossfadeeffects,onemusthaveImpressintheSlideVieworDrawingView.
ClickontheslidewhenintheSlideViewmode.Settheeffectandtransitionperiodthatisto
applytotheslideTransitionusingthetwoleftlistboxes.
InDrawingView,chooseSlideShow>SlideTransitiontobringupthedialogueinwhich
slidetransitioneffectsaredefined.IntheSlideTransitiondialogue,selecttheoption
ManualTransitionwhichwillswitchfromoneslidetothenextinthepresentationon
clickingthemouseorpressingtherightarrowkey.
StartingPresentations
TheeasiestwaytostartapresentationisbyclickingtheSlideShowicon
onthe
maintoolbarorchooseSlideShow>SlideShow.Theonscreenpresentationstarts
immediately.PresentationsettingscanbeadjustedunderSlideShow>SlideShowSettings.
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Thisdialoguealsoletstheuserdeterminewhichslidestoincludeinthepresentation.Select
anyotherdesiredoptions,andclickOK.
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WorkingwithConnectors
Inadditiontotheindividualframes,connectorsareimportantcomponentsofanorganization
chartbecausetheyhelprepresenttherelationshipswithintheorganization.Impressprovides
avarietyofconnectortypes.ClickontheConnectorsiconintheMaintoolbar,andafloating
windowwiththeavailabletypesappears.
Framesandconnectorscanbelinkedeitherfromedgetoedgeorfrommiddleto
middle,oracombinationofboth.Thesepossibilitiesaredescribedbelow.
"EdgetoEdgeConnectors
Selectthedesiredconnectorbyclickingit,andthendragittothefirstframe.Asmallsymbol
isdisplayedoneveryedgeoftheframe.Putthemousepointerononeofthesymbols(the
symbolwillbegivenadashedlineborder).Pressthemousebuttonanddragtheconnectorto
thedesiredframe.Assoonasthemousetouchestheframe,symbolsappearoneachedge
hereaswell.Continuedraggingtheconnectortothedesiredsymbol(thatsymbolalso
receivesasmall,blackborder)andreleasethemousebutton.
Whenaframethatisconnectedtoanotherframeismoved,noticethattheconnectoralso
changesposition.Theactualconnectionlinebetweenthetwoframesremainsthesame,so
thatforminorshiftingoftheframes,theconnectorusuallydoesnothavetobeedited.With
majorframemovements,however,itisoftennecessarytoreedit,becausetheconnectormay
shifttoadifferentposition.
Tochangethepositionofaconnector,simplyclickonit.Smallpointsappear,atboththe
beginningandendoftheconnector.Ifthecursorisrestedononeofthepoints,asmallsquare
appearsnexttothemousepointer.Pressthemousebuttonanddragthebeginningorend
pointtothedesiredframe.
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"MiddletoMiddleConnectors
IfaconnectorisselectedfromtheConnectorsfloatingtoolbarandclickinthemiddleofone
oftheframes,ablack,dashedlineborderappearsaroundtheentireframe.Pressthemouse
buttonanddragtheconnectorintothemiddleofanotherframe,whichalsoreceivesablack
border,andreleasethemousebutton.
Theadvantageofthismethodisthatwhentheframesaremovedlater,theconnectorfits
perfectly,sothatthebeginningandendoftheconnectorslieinthemiddleofeachframe.
Thisfunctioncomesinhandyinswitchingthepositionoftwoframesbecausetheconnectors
neednotbeeditedmanually.
EditingConnectors
Tochangethepropertiesofaconnector,selectitandclickConnector...inthecontextmenu
toopentheConnectordialogue.
Choosethedesiredconnectortypefromthelistbox.TheStandardConnectoristhedefault.
Theusercanalsomodifythelineskewandthelinespacinginthisdialogue.Allchangeswill
beshowninthesmallPreviewwindow.Toapplyadifferentcolourtotheconnector,openthe
Linedialoguewiththecontextmenu.HintsandTipsforaSuccessfulPresentation
UsingaSnapGrid
Toworkwithgreaterprecision,usethegridfunction.Todisplayagrid,clicktheoptionUse
SnapGridunderTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgImpress>Grid.Inaddition,onecan
alsoselectVisibleGridtohelppositiontheobjectsmoreeasily.
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EditingGluePoints
Bydefault,theconnectorsdocktothehandlesinthecentreoftheobjectpages.However,
usingthegluepoints,theusercanmaketheconnectorsdocktoanypointofanobject.For
detailedinstructions,refertotheHelp>Contents>Index>Searchterm>gluepoints;
using.
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HintsandTipsforaSuccessfulPresentation
UsingtheMouseasaPointer
Thereareoccasionswhenusingthemouseasapointerispreferabletoothermethods,sucha
alaserpointer.Tousethemouse,selecttheoptionMousepointeraspenintheSlideShow
dialogue.Thisallowshighlightingchartsorpointingtoimportantaspectsduringa
presentation.Tochangeslidesmanually,doubleclickthemouse.
ChangingBulletSymbolsinOutlineView
TochangeabulletsymbolwhilstintheOutlineview,placethecursorinthedesired
line/paragraphandclicktheBulletsandNumberingicon(onlyvisibleintheObjectbarof
theOutlineview).Adialogueappearsfromwhichtochooseadifferentsymbol.
Inserting,DeletingandRenamingSlides
1. Toinsertanadditionalslide,dothefollowing:
a) Selecttheslidethatprecedeswherethenewslidewillbeput.
b) Nowclicktheemptyspacebetweenthattabandthehorizontalscrollbarandanew
slideappearswiththepagelayoutofthepreviousslide.
Alternatively,chooseInsertSlidefromthecontextmenuoftheslidetabarea.Inthe
InsertSlidedialogue,assignanametothenewslideanddefinealayout.
2. Deletingaslideiseasy.
a) Clickthetabatthebottomoftheworkareatoactivateitand
b) Openthecontextmenu.
c) ChooseDeleteSlideand
d) ConfirmthesubsequentwarningwithYestodeletetheslide.
3. Likewiserenamingaslideissimple.Torename:
a) Selecttherespectiveslidebyclickingthenameonthetab,
b) PresstheAltkeyand
c) Clicktheslidenameagain.Theoldnamewillbeselectedandcanthenbeoverwritten.
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CreatingandPrintingHandouts
Providinghandouts,tohelptheaudiencefollowapresentation,isoftenuseful.Toprepare
handouts,usetheHandoutViewmode.Sincethehandoutscontainboththeindividual
slidesandspacefornotes,theycanbeaveryhelpfulpresentationaid.
Intheverticalscrollbar,clicktheHandoutViewicon.OpentheModifySlidedialoguevia
thecontextmenu(SlideModifySlide...)tospecifyhowmanyslidesareprintedonasingle
sheetofpaper.
ClickOKtocreatethehandouts.Toprintthem,chooseFile>PrintandclickOptionsto
openadialogueinwhichtheuserchooseshowthehandoutshouldbeprinted.
OrganizingandPrintingNotes
EnternotesforindividualslidesintheNotesview.AccesstheNotesviewusingtheNotes
iconlocatedattherightofthedocumentwindowscrollbar.
Oncenotesareentered,printthembyselectingFile>Print...thenclickOptions....The
PrinterOptionsdialogueappears.
InthePrinterOptionsdialogue,intheContentsarea,selectNotes.ClickOK.InthePrint
dialogue,selecttheslidesforprinting(allorspecificones)andclickOK.Besuretogo
backanddeselectNotesinthePrinterOptionsdialogue,otherwisethedocumentwill
alwaysbeprintedwithnotes.
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Note:ThesettingsinPrinterToolsapplyonlytothecurrentdocument.Forspecificsettingsforallpresentations,
chooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgImpress...andselectthePrinttab.
UsingtheNavigator
MovequicklyfromslidetoslidebyopeningtheNavigator(functionkeyF5).Alltheslides
ofthepresentationarelistedhere.Simplydoubleclicktherelevantslidetitletojumptothat
slide.
EditJumpTargets
Inthebottomcornersareareasforwhichonecandefineaninteraction.Toeditorviewthe
interaction,click(againinbackgroundmode)ontheareawhilepressingtheAltkeyand
openthecontextmenuandchoosetheInteractioncommand.
ModifyingObjectSize
Tochangetheobjectsize,dragaselectionframearoundtherespectiveobjects.
Afterselectingtheframes,openthePositionandSizedialoguefromthecontextmenu.In
thetabSize,applythesamesizetoallselectedframesunderthegroupboxSize.
Note:Alternatively,ratherthanusingaselectionframe,clickontheindividualobjectsandpresstheShiftkeyat
thesametimetomakeamultipleselection.
CreatingAdditionalObjects
Foradditionalobjects,copyoneandsimplyinsertitasoftenasnecessary.Then,positionthe
rectanglesinthedocumentandalignthemusingthesnaplines.
Note:Todisplayverticalandhorizontalsnaplines,clickontherespectiveruleranddragasnaplinefromtheruler
tothedesiredposition.
ChangingFontandFontSize
ChangefontsandfontsizesusingaStyle,sothatthesechangesonceonlyhavetobemade
once.ClickinoneoftheframesandopentheStylesandFormattingwindow.TheGraphics
StyleObjectwithshadowisselected.Inthecontextmenu,chooseModifytoopenthe
GraphicsStyle:Objectwithshadowdialogue,andclickontheFonttabtodefinethe
desiredfonttypeandsize.UponclickingOK,thetextinalloftheframeswillbedisplayed
accordingtotheselectedsettings.
Modifyingcolours
Toassignadifferentcolourtoaframe,usethemousetodragaselectionframe
aroundtherespectiveframe.SelectAreainthecontextmenutoopenthedialogue
ofthesamename.
SelectacolourontheObjectFilltab.Furtherdesignoptionsareavailablewiththevarious
colourschemesintheGradientstab.Chooseoneoftheexistingcolourgradients,allof
whichcanalsobeeditedandmodified.
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KeyboardNavigatingandSelectioninImpress
Navigatingandselectionusingthekeyboardisdoneusingthearrowkeys.Onecanalsouse
Home,End,PgUpandPgDn.Certainkeyshavedifferentfunctionsdependingonwhether
theyaresimplypressedorareusedincombinationwiththeCtrlkey.Thefollowingtable
providesanoverviewofthekeysusedfornavigation.
Key
Function
+Ctrlkey
Right/leftarrow
keys
Up/downarrow
keys
Home
End
PgUp
PgDn
Goonecharactertotheleftorright.
Goonewordtotheleftorright.
Goonelineupordown.
NoAction.
Gotothebeginningofthecurrentline
Gototheendofthecurrentrow
Scrolltopreviousslide.
Scrollnextslide.
Gotothefirstslide.
Gotothelastslide.
Noaction.
Noaction.
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Chapter6:CreatingDrawingswithDraw
OpenOffice.orgDrawcanbeusedtocreatedrawingswithdifferentdegreesofcomplexity.
Thisrangesfromasimpledrawingtoaninteractivemultipagedocument.Tocreatedrawings
orgraphics,openanemptydocumentanddesignalltheelementsbyhand,orworkwiththe
templatesandsamplegraphicsthatcanbereachedbyselectingFile>New>Templatesand
DocumentsordirectlyfromfromtheGallery,incthecaseofgraphics.
Drawenablescreationandsavingvectorgraphics.Thesegraphicscanalsobeexportedas
pixelgraphics.Furthermore,itisalsopossibletoinsertpixelgraphics(bitmaps)intodraw
pagesatanytime.
OpenOffice.orgDrawFunctions
ThissectioncontainsanoverviewofsomeoftheOpenOffice.orgDrawcapabilities.
CreatingandPublishingVectorGraphics
OpenOffice.orgDrawisanobjectorientedvectorgraphicdrawingprogram.Theobjectscan
belines,rectangles,3Dcylindersorotherpolygons.Allobjectsalreadyhavesetproperties,
suchassize,colourofthesurfaces,colourofcontours,linkedfiles,associatedactionswhen
clickedandmuchmore.Anyorallofthepropertiescanbemodifiedatanytime.
Becauseofthevectortechnologyobjectscanberotatedinanydirectionandhavetheirsize
altered,withoutunsightlystepeffectsoccurringontheedges.Furthermore,asallofthe
objectscanbecontrolledindividually,theycanbemovedandoverlappedasrequired.
Creating3DObjects
Drawdoesnotrestrictgraphicstotwodimensions.Cubes,spheres,cylindersandother3D
objects,canbecreated,rotatedatwillandeachobjectcanbeilluminatedindividuallyby
meansofvariouslightsources.Thesefeaturestogetherwithdefaultorfreelydefinedcolour
gradients,allowquickandeasycreationofeyecatchingcompanyandInternetpresentations.
ManageOrganizationCharts
OpenOffice.orgDrawisobjectoriented.Theobjectscouldberectangles,forexample,
containingtextandlinkedtoeachother.Ifrectanglesaremoved,connectorswill
automaticallyfollow.Thismakesdrawingandmaintainingacompanyordepartmental
organizationalchartmucheasier.Theconnectorscanalsobefreelyplacedatgluepoints,
whichmakesthecreationoftechnicaldrawingswithexplanatorytextseasier.
Drawing
Makestraightlines,freelines,beziercurvesandothertypesofrectanglesandgeometrical
figuresintheusualways.The3Dfunctionscanbeusedtocreate3Dobjectssuchascubes,
spheres,cylinders,toriandmore.Rotatetwodimensionalcontoursinthethirddimension.
Choosecolouring,colouringwithbitmaptextures,perspectivesand/orilluminationtocreate
impressive3Dobjectsforinvitationcards,brochures,businesscardsandotherstationery.
Toinsertadditionalelementsintoadrawinguseclipartavailableinthegallery.Itdoesn't
matteriftheyarevectororpixelgraphics.
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Export
UseDrawtoquicklyandeasilycreatebuttonsandiconsforWebpagesetceteraandexport
themasGIF,JPG,PNGorotherformats.
Construct
TherearemanytoolsthatHelpcreateexactdrawings.Forexample,defineagridtowhichan
objectcanbesnappedduringconstructionandmoving,ortemporarilysnapnewobjectsto
theedgesandpointsofexistingobjects.Thesizeoftheobjectcanbealteredatanytimeby
enteringtherequiredmeasurementsinthePropertiesdialogue.Itisalsosimpletoinsert
dimensionlineswhichcanbeusedinavarietyofways.
Integrate
And,incaseitisnotobvious,Drawallowstheusertoaddtexts,tables,chartsandformulae
fromtheotherprogrammodulesofOpenOffice.orgintoanydrawing.
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TheOpenOffice.orgDrawWindow
ToolbarsandWindowsinOpenOffice.orgDraw
TheabovegraphicshowsthevariousfloatingwindowsthatenableOpenOffice.orgDraw.
Eachwindowhasacorrespondingiconononeofthetoolbars.Mostareiconsarelocatedon
theMaintoolbarthatisontheleftofOpenOffice.orgmainwindow.Pleaseensurethatat
leastHelp>Tipsisenabledsothathoveringthecursoroveraniconprovidesameaningful
explanationofwhateachdoes.EnablingExtendedTipsgivesevenmoreinformation.
Note:thattheusercanalsoaccessfunctionsthroughthecontextmenuinsteadofusingmenucommands,which
makesforlessworkwiththemouse.
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DrawingRectanglesandEllipsesandEnteringText
ThedrawingmoduleinOpenOffice.org(Draw)hasmanyfunctionsforcreatingandediting
vectorgraphics.Inthissectionintroducesthemostcommonlyusedfunctions.
MoredetailedinformationcanbefoundinOpenOffice.orgHelp.
OpenanewdrawingdocumentbychoosingFile>New>Drawing.Inadditiontotheblank
drawingpage,noticethemaintoolbarontheleftandtheobjectbarfordrawingsatthetopof
theworkarea.WiththeView>Toolbarscommand,addingtheoptionbarand/orthecolour
baratthebottomedgeofthewindowiseasyandusefulasshowninthefollowing
illustration:
Iftheseinstructionsareusedtocreateapresentationdocumentinsteadofanewdrawing
documentthennoticeoneofthevisibledifferencesbetweenImpressandDraw:Thebuttons
atthetoprightabovethescrollbar(onlyinImpress)indicatedrawingviewwhilethebuttons
atthebottomleftindicatetheslideview.
Drawandeditvectorgraphicsinthedrawingview.Theotherviews,whichareonlyavailable
inImpressbyclickingthebuttonsattopright,Helpcreatepresentations.Theyareintroduced
inthechapteronImpressandarealsodescribedinHelp.
Intheslidesview,theuserworksontheindividualslidesofthepresentation,whereasthe
masterviewallowsdefiningauniformbackgroundforallslides.Inaddition,thelayerview
canbeturnedonandoffasdesired.Forexample,thelayerviewiswhereobjectsthatarenot
alwayssupposedtobevisiblecanbemanaged.
Themaintoolbarcontainsseveralfloatingtoolbars.Whenopened,thesetoolbarsprovide
additionalrelatedicons.Thefloatingtoolbarsareindicatedbysmalltrianglesoniconsand
areopenedbylongclickingthecorrespondingicononthemaintoolbaruntilthefloating
toolbarappears.Whenatoolbarisfloating,itcanbemovedfromitsoriginalposition
andplacedanywhereelseintheworkarea.
LongclicktheRectangleiconto
openthefloatingtoolbarandclickontheRectangle
icon.Thepointerchangestoacrosshairsymbolwithasmallsquare.
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1. Drawarectangleontheslide.Ithaspresetattributes,includingabluefillandathinblack
lineasaborder.Thereareeighthandleswithwhichcanbedraggedtochangethesizeof
theobject.
2. Drawfurtherrectangles.Thesecanbeoverlaidwiththeexistingrectangles.
3. ClicktheEllipseicon
anddrawafewellipses.Alsotrydrawingafew3Dobjects,as
shownintheillustration.Severalexamplesareavailable.inthe3D(threedimension)
themeintheGallery.
4. Clickeachoftheobjectsandmodifythefillcolour,linecolour,andthelinewidthusing
thelistboxesandiconsontheobjectbar.
Note:Clickingonceonanytool,makesthetoolavailableforonlyonesingletask.Doubleclicktheicontoallowit
toremainactiveuntilanothertoolischosen.
Defaults,suchasblueasthefillingcolour,canbechanged.Makesurethatnoobjectisselectedandchoosea
differentcolourontheobjectbarasthenewdefault.
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RotatingandResizingObjects
Whenclickinganobjectforthefirsttime,eighthandlesappearwithwhichthesizemabe
changed.Thewholeobjectcanalsobedraggedtomoveittoanotherpositionontheslide.
ClicktheRotateicononthemaintoolbarunderEffectsanddirectlyonthemaintoolbarin
Impress.
Whenthemousepointerispositionedoverahandle,the
pointerindicatesthattheobjectcanberotatedby
draggingthemouse.Inthemiddleoftheobject,asmall
circleindicatesthepivotpoint.Itcanbemovedtoany
otherpositionwiththemouse.Whenthecornersofthe
objectaredraggedwiththemouse,theobjectrotates
aroundthepivotpoint.Draggingthemiddlepointsonthe
sidesslantstheobjectinrelationtotheoppositeedge.
Clickontheobjectonceagaintodisplaytheeight
handles.Bydoubleclickingwithintheobject,thehandleschangeandthetextcursorappears
positionedinthemiddleoftheobject.Textcannowbeenteredwhichisautomatically
connectedtotheobject.Someinterferencemayappearonscreen.PressCtrl+Shift+Rto
refreshthescreen.
Toresizeanobject,simplyclickononeofthehandlesanddraguntiltheobjectisthesize
needed.
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ArrangingandAligningObjects
ArrangingObjects
Clickontheobjectwhichistomoveeitherinfrontoforbehindotherobjects.Thenclick
ononeoftheiconsintheupperrowoftheArrangefloatingtoolbar,forexample,tomove
theobjectcompletelytotheback.Topositionitdirectlybehindanotherobject,clickthe
BehindObjecticon.Thenclickontheobjectbehindwhichthecurrentobjectistobe
positioned.Thiseffectwillonlybeseeniftheobjectsarepresentlyoverlappingorare
movedtodosolater.
SelecttwoobjectsatthesametimebyholdingdowntheShiftkeyandclickingthe
objects,oneaftertheother,andthenclickingReverse.Thisswitchestheorderofthetwo
objects.
AligningObjects
Whereobjectsareoverlappingandthepositionoftheindividual
objectsintheforegroundorbackgroundmustbechanged,use
eitherthecontextmenucommands,orusetheiconsonthe
Arrangefloatingtoolbar.
Positionobjectsanywhereusingthemouse.However,to
positionanobjectatexactlytheuppermarginofaslide,
forinstance,orcentretwoobjectsverticallyaboveeach
other,usetheiconsontheAlignmentfloatingtoolbar.
IfanindividualobjectisselectedandthenoneoftheiconsontheAlignmentfloating
toolbarisclicked,theobjectisalignedatthepagemargins.Twoormoreobjectsselected
together,willbealignedtoeachother.
AspecialtypeofalignmentistheDistributionofobjects.When,atleast,threeobjectsare
selectedatonce,usetheDistributioncommand.InImpress,thiscommandcanbefound
inthecontextmenu,whileinDrawitisfoundasanoptionintheModifymenu.
Theselectedobjectsaredistributedsothattheirbordersormidpointsarethesamedistance
apart.Thetwoobjectsthatarethehorizontallyorverticallyfarthestapartfromeachotherare
fixedpoints,i.e.immovable.Theotherobjectsbetweentheoutermostobjectscanbemoved
usingthisfunction.
Note:RememberthateverywhereinOpenOffice.orgamultilevelundofunctionisavailable.Activatethisfunction
byclickingtheUndoiconontheStandardtoolbarorbypressingCtrl+Z.Eachtimethiscommandisused,it
reversesapreviousaction.
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DrawingSectorsandSegments
TheEllipsefloatingtoolbarcontainsseveraliconsfordrawingsectorsandsegments.Sectors
looklikeperfectlycutpiecesofpie.Segmentslooklikehalvesofapie.
Drawingsectorsofanellipseorcirclerequiresmultiplesteps,thoughtheprocessfunctions
intuitively:
1. OpentheEllipsefloatingtoolbarandclickontheCirclePieicon.
Thepointer
changestoacrosshairsymbolaccompaniedbyasmallsectorsymbol.
2. Usethemousetodragopentheshapeofacircle.Theoutlineofacirclefollowsthe
movementofthemouse.
Note:Thefirstclickdefinesthefirstcornerofthedelimitingrectanglewhichsurroundsthecircle.Thedelimiting
rectanglewilllaterbeobviousfromtheeighthandlesthatappearwhenselectingthecircle.Todrawthecirclesuch
thatthefirstclickdefinesthecentre,presstheAltkeywhiledraggingthemouse.
3. Releasethemousebuttonwhenthecirclehasreachedthedesiredsize.Nownoticethata
radiuswhichfollowsthemovementofthemouseisdrawninthecircle.
4. Positiontheradiusatthepointwhereitiswantedsoastoplaceoneboundaryofthesector
andclickonce.
5. Nowwhenmovingthemouse,noticethatthefirstradiusissetandasecondradiusfollows
themovementofthemouse.Clickagaintocompletethecirclepie.
Drawingellipsesisdoneinasimilarfashion.The
dimensionsofthedelimitingrectangle,formedwhenfirst
drawingtheshape,determinesthedimensionsoftheellipse.
Whendrawingasegment,proceedinexactlythesame
mannerasdescribedaboveforsectors.Theonlydifference
isthatinthelaststepnosecondradiusfollowsthe
movementofthemouse,butratherasecant(straightline)
cutsthroughthecircle.
TheothericonsintheEllipsefloatingtoolbarcanbeusedtodrawellipsesandarcs.This
processalsofunctionsasdescribedabovealthough,onlytheperimeteroftheellipseorthe
circleisdrawn.
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EnteringText
Toenteratextinadrawing,decideifthetextshouldhaveanormalformatasinatext
documentorifthetextshouldbehandledasagraphicobjectthatcanberotated,expanded,
minimized,etcetera.Normaltextcanalsoappearintheformofalegend(inaframewith
anarrow).
OpentheTextfloatingtoolbarfromthemaintoolbar.
Note:WhereAsianlanguagesupportisenabledunderTools>Options>LanguageSettings
>Languages,therewillbeadditionaliconsforenteringverticaltext.)
NormalText
1. EnternormaltextbyclickingtheTexticon.
2. Dragopenadelimitingframeinthedocumentwhichsetsthepositionandmaximum
widththetextareashouldhave.Ifthetextislong,extendtheframeinordertoincorporate
thewholetext.Positionandthesizeoftheframecanlaterbechangedusingthemouse;
buttheframecannotbemadesmallerthanthetextitself.
3. Enterthetext.SelectthetextbyholdingdowntheShiftkeywhileusingthearrowkeysor
usethemouse.Thefontandfontsizecannowbemodifiedasinregulartextdocuments.
Whenthemouseisclickedanywhereonthedocumentotherthanthetext,texteditmodeis
nolongerineffect.Clickingthetextonceagain,thetextwillbeselectedasanobject.Now,it
can,forexample,berotatedortheentiretextmoved.Bydoubleclickingthetextitcanbe
editeditagain,forexample,deletecharactersorsetadditionalfontattributes.
FittingTexttoFrames
1. WiththeFitTexttoFrameicon,drawadelimitingframewhichpredeterminesthe
positionandsizeofthetext.
2. Enteranytextintheframe.
3. Clickinanyfreeareaofthedocument.
Noticethattheenteredtextisscaledsothatitexactlyfitsintotheframe.
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Callouts
1. UsingtheCalloutsicon,
dragthemousefromwherethecalloutarrowshouldpoint,
tothepointwherethecallouttextshouldappear.
2. Releasethemousebutton.
3. Editthesizeoftheframeofthecallout.
4. Tostartenteringtextintothecallout,justdoubleclicktheline.Thecalloutframeappears
withawidegrayborder,indicatingtexteditmode.
5. Enterthecallouttext.
6. Changethelinepropertiesbyclickingontheline,openingthecontextmenuandclicking
ontheLinecommand.SelectarrowheadsforthelinesintheStylepulldownlistonthe
Linetabpage.
ConvertingTextInto3D
Selectedtextcanbetransformedintoa3DbodybychoosingConvert>To3Dfromthe
contextmenu.The3Dbodywillfilltheareacreatedforthetextframe.
3DtextcanberotatedusingtheRotateicon
theMaintoolbar.
fromtheEffectsfloatingtoolbaron
Byclickinginsidethedelimitingframeanddraggingwiththemousebuttonpressed,the
objectwillrotateonalltheaxesatthesametime.However,byclickingoneoftheeight
handlesanddraggingitwithapressedmousebutton,theobjectrotatesononlyoneaxis.
Thepivotpoint,whichfirstappearsasasmallcircleinthemiddle,canbemoved.Thus,
whilerotatingtheobject,itrotatesaroundthenewpivotpoint.Openthe3DEffectswindow
byclickingthe3DControllericonfromwhichanother,differentilluminationcanbeapplied
tothe3Dobject.The3DEffectswindowisdescribedinmoredetailinHelp.
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Drawing,EditingandConverting
CurvesandObjects
Withvectorgraphicsindrawingandpresentationdocuments,designnotonlyellipsesand
rectangles,butalsoirregularlyshapedcurvesformingopenorclosedfigures.BothImpress
andDrawmakeitveryeasytodrawandeditevenquiteunusualfigures.
DrawingCurves
1. ThetoolsfordrawingspecialshapesarefoundintheCurvesfloatingtoolbarindicatedby
thisicon
ontheMailtoolbar.DragthefloatingtoolbarawayfromtheMaintoolbar
intoanemptydrawingorpresentationdocument.
2. SelecttheCurve
icon.Thecursorappearsasacrosshairsymbolwithan
accompanyingsymbolthatindicatesthenewfunction.
3. Createacurveusingthemouse.
a) Thepointwherethemousebuttonisfirstclickeddeterminesthestartingpoint.
b) Movethemouseinthedirectionthecurveshouldtakefromthestartingpoint.The
pointwherethemousebuttonisreleased,definesthisdirection
c) Movingthemousewithoutholdingthebuttondownandthecurvewillfollowthe
movementofthemouse
d) Clickwherethesecondpointofthecurveshouldbe.
Byholdingdownthemousebutton,thedirectionofthecurvefromthesecondpointcan
bedefinedtothenextpoint(inthesamemanneraswasdoneatthestartingpoint),release
themouseandmovetothethirdpoint,clickagainandkeepthemousebuttonpressed,and
soon.
Butwhenthemousebuttonisreleasedafterclickingonthesecondpointofthecurve,and
anotherpointintheslideisclicked,thesecondpointwillbedefinedasacornerpoint.Ata
cornerpoint,thecurveabruptlychangesdirection,thusformingacorner.Ifthereisa
pointthreedefinedasacornerpointinthisway,astraightsectionbetweenpointstwoand
threewillappear.
WhentheShiftkeyishelddown,directionsarelimitedtomultiplesof45degrees.By
holdingdowntheAltkey,thecurvewillbeclosed,andanadditionalcurvecanbedrawn.
Thesecanbecombinedwiththefirstonetoformasingleobject.
4. Toendcurvedrawing,doubleclickthelastpointtobesetthencontinueworkingwith
othertools.
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Thecurves,thathavebeendrawnusingtheabovesteps,areBziercurves.Thepointsona
Bziercurvearecalleddatapoints.
EachdatapointontheBziercurvecanbesymmetric.Thecurvethenhasthesame
curvatureeithersideofthepoint.
Orthedatapointissmooth.Thecurvethenhasdifferentcurvatureseithersideofthe
point.
Ifthecurveisnotsteadilycontinuedatthedatapoint,butinsteadformsacornerortip,it
isacornerpoint.Anytypeofdatapointcanbeconvertedintoanyother,thusgivinggood
controlovertheshapeofthecurve.
Note:Whenpreciselylinkingtwoexistingpointsinadrawingusinglines,clicktheLineicononthemaintoolbar
andalsoactivatetheoptionbarviaView>Toolbars>OptionBar.SelecttheSnaptoObjectPointsicononthis
toolbar.
EditingCurves
Datapointscanbeeditediftheyaredisplayedassmallrectangles.Toworkonacurvelater,
whenitisnolongerselected,clicktheEditPointsiconontheobjectbarandselectthe
curve.Iftheobjectbarisnotvisible,clickbrieflyonSelectonthemaintoolbar:
1. NowclickEditPointsonthefarleftoftheobjectbarorontheoptionbar.
2. Clickonceonthepointforediting.Itwillappearasafilledsquare,andthereshouldbe
twoBzierlineswithcontrolpointsattheends.(Pleasenotethatsometimesoneofthe
controlpointsisdirectlyontopoftheBzierpointandthushardtosee.)Inthecaseof
cornerpoints,whichdefinerightangles,thecontrolpointsliedirectlyontheBzierpoint.
NowmovetheBzierpointandthecontrolpointsasneeded.Notehowthecurvechanges
accordingly.Thechangeinformofthecursorindicatesineachcasethefunctionthatcan
beexecuted.
Theobjectbarcontainsseveraliconswithwhichcan,amongotheroptions,changethe
typeoftheselectedpoint.Adetailedexplanationofthevariousoptionscanbefoundin
Help.
3. Toconvertthetypeofdatapoint,selectthepoint.Theobjectbarshowsthetypeofpoint:
cornerpoint,smoothtransitionorsymmetrictransition.
4. Clickoneoftheiconstochangethetypeofpoint.
Ofcourse,curvescanalsobeeditedintheconventionalmanner,i.e.,changingwidth,
colour,and(inthecaseofafilledcurve)theobjectfill.Theoptionsforchangingthese
attributesarefoundintheObjectbar.IftheEditpointsiconisnotpressed,usethecontext
menuortheFormatandModifymenus.
AlsotryouttheothericonsontheCurvesfloatingtoolbar.Whenafilledcurveisfinishedby
doubleclicking,itisautomaticallyclosedandallinternalareasarefilled.
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VectorizingBitmaps
WithDraworImpress,transformpixelimages,socalledbitmaps,intovectordrawings.
Oneoftheadvantagesofvectorgraphicsisthattheylookgoodinanyscalewhenprinted.
Thisisdifferentwhenprintingscaledbitmaps,sinceunattractiveeffectsmayappear,suchas
missingorzigzaglines,etcetera.
1. Selectthebitmaptovectorize,forexamplebyclickingonceontheobject.
2. SelectConvert>ToPolygonfromtheModifymenuinDraw
fromthecontextmenuoftheselectedobject.
.ForImpress,select
TheConverttoPolygondialogueenablessettingsomeparametersfortheconversionand
previewingtheresult.
3. ClickingonOKandtheselectedbitmapisnowavectorgraphic.
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ConvertingTextCharacterstoCurves
Sometimesoneneedstofancyupsometext,sayforalogoorsign,suchthatthetextisnon
linear.Thefollowingprocedureshowsonewaytoaccomplishthistask.
1. UsetheTexticon fromtheTextfloatingtoolbaronthemaintoolbarandthentypethe
text,lettersorspecialcharactersinaDrawdocument.Remembertouseareasonablefont
sizeandfonttypetoavoidunnecessaryeditinglater.
2. Withthetextobjectstillselected,choosethecommandModify>ConverttoCurve.The
textisconvertedtoavectorobjectthatcanbeedited.
3. Ifthetextconsistsofmorethanonecharacter,thecharacterswillbedisplayedasa
groupedobject.Toeditasinglecharacter,enterthegroup.Todothis,usetheEnter
Groupcommandinthecontext
menuofthegrouporpressF3.Thenclickthe
charactertobeedited.
4. Now,clicktheEditPointsicon
ontheoptionbar(topleftinthegraphicbelow).
ClicktheobjecttoseealltheBzierpointsoftheobject.Theobjectbar,providesvarious
iconsforediting,insertinganddeletingpoints.
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5. UsetheZoomfloatingtoolbartoenlargetheview.Iftheblackfillingofthecharactersisa
distractionduringtheeditingprocess,temporarilychangeitto,say,10%graybychoosing
Format>Area.
ConvertingtoCurves,Polygons,3D
Manyobjectsquiteeffectivelyeditedbyconvertingthem.Thefollowingexamplesillustrate
thisconcept:
Openarectangle.Thishasthedefaultsettingsforcolour,linethicknessetc.andshould
nowbeselected.
ChooseModify>Convert(inImpressthecorrespondingcommandcanbeonthecontext
menuoftherectangle).Themenusubcommandsare:To Curve,To Po lygon,To
3D,To 3DRotationObject.
ChooseModify>Convert>ToCurvetoconverttherectangleintoaBziercurve.Now
edittheexistingpoints.Asshowninthefollowinggraphic,movethepoints,convertthem
fromcornerpointsintoroundedpoints,deletethem,insertnewpointsetceteraasthe
rectangleisconvertedintoaheartshape.AlltheseoptionsaredescribedindetailinHelp
underthesearchwordsEditpointsandBzierobjectbar.
ChooseModify>Convert>ToPolygontoconverttheoriginalrectangleintoaPo lygon
with4points,aswillthenbestatedonthestatusbar.Now,forexample,apolygon
downcanbebrokendownintoitsbasicpartsbychoosingBreakfromtheModifymenu.The
statusbarwillthenread4Linesselected.Eachofthelinescanbeshifted
separately.
Withapolygonselected,clicktheEditPointsicontomodifypoints,insertnewonesand
anythingelseneededinthismode.
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SelectModify>Convert>To3D
togenerateathreedimensional
objectfromthetwodimensional
objectin(g)above.This
conversionusesanextrusionmethodsuchthatthepolygonispulled
perpendiculartoitsplanebyacertainamountintothethirddimension.
3Dobjectcanberotatedandeditedviathe3DEffectswindowthatiscalledupfromthe
contextmenu.
Tocreatea3Dobjectbymeansofarotationextrusion,chooseModify>Convert>To
3DRotationObject.Apolygonwillberotated360degreesaroundanaxisintothethird
dimension.
Byrotatingarectanglealittlebitbeforeconvertingitintoa3Drotationobject,amore
strikingobjectwillbecreated.
Whiletheseexamplesshowedconversionofonlybasicobjects,suchassimplerectangles,
imaginehowmuchcanbedonewhenconvertingcomplexobjects.
Forexample,dragadrawingfromtheGallerytothepageandconvertitintoa3Dobject.
Drawpositionstheobjectscontainedinthedrawinginvarious3Dlevelscorrespondingto
theirarrangementin2Dlevels.Forexample,in3DthestarsfromtheEuropeanflagstandout
vividlyfromthebluebackgroundoftheflag.
Mostobjectscanbeconvertedto3D:
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Groupscanbeconvertedaslongastheycontainconvertibleobjects.
Bitmapswillbelaidasatextureoverarectangularobjectofadequatesize.
Metafileswillbebrokendownintoagroupofpolygonsandthenconverted.
Drawobjectswithtextonthemdisplaythetextinraisedformontheirsurface(e.g.a
rectanglewhichwasdoubleclickedandonwhichtextwasplaced).
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WorkingWithObjects
Individualobjectsinanimpressordrawdocumentcanbeselected,copied,cutandpastedin
muchthesamewayaswordsintext.Otheractionsarealsopossiblethatareonlyavailable
forgraphicobjects.Forexample,objectsmaybeduplicated,crossfadedorgrouped.Figures
placedinthedrawingarea, suchasrectangles,circles,linesetcetera,aretreatedasobjects.
DuplicatingObjects
Objects,inDraw,areeasilyduplicated.Thisfeatureallowstheusertomakeasetnumberof
copiesofanobjectwhichdifferinconsistentdegreesfromonecopytothenextinposition,
orientation,size,andcolour.
Forexample,tocreateastackofcoins,usetheduplicatefunction.
Firstcreatethebottomcoinbydoingthefollowingasshowninthegraphicbelow:
1. 1.Drawanellipseorcircleatthebottomoftheslide.
2. 2.ChoosetheEdit>Duplicate...commandtoopentheDuplicatedialogue.
3. 3.Enterthefollowingvalues:
Followthesestepstocreateastackofcoinsasshownontherightoftheabovegraphic:
1. Select30asthenumberofcopies.Thexaxisisthehorizontalaxisfromlefttoright.
Enteringpositivevaluesinthefieldforthexaxisplacementcausesashifttotheright.
Ifthestackofcoinsshouldincreasefromthebottomup,enteranegativevalueinthey
direction(vertical).
2. Tomakethecoinstobecomesmallerthehighertheyget,enteranegativevalueforthe
widthandheight.
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3. Finally,defineacolourschemefrombottomtotop.Select,forexample,adarkeryellow
forthebeginningcolour(bottom)andalighteryellowcolourfortheendcolour(top).
4. ClickOKtocreatetheduplicates.
CrossFadingBetweenTwoObjects
ThecrossfadingfunctionisonlyavailablefordrawingsinDrawandnotinImpress
documents.Toinsertintoapresentationanobjectthatwascreatedbycrossfadingtwo
objects,copyitfromthedrawingintothepresentationdocumentbywayoftheclipboard.
Intheprocessofcrossfadingatransitionbetweentwoobjectsiscalculatedandthe
incrementswillbepositionedonthepage.Intheincrements,theform,orientation,and
colouroftheobjects,aswellasotherattributes,areadjusteduniformly.
1. Forexample,inanemptydrawingdocument,drawanobjectatthebottomleftand
anotheroneattheupperright(usetwodifferentcolours).
2. Selectbothobjects.
3. SelectthecommandEdit>Crossfading.Adialogueappearswherefurthersettingscan
bedefined.
4. ClickOK.
Drawcalculatestheincrementsanddisplaystheresults.
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Thisnewobjectisagroupwhichconsistsofthespecified
numberofindividualobjects.EnterthegroupbypressingF3
andthenedittheindividualobjects.TheModifymenuinDraw
containsallthenecessarycommandsforworkingwithgroups
andthesefunctionscanbealsofoundinImpressunderthe
Format>Groupmenucommandorinthecontextmenu.
FurtherinformationcanbefoundinHelp.
1. WorkingWithaGroupofObjects
Severalobjectsatonetimecanbeselected,grouped,combined,merged,subtractedand
intersected.
Selectingseveralobjectsatthesametimehasatemporaryeffect;i.e.wheneverthemouse
isclickedelsewhereonthepageorslide,thegroupedareaisdeselected.
Groupingandcombiningarevaliduntilthegrouporthecombinationisdeselectedusing
thecommandfromthecontextmenuortheModifymenu.
Thesecommandscanalsobeusedtogrouptogetherseveralgroups,addacombinationand
combinetheresultsasagrouporcombination.
GroupingObjects
Severalobjectscanbecombinedintoagroup.Todothis,selectthemtogether,rightclickto
bringupthecontextmenuandchooseGroup.Anyandallchangesmadetoagrouphavean
effectonallobjectsinthegroup.Inparticular,groupscanbemoved,rotated,etc.asasingle
object.
Forexample,indrawingabicycle,firstconstructawheel,composedofatire,rim,spokes,
andhub,andthengrouptheseobjectstogether.Thismakesiteasytorotatethewheel,
duplicateit,andmovethesecondwheeltotheappropriateposition.Finally,drawtheframe
andtherestofthebicycle,andformanewgroup.
Toeditanobjectthatispartofagroup,thereisnoneedtoredefinethegroup.Usethe
Entergroupcommandwhichallowseditinganyobjectinthegroup.Wheneditsare
completed,
EnteringGroups
Enteragroupbyfirstselectingit,eitherbyclickingitorbyusingthekeyboard.Once
selected,theusercandecidewhethertoemploythecontextmenucommand,theF3keyor
doubleclickingthegrouptoenterit.
ExitingGroups
Exitingagroupmaybeaccomplishedinthesethreeways:usingamenucommand,thekey
combination
Ctrl+F3,ordoubleclickingoutsidealloftheobjectsinthegroup.Thegroupremains
selecteduponexit;thusmakingitpossibletoquicklyenterandexitagroupusingthe
keyboard.
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NavigatingBetweenObjectsofaGroup
UsingtheTabandShift+ Tabkeystheusercanmoveforwardandbackwardalongthe
rowofobjectsinagroupeditedwithF3oronapage.Ifthekeysarepressedagainonafinal
objectwhilegoinginonedirection,thefirstobjectselectedwillappearnext.
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CombiningObjectsandConstructingShapes
InDrawandImpressgraphicobjectsmaybecombinedindifferentways.Severalsingle
objectscanbebroughttogethertocreatenewobjectsbyusingBooleansetoperatorsonthe
originalgeometry.
CombiningObjects
1. Selectseveralobjects.
2. ChooseCombinefromthecontextmenu.
Incontrasttogroups,whichconsistofsingleobjects,acombinationfusesthecomponent
objectsintoonesinglenewgeometricobjectwithitsownnewproperties.Thecombination
maybeundoneagainlater,buttheindividualobjectsmaynotberecoverable.
Theusershouldrecognizethepropertythatstandsoutthemostinacombinationwhenthe
individualobjectsoverlap.Inthiscase,thecombinationistheresultoftheBoolean/logical
operatorXOR,andshapes,discussedlater,areotherlogicalcombinations.Theareasof
overlaparetheoneswhichstandoutthemostinacombination,astheywillbeconvertedinto
holes.
Intheillustration,severalobjectsareshowntotheleftastheyarebeforebeingcombined,
andattherightafterbeingcombined.Thecombinationisgiventheattributesoftheobject
farthesttotheback(i.e.undermostobject).
ConstructingShapes
ThecommandsShapes>Merge,SubtractandIntersectalsoformanewgeometricobject
outoftheoriginalobjects.Thenewobjectcomesintobeingthroughtheuseoflogical
amountoperators(booleanO)onthesourcegeometries.
1. Selectseveralobjects.
2. ChooseShapesfromthecontextmenu.Inthesubmenu,chooseMerge,Subtractor
Intersect.
Inthefollowingillustrationstheoriginalshapesareshownontheleftandtheresultonthe
right.
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ShapesMerge
Theselectedpolygonsaremergedsothattheymakeoneobject,the
surfaceofwhichisthesumofalltheparts(BooleanOR).
ShapesSubtract
Allotherpolygonsselectedaresubtractedfrom
theundermostpolygon.Thisentailstheother
polygonsfirstbeingmergedandthensubtracted
fromthepolygonpositionedunder/behindallthe
others.Holesaretakenintoaccount.Logically
thisoperationcorrespondstothefollowing
formula:A>(B1|...|Bn)
ShapesIntersect
Theselectedpolygonsarejoinedintoonesinglepolygon
thatcorrespondstotheintersectionarea(BooleanAND).
Onlytheareawhereallpolygonsoverlapremains.
ChoosingShapes>SubtractandShapes>Intersectalsopermitscuttingpartsoutofa
bitmap.Theillustrationbelowshowsexamples.
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GraphicObjectsinDrawingsandPresentations
BothDrawandImpressuseavectorgraphicformat.However,pixelgraphicsorbitmap
graphicsmayalsobeinsertedintopresentationsordrawingsanddocumentsorcertain
sectionsofadocumentcanbeexportedinapixelgraphicformat.
InsertingBitmaps
BitmapimagescanbeinsertedinanyWriter,Calc,DraworImpressdocument.
1. ChooseInsert>Picture.
2. Selectthefile.WiththeFiletypefielduserscanlimittheselectiontocertainfiletypes.
3. ChecktheLinkboxtohyperlinktotheoriginalfilewhereembeddingisnotneeded.
IftheLinkboxischecked,wheneverthedocumentisupdatedandloadedthebitmap
imageisreloaded,andanyeditingsteps,thathavebeenappliedtothelocalcopyofthe
imageinthedocument,arereappliedandtheimageisdisplayed.
IftheLinkboxisnotchecked,thecopycreatedwiththefirstinsertionisembeddedand
used.
4. ClickOpentoinserttheimage.
EditingBitmaps
Whenabitmapimageisselected,theobjectbaroffersthetoolsforeditingtheimage.Onlya
localcopyiseditedinthedocument,evenifanimageisinsertedasalink.
Theobjectbarmaylookslightlydifferentdependingtothemodulebeingused.The
illustrationshowstheobjectbarinDraw:
AnumberoffiltersarelocatedontheFilterfloatingtoolbar,thatthe
usercanopenwiththeicononthefarleftoftheobjectbar.
Someofthefiltersopenanotherdialoguewhenstarted,andtheusercan
usetheseoptions,forexample,toselecttheintensityofthefilter.
Textandgraphicscanbeaddedtothebitmapimagebyselectingtheseobjectstogetherand
exportingtheselectionasanewbitmapimage.
ApplyingTexttoBitmaps
ToapplytexttoapixelimageandsaveitinJPEGformat,forexample,followthesesteps:
1. Openanewdrawingdocument.
2. InsertthepixelimagebychoosingInsert>Picture.
3. Unselecttheimagebyclickingsomewhereelseinthedocument.
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4. OpentheTextfloatingtoolbarfromtheMaintoolbarandselectanoption;forexample,
theFitTexttoFrameicon.
5. Drawaframearoundthepixelimageandentersometextinsidethisframe.
6. Ifdesired,selectthistextandassignanothercolourtoit.Thebackgroundofthetextis
automaticallytransparent.
7. Selectthepixelimageandthetextbydrawingaframearoundboth.TheStatusbarwill
read2drawobjectsselected.
8. ChooseFile>Exportand,intheExportdialogue,
9. selectthefiletypeJPEGJointPhotographicExpertsGroup
10.Enteraname.
11.ChecktheSelectioncheckboxtoexportonlytheselectedobjects.
12.ClickSave.
AnotherdialoguepermitssettingoptionstodefinethequalityoftheJPEGimage.Remember
thatthehigherthequality,thelargerwillthefilebe.
Whenagraphicobject(forexample,aninsertedPixelimage)isselectedinImpressorDraw,
thegraphicobjectbarwillbeautomaticallybedisplayed.Thisbarenablesmodificationof
thecolourtone,brightnessandcontrastofthegraphicobject.
Changingthetransparencyvalueofgraphicobjectsisalsopossible.Atahighertransparency
valuesagraphicobjectbecomesseethrough,andobjectslyingbehinditwillbevisible.
WhentheworkissavedasanOpenOffice.orgdocument,thetransparencyissavedtoo.
NOTE:Whenexportedasagraphicformat,transparencyisonlysavedwherethegraphicformatsupportsthe
transparencyandthisfunctionisenabledatthetimeofexport.
SavingBitmaps
Savingchangestoabitmapimageasanimagefile,forexampleinoneoftheGIF,JPEGor
TIFFfileformats,isonlypossibleinDraworImpressbyselectingandexportingthebitmap
image.Thefollowingprovidesastepbystepprocedure:
1. Selectthebitmapimage.
Alsoselectanyadditionalobjectsasnecessary.PressingtheShiftkeyforeachselection
orbyopenaframearoundallobjects,toinclude,say,textwiththebitmapimage.
2. ChooseFile>Exporttoopenthedialogue.
3. IntheFiletypefieldselectthefileformatdesired.ForexampleGIF,JPEGetcetera.
4. Toonlyexporttheselectedobjects,checktheSelectionbox.
IfSelectionisnotchecked,theentirepageofthedocumentisexported.
5. Enteranameforthefile.
6. ClickSave.
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WorkingWithcolours
Theobjectbarhasalistboxfromwhichtochoosethecolourforaselectedobjectfroma
numberofpredefinedcolours.Thecolouroftheborderlinecanbechosenindependentlyof
thecolourofthefilling.
ThecolourBar
Ifwantedorneeded,thecolourbarcanbedisplayedontheedgeofadrawingor
presentation.Thecolourbaroffersachoiceofcolours.Selectedobjectscanbecolouredby
simplyclickingonacolour.Todisplaythecolourbar,selectView>Toolbars>colourBar.
Thecolourbardisplaysallpredefinedcolourswiththeirrespectivenamesinthesameorder
asinthelistboxoftheObjectbar.Userdefinedcoloursappearattheendofthecolourbar
andthebottomofthelistbox.
ThefieldattopleftofthecolourbarisforthecolourInvisible.
Changethesizeofthecolourbarusingthemouse.Alternatively,holddowntheCtrlkey
anddoubleclickinthegraypartofthecolourbartoobtainamovable,variablesizewindow
thatcanbemanipulatedinthesamewayasmostotherwindows.Forexample,itcanbe
movedbydraggingthetitlebaranditssizechangedbydraggingtheedgesorcornersofthe
window.Todockthewindowagain,holddownCtrlanddoubleclickonagrayareaofthe
floatingcolourbar.
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DefiningCustomcolours
Anynumberofcolourscanbedefinedbytheuser,havenamesassignedandbesavedin
colourpalettefiles.
1. Inadrawingdocument,chooseFormat>Area...toopentheAreadialogue.
2. Inthedialogue,clickthecolourstab.
Thisprovideseverythingneededtomodifythecolourofaselectedobject.Here,theusercan
alsodefineandorganizenewcolours.
Toapplyacolourthatisnotyetinthecolourpalette,firstdefinethenewcolourandassigna
nametoit.
Note:Modificationstothestandardcolourpalettearepermanent.Thesearesavedautomatically,andare
irreversible.Thisshouldnotpresentproblemsifonlyaddinganewcolourtothepalette,butitcancreate
difficultiesifthestandardcoloursarechanged.
1. Todefineanewcolour,thebestthingtodoischooseacolourfromthecolourpalette
whichresemblesthenewcolour.Itwillbedisplayedintheupperofthetwopreview
boxes.
2. Thelistboxprovidestwosettings,RGBandCMYK,fordefiningthecolour.Selectthe
colourmodelinthelistboxthatcorrespondstowhatisneededforthiscolour.
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ThecolourmodelsRGBandCMYKarejusttwoofthemodelsmostusedtodefinecolours.
RGBstandsforredgreenblueandthismodelisparticularlyusefulforcoloursbeing
displayedonacomputermonitorasitcombinesthethreebasiccoloursused.CMYKstands
forCyanMagenta YellowblackorCyanMagenta YellowKeyandis
thecolourmodelthatbestdescribesthesubtractivecoloursusedinprinting.Selectthe
colourmodelthatcorrespondstothedesiredoutputmedium(monitororaprinter).When
exportingimagefiles,itisbesttoaskthephotoexposureserviceinwhichcolourmodel
andformattheimageisexpected.
3. Definethecoloursbymodifyingthevaluesinthespinboxes.Entervaluesdirectly,or
clickthebuttonstochangetheexistingvalues.Theresultisshownimmediatelyinthe
lowerpreviewbox.
Ifselectingcoloursfromacolourspectrumispreferabletospecifyingthevalueswiththe
spinbuttons,clickEdit.Thisopensthecolourdialogue.Inthisdialogueitisalsopossible
tospecifythecolourintheHSVorHSB(HueSaturationValue/Brightness)
model.SelectthecolourandclickOK.
4. Onceanewcolourischosen,specifywhetheritshouldreplacetheoriginalcolourorbe
definedindependently.
Note:Itisrecommendedthatonlycustomdefinedcoloursbereplaced.
1. Toreplacethecolourdisplayedintheupperpreviewbox,clickModify.
2. Tosetthenewuserdefinedcolour,assignanametothecolourintheNamefield,and
clickAddandOK.
Thenewcolourwillimmediatelybeaddedtothepaletteofexistingcolours;however,ifthe
dialogueisexitedbyusingtheCancelbutton,thecolourofthecurrentobjectdoesnot
change.
Nonetheless,themodificationsinthecolourpalettedoremainineffect.
Furtherinstructionsonsavingandloadingthecolourpaletteandotherpalettefilesarefound
inHelp.
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ReplacingcoloursusingtheEyedropper
InDrawandImpress,imagesinsertedinabitmapformatsuchas,GIF,JPEGandmetafile
imageslikeWMFcanhavetheircolourseditedusingtheEyedropper.Toopenthe
Eyedropperwindow,chooseTools>Eyedropper.
TheEyedroppercanreplaceselectedcoloursand,toapoint,similarcolours,withother
colours,uptofourcoloursatonetime.Ifthereplacementisnotwhatisdesiredorneeded,
reverseitwithoneclickonUndoontheStandardtoolbar.UsetheEyedroppertomatchthe
coloursofdifferentbitmapsortoredoabitmapwith,say,thecoloursofacompanylogo.
TheTransparencyattributealsoservesasacolour.Transparency,inanimagewithacolour,
canbereplacedforexample,withwhite.ThisisHelpfulwhen,forexample,theprinter
driverhasproblemswithprintingtransparentgraphics.
IftheuserwantstoproduceanimageonHTMLpagestopublishintheInternet,likethe
illustrationofaproduct,forexample,itusuallylooksbetterwhenonedoesnotseea
rectangularpicture,butratherseesonlytheillustrationoftheproductagainsttheuniform
backgroundofthewebpage.Ifthereisawhitebackgroundinthepicturebehindtheproduct,
usetheEyedroppertoreplacethecolourwhitewithTransparent(i.e.nocolour)andsave
and/orexporttheimageinaformatthatsupportsthetransparencyattribute(suchasGIF).
Whenusingthismethod,besurethattheillustrationoftheproductitselfdoesnotcontain
anywhiteparts,sincethesewouldalsobecometransparentjustlikethebackground.
ToreplacecolourswiththeEyedropper
1. InsertanimageinaBitmapformat(e.g.,BMP,GIF,JPG,TIG)orinametafileformatlike
WMF.Todothis,chooseInsert>PictureinDrawandImpress.
2. OpentheEyedropperwindowbychoosingTools>Eyedropper.
3. IntheEyedropperwindow,clicktheEyedroppericonintheupperlefthandcorner.The
mousepointerwillturnintoaspecialpointerwithwhichonecanindicatethecolourtobe
replacedinthecurrentdocument.Thecolourboxnexttotheeyedroppericoninthe
Eyedropperwindowdisplaysthecolourthemousepointerisrestingon.
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4. Clicktheleftmousebuttonwhenthecolourisfoundwhichistobereplaced.Thiscolour
willautomaticallyberegisteredinthefirstofthefourrowsintheEyedropperwindow.
5. Now,inthelistboxtotherightinthesamerow,selectthenewcolourwhichshould
replacetheselectedcolourinthewholebitmapimage.
6. Ifinthesameeditingsteponewantstoreplaceanothercolour,clickthecheckboxin
frontofthenextrow.Nowselecttheeyedroppericonintheupperlefthandcorneragain
andchooseanewcolour.Uptofourcolourscanbereplacedinoneeditingstep.
7. Selectthebitmapimageorthemetafileimageinwhichthecoloursaretobechanged,by
clickinginit.
8. IntheEyedropperwindowclickReplace.Iftoomanysimilarcolourswerereplaced,
undothestepusingCtrl+Zanddecreasethecolourtoleranceinthespinbutton.Then
clickReplace.
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GradientsandPatternsforObjectsandBackground
Theobjectsindrawingsandpresentationsdonothavetohaveuniformcolours.Theycanalso
havecolourgradients,transparencygradients,patternsandhatchingeffects.Userscanalso
defineacolour,agradientorapatternforabackgroundthatisvisibleinallslidesofa
presentation.
DefiningGradients
Toassignapredefinedgradienttoanobject,proceedasfollows:
1. Selecttheobject.
2. FromthecontextmenuorunderFormatonthemenubar,chooseArea....
3. SelecttheGradientoption,thenmakeaselectionfromthegradientlist.
DefiningacustomcolourGradient
Beforedefininganew,customcolourgradient,savethecurrentcolourgradientlistasafile
toensurethereisabackup[saywhy?]orloadadifferentlistfromanotherfile.
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Iftheuserhasselectedanobjectandthendefinedanewgradient,thenewgradientis
immediatelyassignedtotheselectedobject.Ifonedoesnotwantimmediateassignment,
undotheselectionbeforeopeningthedialoguefordefininggradients.Todothis,clickwith
theselectiontoolonapositionwheretherearenoobjects.
1. IntheAreadialogue,clicktheGradientstab.Thistabenablesdefinitionofallofthe
optionsfornewcolourgradients.
2. Fromthelistofexistingcolourgradients,clickthegradienttouseasabasisforcreating
thenewcolourgradient.
3. ClicktheAdd...button.
a) Inthedialogue,assignanameforthenewgradient.Forexample,enterthename
UFO.
b) clickOK.Thenamewillappearasanewentryattheendofthelistandisselectedfor
editing.
4. ClickModifytosavethechangesinthenewgradient.Thepreviewshowshowthe
gradientlooks.
5. ClosetheAreadialoguewithOK.
Thenewcolourgradientmaybeusedimmediately.
InteractivelyDefiningacolourGradient
Colourgradientscanbemodifiedbyclickinganddraggingthemwiththemouse.However,
inordertobedefinedinteractively,theobjectmustalreadyhaveacolourgradient.
1. Selectanobjectwhichhasacolourgradient.
2. InDraw,opentheEffectsfloatingtoolbar
fromtheMaintoolbar.
3. OntheEffectsfloatingtoolbar,clicktheGradienticon.
Twoobjectsincolourwhicharelinkedbyavectorshouldnowbevisible.
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Dependingonthetypeofgradient,oneorbothoftheobjectscanbemovedwiththemouse
andthusdeterminetheorigin,endandangleofthecolourgradient.Whenthecolourbaris
displayed,assigncoloursbydragginganddroppingtheselectiontoeachobjecttodetermine
thestartandendcolours.
Inasimilarmanner,thetransparencyofanobjectcanbesetusingthe
Transparency
icon.Withthistool,definingagrayscalegradientwhichspansfromblack(0%transparency,
i.e.opaque)towhite(100%transparent)ispossible.
OrganizingtheAttributeTables
TheiconsLoadGradientsListandSaveGradientsListopendialoguesforopeningand
savinggradients.Thecurrentgradientlist,forinstance,mightconsistofallgradientswhich
arecustomdefinedforacertainproject.Savethelist,thenreloadthestandardlist.Thisway
thelist(andthememoryspace)canbekeptfreefromresourcesthatarenotneeded.To
continueworkingonthisprojectlater,simplyreloadthecustomgradientlist.Thesame
procedureappliesforloadingandsavinglistsofhatchingsandbitmaps.
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3DGlobe
ThissectiondescribeshowtocreateathreedimensionalglobewithDrawinjustafewsteps.
Whenfinished,rotatethefinishedGlobeusingthemouse.
CreatingTextureona3DObject
Note:Ifonlytheglobeshownhereisneeded,andcreatingasimilaroneisnotonneeded,usethefinishedglobe
fromtheGalleryinthe3DEffectstheme.Dragtheglobeintothedocument.
Tocreateacustom3Dglobe,firstopenanemptydrawdocument,insertaglobeandthen
applyaworldmapasatexturetotheglobe(worldmap2.wmffromtheStarOfficecollection
isagoodchoicebutthereareothersavailableviatheInternet).Thenadjusttheillumination.
1. OpenanemptydrawingdocumentbychoosingFile>New>Drawing.
2. Openthe3DObjectsfloatingtoolbar
ontheleftoftheMaintoolbar.
3. SelectSpherefromthetoolbar,
4. Dragopenaareatocreatetheglobe.All3Dobjectscanbeopenedinthisway.Ifcreating
anoblongshapeispreferable,presstheShiftkeywhiledragging.Thisbehaviourfor3D
objectsisoppositetothewayotherobjectssuchasellipsesandrectanglesbehave.
5. OpentheGallery.
TheGallerythemesappearassubdirectories.
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6. Locatethemaptobeused.IfthereisaMapstheme,clicktheitandtheGalleryshowsthe
maps.
7. Clickanyrectangularworldmap,say,worldmap2.wmf.
8. HolddowntheShiftandCtrlkeysanddragthemapoftheworldontothesphere.
Thislaysthemapoftheworldonthesphereasatexture.
9.
IftheGalleryhidestheglobe,userscanfixtheGallerywindowsothatitnolonger
overlapswiththedocument.AttheedgeoftheGallerywindowclicktheStick/Floating
icon(lookslikeathumbtack).
Thetextureislaidontothesphereinitsoriginalsizeinthedefaultsetting.Sincethemapof
theworldismuchlargerthanthesphere,onlyasmallsegmentisseenasagreenareaonthe
sphere.Thiswillsoonbechanged.
1. Clickthespheretoselectit.
2. DisplaythecontextmenuforthesphereandchooseArea.TheAreadialogueappears
withtheAreatabpage.
3. SelecttheBitmapfield,removingthemarkintheTilefield.
4. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
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Nowtheworldmapcanbeseenastextureonthesphere.OpenOffice.orghasautomatically
selectedthemostappropriateprojectionmethod.Toseethis,doubleclickonthesphereand
thenrotateit.
InTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>Viewtab,checktheappropriateboxfor3Dobjects
torefreshduringinteraction.
UsingIllumination
Nowoneneedstoprovideilluminationfortheworldglobe.Selectanoverallblue
illumination,forexample,sothattheoceanswillhaveabluecolour,andayellowhighlight
thatwillshineonthesideoftheearthfacingthesun.
1. Selecttheworldglobesincetheilluminationpreferencesbeingsetalwaysrefertothe
currentlyselectedobject.
2. Openthe3DEffectswindowbyclickingthe3DControllericon
themaintoolbar.
atthebottomof
3. Inthe3DEffectswindow,clicktheIlluminationbutton.
a) Usethisfeaturetochangethedefaultsettingofthelightsourcetoblueandmoveit
downandtotheleft.
b) ClickAssign.
4. Repeatstep3toapplyasecondlightsourceinyellowtoshineontheearthfromthe
aboveright.
More3dEffects
Takealookatthe3DEffectswindow.Theindividualtabsandiconsaredescribedindetailin
Help.Whatfollowsisjustabriefoverview:
3DEffects:Favourites
Thisdialoguewindowoffersafewspecialeffects
thatcanbeusedonthe3Dobject.Tosave
interestingeffectssothattheyareavailablefor
selectiononthistab,filetheappropriate3D
objectintheGallery,morespecificallyinthe3D
themefolder.
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3DEffects:Geometry
Byusingthisfeature,theusercancontrolthe
mannerandqualityofhowtheobjectsurfaceis
geometricallycalculatedanddisplayed.For
example,interestingeffectscanbeproducedby
deliberatelyreducingthenumberofsegmentsof
asphere.Propertiesofthe3Dfont,suchasthe
slantoftheedge(bevel),depth,etceteraare
determinedhere.
3DEffects:Shading
Thisfeaturepermitsspecifyingthesetting
oftheshader(flat,phongor
Gouraud)tobeusedtodisplaythe3D
object.Gouraudprovidesthebest
shading,butrequiresthemostcomputing
time.Alsousethisfeaturetospecifya
shadowforthe3Dobjectandtoselectthe
cameradistanceandfocallength.
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3DEffects:Illumination
Controlofilluminationofaselected3D
objectiseasilydoneinavarietyofways.
Inadditiontothegeneralambientlight,
eightadditionallightsourcesare
available,allofwhichcanbealigned,
adjustedforcolour,orturnedonandoff
individually.
3DEffects:TexturesandMaterial
Withthesetwosections,controltheappearanceofthesurfaceof3Dobjects.SeeHelpforan
explanationofthenumerouspossibilities.
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Designing3DObjectsFromFontCharacters
Thestepbystepmethodologydescribedbelowisparticularlyusefulinpreparingobjectsthat
couldbeusedforlogosandotheridentifiers.Whatfollowsispresentedintutorialform.
FirstStep:
1. OpenanemptydrawingdocumenteitherusingFile>New>DrawingortheNewiconon
theFunctiontoolbar.
2. Createatextboxcontainingasinglecapitalletter.Inthisprocedure,theletterPisused.
3. Chooseacharactersetforformatting.
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4. Setthefontsizetoabout400pt.
Thisfontsizeistoprovideausablysizedobjectthat,whenconvertedto3D,thetexttakes
upexactlythespacethatisdrawnforthetext,independentofthefontsizeselected.
5. DrawthetextboxusingtheTexticononthefloatingtoolbar.
6. Selecttheletterandthenmanuallyenter400intheSizefieldonthetextobjectbar.Atthis
point,otherattributes,suchasanothertypefaceoremphasisattribute,likebold,maybe
selected.
SecondStep:
SelectthetextfieldwiththeletterandchooseConvert>To3DontheModifymenu.
ModifythecolouroftheobjectbyselectingAreaontheFormatmenu.Ofcourseitisalso
possibletoassignagradientorabitmapgraphictotheobject.
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ThirdStep:
SelecttheletterPagainsothatitcanthenbemodifiedinadifferentway.Clickthe
Format/3DEffectsmenuitem.Theoptionsavailableincludeoptionsforsettingthedepthof
theobjectandthefocallengthofthecamera.Inaddition,theusercansettheindividual
illuminationandthetexturemodel.
Thesampleobjectwasgivenitsspecialshapebyadjustingthecameratoanextremely
shortfocallength.
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FourthStep:
Nowaddsometexttothelogo.Startbyinsertingatextboxandpopulateitwithnameofthe
companyandinaformatthatissuitable.Toputaborderaroundthetext,convertthetexttoa
polygonbychoosingModify>Convert>ToPolygon.Ofcourse,thesurfaceofthenewly
createdobjectcanalsobemodified.
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Foraborderaroundthecompanyname,convertitintopolygons.Thenselectalinewidth
greaterthan0.00andalinestylenotequaltotransparentontheobjectbartomakethe
bordersofeachlettervisible.
FifthStep:
Createasimpledrawingobjectasabackgroundforthelogo,forexampleanellipse.Choose
Modify>Positiontoplacetheobjectallthewaytotheback.
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Nowthereisaperfect3DlogocreatedwithOpenOffice.orginonlyfivesteps!
Note:thattheusercanalsoaccessthefunctionsthroughthecontextmenuinsteadofusingmenucommands,which
makesforlessworkwiththemouse.
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UsingaGrid
Toworkwithgreatprecision,forexampletoplacerectanglesoneontopoftheother,usethe
gridfunction.Toturnonthegrid,chooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgDraw>Grid
andselecttheSnaptoGridoption.Asanadditionalaid,selectingVisibleGridmakesit
easytoplacedocumentsexactlyontopofeachotherinthedocument.
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MechanicalorConstructionDrawings
ThissectionexplainshowtoproduceamechanicaldrawingwithOpenOffice.org.Thesame
methodcanbeusedtocreateothersimilardrawings,suchas,constructionblueprint,garden
layoutetcetera.
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CreatingaConstructionPlan
Tocreateadrawingliketheprecedingillustration,clicktheRectangleiconanddragthe
floatingtoolbarintotheworkarea.Then,selectCurvesandLinesandArrowsanddrag
thesefloatingtoolbarsintotheworkareaaswell.Chooseatoolwithwhichtobegin,suchas
theRectangle,anduseittodragopenanareatorepresentthefirstsurface.Finally,drawin
thedetailswiththeLinetool.
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Addsomemoredetails.
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Completethedrawing.
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UsingSnapLines
Itisadvisabletousesnaplinestopositionlinesandobjectsmoreprecisely.
Todisplayasnapline,clickonarulerandholddownthemousebuttontodragitintothe
document.Tomovethesnapline,restthemousepointeronituntiladoublearrowappears.
Shiftthelinebyholdingdownthemousebuttonanddraggingthelinetothedesiredposition.
Todeleteasnapline,simplydragitbackontotheruler.InDraw,snaplinescanalsobe
positionedinanumericallyexactwayusingtheEditSnapLine...commandfromthe
contextmenuofthesnapline.
Note:Snaplinesarelineswhicharevisibleonlyonthescreenandareusedforthesolepurposeofprecise
positioningandalignment.Anunlimitednumberofhorizontalandverticalsnaplinescanbecreated.
UsingDimensionLines
WithDraw,dimensionlinescanbedirectlyinsertedintoadrawing.Dragthesnaplinesfrom
therulerintoadocumentandpositionedsothatthereisasnaplineovereverymajorlinein
thedrawing.Todothis,clicktheDimensionLineicon
ontheLinesfloatingtoolbar.
Themousepointerwillturnintoacrossandadimensionlinemaybedraggeddirectlyfrom
onesidetotheother,or,evenbetter,fromonesnaplinetoanother.
Toeditthelookofdimensionlines,selectthem,openthecontextmenuandclick
Dimensions....Thedialoguethatappears,permitsdeterminationoftheappearanceand
positionofthedimensionlines.
Toincreasethespacebetweenadimensionlineandthemeasuredobject,movethemouse
pointertooneofthepointsonthedimensionline.Themousepointerwillturnintoanother
icon,enablingeitherexpansionorreductionofthespace.Note:Toobtainanabsolutely
horizontalorverticaldimensionlineoroneata45angle,presstheShiftkeywhile
draggingthedimensionline.
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WorkingWithMultipleLayers
Thenextstepistopositionthedetailsinthemotordrawing.Itisagoodideatousethelayer
functioniftestingseveraldifferentvariations.
Togetabetteroverview,turnontheLayerview,bypressingthesymbolonthebottom
leftborderoftheworkarea.Alternatively,chooseView>Layer(acheckmarkwillappear
infrontofthecommand).Toinsertanewlayer,openthedialogueInsertLayer.Itcanalso
beopenedthroughthecontextmenuofthetabsLayout,ControlsandDimensionLines
arrangedatthebottomofthescreen.Enterauniquename,e.g.Sketch1.Repeatthis
procedureforanotherlevelandenterthenameasSketch2.
NowclicktheSuggestion1tabandplacethedetailsofthislevel;forexample,bydragging
thedesiredclipartfromtheGalleryintothedocument.
AfterthedetailsarepositionedonLayer1,dothefollowing:
1. clicktheSketch2tabandarrangeelementsthereaswell.Noticethattheelementsfrom
Sketch1arevisible.
2. Tochangethis,clicktheSketch1tabandcallupthecontextmenuandselectModify
Layer.
3. IntheModifyLayerdialogue,removethecheckfromtheVisiblecheckbox
4. ClickOKtoviewonlytheLayoutlevelandtheSketch2level.
Asarulealllayerswillbedisplayed.Toviewaparticularlayer,deactivatetheVisiblefield
onalltheotherlayers.
Aftercompletingthedrawing,saveand/orprintthedocumentasneeded.
Note:Visualizelayersastransparentsheets,oneontopoftheother,whichtogetherformacompletepicture.Itis
alsopossibletoviewindividualtransparencies,i.e.Layers .
UsingOnecolourperLayer
Ifmorethanonelayeratatimeisdisplayed,applyanidenticalcolourtoallelementsonthe
samelayerforabetteroverview.
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Chapter7:DatabasesandDataSources
VersionsofOpenOffice.orgBasepriorto2.xrequiredaconnectiontoanexternaldata
source.While2.xretainsthisfunctionality,italsointroducestheabilitytocreatean
HSQLDBdatabaseasaninternaldatasource.Nowallthedatatables,forms,queriesand
reportsforadatabasecanresideinone.ODBfile.
ThischapterintroducesbuiltinHSQLDBdatabasesandtouchesonsomeofthefunctionality
stillretainedfromearlierversionsofBase.Theexamplesfoundinthischapteraresomeof
thestepsusedtocreatetheCalendarexampledatabase.
Thelargeamountofpreparatoryworkdonewhenoneisactuallydesigningadatabaseis
beyondthescopeofthischapter.Briefly,thepreparatoryworkforcreatingtheCalendar
databaseinvolvedsketchingoutwhattheuserwantedtoseeastheendresultandworking
fromtheretodesigntablesthatwouldfollowgooddatabasedesigntheoryor,failingthat,at
leastbeeasytoimplementandmaintain.
Creatingadatabasefile
Afterthepreparatorywork,afileorcontainermustbecreatedtoholdallthepartsofthe
database.
IfOpenOffice.orgisalreadyopen,youcanchoose
alsoopenOpenOffice.orgBaseitselfselectingthe
runningsbasefromthecommandline.
File>New>Database.Youcan
programiconfromthemenuorby
TheDatabaseWizardopenstoStep1,Selectdatabase.
1. MakesuretheoptionissettoCreateNewDatabaseandclickNext.
2. InStep2,Saveandproceed,youwillwanttheoptionregardingregisteringthe
database(DoyouwantthewizardtoregisterthedatabaseisOpenOffice.org?)set
toYes,registerthedatabaseforme.
Whenyouregisteradatabase,OpenOffice.orgnowknowswherethedatais
locatedandhowitisorganized.Inspreadsheetsandtextdocuments,youcanuse
View>DataSourcetoconnecttothedata.
3. UnderAfterthedatabasefilehasbeensaved,whatdoyouwanttodo?Makesure
Openthedatabaseforeditingischecked.
TheCreatetablesusingthetablewizardcheckboxopenstheTableWizard.
TheTableWizardoffersasetofsampletablesfromwhichfields,with
correspondingtypesandformats,canbechosentocreateanewtable.Fieldscan
bechosenfrommultipletablestocreatetheparticulartable.
4. ClickFinish.
5. IntheSaveAswindowthatopens,namethedatabaseandselectalocationinwhich
tostoreit.LeavetheSaveastypesettoOpenDocumentDatabase.
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6. ClickSave.
AnOpenOffice.orgBasewindowwillopenforthenewdatabase.Atthispoint,wehave
createdanemptydatabasefile.
Creatingatable
Anemptydatabasefileisnotmuchuse.Thenextstepistocreateatableinwhichtostorethe
data.InpreviousversionsofOpenOffice.orgBase,wewouldconnecttoanexternaldata
sourcesuchasAdabas,JDBC,ODBC,dBase,ADO,Text,Spreadsheet,orAddressBook.We
canstilldothis(asdiscussedbelow)but,asmentionedabove,wecanalsocreateHSQL
tablesthatwillresideinthedatabasefileitself.
Eachfieldinatableisrepresentedinthedesignofthattablebyarow.Eachrowhasfields
forFieldName,FieldTypeandDescription.Descriptionisanoptionalfieldthatcanbe
usedtoprovideadescriptionofwhatthefieldisusedfor.
Additionally,eachofthetablefieldshaveFieldProperties.Thesevarybasedonthetypeof
field.
ThemaintableinourCalendardatabaseistheAppointmentstableandthe
followingstepsexplainhowthattablewascreated.
1. Inthedatabasewindow,clicktheTablesiconinthelefthandcolumn.
2. IntheTaskspaneatthetopofthewindow,clicktheCreateTableinDesignview
icon.ATableDesignwindowopens.
3. InthefirstrowintheTableDesignwindow,intheFieldNamebox,typeIDandhit
theTabkeyonthekeyboard.
4. IntheFieldTypeboxthatthecursorjumpsto,chooseInteger[INTEGER].
5. IntheFieldPropertiessectionatthebottomofthewindow,changethevaluefor
AutoValuetoYes.
6. Createthefieldslistedbelowbyrepeatingsteps3through5usingtheinformationin
thetable.Obviously,donotgobacktothefirstrowinthedesignwindowanddonot
settheAutoValueoptiononanyotherfieldstoYes.
Field
Name
FieldType
FieldProperties
Subject
Text [VARCHAR]
Location
Text [VARCHAR_
IGNORECASE]
Startdate
Date [DATE]
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Starttime
Time [TIME]
Entry Required = No
Enddate
Date [DATE]
Entry Required = No
Endtime
Time [TIME]
Entry Required = No
Note
Memo
[LONGVARCHAR]
Entry Required = No
Type
Integer [INTEGER]
7. RightclickthefieldselectorfortheIDfield(thisistheareatotheleftofthefield
name)andchoosePrimaryKey.
8. ClickFile>Save.
9. EnterAppointmentsfortheTableNameandclickOK.
10. ClosethetabledesignwindowbyclickingFile>Close.
11. Inthedatabasewindow,clickFile>Savetosavetheworkdonesofaronthe
database.
Note:ThetypeVARCHAR_IGNORECASEisaspecialtypeofVARCHARspecifictoHSQLDB.Itiscaseinsensitive
whichmeansentriessuchasHomeandHOMEarethesame.
Note:Eachfieldcanonlyacceptdatacorrespondingtothespecifiedfieldtype.Itisnotpossibletoentertext,for
example,inanumberfield.MemofieldsindBaseIIIformatarereferencestointernallymanagedtextfileswhich
canholdupto64KBtext.
Creatingarelatedtable
ThelastfieldoftheAppointmentstableistheTypefield.Sincewearetryingtofollowgood
databasedesignprocedureshere,wewanttoputourappointmenttypesinanothertableand
linkthetablesusinganIDfield.Thebasicreasonforthisisbecausesomanyofour
appointmentsaregoingtohavethesametype,wewanttocutdownondataentryerrorsand
makeiteasiertoupdatealltherecordsifwedecidetochangethenameofatype.
TocreatetheTypestable:
1. Inthedatabasewindow,clickCreateTableinDesignView.
2. Createthetableusingsteps3through5inthepreviousexampleandtheinformation
below.
Field
Name
FieldType
FieldProperties
ID
Integer [INTEGER]
AutoValue = Yes
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TypeName
Text [VARCHAR]
3. RightclickthefieldselectorfortheIDfieldandchoosePrimaryKey.
4. ClickFile>SaveAs.
5. EnterTypesforthetablenameandclickOK.
6. ClosethetabledesignwindowbyclickingFile>Close.
7. ClickFile>Saveinthedatabasewindowtosaveyourwork.
Creatingarelationshipbetweentables
Now,tomaketheTypestablemoreusefultous,weneedtocreatearelationshipbetweenthe
twotables.Arelationshipmeansthattwoormoretablesshareinformation.Theylinka
primarykeytoaforeignkey.Aprimarykeyisunique.IntheCalendardatabase,theprimary
keyfortherelationshipwesetupinthefollowstepsistheIDfieldintheTypestable.The
foreignkeyistheTypefieldintheAppointmentstable.
1. ClickTools>Relationships.TheRelationdesignwindowisdisplayedwiththeAdd
Tablesdialoginfrontofit.
2. ClicktheAppointmentstableinthelistandclickAdd.
3. ClicktheTypestableandclickAdd.BothtablesshouldappearintheRelation
designwindow.
4. ClickCloseintheAddTablesdialog.
5. IntheRelationdesignwindow,clicktheloweredgeoftheAppointmentstableand
dragdowntomakethewindowforthetablelarger.
6. ClicktheTypeentryintheAppointmentstableanddragitovertheIDentryinthe
Typestable.Alinewillconnectthetwoentries.
7. ClickFile>Savetosaveyourwork.
8. ClosetheRelationdesignwindow.
9. Savethedatabase.
Atthispointinthecreationofthesampledatabase,aformwascreatedtosimplifydataentry
intotheTypestable.Forthesakeofbrevity,thesestepsareskipped.Datamaybedirectly
enteredintoatable,thoughitisnotrecommended.
Creatingadataentryform
However,thefollowingarestepsforcreatingthedataentryformfornewappointmentsare
presentedhere.
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1. Inthedatabasewindow,clicktheFormsiconontheleftside.
2. ClicktheUseWizardtoCreateFormbutton.
3. TheFormWizardopenstoStep1,FieldSelection.ClicktheTablesorqueries
dropdownandchooseTable:Appointments.
4. MoveallthefieldsexceptIDtotheFieldsintheformlistbyclickingthe>button
foreachdesiredfield..ClickNext.
5. Step2,Setupasubform,isnotneededforthisformsincewewillnotbeincludinga
subform.SimplyclickNext.
Note:Asubformallowstheuserofadatabasetoaccessrelateddata.Forexample,ifmultipletypeswereallowed
perappointment,theymightbedisplayedinasubform.
6. Thewizardautomaticallyskipssteps3and4sincetheyarerelatedtosubforms.
7. Step5,Arrangecontrols,allowsthedesignertochoosearough,basiclayoutforthe
formcontrols.Thischoiceisopentopreferencebutincreatingthesampledatabase,
wechoseInBlocksLabelsAbove,thefourthoption.ClickNext.
8. Step6,Setdataentry,iswherethedesignerofthedatabasecannarrowtheuseofa
form.Inthisexample,thisisanewappointmentformsoweonlywantusertobeable
toenterdata.SettheoptionheretoTheformistobeusedforenteringnewdata
only.Existingdatawillnotbedisplayed.ClickNext.
9. Step7,Applystyles,isalsoopentopersonalpreference.TheFlatfieldborderstyle
doeshavesomenicebuiltinvisualeffectsandwaschosenfortheexampledatabase.
WealsochoseIceBlueasthestyle.ClickNextafterselectingtheoptions.
10. Step8,Setname,allowsustonametheform.EnterNewAppointmentforthe
name.
11. SettheoptiontoModifytheformandclickFinish.
12. Theformopenstoeditmode,asopposedtodataentrymode.Nowtheformcanbe
modified.
Makingdataentryeasier
Theeasiestthingtodotosimplifydataentryistomovethefieldsaround.Thiscanbedone
byclickinganddraggingthefieldswhiletheformisineditmode.Thefollowingsections
detailotherwaystosimplifydataentry.TheseexamplestepsassumethattheNew
Appointmentformisopenineditmode.
Modifyingadatefield
Atextboxthatisrelatedtoadatefieldcanveryeasilybeturnedintoadatepickercontrol.
1. ClickonceontheStartDatefield.
2. RightclickthefieldandchooseGroup>EditGroup.
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3. Ifthetextboxitselfisnotselected,clickawayfromthetextbox.
4. DoubleclickthetextboxfortheStartDatefield,notthelabel.
5. TheProperties:DateFielddialogboxopens.
6. OntheGeneraltab,makesurethefollowingoptionsareset:
DropdownshouldbesettoYes.
RepeatshouldbesettoYes.
7. Repeatsteps1through6forthefollowing:
EndDateDropdown:Yes;Repeat:Yes
StartTimeDefaultTime:9:00:00;SpinButton:Yes;Repeat:Yes.
EndTimeDefaultTime:9:30:00;SpinButton:Yes;Repeat:Yes.
8. ClosethePropertiesdialogbox.
9. ClickFile>Savetosaveourmodificationstotheform.
Forthetimefields,wemadethemeasiertousebygivingthemadefaulttimeotherthan
midnight.Additionally,thespinbuttonmaybeusedinsteadofkeyboardentry.
Addingalistboxtoaform
Ifthedatabasehasarelatedfield,suchastheCalendardatabase'sTypefield,thatwillhavea
finite,usuallyfairlyshort,listofentries,itmaysimplifydataentrytocreatealistboxto
replacethetextboxonaform.Withalistbox,wechooseonevalueandactuallyadda
relatedvaluetothetable.
1. IntheFormControlstoolbar,usuallyatthebottomofthescreen,clicktheList
Boxbutton.
2. ClickanddraginanemptyareaoftheformtocreateaboxaboutthesizeoftheType
fieldthatisalreadyontheform.
3. TheListBoxwizardopens.
4. Onthefirstscreen,TableSelection,clickTypes.Thisisthetablethatcontainsthe
dataforthelistbox.
5. ClickNext.
6. Onthesecondscreen,FieldSelection,clickTypeName.Thisisthefieldcontaining
thedisplaytextforthelistboxentries.
7. ClickNext.
8. Onthethirdscreen,FieldLink,intheFieldfromtheValueTablelistclickType
andintheFieldfromtheListTablelistclickID.Thiscreatesthelinkbetweenthe
keyvaluethatunderliesthedisplayedvalueandthefieldthatthevalueiswrittento.
9. ClickFinish.
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Thenewformcontrolmighthaveadifferentlookthantheothercontrolsontheform.Inthe
Calendardatabase,wehadtodothefollowing:
1. DoubleclickthelistboxtobringupthePropertiesdialogbox.
2. SettheBordercolorpropertytoBlack.
3. Clicktheellipsis(threedots(...))buttonthatistotherightoftheBackgroundcolor
propertyfield.
4. IntheColordialogbox,settheRed,GreenandBluevalueseachto221.ClickOK.
5. ClosethePropertiesdialog.
Fieldbackgroundcolorsmaybematchedbycheckingthebackgroundcolorvaluesofthe
otherfieldsontheform.
Now,however,theformseemstohavetwoTypefieldsandoneTypelabel.
1. ClicktheTypefieldthatwascreatedbythewizard.
2. RightclickthefieldandchooseGroup>EditGroup.
3. Ifthetextboxitselfisnotselected,clickawayfromthetextboxthenbackonitto
selectjustthefield,notthelabel.
4. DeletethefieldbypressingtheDeletekeyonthekeyboard.
5. MovetheTypelistboxtowherethetextfieldwassothatthelistboxreplacesit.
6. Selectboththelistboxandthelabel(clickone,holddowntheshiftkeyandclickthe
other).
7. RightclicktheselectionandchooseGroup>Group.
Addingacomboboxtoaform
Anotherwaytomakedataentryeasieristoaddacomboboxtoaform.Thecombobox,
unlikethelistbox,canonlydisplaythevalueitisaddingtothefield.Thatis,whenchoosing
fromalistbox,anidentifier(suchasanumber)isputintotherelatedfieldwhereaswitha
comboboxtheactualvalueofthecomboboxisputintothefield.
TheLocationfieldisagoodcandidateforacombobox.WhileeditingtheNewAppointment
form:
1. OntheFormControlstoolbar,usuallyatthebottomofthescreen,clickthe
ComboBoxbutton.
2. Clickanddragacomboboxinanemptyareaoftheform.TheComboBoxwizard
willopen.
3. Onthefirstscreen,TableSelection,clickAppointments.
4. ClickNext.
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5. Onthesecondscreen,DatabaseField,settheoptiontoYes,Iwanttosaveitinthe
followingdatabasefield:andchooseLocationfromthedropdownlist.
6. ClickFinish.
Thelookofthisfieldshouldalsobemadeconsistent.
1. DoubleclickthecomboboxtobringupthePropertiesdialogbox.
2. SettheBordercolorpropertytoBlack.
3. Clicktheellipsisbutton(totherightoftheBackgroundcolorproperty).
4. IntheColordialogbox,settheRed,GreenandBluevaluesto221(assumingthat
thesamecolorschemeisbeingused).
5. ClosethePropertiesdialog.
6. MovethecomboboxsothatitmatchesupwiththeLocationlabel.
Changingthetaborderofaform
Thetaborderoftheformwehavebeencreatingandmodifyingthroughthesestepsprobably
doesnotmakesensebecauseweaddedsomeformcontrolsandmayhavemovedothers.To
changethetaborderofaform:
1. Clickonanycontrolontheform.
2. ClicktheActivationOrderbuttonontheFormDesigntoolbar.
3. Settheorderasfollows:
1. txtSubject
2. ComboBox
3. datStartdate
4. timStarttime
5. datEnddate
6. timEndtime
7. ListBox
8. txtNote
ThiscanbeaccomplishedbyclickingacontrolnameinthelistandusingtheMoveUpand
MoveDownbuttonstochangetheorderofthecontrols.
ComboBoxisthedefaultnameprovidedfortheLocationcomboboxandListBoxisthe
nameprovidedfortheTypelistbox.
ObviouslythisorderassumestheformissetupsimilarlytotheformintheCalendar
database.Ifitisnot,useadifferentorderforthefields.
Remembertosavetheformand,afteritisclosed,savethedatabasecontainer.
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ViewingData
Thedatabasestilldoesnothaveaconvenientwaytoviewtheappointmentsitstores.We
couldlookatthetableitselfbutthisisneitherattractivepresentationnorgooddatabase
design.Additionally,becausetheNewAppointmentformisadataentryform,wecannotuse
ittoviewpreviouslyenteredrecords.
SincealotoftimeandeffortwasputintocreatingtheNewAppointmentformanditsformat
isalsogoodforviewingdata,thefollowingsectionswilldiscusscopyingaformand
changingsomeofthepropertiesofthenewform.
Copyingtheform
1. IntheFormssectionofthedatabase,rightclicktheNewAppointmentform.
2. ClickCopy.
3. RightclickinthedatabasewindowandchoosePaste.
4. Inthedialogboxthatappears,enterAllAppointmentsfortheformnameandclick
OK.
5. Savethedatabase.
Changingtheform'sproperties
Obviously,sincetheNewAppointmentformwasadataentryonlyform,wewillneedto
changetherelatedformproperty.
1. RightclicktheAll
AppointmentsformandchooseEdit.
2. ClicktheFormNavigator buttonontheFormDesigntoolbar.Thistoolbaris
generallyfoundatthebottomoftheOpenOffice.orgWriterwindow.(Writeristhe
applicationusedtoeditformsinOpenOffice.org.)
3. IntheFormNavigatordialog,rightclicktheMainFormitemandchoose
Properties.
4. OntheDatatabofthePropertiesdialog,settheAdddataonlypropertytoNo.
5. ClosethePropertiesdialog.
6. ClosetheFormNavigator.
7. Savetheform.
8. ClicktheDesignModeOn/OffbuttonontheFormDesigntoolbar.
YoucannowusetheFormNavigationtoolbartonavigatethroughtherecordsinthe
database.
Settingasortorderforaform
Therecordsarecurrentlyintheorderinwhichtheywereaddedtothedatabase.This,inthe
longrun,isnotveryuseful.Addingasortordertotheformwillmakeitmoreusefulfor
viewingalltheappointmentsinthedatabase.
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1. ReenterformdesignmodebyclickingtheDesignModeOn/Offbuttonagain.
2. Clickanycontrolontheform.
3. ClicktheFormbuttonontheFormControlstoolbar.
4. IntheFormPropertiesdialog,ontheDatatab,clicktheellipsisbuttontotheright
oftheSortproperty.
5. Forthefirstfieldname,chooseStartDateandleavetheOrderasascending.
6. Forthesecondfieldname,chooseStartTime.LeavetheOrderasascending.
7. ThethirdfieldnameshouldbesettoEndDate.LeavetheOrderasascending.
8. ClickOKintheSortdialogbox.
9. ClosetheFormPropertiesdialog,savetheformandcloseit.
10. Savethedatabase.
Creatingaquerytofindtoday'sappointments
Queriesextractinformationfromadatabase.Alistoftoday'sappointmentswouldbeauseful
query.
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1. ClicktheQueriesiconontheleftsideofthedatabasewindow.
2. ClickCreateQueryinDesignView.
3. TheAddTableswindowopensinfrontoftheQueryDesignwindow.Addboth
tablestothequery.
4. ClickCloseintheAddTableswindow.
5. AddthefollowingfieldsfromtheAppointmentstable:Subject,Location,Start
date,Starttime,Enddate,Endtime,Notes.
6. AddtheTypeNamefieldfromtheTypestable.
7. IntheStartdatecolumn,ontheCriterion
3/9/ 1972 .
row,enteranydatesuchas
8. ClicktheSwitchDesignViewOn/Offbutton.TheSQLstatementthatunderliesthe
queryisnowvisible.Towardtheendofthestatementsomethinglikethefollowing
appears:AND(("Appointments"."Startdate"={D' 197203
09'})).ThisstatementfindsrecordswheretheStartdateequalsthedate3/9/1972.
9. Replace{D' 19720309'}withthetextCURRENT_DATEandclicktheSwitch
DesignViewOn/Offbuttonagain.
10. ClicktheRunQuery
window.
button.Thequeryresultsappearatthetopoftheresulting
11. SavethequeryasAppointmentsforTodayandclosethequery.
Ifthedatabasedoesnotcontainappointmentsfortoday,addanappointmentfortodayand
rerunthequerybydoubleclickingonit.
Addasortordertothequery
Therewillbedayswithmorethanoneappointment.Inthatcase,itwouldbeusefultosort
theresultsofthequery.
1. OpenthequeryforeditingbyrightclickingtheiconforthequeryandchoosingEdit.
2. Toaddasortordertoacolumn,clickintheSortrowinthatcolumn.TheSortrowis
justbelowtheTablerow.ClicktheSortrowintheStarttimecolumn.
3. ClickthedropdownforSortandchooseAscending.
4. SettheSorttoAscendingfortheEnddateandEndtimefieldsaswell.
5. Savethequery.
Ifthedatabasecontainsappointmentsforthecurrentday,tryrunningthequery.
ChangingtheJointypeinthequery
Whenthequeryisrun,asitexistscurrently,someappointmentswon'tappear.
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ThedefaulttypeofjoinisanInnerjoin,whichonlyreturnsrecordswherethejoinedfields
areequal.IftheTypefieldforanappointmentdoesnotcontaindata,thejoinfieldforthat
appointment'srecordwouldnotmatchanyentriesinthejoinfieldintheTypestable.
Wecanfixthisbychangingthejointypeinthequery.
1. Rightclickthejoinlinebetweenthetablesinthetopportionfothequerydesign.
2. ChooseEdit.
3. IntheJoinPropertiesdialog,intheOptionssection,clicktheTypedropdownand
chooseLeftjoin.
4. ClickOK.
5. Savethequery.
6. Closethequery.
7. Savethedatabase.
Creatingareport
Aquerycan,ofcourse,beviewedandusedbydoubleclickingtoexecutethequery.Itcan
alsobeusedastheunderlyingdataforaform.Theformwizardhasalreadybeendiscussed.
Copyingaformandchangingtheunderlyingdatahasalsobeendiscussed.
Aqueryoratablecanalsobeusedtogenerateareport.Thefollowingsectionusesthe
AppointmentsforTodayquerycreatedinthestepsaboveasthebasisfora
report.
1. ClicktheReportsiconontheleftsideofthedatabasewindow.
2. ClickUseWizardtoCreateReport.
3. TheReportWizardopenstoStep1,FieldSelection.ChangetheTablesorqueries
dropdowntoQuery:AppointmentsforToday.
4. Clickthe>>buttontomoveallthefieldsfromtheAvailablefieldslisttotheFields
inthereportlist.
5. ClickNext.
6. InStep2,Labelingfields,clickNexttousethedefaultlabels.
7. Step3,Grouping,canalsobeskippedsincethisreportdoesnotreallyneed
grouping.ClickNextwithoutmovinganyfields.
Note:Groupingisawayofcollectingrecordsthatsharecertaindata.Forexample,wecouldcreateanotherreport
groupedbyType.Thisreportwouldlistalloftheappointmentsofeachtypetogether.Groupingcreatesthefirst
levelsofsortinginanyreportwithgrouping.
8. Step4,Sortoptions,isautomaticallyskippedbecauseaqueryisselected.Thismay
bechangedinlaterversions.
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9. InStep5,Chooselayout,AlignLeftModernwaschosenfortheLayoutofdata
andGenericforLayoutofheadersandfooters.ClickNextwhenthisstepis
complete.
10. InStep6,Createreport,leaveTitleofReportasAppointmentsforToday.This
reportisaDynamicreportsoleavethatoptionset.TheoptiontoCreatereportnow
shouldalsobeset.
11. ClickFinish.
Thereportisgeneratedandwillappearafterafewmoments.Thereportwillneedtobe
modifiedtobemoreattractiveanduseful.SincethereportissimplyaWriterdocumentand
thedataitselfresidesinatable,modifyingthereportisnotcoveredhere.
However,toopenareportformodification:
IntheReportssectionofthedatabase,rightclickthereportandchooseEdit.
SometipsforusingtheCalendardatabase
Thefollowingtips,whilespecifictotheCalendarsampledatabase,canbegeneralizedto
otherBasedatabases.
Addingdatatoarelatedtable
OccasionallyauseroftheCalendardatabasemaywishtoaddanappointmenttypewhile
workinginanappointmentform.Whilethetypesappearontheform,theactualtypenames
resideinaseparatetableandthenewtypemustbeaddedtothattable.Thereareatleasttwo
waystoaccomplishthis,byopeningtheformfortherelatedtable(assumingthereisone)or
byopeningtheDataSourceswindow.
Opentheformfortherelatedtable
Iftherelatedtablehasitsownform,asitdoesinthecaseoftheCalendardatabase:
1. Switchtothedatabasewindow.
2. Opentheform,inthiscasetheTypesform.
3. Addthedatatotheform.
4. BesuretoclicktheSaveRecordbutton.
5. Closetheform.
OpentheDataSourceswindow
Thefollowingstepsmaybeusediftherelatedtabledoesnothaveaform.Onan
appointmentform:
1. ChooseView>DataSourcesorpresstheF4keyonthekeyboard.
2. ThisopenstheDataSourcespaneatthetopoftheformwindow.Makesure
Calendar,thedatabase,isexpanded.
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3. ExpandtheTablesiconbyclickingtheplussignnexttoit.
4. ClicktheiconfortheTypestable.
5. EnteraTypeName.
6. ClicktheSaveCurrentRecordbuttonatthetopleftoftheDataSourcespane.
7. ClosetheDataSourcespanebychoosingView>DataSourcesorpressingtheF4
key.
Refreshingtheform
Onceanewtypeisadded,theTypeslistboxmustbeupdatedbyclickingtheRefreshbutton
atthebottomoftheform.
Thedropdownshouldcontainthenewtype.
FilteringData
Ifonewishestoseeonlyacertainday'sappointmentsitispossibletocreateaquerythatonly
returnsthatparticularday.However,itisalsopossible(andeasier)tousetheAll
Appointmentsformandfilterforaparticularday.
Onewaytofilterdataisasfollows:
1. Gotoarecordfortheparticularday.
2. ClickintheStartDatefield.
3. ClicktheAutoFilter
bottomofthescreen).
buttonontheFormNavigationtoolbar(usuallyatthe
Theformisfilteredbasedontherecordchoseninstep1.
Asecondwaytofilterdata:
1. ClicktheFormBasedFilters
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2. TheFormFiltertoolbaropens,asdoesablankcopyoftheform.Enteradateinthe
StartDatefield.
3. ClicktheApplyFormBasedFilterbutton.
Theformisnowfilteredbasedonthedataentered.
AfiltercanberemovedbyclickingtheRemoveFilter/Sortbutton.
PleaseseethesectionSearchingWithaFormFilterbelowforfurtherinformation.
Note:Therestofthischapter,thoughoriginallywrittenforversionspriortoOpenOffice.org2.x,hasbeenverified
andupdated.
RegisteringaDataSource
Whencreatingadatabase,OpenOffice.orgallowsthecreatortoregisterthedatabasewiththe
currentlyrunningcopyofOpenOffice.orgToregisteradatasourceforviewingand/orediting
inOpenOffice.orgatalatertime(oraftercopyingthedatabasetoanewcomputer):
1. SelectTools>Options.ThiscommandopenstheOptionsdialog.
2. Inthecategorylistattheleftofthedialog,expandOpenOffice.orgBasethenclick
Databases.
3. ClickNew.TheCreateDatabaseLinkdialogopens.
4. ClickBrowse.TheOpendialogisdisplayed.
5. Navigatetothelocationofthedatabase,selectthedatabaseandclickOpen.
6. Ifdesired,changetheRegisterednameofthedatabase.
7. ClickOK.TheCreateDatabaseLinkdialogcloses.
8. ClickOK.TheOptionsdialogcloses.
Connectingtoothertypesofdatabases
TheDatabaseWizardalsoallowsonetolinktoothertypesofdatasourcesratherthan
creatinganewdatabase.
NOTEfor2.0dBaseusers:ToopenaconnectiontoadBasedatabase,onemustselectthe"Connecttoanexisting
database"radiobuttonandchoose"dBase"fromthedropdownlistbox.Thisshouldworkevenifoneneverhad
anydBaseinstalledonthecomputer,becauseabasicdBasefunctionalityisbuiltinto%PRODUCTNAME.
However,thecontrolsshouldberenamedtogiveabetterunderstanding.Iwouldsuggest"Connecttooropen
anotherdatasource",andrenamethefirstcontrolto"CreateanewHSQLDBdatabase".Changedthisissuetobe
anenhancementrequestforanUIchangeinthedialog.
Tocreateadatabasethatlinkstoexternaldatasource:
1. InanyOpenOffice.orgwindow,clickFile>New>Database.
2. SettheWhatdoyouwanttodo?optiontoConnecttoanexistingdatabase.
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3. Selecttheappropriatetypefromthedropdown.Thevarioustypesarebriefly
discussedinthetablebelow.
4. RefertoHelp>OpenOffice.orgHelpforinformationonregisteringparticular
databasetypes.ChecktheIndexforDatabaseWizard.
Selectfromthefollowingdatabasetypes(dependingontheoperatingsystem):
Databasetype
Meaning
Adabas
Aslightlyscaleddownversionofthewellknownrelationaldatabase
system.Adabasisinstalledwithitsownsetupprogram.(See
http://www.softwareag.com/adabasd/)
JDBC
LinktodatabasescontactedviaaJDBCdriver.
ODBC
LinktodatabasescontactedviaanODBCdriver.
dBase
Filescanbeediteddirectlywiththedriverfordirectaccessinthefile
system.
ADO
LinktodatabasescontactedviatheADOdriver.
Text
Registertextfiles,suchascommaseparatedCSVfiles(readonly).
Spreadsheet
OnecanregisterOpenOffice.orgCalcandMSExcelspreadsheets(read
only).
AddressBook
Thisaddressbookdriverallowstheusertoregisterthesystemaddress
bookoranotheraddressbooksource(readonly).Italsoensuresthatdata
fieldsarecorrectlyassignedtothetemplatesprovidedwith
OpenOffice.org,informletters,forexample.
AddressBooks
RegisteringanAddressBook
Asseeninthetableabove,anOpenOffice.orgdatabasecanconnecttoanexternaladdress
book.AvailableaddressbooksincludeMozilla,Thunderbird,LDAPandcertainoperating
systemaddressbooks.
OpenOffice.orgtemplatesandWizards,suchastheletterandmailmergewizards,usefields
thatcanrepresentthecontentsofanaddressbook.Whenthedocumentisconnectedtothe
datasource,thegeneralfieldsusedinthetemplatesarereplacedbytheactualfieldsfromthe
datasource.
WhileanactualBasedatabaseallowsmoreflexibility,thedataisstillreadonly.Becauseof
this,OpenOffice.orgallowsonetoregisteraddressbooksasdatasources.
UsingtheWizardtoimportanAddressBook
SelectFile>Wizards>AddressDataSource.ThisWizardisdescribedinHelp.
ManuallyRegisteringanExistingAddressBook
1. ChooseFile>Templates>AddressBookSource.TheTemplates:AddressBook
Assignmentdialogappears.
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2. IntheDatasourcebox,selectthesystemaddressbookorthedatasourcetouseasthe
addressbook.
IfthesystemaddressbookisnotyetregisteredinOpenOffice.orgasadatasource,click
theAdministratebutton.ThisopenstheAddressBookDataSourceWizard,inwhich
theaddressbookcanberegisteredasanewOpenOffice.orgdatasource.Readfurtherhow
todothisinthenextsection,Systemaddressbookasdatasource.
3. IntheTablebox,selectthedatabasetabletouseastheaddressbook.
4. UnderFieldassignment,setthefieldsforcompany,department,firstname,etceterato
theactualfieldnamesusedintheaddressbook.
5. ClickOK.Afterthispoint,theaddressbookisrecognizedasanOpenOffice.orgaddress
bookdatasource.
SystemAddressBookasDataSource
1. SelectFile>Templates>AddressBookSource.
2. ClicktheAdministratebuttontocalltheAddressBookDataSourceWizard(seealso
instructionsabove).
3. SelectthetypeofexternaladdressbookandclickNext.
4. Datasourcesvaryatthispoint.Additionalsettingsmayneedtobechosen.Someaddress
bookshavemultipletables,onlyoneofwhichcanbeusedperdatasource.ClickNext
aftercompletingthisstep.
5. IntheDataSourceNamestep,choosealocationinwhichtosavethedatabaseanda
nameforOpenOffice.orgtouseasthenameforthedatasource.
6. ClickFinish.
ImportingDataIntoOpenOffice.org
IfoneisexchangingdatawithadatabasethatdoesnothaveanODBClinkandwhichdoes
notallowdBaseimportandexport,itisoftenpossibletoexchangethedataviaacommon
textformat.
ImportingandExportingDatainTextFormat
ToexchangedatainatextformatusetheCalcimport/exportfilter.
1. Exportthedesireddatafromthesourcedatabaseinatextformat.TheCSVtext
formatishighlyrecommendedsinceitseparatesdatafieldsbyusingcommasand
recordsbyinsertinglinebreaks.
2. OpenthedatawiththeTextCSVfilefilter.SelectthisfilefilterintheOpendialog
intheFilesoftypelistbox.SelectthefileandclickOpen.
3. ThisdisplaystheTextImportdialog.Hereuserscandecidewhichdatatoinclude
fromthetextdocument.
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OncethedataisinaCalcspreadsheet,itcanbeeditedasdesired.Usershavetwowaysof
savingthedataasanOpenOffice.orgdatasource:
SavethecurrentOpenOffice.orgCalcspreadsheetindBaseformatinthefolderofadBase
database.Todothis,chooseFile>SaveAs,thenselecttheFileTypedBaseandthe
folderofthedBasedatabase.
CheckthedatarangeintheOpenOffice.orgCalcspreadsheetanddragtheareaintoatable
containerinthedatasourceview.Thetablecontaineristheareaontheleftofthedatabase
explorerthatisdesignatedTables(seediagram).Awizardisstartedautomatically.
ExportinginCSVTextFormat
ThecurrentCalcspreadsheetcanbeexportedinatextformatwhichcanbereadbymany
otherapplications.
1. ChooseFile>Saveas.
2. InSaveastypeselectthefilterTextCSV.
3. Enterafilename.
4. ClickSave.
5. Adialogwarningthedocumentmaycontainformattingorcontentthatisincompatible
withtheCSVformatisdisplayed.ClickYestosavethefileinCSVformat.
6. ThisopenstheExportoftextfilesdialog,inwhichtoselectthecharacterset,field
delimiterandtextdelimiter.
7. ClickOK.Awarninginformsusersthatonlytheactivesheetwassaved.
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FormDesign
FormsinOpenOffice.org
Insomesituations,ausermaywanttocreateadocumentthatcontainssomefixedtext,but
allowsotherstoentersomeitemsandperhapstakesomeactionsonthoseitems.Sucha
documentiscalledaform,analogoustothepreprintedformseveryonehasfilledoutdozens
oftimes.OnecancreatecustomformsinmostoftheOpenOffice.orgapplications;formsthat
onecreateswithoutusingtheFormWizarddonothavetoconnecttoadatasource(though
theycanseebelow).Iftheformisn'tconnectedtoadatasource,anyinformationtheuser
entersissimplysavedwiththeform.(Thismethodishandywhensendingaformtoagroup
ofpeopleforthemtofilloutandreturn.)Writer,Calc,Impress,andDrawallsupportforms.
Tocreateaform,startwithadocumentintheappropriateapplication.ClickView>
Toolbars>FormControls.(Insomecases,onemayhavetoaddthebuttontothetoolbar
first.)TheFormControlstoolbar(Figure1.)appears.Thetoolbarincludesanassortmentof
controlsthatcanbeputonforms,aswellasbuttonsformanagingtheformasawhole.
Figure1.UsetheFormControlstoolbartoaddcontrolstoa
documenttocreateaninputform.
Aswiththeothertoolbars,dockingitisanoption.Whendesigningaforminvolvinga
numberofcontrols,thiscanbeaveryhandyfeature.
MostitemsontheFormControlstoolbararecontrols.Othersareavarietyofoptionsfor
workingwithformsandcontrols.Mostofthemarediscussedlaterinthisarticle.
Toaddacontroltoaform,clickitontheFormControlstoolbar.Thecursorchangesto
crosshairs.Clickanddragthenewcontroltothelocationdesired.
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OnceacontrolischosenfromtheFormControlstoolbar,continuedroppingthattypeof
control.Toturnoffthatcontroltype,eitherclickanothercontroltoselectit,clicktheform
itselfwithoutdragging,clickthesamecontrolontheFormControlstoolbar,orclickthe
SelectbuttonontheFormControlstoolbar.
Availablecontrols
OpenOffice.orgoffersawidevarietyofcontrolsfromthegeneraltothespecific.Table1lists
them.
Control
Use
CheckBox
TextBox
FormattedField
PushButton
OptionButton
Usedforon/offoryes/nochoices.
Usedtoenterfreeformtext.
UsedtoentertextapplyingformattingcodesasinCalc.
Usedtoexecutecommands.
Used,withoneormoreotheroptionbuttons,toallowchoiceamong
mutuallyexclusiveoptions.SeeGroupBox.
ListBox
Offersalistofchoices.Usercanchooseoneor,insomecases,several.
ComboBox
Offersalistofchoices.Usercanchooseoneorenteranewvalue.
LabelField
Usedtoprovidelabelsforothercontrols.Doesn'tacceptinput.
SpinButton
Usedtoincrementanddecrementthedisplayednumericvaluebyclicking
withthemouse.
ScrollBar
Providesnavigationthroughthecontentbyscrollinghorizontallyor
vertically.
ImageButton
Usedtoexecutecommands;hasapictureratherthanatextcaption.
ImageControl
Displaysapictureontheform.
DateField
Usedtoenteradate.Supportsuparrowanddownarrowtochangeportions
ofthedate.
TimeField
Usedtoenteratime.Supportsuparrowanddownarrowtochangeportions
ofthetime.
FileSelection
Allowsusertopointtoafile.
NumericalField
Usedtoenternumbers.Optionallyhasspinnerarrowstochangevaluewith
themouse.
CurrencyField
Usedtoentermonetaryvalues.Supportsuparrowanddownarrowtochange
value.Optionallyhasspinnerarrowstochangevaluewiththemouse.
PatternField
Usedtoentertext,applyingaspecificformattingpattern.
GroupBox
Usedtovisuallycombineseveralcontrols,aswellascreategroupsofoption
buttons.
TableControl
Usedtodisplaydatafromatableorqueryinagridformat.
NavigationBar
ReproducesmostoftheFormNavigationtoolbarontheformitself
Table1.Theselectionofcontrolsavailableforuseinformsisextensive.Controlsareshownhereintheorderin
whichtheyappearontheFormControlsandMoreControlstoolbars.
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Customizingcontrols
Withsomecontrols,onecansimplydropthemonaformandusethemasis.Thatworksfor
thingslikeaTextBox,DateField,orTimeField.Withothers,though,oncethecontrolis
added,onemayneedtoprovideadditionalinformation.Evenforthosethatwork
immediately,ausermaycustomizetheirappearanceorbehavior.
Tosetupacontrol,clickittoselectit(sizinghandlesappeararoundtheedges),andthen
chooseControlfromtheshortcutmenu,Format>Controlfromthemenu,orControl
fromtheFormControlstoolbar.ThePropertiesdialogforthecontrolappears.The
contentsofthePropertiesdialogvary,dependingonthetypeofcontrol.
JustasthecontentsofthePropertiesdialogvarywiththetypeofcontrol,sodoeswhatone
needstodotogetitworking.Table2listssomeoftheitemscommontoanumberof
controls.
Table2.ThePropertiesdialogsforthevariouscontrolsletsonesetthemupaswanted.Thepropertiesshown
herearecommontoanumberofthecontrols.
Property
Meaning
Name
Identifiesthecontrol.Insomecases,includingoptionbuttons,assigningthe
samenametoseveralcontrolsturnsthemintoagroup.
Thecaptionthatappearsonthecontrol.
LinksthecontroltoaLabelFieldcontrol.Usedforcontrols(likeTextBoxes)
thatdon'thavetheirownlabel.
Determineswhetherthecontrolisavailabletotheuser.
Determineswhetherthecontrolispartofthetaborder,thatis,whethertheuser
canreachitbytabbingfromonecontroltothenext.
Determinesthepositionofthecontrolinthetaborder.
Specifiesthefontcharacteristicsforthecontrol.
Specifiestheinitialvaluedisplayedinthecontrol.
Specifiesthebackgroundcolorforthecontrol.
Label
Labelfield
Enabled
Tabstop
Order
Characterset
Defaultvalue
Background
color
Helptext
Specifiesthetooltipforthecontrol.
Individualcontrolshaveadditionalpropertiesrelatedtotheirpurpose.Forexample,aCheck
BoxhasaDefaultStatuspropertythatdetermineswhetherit'sinitiallycheckedandaText
BoxhasaMultiLineinputpropertythatdetermineswhetheronecanputmultiplelinesoftext
intothecontrol.
Somecontrolsneedcertainpropertiesspecifiedinordertobeuseful.Insomecases,wizards
areavailabletohelptheuserspecifythenecessaryinformation.Thenextfewsections
considersomeofthosecontrols.
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Creatingagroupofoptionbuttons
Optionbuttons(alsoknownasradiobuttons)letuserschooseoneitemfromamonga
mutuallyexclusivegroup.
Theeasiestwaytosetupagroupofoptionbuttonsis:
1. MakesuretheWizardsOn/OffbuttonontheFormControlstoolbarison.
(Whenit'son,ithasathinborderaroundit.)
2. PutagroupboxontheformbyclicktheGroupBoxbuttonontheMore
Controlstoolbarandthenclickinganddraggingintheform.TheGroup
ElementWizardDataappearstoguidecreationofanoptiongroup.
3. Onthefirstpage,specifytheoptionstoappearinthegroup.Foreach,typeitin,and
thenpressEnterorclickthe>>button.Whenalltheitemshavebeenentered,click
Next.
4. Onthesecondpage,indicatewhichiteminthelistshouldbeinitiallyselected.Users
canalsospecifynoitembeselected.ClickNext.
5. Onthethirdpageonecanassociateavaluewitheachitem.Specifyingavalueis
particularlysignificantwhendataontheformistiedtoadatasource.(See
"Activatingformcontrolsinadocument"below.)Tospecifythevalueforanitem,
clickthatiteminthelist,andthentypetheappropriatevalueinthetextbox.By
default,characteritemsareassociatedwithnumbersstartingfrom1.ClickNextto
movetotheDatabaseFieldpage.
6. TheDatabaseFieldpageletsoneautomaticallysavetheuser'schoicetoafieldina
table.Ifpreferred,userscanspecifythatthevalueisavailableonlyintheform.Click
Nexttoreachthefinalpageofthewizard.
7. Onthispage,onespecifiesanamefortheoptiongroupthenameappearsasacaption
onthesurroundingbox.ClickFinishtoexitthewizardandcreatetheoptiongroup.
Doanyothercontrolshaveanwizard?
Mostoftheremainingcontrolsaresimpleenoughtoconfigurethatnowizardisneededor
provided.However,theTablecontrolisfairlycomplex.Itprovidesagridtypedisplayofthe
datainatable,alongwithnavigationcontrols.TheTableElementwizardletsonechoose
whichfieldsdisplayandinwhatorder.
Attachingadatasourcetoaform
Usingthewizardsforsomekindsofcontrolsrequirestheusertospecifyadatasourceforthe
form.However,sometimes,onemaywanttodosoevenifoneisnotcreatingacombobox
orlistbox.
Tolinkadatasourcetoaform:
1. Inthedatabasewindow,rightclicktheformandchooseEdittoenterDesignmode.
2. ClicktheFormNavigatorbuttonontheFormDesigntoolbar.
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3. IntheFormNavigatordialog,rightclicktheMainFormitemandchoose
Properties.
4. ClicktheDatatab.
5. MakesuretheContentTypeissetcorrectly(Table,Query,SQLcommand).
6. ChooseappropriatetableorqueryfromtheContentdropdownorclickthebuilder
button(theellipsisbutton)tocreateanSQLcommand.
Associatingdatawithafield
Oncetheformhasadatasource,onecanlinkfieldstocontrols.Todoso:
1. Addthecontroltotheformorclickoncetoactivateanexistingcontrol.
2. UngroupthecontrolbyrightclickingandchoosingGroup>EditGroup.
3. Deselecttheungroupedcontrols.
4. Rightclickthedatacontrol,notthelabel,andchooseProperties.
5. ClicktheDatatab.
6. ChooseafieldfromtheDataFielddropdown.
7. ClosethePropertiesdialogbox.
8. Regroupthecontrolbyselectingthecontrolandthelabelthenrightclickingand
choosingGroup>Group.
Beawarethatwhenlinkingafieldtoacontrolinthisway,everytimethatcontrolisused,
changesthataremadearestoredintheactualdatasource.
Activatingformcontrolsinadocument
Whileeditingadatasourceisoneuseforforms,usersmaywanttouseaformforother
things.Forexample,toaddabuttontoaspreadsheetthatperformsacalculationortoa
presentationthatrunsavideoclip.
Eachcontrolhasanumberofeventsassociatedwithit.Aneventissomethingthatoccurs
duetouseraction.Forexample,whenthemouseismoved,aneventfireseachtimeitenters
theareaofacontrolandeachtimeitleavesthatcontrol'sarea.Typingacharacteralsofires
anevent.Sodoesclickingthemouse.
TheEventstabofthePropertiesdialogforeachcontrolliststheeventsavailableforthat
control.Foreachevent,onecanspecifywhathappenswhenthateventfires.Dosoby
clickingtheellipsisbuttonnexttotheevent,andthenpointingtotheOpenOffice.orgmacro
thatperformsthedesiredaction.
Theformitselfhasevents,aswell.Toaccessthese:
1. Wheneditingtheform,clicktheFormNavigatorbuttonontheFormDesign
toolbar.
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2. IntheFormNavigatordialog,rightclicktheMainFormitemandchoose
Properties.
3. ClicktheEventstab.
Aswithcontrolevents,ausercanassignamacrotoanyformevent.
Howtousetheform
Onceonefinisheslayingoutaform,itcanbe"run"byclickingtheDesignModeOn/Off
buttonontheFormDesigntoolbar.Whendesignmodeisoff,thecontrolsoperateas
expectedtheusercanselectandclearcheckboxes,opencomboboxesanddropdownlists,
andsoforth.
Ordinarily,whenoneopensasavedform,designmodeisautomaticallyturnedoff.So,auser
openingaformthedesignersupplies,seesitastheywouldexpect.(Beaware,however,that
ausercanturndesignmodeonandchangetheform.)
Whenaformlinkedtoadatasourcehasdesignmodeturnedoff,theFormNavigation
toolbarappearsatthebottomoftheform.
OpenOffice.orgdoesn'thaveamechanismtopreventusersfromchangingformstoDesign
mode.InMicrosoftOffice,youcanprotectaformdocumentandgiveitapasswordto
preventusersfromseeinginside.
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SearchinginTablesandFormDocuments
In
spreadsheetsanddocumentsinwhichformfunctionsareused,onecanclick
theFind
Recordicontoopenadialogtofindanytextandvalues.Usetheiconon
theForm
Navigationtoolbar,notthesimilarlookingicononOpenOffice.org's
Standardtoolbar.
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Therearevarioussearchoptions,includingsearchinginonefieldratherthanallfields,
positionofthevaluewithinthefield,whichdirectiontosearchinthedatabase,etc.
The?and*wildcardscanalsobeused,asintheFindandReplacedialog.Additional
informationaboutthedatabasesearchfunctioncanbefoundinHelp.
SearchingWithaFormFilter
Tosearchwithaformfilter:
1. Openaform.
2. ClicktheFormBasedFiltersbutton,ontheFormNavigationtoolbar.
3. TheFormFiltertoolbaropens.Enteravalueintheappropriatefield.
4. ClicktheApplyFormBasedFilterbutton.
5. Theformisnowfilteredbasedonthedataentered.
AfiltercanberemovedbyclickingtheRemoveFilter/Sortbutton.
Whenformulatingfilterconditions,variousoperatorsandcommandsareavailable.Apart
fromtherelationaloperatorsthereareSQLspecificcommandsthatquerythecontentof
databasefields.Ifthesecommandsareused,intheOpenOffice.orgsyntax,OpenOffice.org
automaticallyconvertstheseintothecorrespondingSQLsyntax.SQLcommandscanalsobe
entereddirectly.Thefollowingtablesgiveanoverviewoftheoperatorsandcommands:
Operators
Operator
Meaning
Conditionissatisfiedif...
equalto
...thecontentofthefieldisidenticaltotheindicated
expression.Theoperator=willnotbedisplayedinthe
queryfields.Ifavaluewithoutanyoperatorisentered,
theoperator=willbeautomaticallyadopted.
<>
notequalto
...thecontentofthefielddoesnotcorrespondtothe
specifiedexpression.
>
greaterthan
...thecontentofthefieldisgreaterthanthespecified
expression.
<
lessthan
...thecontentofthefieldislessthanthespecified
expression.
>=
greaterthanor ...thecontentofthefieldisgreaterthanorequaltothe
equalto
specifiedexpression.
<=
lessthanor
equalto
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specifiedexpression.
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Commands
OpenOffice.org
command
SQL
command
Meaning
Conditionissatisfiedif...
ISEMPTY
ISNULL
isnull
...Thefieldisempty.ForYes/No
fieldswiththreestates,thiscommand
automaticallyqueriesthe
undeterminedstate(neitherYesnor
No).
ISNOTEMPTY
ISNOTNULL
isnotempty
...thefieldisnotempty.
LIKE(placeholder*
foranynumberof
characters
placeholder?for
exactlyonecharacter)
LIKE(%
placeholderfor
anynumberof
characters
Placeholder_for
exactlyone
character)
isanelementof
...thedatafieldcontainstheindicated
expression.The(*)placeholder
indicateswhethertheexpressionx
occursatthebeginningof(x*),atthe
endof(*x)orinsidethefieldcontent
(*x*).EithertheSQL%characteror
thefamiliar(*)filesystem
placeholdercanbeenteredasa
placeholderinSQLqueriesinthe
$[officename]interface.The*or%
placeholderstandsforanynumberof
characters.Thequestionmark(?)in
the$[officename]interfaceorthe
underscore(_)inSQLqueriesisused
torepresentexactlyonecharacter.
NOTLIKE
NOTLIKE
Isnotanelement
of
...thefielddoesnotcontainthe
specifiedexpression.
BETWEENxANDy
BETWEENx
ANDy
fallswithinthe
interval[x,y]
...thefieldcontainsavaluethatlies
betweenthetwovaluesxandy.
NOTBETWEENx
ANDy
NOTBETWEEN
xANDy
Doesnotfall
withinthe
interval[x,y]
...thefieldcontainsavaluethatdoes
notliebetweenthetwovaluesxandy.
IN(a;b;c...)Notethat
thesemicolonsareused
asseparatorsinall
valuelists!
IN(a,b,c...)
containsa,b,c...
...thefieldcontainsoneofthe
specifiedexpressionsa,b,c,...Any
numberofexpressionscanbe
specified,andtheresultofthequeryis
determinedbyanOrlink.The
expressionsa,b,c...canbeeither
numbersorcharacters
NOTIN(a;b;c...)
NOTIN(a,b,c...)
doesnotcontain
a,b,c...
...thefielddoesnotcontainoneofthe
specifiedexpressionsa,b,c,...
=TRUE
=TRUE
hasthevalue
True
...thefieldhasthevalueTrue.
=FALSE
=FALSE
hasthevalue
false
...thefieldhasthevaluefalse.
ExamplesofUsage
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Command/Operator
Result
='Ms.'
returnsrecordswiththefieldcontentMs.
LIKE'g?ve'
returnsrecordswithfieldcontentssuchasgiveandgave
LIKE'S*'
returnsrecordswithfieldcontentssuchasSunorStop.
BETWEEN10AND20
returnsrecordswithfieldcontentsbetweenthevalues10and20.
(Thefieldscanbeeithertextfieldsornumberfields).
IN(1;3;5;7)
returnsrecordswiththevalues1,3,5,7.
NOTIN('Smith')
returnsrecordsthatdonotcontainSmith.
Intheformview,clicktheApplyFiltericontochangetothefilteredview.
Thefiltersthathavebeensetcanberemovedbyclickingontheicon
RemoveFilter/Sort.
IfseveralfilterconditionsaretobeconnectedwithOR,clicktheFilter
NavigationiconontheFormFiltertoolbar.TheFilterNavigatorwindow
appears.
ThefilterconditionsthataresetappearintheFilterNavigator.Assoonasafilterisset,at
thebottomoftheFilterNavigatornoticeablankfilterlevelinwhichOrcanbeselectedby
clickingonit.Oncetheblankfilterlevelisselected,enterotherfilterconditionsintheform.
TheseconditionsarelinkedbyBooleanORtothepreviouslydefinedconditions.
ThecontextmenucanbecalledforeveryentryintheFilterNavigator.Editthefilter
conditionsinthisareadirectlyastext.Inadditionuserscanalsoselectthefilterconditions(
SQL:IsNullor(SQL:IsnotNull)tocheckifafieldhascontentornot.Itis
alsopossibletodeletetheentrybyusingthecontextmenu.
FilterconditionscanalsobemovedwithinaformintheFilterNavigatorbyDrag&Dropor
copythembyholdingdowntheCtrlKey.
Whiledesigningaform,settheFilterproposalpropertyforeachtextboxintheDatatabof
thecorrespondingPropertiesdialog.Thesefieldsallowsubsequentsearchesinthefilter
mode,selectionsviaapulldownlistallthesummarizedinformationcontainedinsuchfields.
ThefieldcontentscanalsobeeasilyselectedusingtheAutoCompletefunction.Pleasenote
however,thatthisfunctionrequiresalotofmemoryspaceespeciallywhenusedinlarge
databasesandshould,therefore,beusedsparingly.
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Chapter8:CustomizingOpenOffice.org
UsethissectionasaguideoncustomizingtheuserinterfaceofOpenOffice.org.Thisshould
bemainlyofinteresttoadvancedusersofOpenOffice.org.
ModifyingandCustomizingtheUserInterfaceofOpenOffice.org
Thereismuchfreedominconfiguringmenus,toolbarsandkeystosuitpersonalpreferences.
Oneisfreetochange:
Itemsonthemenubar.Thesecanbedeleted,newonesadded,copiedfromonemenuto
another,renamed,andsoon.
Toolbarconfiguration.Thesemaybefreelyconfiguredtosuit.UnderWindows,icons
mayevenbedraggedanddroppedwhileholdingdowntheAltkeytochangetoolbar
appearance.
Shortcutkeysasdesired.
Tomakeconfigurationchanges,selectTools>ConfiguretoopentheConfiguration
dialogue.HelpalsoprovidesmuchusefulguidanceforconfiguringOpenOffice.org.
ConfiguringtheKeyboard
Inmostinstances,oneconfiguresnewkeyboardshortcutstoenableamacrotoperforma
certainactiononadocument.Otheractionscanalsobegivenashortcut;forexample,adding
allunknownwordsinatextdocumenttotheactiveuserdictionarywithasinglecommandto
shortcutkeysortoaseparateicon.Thefollowingprocedureisasimpleexamplewhich
illustrateshowtoenableakeyboardshortcutthatgivesthiscapabilitytoOpenOffice.org:
1. Firstensurethatthefollowingconditionsexist:
Auserdefineddictionaryisactive.
ThelanguageofthedictionaryhastobesetuponAll.
Thedictionaryfileisnotareadonlyfile.
2. Openatextdocument.
3. ChooseTools>Configure.TheConfigurationdialogueappears.
4. SelecttheKeyboardtabtospecifyakeycombination.
5. SearchforanavailablekeycombinationintheKeyboardlistboxsuchasF4.
6. ClickModify
7. SelectCategory>OptionsareaatthelowerleftoftheKeyboardtab,
8. selecttheAddingunknownwordsfunctionnexttoit.
9. closethedialoguewithOK.
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Now,bypressingtheF4keyorwhatevershortcutkeyswereselected,onecanstartaspelling
checkofthecurrenttextdocument,automaticallyplacingallunknownwordsinanactive
userdefineddictionary.
ConfiguringMenus
Configuringamenuitemissimilartoconfiguringakeyboardshortcutasshownabove.The
stepbystepprocedurethatfollowsshouldhelpinsettingupanewmenuitem,inthiscase,
theextendedPDFmacrofromooomacros.org.WhileOpenOffice.orgmodulesincludepdf
exportcommands,thesedonotallowHTMLlinks;thusitmaybeconvenienttoaddthis
feature.
ThisprocedurewillworkonlyifthereisaninstalledextendedPDFmacro.Thefollowing
explainshowtointegrateextendedPDFcommandsintotheFilemenu.
Note:InstallingtheextendedPDFmacroiscoveredbythemacrodocumentitself.
1. Openadocument.
2. ChooseTools>ConfiguretoopentheConfigurationdialogue.
3. ClicktheMenutab.
4. Inthelargelistbox,scrolltofindthecommandinwhichtointegratethenew
extendedPDFcommand(e.g.Export)andselectit.
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5. LocateintheFunctionsmenu,thecategoryandfunctiontoadd.Inthiscasethiswouldbe
foundinthecategory,OpenOffice.orgBasicMacros>extendedPDFandtheFunction
wouldbeextendedPDF.
6. ClickNew.Thenewmenucommandisinsertedinthelargelistbox.
7. TheorderoftheitemsbymovingthenamestothelargelistboxusingDrag&Drop.
8. ClickOKtoclosetheConfiguredialogue.OpenOffice.orgautomaticallysavesthe
changes.
Thenewmenuitemsshouldnowbeavailable.
ChangingToolbars
Tocopyanicon,sayfromanobjectbartotheStandardtoolbar,sothatitisalwaysvisible,
simplyholddowntheAltkeyanddragtheicontoitsnewlocation.OpenOffice.org
automaticallyrememberstheconfigurationofthetoolbars.
Todeleteanicon,holddowntheAltkeywhiledraggingitoutofitstoolbaranddropit
outsideofthetoolbars.
Tohaveaseparatingdashonthetoolbar,draganiconslightlytotherightwhileholding
downtheAltkey.
Todeleteaseparatingdash,dragtheicontotherightoftheseparatingdashslightlytothe
leftwhileholdingdowntheAltkey.
ThecontextmenuofatoolbarscontainsaVisibleButtonscommand.Thisopensasubmenu
withalistofpredefinedicons.Iconswithcheckmarksbesidethemarevisibleonthe
selectedtoolbar.Clickonanitemtoswitchtheiconfromvisibletohiddenandviceversa.
TheVisiblebuttonscommandinthecontextmenuofthetoolbarsmayalsobeusedtohavea
quickoverviewoftheiconnamesandtheirfunctions.
Inserting,MovingandDeletingIconsonToolbars
1. Openadocumentofthetypewhichhasthetoolbartomodify.Forexample,tomodifythe
textobjectbarforalltextdocuments,openatextdocument,andthendothesameforthe
otherdocumenttypes.
2. OpenthecontextmenuofthetoolbarandselecttheEditcommand.
3. Atthebottomofthedialogueselectthedesiredfunctioncategoryandthefunction.
4. Ifnosuitableiconisdisplayedforthisfunction,clickIcon...andselectanappropriate
icon.ConfirmwithOK.
5. Nowdragtheselectediconoutofthedialoguewhilekeepingthemousebuttonpressed
anddropitonthetoolbar.Releasethemousewherethenewiconistobelocated.
6. Closethedialogue.
7. OnaWindowssystemonly,tomovethisicontoanewposition,dragittothenew
positionwhilekeepingtheAltkeypressed.
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8. AgainforWindowsonly,toremoveaniconfromatoolbar,dragitoutofthetoolbar
whilekeepingtheAltkeypressed.
Ifthetoolbaristobedockedwithanotherborder,proceedasfollows:
1. HoldtheCtrlkeydownanddoubleclickagrayareaofthetoolbartoopenthetoolbar
asafloatingwindow.
2. Dragthetoolbartoitsnewposition.Ifthemousekeyisreleasedwhileholdingdownthe
Ctrlkey,andifthetoolbarisalsooverawindowborder,thetoolbarwilldockwiththe
windowborder.
ChangingIconViews
Iconviewscanbechangedbetweentwochoices,flaticonsand3Dicons.
1.ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.org.
2.IntheViewregisteruncheckFlatbuttons.
3.ClickOKtoconfirmthenewsettingsandclosethedialogue.
TheFlatbuttonscheckboxswitchesbetweenflatand3Dview.TheLargebuttonscheck
boxswitchesbetweenlargeandsmallicons.
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ChangingtheLookoftheUserInterface
OpenOffice.orghasdifferentwaysofdisplaythatreflectdifferentoperatingsystems.Thus,
theusercanchangethewindowsanddialoguestosuitpersonaltaste:
ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.org>View.IntheLook&Feelcombobox,choose
anappearancereminiscentofMacintosh,XWindowsorOS/2.TheStandardsetting
hasthefamiliarlookofaMicrosoftWindowsapplication.
SelectingMeasurementUnits
OnecanselectseparatemeasurementunitsforWriter,Writer/Web,Calc,ImpressandDraw
documents.
1. SelectTools>Options.
2. Clickonthedocumenttypethatistohaveitsmeasurementunitchanged.Forexample,
clickonTextDocumenttoselectthemeasurementunitforWriter.
3. ClickonGeneral.
4. OntheGeneraltabpage,underSettings,isacomboboxforselectingthemeasurement
unit.
5. ClosethedialoguewithOK.
Moving,DeletingorCopyingIcons
TomoveaniconkeeptheAltkeypressedanddragtheicontoitsnewposition.Itwillbe
movedwithinthesametoolbarandcopiedbetweentoolbars.
Todeleteaniconfromatoolbar,keeptheAltkeypressedanddragtheicontoaplace
wherethereisnotoolbar.
Toinsertordeleteadash,dragtheiconinthesamewaytotheside.
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SendingFaxesandConfiguringOpenOffice.orgforFaxing
TosendafaxdirectlyfromOpenOffice.org,bothafaxmodemandafaxdriverthatallows
applicationstocommunicatewiththefaxmodemmustbeinstalledastheywouldwitha
printer.
CreatingaLANFriendlyFaxingSolutionunderLinux
1. Installfaxsoftwaresuchasmgettyorsendfax.Don'tforgettorunfaxrunqasa
cronjob.
2. Testbysendingapostscriptfiletosomeone.
3. Installfax4CUPS(assumingCUPSistheprintercontrolsoftware.Ifnot,considerit.)
4. MakeaprinterinCUPSfollowingthefax4CUPSinstructionswhichpointstomgetty.
5. Testbysendingapostscriptfiletosomeoneasanonrootuserwith
lprPprinternameo"phone=faxnumber"filename
(ifitdoesn'twork,tryitasroot.Ifthatworks,trychangingthepermissionsonthecups
spooldirectory)
6. testthesamelprcommandfromanothermachineontheLAN.Thisshouldworkif
CUPSbrowsingisenabled
7. findandrunspadminasroot.
a) Createanewfaxtypeprinter.CurrentversionsofOpenOffice.orgmaynotallow
reconfiguringtheprinterpropertiesasaOpenOffice.orgfaxdevice,inthatcasejustuse
adifferentprintername.
b) UsethecommandlprPprinternameo"phone=(PHONE)"
c) dothetestpageinspadmin.Afaxnumberpromptshouldpopup.
8. tryprintingtothefaxprinterinWriter..shouldwork
9. infoaboutmakingafaxtoolbarbuttonappearisintheWriterhelpfile
10.infoaboutinsertingthefaxnumberintheWriterdocumentisintheWriterHelpfile
Done.AfaxoutsolutionforOpenOffice.orgthatdoesn'trequireanythingontheLinux
workstationexceptforCUPSwhichshouldbeavailableinanycase.
GoandvotefortheOpenOffice.orgfeaturerequestfordoingthespadminsteps
automagicallyathttp://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=49980(iftheydothatthen
theworkstationrequiresnoconfigurationatall.It'llallbedonethroughCUPSauto
browsing)
CreatingaLANFriendlyFaxingSolutionunderWindows
WhileWindowsdoesnotuseCUPS,printermanagementissimilarandthestepsoutlined
forLinuxshouldenableonetoconfigureaFaxprinterinasimilarmanner.Remembertotest
ateachstage.
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SendingaFaxviadialogue
Printthecurrentdocumentwiththefaxmachineasaprinter:
1.OpenthePrintdialoguebychoosingFile>PrintandselectthefaxdriverintheName
pulldownlist.
2.ClickingOKopensthedialogueofthefaxdriverwhereoneentersthefaxrecipient.
ConfiguringOpenOffice.orgforFaxingviaIcon
OpenOffice.orgcanbeconfiguredforfaxingsuchawaythatasingleclickonaniconis
sufficienttosendafax:
1. ChooseTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgWriter>Print.
2. SelecttheinstalledfaxdriverfromtheFaxpulldownlist.
3. ClickOK.
4. OpenthecontextmenuontheStandardtoolbarandclickVisibleButtonstoseealistof
immediatelyconfigurablebuttonsforthistoolbar.Allbuttonsthatarecurrentlyvisible
haveacheckmark.
5. Inthecontextmenu,clicktomarktheSendStandardFaxbutton.Thebuttonisnow
visibleontheStandardtoolbar.Byclickingonit,thefaxdriverenteredinstep2,is
activatedtosendthecurrentdocument.
FurtherInformation
OpenOffice.orgcanbeconfiguredinotherways.Howevertheserequireprogrammingskills
thatarebeyondthescopeofthisdocument.Forinformationonthistypeofconfiguration,
Seehttp://documentation.openoffice.org.
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Chapter9:AdvancedTechniques
ThiscontainstopicsofinteresttoadvancedusersofOpenOffice.orgincludinginformationon
revisionmarkingfunction(redlining)inWriterandCalc.
CopyingandMovingDataUsingDragandDrop
TheeasiestandoftenmostintuitivewaytocopyandmovedatainOpenOffice.orgisby
dragginganddroppingwiththemouse.
DraggingandDroppingWithinaOpenOffice.orgDocument
Therearemanyoptionsformovingorcopyingobjectsusingdraganddrop.Selectedtext,
textareas,drawobjects,graphics,buttonsandotherformfunctions,hyperlinks,tableareas
andmanymorecanbemovedwiththemouse.
Payattentionwhendraggingusingthemousepointer.Themousepointershowsaplussign
whencopyingandanarrowwhenmakingalinkorhyperlink.
MousePointerShape
Description
Moving
Copying
Creatingalink
PressingCtrlorShift+Ctrlwhenreleasingthemousebutton,usuallyinfluences
whethertheitemiscopied,moved,oralinkiscreated.DragobjectsoutoftheNavigator;in
thesubmenuoftheDragModeicon,specifywhethertocopytheobject,insertitasalinkor
insertitasahyperlink.DraganddropoperationsinOpenOffice.orgcanbecancelledatany
timebypressingtheEsckeybeforereleasingthemousebutton.
InsertingObjectsFromtheGallery
Objectscanbeinsertedinadocumentaseitheracopyorasalink.Acopyofanobjectis
independentoftheoriginalobject.Changestotheoriginalobjecthavenoeffectonthecopy.
Links,ontheotherhand,remaindependentontheoriginalobject;thus,changestothe
originalobjectarealsoreflectedinthelink.
Insertinganobjectasacopy
OpentheGallery.
Chooseathemefromtheleftarea.
Selecttheobjectbyasingleclick.
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Dragtheobjectintothedocumentorrightclicktoopenthecontextmenuandselect
InsertandCopy.
Insertinganobjectasalink
OpentheGallery.
Chooseathemefromtheleftarea.
Selecttheobjectbyasingleclick.
DragtheobjectintothedocumentwhilepressingtheShiftandCtrlkeys,orright
clicktoopenthecontextmenuandselectInsertandLink.
Insertinganobjectasabackgroundgraphic
10.OpentheGallery.
11.Chooseathemefromtheleftarea.
12.Selecttheobjectbyasingleclick.
13.OpenthecontextmenuandchooseInsert>Background>PageorParagraph.
Insertinganobjectasatexture(pattern)foranotherobject
OpentheGallery.
Chooseathemefromtheleftarea.
Selecttheobjectbyasingleclick.
DragtheobjectontotheotherobjectinthedocumentwhilepressingCtrl.
CopyingGraphicsFromtheGallery
Graphics,draggedfromtheGallery,areinsertedintoatext,spreadsheetorpresentation
documentwheretheyaredropped.
Ifthegraphicisreleaseddirectlyonadrawobject,pleasenotethefollowing:
9. Ifitismoved,bydraggingwithoutpressinganykey(noadditionalsymbolappearsnextto
themousepointer),onlythefontattributesarecopiedfromthegraphicandappliedtothe
drawobjectwherethemousebuttonisreleased.
10.IfitiscopiedbydraggingwhileholdingdowntheCtrlkey(aplussignappearsnextto
themousepointer),thegraphicisinsertedasanobject.
11.Ifahyperlinkiscreated,bydraggingwhileholdingdownShift+Ctrl(alinkingarrow
appearsnexttothemousepointer),thedrawingobjectisreplacedbythegraphicfromthe
Gallery;however,thepositionandsizeofthereplaceddrawobjectareretained.
InsertingGraphicsFromaDocumentintheGallery
Graphics,fromHTMLpagesandothersimilarsources,canbeplacedintheGalleryby
draganddrop.
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DisplaytheGallerythemetowhichtoaddthegraphic.
Positionthemousepointerabovethegraphic,withoutclicking.
Ifthemousepointerchangestoahandsymbol,thegraphicreferstoahyperlink.Inthis
case,clickthegraphicwhilepressingtheAltkeytoselectitwithoutexecutingthe
respectivelink.
However,ifthemousepointerdoesnotchangetoahandsymbol,simplyclickthegraphic
toselectit.
Oncethegraphicisselected,releasethemousebutton.
Clickagainonthegraphicimage,keepingthemousebuttonpressedformorethantwo
seconds,tocopythegraphicimagetomemory.
Withoutreleasingthemousebutton,dragthegraphicintotheGallery.
Note:DrawobjectsthatarecreatedusingtheDrawfunctionsfloatingtoolbar,cannotbeincorporatedinthe
gallery.
CopyingGraphicsBetweenDocuments
Graphicscanbecopiedfromonedocumenttoanother.
Note:Ifthedocumentistobepublished,pleaseobservecopyrightlawsand,forsafety,obtaintheconsentofthe
authorsoftheoriginal.
9. Openthedocumentinwhichtoinsertthegraphicobject.
10.Openthedocumentfromtocopythegraphic.
11.Clickthegraphictoselectit.
12.RightclicktoopenthecontextmenuoruseCtrl+C
13.SelectCopytoplacethegraphicintotheclipboard.
14.Bringthetargetdocumentintofocus.
15.Selectthelocationforthegraphic.
16.RightclicktoopenthecontextmenuandselectPasteatthepositionwheretoinserta
copyofthepictureoruseCtrl+V.
17.Ifthegraphicisconnectedwithahyperlink,thehyperlinkandnotthegraphicisinserted.
CopyingDrawObjectsintoOtherDocuments
InOpenOffice.orgitispossibletodirectlycopydrawobjectsbetweentext,spreadsheetsand
presentationdocuments.
3. Selectthedrawobjectorobjects.
4. CopythedrawobjecttotheclipboardbyusingCtrl+Corbyrightclickingtoopenthe
contextmenuandselectingCopy.
5. Switchtotheotherdocumentandplacethecursoratwhichtoinsertthedrawobject.
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6. InsertthedrawobjectatthetargetpositionbyusingCtrl+VorusethePastecommand
fromthecontextmenu.
InsertingaDrawobjectinatextdocument
Aninserteddrawobjectisanchoredinatext
documentatthecurrentparagraph.Anchorscan
bechangesbyselectingtheobjectandclickingon
theChangeAnchoriconontheobjectbar.This
opensapopupmenuthatpermitschangingthe
possibletypesofanchor.
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InsertingaDrawobjectinaspreadsheet
Aninserteddrawobjectisanchoredtoaspreadsheetinthecurrentcell.Changethe
anchorbetweencellandpageandbackbyselectingtheobjectandclickingonthe
ChangeAnchorontheobjectbar.
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DragandDropWiththeDataSourceView
Thesimplestandquickestwayoftransferringdatafromadatasourceintoatextor
spreadsheetdocument,orcreatingformsbasedonadatasource,isthedraganddrop
method.
CopyingwithDrag&Drop
Toreverseamistakemadeduringadraganddropoperation,positionthecursorinthe
documentandchoosetheUndocommandfromtheEditmenu(orviathekeyboard).
Note:Copyingbydraganddropispossibleinthebothdirections:
6. Atexttableoraselectedrangeofaspreadsheetcanbedraggedusingdraganddroptoatablecontainerinthe
datasourceexplorerorviceversa.
7. Likewise,simplertextcanbecopiedusingdraganddropfromonedocumenttoadatafieldinthedatasource
view.ReaduponhowthishappensinHelp.
Usingdatainatextdocument
Adatabasefieldcanbeinsertedinatextdocumentbydraggingafieldnamefromthe
columnheaderofthedatasourceviewintothedocument.Thisinsertsafieldforthis
databasefieldinthedocument.Thisisespeciallyusefulwhendesigningformletters.Simply
dragthedesiredfields,suchas,homeaddress,formofaddressetcetera,intothedocument.
Thebestwaytoinsertacompleterecordistoselectthecorrespondingheaderanddragitinto
thedocument.Whenthemousebuttonisreleased,theInsertdatabasecolumnsdialogue
appears,whereonecandecidewhethertousealldatabasefields,andwhethertocopythe
dataintothedocumentastext,atableorfields.Allcurrentlyselectedrecordswillbe
inserted.
Applyingdatatoatabledocument
Oneormorerecordscanbeinsertedintothecurrentsheetofaspreadsheetbyselectingthe
rowsinthedatasourceviewanddragginganddroppingthemintothespreadsheet.Thedata
isinsertedintheplacewherethemousebuttonisreleased.
Insertingcontrolsinatextform
Whenatextform,linkedtoadatabase,iscreated,onecangeneratecontrolsbydragand
dropfromthedatasourceview:Whenadatabasecolumnisdraggedintothetextdocument,
afieldisinserted.ByholdingdownShift+Ctrlwhiledragging,atextfieldisinserted,
groupedwithanappropriatelabelfield.Thetextfieldalreadycontainsallthedatabase
informationthatisneededfortheform.
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CopyingSheetAreastoTextDocuments
Openboththetextdocumentandthespreadsheet.
Selectthesheetareatocopy.
Pointtotheselectedareaandpressthemousebutton.Keepthemousebuttonpressedfora
moment,thendragtheareaintothetextdocument.
Ifthedocumentsarenotvisiblenexttoeachother,firstdragthemousepointertothe
destinationdocumentbutton.Continuetoholddownthemousebutton.Thedocument
addressedinthiswayisdisplayed,andthemousepointercanbemovedwithinthe
document.
Oncethecursorislocatedintheplacewheretoinsertthesheetarea,releasethemouse
button.ThesheetareaisinsertedasanOLEobject.
SelectandeditthisOLEobjectatanytime.
11.ToedittheOLEobject,simplydoubleclickonit.
Alternatively,selecttheobjectandchooseEdit>Object>EditorchooseEditfromthe
contextmenu.Theobjectcanbeeditedinitsownframewithinthetextdocument,butthe
iconsandmenucommandsneededforspreadsheetsarevisible.
12.ChooseOpentoopenthesourcedocumentoftheOLEobject.
InsertingDataFromSpreadsheets
Whencopyingthecontentsofacell(textornumbers),usingtheclipboardisbest.
Copyingformulaethatareinthecellsintotheclipboard,suchasfromtheinputlinesof
theformulabar,isalsopossible;thus.theycannowbeinsertedintothetext.
Tocopyasimple,rectangularareaofcellsintoatextdocumentasasheet,selectthecells
inthesheetandthenuseeithertheclipboardordrag&droptoinsertthemintothetext
document.ThiswillbeanOLEobjectinthetextdocumentthatcanedited.
Ifcellsaredraggedtothecharacterviewofapresentationdocument,theywillalsore
appearthereasOLEobjects.Oncedraggedintotheoutlineview,eachcellwillformaline
oftheoutlineview.Draggingusingdraganddropwillmovethecells.PresstheShift
key,whendragging,createacopy.
InsertingDataFromTextDocuments
Textcanbetransferredintootherdocumenttypessuchasspreadsheetsandpresentationsbut,
thereisadistinctionmadethatdependsonwhetherthetextshouldbesetinitsowntext
frame,transferredintoaspreadsheetcellortransferredintothestructureofapresentation.
Iftextistransferredviatheclipboard,onecanpasteittothedestinationwithorwithout
textattributes.UsetheshortcutkeysCtrl+CtocopyandCtrl+Vtopaste.
Toselecttheformatinwhichtheclipboardcontentswillbepasted,doalongclickonthe
PasteiconontheStandardtoolbar.Selecttheformatfromthesubmenu.
Toobtainaselectionofformats,chooseEdit>PasteSpecial.
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InatextdocumentuseFile>Send>Outlinetopresentationtocreateannew
presentationdocumentthatcontainstheheadingsfromthetextdocumentastheoutline.
TheheadingsmustbeformattedwithacorrespondingParagraphStylebeforetheusercan
seethiscommand.
Totransferthesameheadingstothefirstsuperordinateparagraph(orseveralparagraphs)
ofthetext,selecttheAutoAbstracttopresentationcommand.Again,theheadingsmust
beformattedwithacorrespondingParagraphStylebeforetheusercanseethiscommand.
CopyingTextUsingDragandDrop
Ifoneselectsatextsectionanddragsitintoaspreadsheetwithdrag&drop,itwillbe
thenbeinsertedastextintothecellwherethemouseisreleased.
Whenatextsectionisdraggedtothecharacterviewofapresentation,anOLEobjectis
insertedasaOpenOffice.orgplugin.
Iftextisdraggedtotheoutlineviewofapresentation,itisinsertedatthepointwherethe
cursorispositioned.
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RevisionMarkingFunction
TherevisionmarkingfunctioninWriterandCalchighlightschangestodocumentssothat
whomeveriseditingthefilecanseewhochangedwhatandwhen.
RecordingandDisplayingChanges
Whenseveralauthorsareworkingonthesametextorspreadsheet,thereviewfunction
(markingchanges,redlining)makesitpossibletodocumentwhomadewhichchanges,so
thatthisiscleartoeveryone.Onthefinaleditofthedocument,itisthenpossibletolookat
eachindividualchangeanddecidewhetheritshouldbeacceptedorrejected.
Forpurposesofillustration,imaginehavingtodeliverareport.Now,beforepublication,the
reportmustbereadbythesenioreditorandtheproofreader,andbothwilladdtheirchanges.
Perhapsthesenioreditorwritesclarifyafteroneparagraphandcrossesoutanotherentirely.
Theproofreaderchecksthespellingofthedocumentandnotestwocaseswhereexplicit
referencestothegenderofanimaginarypersoncouldberewordedtoavoidgenderentirely.
Theediteddocumentcomesbackwhereupononecanchoosetoincorporateorignorethe
suggestionsofthetworeviewers.Plus,youalsoemailedacopyofthereporttoagood
friendandcolleaguewhohasdoneresearchonasimilartopicinthepast,askingforafew
suggestions,andthedocumentisnowreturnedbyemailwithsuggestions.Itisnowa
simplemattertoproduceafinalversionofthedocumentfromtheresultsthatarereturned.
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AcceptingorRejectingChanges
Whenbringingadocumentinwhichothershavenotedtheirchangesbacktogetheragain,the
usercanacceptorrejectthechangesindividuallyoralltogether.
Ifonehasputmultiplecopiesofthedocumentincirculation,firstofall.mergetheseinto
onedocument(seeMergingVersions).
OpenthedocumentandchooseEdit>Changes>AcceptorReject.TheAcceptor
RejectChangesdialogueappears.
SelectachangeontheListtab.Thechangeisselectedanddisplayedinthedocumentand
nowtheusersmakesadecisionwithoneofthedialoguebuttons.
Ifoneauthorhaschangedanotherauthor'schange,onewillseethechangeshierarchically
arrangedwithaplussignforopeningupthehierarchy.
Whenthelistofchangesistoolongorconfusing,switchtotheFiltertabinthedialogueand
specifyonlythechangesofcertainauthors,oronlythechangesofthelastday,orthatthelist
shouldberestrictedinsomeotherway.
Changescanalsobefilteredbythedescriptions.Wildcards(aswithregularexpressionsin
theFind&Replacedialogue)arepermittedwhenenteringthefilter.
Textdocumentchangesthathavenotyetbeenacceptedaredisplayedinthelist.Changesthat
havebeenacceptedareremovedfromthelistandappearinthetextwithoutanyfurther
marking.
Spreadsheetchangesthathavebeenacceptedarecombinedinthelistinasingleentry,sothat
onecancontinuetoseewhichchangeshavealreadybeenaccepted.
colourcodedentriesinformtheuserabouttheresultofthefilterthatisset.Entriesinblack
canbeacceptedorrejectedandmatchthefiltercriteria.Entriesinbluedonot,themselves,
matchthefiltercriteriabuthavesubentriesthatareincludedbythefilter.Grayedentries
cannotbeacceptedorrejectedanddonotmatchthefiltercriterion.Greenentriesdomatch
thefilterbutinspiteofthiscannotbeacceptedorrejected.
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ComparingVersionsofaDocument
Perhapsoneoftheauthorswhoreceivedacopyofthedocumentmadechangesbutdidnot
recordthembychoosingEdit>Changes>Record.Nonetheless,thedeliveredcopyofthe
documentcanbecomparedwiththeoriginaldocument.
1. OpentheediteddocumentandthenchooseEdit>CompareDocument.
2. Fromthefileselectiondialogue,selecttheoriginalcopyofthedocument.
3. Confirmthedialogue.
NowOpenOffice.orgcombinesbothdocumentsintheoriginaldocument.Alltextpassages
thatoccurinthedocumentbutnotintheoriginalareidentifiedashavingbeeninserted,and
alltextpassagesthataremissinginthecopydocumentareidentifiedasdeletions.
Nowstarttherevisionprocessbyacceptingtheinsertions,inwhichcasetherelevanttexts
stayintheiroriginalform,oracceptingthedeletions,inwhichcasethemarkedtext
containedinthecopyarenotinsertedinthedocument.
MergingVersions
Itisnotalwaysoneandthesamedocumentthatiseditedbydifferentauthorsandpassed
fromonetothenextauthor.Itoftenmakesmoresensetogiveaseparatecopyofthe
documenttoeachauthor.Forexample,threecopiesarereturnedinadditiontotheoriginal
document,withdifferentchangesineachcopy.
Itiseasytomergethesedocumentsintotheoriginal.Theonlyrequirementisthatthe
documentsdifferonlyandexclusivelyintherecordedchanges.Inotherwords,allnormal
textmustbeidentical.
1. Opentheoriginaldocumentintowhichtomergeallthecopies.
2. SelectEdit>Changes>MergeDocument....Thisopensatypicalfileselectiondialogue
fromwhichtochooseacopyofthedocument.
3. Aftermergingthedocuments,thedesignatedchangesfromthecopyintheoriginal
documentwillbevisible.
RecordingChanges
ThereviewfunctionisavailableinOpenOffice.orgforbothtextdocumentsandspreadsheet
documents.Notallchangesarerecorded(forexample,thechangingofatabstopfromalign
lefttoalignrightisnotrecorded).However,allusualchangesmadebyaproofreaderare
recorded,suchasadditions,deletions,textalterations,usualformattingetcetera.
1.TostartRevisionMarking,openthedocumenttobeeditedandchooseEdit>Changes
andclickRecordwhichdisplayacheckmarkwhenenabled.
2.Nowstartmakinganychanges.Notethatallnewtextpassagesenteredareunderlinedin
colour,whilealldeletedtextremainsvisiblebutiscrossedoutandshownincolour.
3.Ifamarkedchangeismovedwiththemousepointer,onewillseeareferencetothetypeof
change,theauthor,dateandtimeofdayforthechangeinHelpTips.IfExtendedTipsisalso
enabled(ontheHelpmenu),anyavailablecommentsonthischangewillbedisplayed.
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Changesinaspreadsheetdocumentarehighlightedbyaborderaroundthecells;whenacell
ispointedtomoredetailedinformationonthischangeisseeninHelpTipswhenExtended
Tipsisalsoenabled(ontheHelpmenu).
Commentsoneachmarkedchangemaybeenteredbyplacingthecursorintheareaofthe
changeandthenchoosingEdit>Changes>Comment....InadditiontoExtendedTips,the
commentisalsodisplayedinthelistintheAcceptorRejectChangesdialogue.
Tostoprecordingchanges,chooseEdit>Changes>Recordagaintodisablethe
function(Thecheckmarkisremoved).Nowthedocumentcanbesavedandreturnedtothe
personwhoaskedforthechanges.
Inatextdocument,highlightalllinesthathavechangedwithanadditionalmarking.Thiscan
beintheformofaredlineinthemargin,forexample.
SelectthetypeofadditionalselectionunderTools>Options...>TextDocumentonthe
ChangestaborunderTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgCalcontheChangestab.Inthese
dialogues,determinehowandinwhatcolourthechangesshouldbeflagged,whereonthe
pagethedashshouldbeandsoforth.
VersionManagement
TheFilemenucontainsaVersionscommand.TheVersionsfunctionallowstheusertosave
multipleversionsofthesamedocumentinthesamefile.Onecanchoosetoviewindividual
versionsofadocument,ordisplaythedifferencesbetweenversionswithcolourmarkings.In
thedialoguetoopenadocument,choosewhichversionofthedocumentiswantedforediting
fromalistbox.
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ProtectingContentsinOpenOffice.org
ThefollowingisanoverviewofthedifferentwaysofprotectingcontentsinOpenOffice.org
frombeingmodified,deletedorviewed.
ProtectingAllDocumentsWhenSaving
AlldocumentsthataresavedinXMLformat(OpenOffice.orgFormat)canbeprovidedwith
apassword.Thesedocumentscannolongerbeopenedwithoutthepassword.Thecontentis
secured,sothatitcannotbereadwithanexternaleditoreither.Thisappliestocontent,
graphicsandOLEobjects.
Turningonprotection
1. SelectFile>SaveAs
2. checkSavewithpassword.
3. Savethedocument.
Turningoffprotection
1. Openthedocumentandenterthecorrectpassword.
2. ChooseFile>SaveAsanduncheckSavewithpassword.
InformationthatisenteredunderFile>Properties,suchasthenameoftheauthor,date
created,wordandcharactercountsetcetera,arenotencrypted.
ProtectingRevisionMarking
WitheverychangemadeinCalcandWriter,thereviewfunctionrecordswhomadethe
change.Thisfunctioncanbeturnedonwithprotection,sothatitcanonlybeturnedoffwhen
thecorrectpasswordisentered.Untilthen,allchangescontinuetoberecordedand
acceptanceorrejectionisnotpossible.
Turningonrevisionprotection
1. ChooseEdit>Changes>ProtectRecords.
2. Enterandconfirmapasswordofatleast5characters.
Turningoffrevisionprotection
1. ChooseEdit>Changes>ProtectRecords.
2. Enterthecorrectpassword.
ProtectingCellRangesinCalc
InCalc,protectioncanbeappliedtospreadsheetsandthewholedocument.Aspartofthe
process,choosewhetherthecellsareprotectedagainstaccidentalchanges,whetherthe
formulaecanbeviewed,whetherthecellsarevisibleand/orwhetherthecellscanbeprinted.
Protectionmaybepasswordprotected,butthisisnotalwaysnecessary.Onceapasswordis
assignedapassword,protectioncanonlyberemovedbyenteringthecorrectpassword.
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Note:Cellprotectionforcells,settingtheProtectedattribute,isonlyeffectivewhenthewholetableisprotected.
ThedefaultconditionisthateverycellreceivestheProtectedattribute.Thus,incellswheretheusermaymake
changes,theattributemustberemovedselectivelyforthosecells.Oncethisisdonethenprotectthewholetable
andsavethedocument.
Turningonprotection
Turningoffprotection
Forcells:Selectcellrange.ChooseFormat>Cells>CellProtectiontab.
Forspreadsheets:ChooseTools>ProtectDocument>Sheet.
Fordocuments:ChooseTools>ProtectDocument>Document.
Enterandconfirmapasswordofatleast5characters.
Forspreadsheets:ChooseTools>ProtectDocument>Sheet.
Fordocuments:ChooseTools>ProtectDocumentDocument.
Whereapasswordhasbeenassigned,enterthecorrectpassword.
ProtectingSectionsinWriter
AnysectionofaOpenOffice.orgWritertextdocumentcanbeprotectedagainstchangeswith
apassword.
Turningonprotection
1. Selectthesection.
2. ChooseInsert>Section>Section,
3. UnderWriteprotectionmarktheProtectandWithpasswordcheckboxes.(Ifthe
sectionalreadyexists:Format>Sections.)
4. Enterandconfirmapasswordofatleast5characters.
Turningoffprotection
1. ChooseFormat>Sections>Section
2. UnderWriteprotection,uncheckProtect.
3. Enterthecorrectpassword.
ProtectingCellsinaOpenOffice.orgWriterTable
ThecontentsofindividualcellsofaWritertexttablecanalsobeprotectedfromchanges.
Turningonprotection
Turningoffprotection
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
Placethecursorinacellorselectcells.ChooseFormat>Cell>
Protect.
First,ensurethatTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgWriter>
FormattingAids>CursorinprotectedareashasEnablechecked.
Placethecursorinthecellorselectthecells.ThenchooseFormat>
Cell>Unprotect.
SelectthetableintheNavigator,openthecontextmenuandselect
Table>Unprotect.
UseShift+Ctrl+Ttoremoveprotectionfortheentirecurrenttable
orallselectedtables.
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AutomaticProtectionofIndexesandTables
Tablesofcontents,alphabeticalindexesandsoonthatarecreatedautomaticallyinWriter,
areautomaticallyprotectedagainstaccidentalchanges.
Turningonprotection
1. Placethecursorintheindex/tableofcontents.
2. FromthecontextmenuchooseEditIndex/Table.
3. OntheIndex/Tabletabpage,checkProtectedagainstmanualchanges.
Turningoffprotection
1. EnsurethatTools>Options>OpenOffice.orgWriter>FormattingAids>Cursorin
protectedareashasEnablechecked.
2. Placethecursorintheindex.
3. FromthecontextmenuchooseEditIndex/Table.
4. OntheIndex/Tabletabpage,uncheckProtectedagainstmanualchangesor,inthe
Navigator,selecttheindex,openthecontextmenuandselectIndex>Readonly.
Protectingframes,graphicsandOLEobjects
ManyobjectscanbeinsertedinOpenOffice.orgdocuments.Userscanprotectthecontent,
positionand/orsizeofinsertedgraphics.Thesameappliestoframes(inWriter)andOLE
objects.
Turningonprotection
Turningoffprotection
Forgraphicsinsertedininadocument:ChooseFormat>Graphics>
Optionstab.UnderProtect,markContents,Positionand/orSize.
Forgraphicsinsertedinadocument:ChooseFormat>Graphics>
Optionstab.UnderProtect,uncheckasappropriate.
ProtectingDrawingObjectsandFormObjects
Drawobjects,thatareinsertedinadocumentusingtheDrawFunctionsfloatingtoolbar,can
beprotectedfrombeingaccidentallymovedorchangedinsize.Likewise,theusercandothe
samewithformobjectsinsertedusingtheFormFunctionsfloatingtoolbar.
Turningonprotection
1. SelectFormat>PositionandSize>PositionorSizetab.
2. ChecktheProtectcheckbox.
Turningoffprotection
1. ChooseFormat>PositionandSize>PositionorSizetab.
2. UnchecktheProtectcheckbox.
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ProtectingRecords
ChangesmadeinadocumentcanberecordedbychoosingeitherEdit>Changes>Record
orEdit>Changes>ProtectRecords.IfProtectRecordsisselected,onemustenterthe
correctpasswordinordertoturnoffthefunctionoracceptorrejectchanges.
1. SelectProtectRecords.ThisopensthePassworddialogue.
2. Enterapasswordconsistingofatleast5charactersandconfirmit.
3. ClickOK.
DigitalSignaturesandEncryption1
Overview
UseofDigitalsignaturesinOpenOffice.orgisnewtowithOpenOffice.org2.0andis
relativelynewinotherofficeapplications.Nonetheless,,therequirementtoprotectdatafrom
beingmodifiedhasexistedforalongtime.
WhileOpenOffice.org1.1.xofferedprotectionfordocumentswithencryptionand
passwords,digitalsignaturesofferenhancedsecureprotectionofdocumentcontent,both
insideOpenOffice.org2.0andexternally.
Anotheraspectofusingdigitalsignatures,isforensuringMacrosecurity.Thiscanbeavery
importanttopicbecausewhenuseraccessesadocumentcontainingmacrosorreceivesthem
viaemail,theusercannotknowifthesecanbetrustedorwhethertheymayharmthesystem.
Beingthatthereisnoeasywaytodeterminewhetheramacroisharmful;thedecision
whethertotrustamacroornottotrustmustbebasedonthetrustworthinessofthemacro
author.Unfortunately,onecannotknowthatthemacroreallycomesfromtheauthororthatit
hasnotbeenmodifiedbysomebodyelse.Digitalcertificatesandsignaturesarethesolution.
Authorscansignthemacrowithaprivatekeyandusercanthenverifythesignaturewiththe
author'spublickeys.Anaddedbenefitofusingdigitalsignaturesistheassurancethatthe
contenthasnotbeenmodified.
Certificates
HowtogetaCertificate?
Therearereallyonlytwowaystogetacertificate.One,tocreateoneforoneselfor,
secondly,toobtainonefromatrustedsigningauthority.
1 Specificationhttp://specs.openoffice.org/appwide/security/Electronic_Signatures_and_Security.sxw
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Selfsignedcertificates
Theseareusercreatedusingcertificatecreationtools.Thefollowinglistprovidessomethat
areknowatthetimeofwritingthissection.Inthiscase,usersareexpectedtoknowand
understandthebasicsoftheprocedure.
Product
OS
Vendor
SelfCert.exe
Windows
MicrosoftpartofOffice
abylonSELFCERT
Windows
http://www.abylonsoft.com/frame.htm
Certificate
Assistant
MacOSX
Builtin.
CA.pl
Linux,BSD,Solaris10
ComeswithOpenSSL.
keytool
JDKorJRE
PartofJava(Solaris)
PleaseseetheinstructionsintheOperatingSystemdocumentationforyoursystem.
CertificatesfromaCertificateAuthority
Dependingonuserneeds,gettingacertificatefromaCertificateAuthoritymaybefreeor
haveacostattached.SomeCertificateAuthoritiesofferingcertificatesarelistedbelow:
Vendor
Cost
Type
Contact
Thawte
Free
http://www.thawte.com/
Comodo
Free30daytrial
Serverandemail
http://www.instantssl.com/
Verisign
Cost
Alltypes
http://www.verisign.com/
CAcert
Free
Alltypes
http://www.cacert.org/
IntegratingaCertificatewithOpenOffice.org
SeeHelp>Contents>Index>Searchterm>digitalsignaturesforinstructionson
enablingDigitalSignaturesinOpenOffice.orgforinstructions.
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ChangingDefaultsandOtherConfigurationItems
SavingConfigurationWithDocument
Userscansetaglobalconfiguration(sothatitappliestoalldocumentsofthistype),orcan
connecttheconfigurationtoaspecificdocument,whichmustexistasafile.
1. Loadthedocumenttowhichtoconnecttheconfigurationoropenanydocumentofthe
sametype.
2. Settheconfiguration.Forexample,selectthetoolbarsthatshouldbevisibleordefine
whatisonthetoolbars,menusorstatusbarandsoon.Allsuchconfigurationoptionsare
foundunderTools>Configure.
3. ClickSave...inthedialogueunderTools>Configure.Anotherdialogueappearsfrom
whichtosavetheconfiguration.
4. IntheFileTypelistbox,select<All>.
5. InthelargelistboxoftheSavedialogue,selectthefilethatistobeconnectedtothe
configuration.
6. ClickSave.Apromptappears,askingwhethertoreplacethefileornot.Thisquery
concernsonlytheconfigurationconnectedtothedocument,nottheactualcontentsof
thedocument.
7. Confirmoverwrite.
Theconfigurationisnowconnectedtotheactivedocument.Checkthisbyloadingthe
documentandchoosingFile>DocumentTemplate>Organizerthendoubleclickingthe
document.
Assoonasoneloadsoropensthisdocument,theconfiguration,thatwassavedwithit,
becomesactive.Theglobaldefaultconfigurationisrestoredwhenanotherdocumentis
loadedoropenedthatdoesnotcontaincustomconfigurationinformation.Selectmanual
settingsatanytimebychoosingTools>ConfigureandclickingtheResetbutton.
InsertingandEditingTabStops
Setatabstopbyclickingontheruler.Alternatively,ausercansettabstopsbychoosing
Format>Paragraph.Bothmethodsaffectthecurrentparagraphorallselectedparagraphs.
Clicktheruleroncetosetaleftjustifiedtab.Rightclickatabiconontherulertoseethe
contextmenuinwhichthetabtypecanbechanged.
Tosetseveraldecimaltabsoneaftertheother,keepclickingtheicontotheleftoftheruler
untilthedesiredtabtypeisshown,thenclickontheruler.
Selection
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DoubleclicktherulertoopentheParagraphdialogue.
Doubleclickthewhiteareaoftherulertosetonetab.TheParagraphdialogueappearswith
theTabstabpage.
Note:ToassigntabsdirectlytoacurrentParagraphStyle,openthecontextmenuofthatparagraphandchoose
EditParagraphStyletocalltheParagraphStyledialoguewheretabsarethenentered.
MovingTabsontheRuler
Therearethreewaystosettabs:
1. Moveindividualtabstopsontherulerusingthemouse.
2. Tomoveseveraltabstopsontheruler,presstheShiftkeybeforeclickingatab.Drag
onetabwhilecontinuingtopressShifttomovethattabaswellasallthetabstothe
rightofit.Thespacingbetweenthosetabsremainsthesame.
3. PressCtrlinsteadofShiftwhendraggingatabontherulertomovethattabandall
thetabstotherightofit.Thisresultsinthespacingbetweenthosetabschanging
proportionallytotheirdistancefromthemargin.
ChangingthePropertiesofTabs
Tochangetabtype,clickthetabtobechangedontheruler,thenopenthecontextmenu.
DeletingTabs
Deletingatabwiththemouseiseasy.Simplyholddownthemousebuttonwhiledragging
thetaboutsidetheruler.
ChangingtheDefaults
Tochangethesettingsofthedefaulttabstops,seethesettingsinTools>Options>
(DocumentType)>General.TheContextMenuoftherulertoolbarallowschangestothe
displayedunitstocentimetres,inches,point,picaetcetera.Thesechangesareonlyvaliduntil
exitingOpenOffice.org,andtheyonlyapplytotherulerfromwhichcontextmenuthe
changesweremade.Tochangetherulermeasurementunitspermanently,chooseTools>
Options>OpenOffice.orgWriter>Generalandchangethemeasurementunitthere.
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ChangingthecolourofText
ClicktheFontcolouriconinWriterandothermodules,andkeepthemousebuttonpressed
toobtainafloatingtoolbarfromwhichtochoosefromtherangeofcolours.
Fontcolour(Writer)
Fontcolour(othermodules)
Thefollowingappliestoallmodules(Writer,Calc,Draw,Impress):Selectthetextthatisto
takeanothercolour,thenclickthecolourwantedonthefloatingtoolbar.
Note:OnlyinWriter:Ifoneconfirmsthesymbolwithashortclickwhilenotextisselected,thenthemousepointer
changesitsappearanceandisdisplayedasapaintcanpouring.Usethispaintcanpouringsymbolwiththemouse
keypressedtodragacrossatextarea.Thistextareatakestheselectedcolour.Thefunctionremainsactiveforas
longasthesymbolispressed,oruntilclickedwithoutdragging,oruntiltheEsckeyispressed.
InsertingLandscapepagesintoaPortraitorientedDocument
1. OpentheStylesandFormattingwindow(Format>StylesandFormattingorF 11)
2. IntheStylesandFormattingwindow,clickonthePageStylesicon(fourthiconfromleft)
3. Thetype"Standard"shouldalreadybehighlighted,holdtherightmenubuttondownto
seethecontextmenuandchoose"New..."
4. Inthedialoguethatappears,givethenewpagestyleadescriptivename;forexample,
Landscape
5. ClickonthePagetabandchangethepageorientationtoLandscapebyclickingonthe
correspondingradiobutton.Atthesametime,makeotherchangestothepagestyle,as
needed(suchasadjustingthemarginsizes).
6. ClickonOK.Thenewstylewillappearasoneofthestylechoices.
7. PlacethetextcursorinthedocumentatthelocationatwhichtoinserttheLandscapepage
8. SelectInsert>ManualBreak
9. Inthedialoguethatappears,selectPageBreakandintheStylelist,selectthenewpage
style,e.g."Landscape";
10.ClickOK
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MoreonTemplates
ChangingDefaultTemplates
WhenanewdocumentisopenedusingFile>New,ablankdocumentappearsbasedonthe
defaultOpenOffice.orgtemplateforthatdocumenttype.Userscaneditormodifythis
documentorreplaceitwithanexistingdocumentsothatthenewdocumentcontains
personalizedcustomformatattributesorothercontents.
ModifyingDefaultTemplates
IfthereisanexistingOpenOffice.orgdocumentwhichissatisfactory,useit.However,this
stepisnotnecessary.However,ifoneisnotwhatisneeded,onecandothefollowingto
createanewtemplate:
1. Openanew,emptydocument
2. Editituntilitmakesagoodtemplate.Forexample,editthestylesintheStylesand
Formattingwindow.
3. Bywayofexample,thefollowingdescribeshowtoproceedfortextdocumentsandthese
stepscanbeappliedforothertypesofOpenOffice.orgdocuments.Templates,ofcourse,
canbedefinedforeachOpenOffice.orgmodule.
1. Nowsavethedocument,createdinstep2,bychoosingFile>Templates>Saveand
savingthedocumentin,say,theDefaultcategory.
2. SelectFile>Templates>Organize.
3. DoubleclickDefaultinthelistontheleft.Thiswilldisplaytheuserdefinedtemplates
intheuser/templatedirectory.
4. Selectthetemplatewasjustsavedandopenthecontextmenuoropenthesubmenuof
theCommandsbutton.
5. ChooseSetasdefaulttemplate.
Thatisallthatisneeded.Thenexttimeanewtextdocumentisopened,thenewdocument
willcorrespondtothetemplatedefinedasdefaultinstep5above.
ResettingDefaultTemplates
Toresetthemodifiedtexttemplatetotheoriginaldefaulttemplate,proceedasfollows:
1. SelectFile>Templates>Organize.
2. OpenthecontextmenuandchooseResetdefaulttemplate.Inthesubmenu,selectthe
documenttypetorestore.Thereafter,whenauseropensanemptytextdocument,itwill
againcorrespondtotheOpenOffice.orgdefaulttemplatefortextdocuments.
UsingCustomTemplates
Thereareseveralwaystomakeworkeasierbyusingcustomtemplates.Oneofthemost
importantisquickaccesstothetemplates.Templatescanbestoredindifferentlocationsin
OpenOffice.org.Openinganewdocumentusingacustomtemplatewillthendiffer
accordingly.
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NewtemplatessavedusingFile>Templates>SaveorbyselectingtheTemplatefiletype
inthenormalSavedialogue.Usertemplatesareusuallystoredinthe
<path_to>/.openoffice.org2/user/templatedirectory.Thetemplateismade
available,anytime,byselectingitintheNewdialogue(File>New>FromTemplatesand
Documents).Whenthetemplateisopened,anewdocumentwillbecreatedbasedonthat
template.
Remembertoupdatetheviewofthetemplatesinthedialoguetoensurethatnewlycreated
templatesarevisible.Inthiscase,selectFile>Templates>Organizeandinthesubmenuof
theCommandsbutton,chooseUpdate.Tomodifythetemplateoneself,callthisfileviaFile
>Templates>Editandtheneditit.
UsingOpenOffice.orgoveraNetwork
WhereusershomedirectoriesareremotelymountedviaSamba,NFSorothersimilarfile
storagemethodunder*NIX,itissometimesnecessarytomakechangestomodifytheshell
scriptthatstartsOpenoffice.org.Thefollowingprovidesapossiblesolution:
1. Locatethestartupscript.Usuallyin
/<install_dir>/OpenOffice.org2.app/Contents/openofficeorg2.0/program.
2. Editthisfilewithasuitabletexteditorsuchasviandchangethefollowinglinesas
indicated:
SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING=1
export SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING
3. toeither
SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING=0
export SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING
4. orcommentthemoutasshownbelow:
#SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING=1
#export SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING
5. RestartOpenOffice.org.
NOTE:Thismayormaynotworkdependingonwhetherornotthenetworkfilesystemissetupcorrectly.Please
seetheSystemAdministrationGuidefortheOperatingSystemthatisinuse.
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Chapter10:IntroducingOpenOffice.orgBasicand
Macros
OpenOffice.orgprovidesanumberofsamplemacrostohelpguidetheuserinprogramming
macrosbutalsotoserveasusefulaidsthatcanbeusedimmediately.Usethesetogetan
overviewofhowtowriteamacro.
ThesemacrosareonlyavailableinEnglishregardlessoftheinstallationlanguage.
AccessingtheSampleMacros
CallingtheSampleMacros
1. SelectTools>Macros>RunMacro.TheMacroSelectordialogueappears.
2. IntheLibraryfield,doubleclickOpenOffice.orgMacros.
3. Thelistwillexpand,doubleclickGimmicks.TheGimmicksmodulesappear.
4. Chooseoneofthemodules,theAutoTextmodule,forexample,byclickingtheentry.
5. ClickMainintheMacronamefield.
6. ClicktheRunbuttontorunthemodule.
7. Anewdocumentiscreated,listingtheAutoTextentriesavailabletothisinstallationof
OpenOffice.org.
Sincetheobjectofthisexercisewastorunamacro,RunMacrowasselected.Belowan
alternative,OrganizeMacros,isusedtouncoverotherfeatures.
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EditingtheSampleMacros
1. SelectTools>Macros>OrganizeMacros>OpenOffice.orgBasic.The
OpenOffice.orgBasicMacrosdialogueappears.
2. IntheMacrofromfield,doubleclickOpenOffice.orgMacros.
3. Thelistwillexpand,doubleclickGimmicks.TheGimmicksmodulesappear.
4. Chooseoneofthemodules,theAutoTextmodule,forexample,byclickingtheentry.
5. ClickMainintheExistingMacrosin:fieldifitisnotalreadyselected.
6. ClicktheEditbutton.
TheBasicIDEappears.Thisiswhereonecanviewandedittheprogramcode.
Thefollowingillustrationshowssomeofthecodeonewouldseebyfollowingthese
instructions.
InstructionsonhowtousetheBasicIDEcanbeopeningOpenOffice.orghelp(Help>
OpenOffice.orgHelp)andchoosingtheContentstab.Fromthere:Macrosand
Programming>GeneralInformationandUserInterfaceUsage>OpenOffice.orgBasic
IDE.
Note:Tools>Macros>OrganizeMacrosalsocontainsentriesforPython,BeanShell,andJavaScript.Theseare
otherlanguagesthatcanbeusedtowriteOpenOffice.orgmacros.Eachlanguagehassamplesforreview.
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TheSampleMacros
ThefollowingsamplemacrosareintheGimmicksmodule.
AutoText
UsetheMainmacro.
ThismacroopensanemptyWriterdocumentandinsertsatableinwhichthenamesofallthe
AutoTextsarelisted.
OnecanprintthedocumenttohaveahandylistoftheavailableAutoTexts.
ChangeAllChars
UsetheChangeAllCharsmacro.
Usethismacroinatextdocumenttoreplacealltextandnumberswiththecharacters"x"and
"X".Thiscanbehelpful,forexample,ifthedocumentistobeusedasatemplatebutthe
originaltextisnottobelegible.
Ifoneeditsthismacro,otherreplacementcharacterscanbedefinedintheprogramcode.
GetTexts
UsetheMainmacro.
Thismacrocarriesoutasearchintheactivedocument(textdocument,spreadsheet,or
drawing)andcompilesalistofthecontents.
Thissamplewillhelptheuserlearnhowtoreferenceobjectsinthedocuments.
ReadDir
UsetheMainmacro.
UsethismacrotoseehowaOpenOffice.orgDrawdocumentcanbefilledwithcontentand
howthecontentsofdirectoriesareread.
Adialogueasksforadirectoryandthenthemacrocreatesagraphiclist(treeview)ofallthe
filesandsubdirectories.
Userfields
UsetheStartChangesUserfieldsmacro.
Thismacrohelpsusersmanageseveralsetsofuserdataandallowsswitchingbackandforth
betweenthem.Thiscanbequitehelpfulwhenmorethanonepersonusesthesamecopyof
OpenOffice.organdeachpersonwantstoseehisorherownuserdatainthefields.
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Chapter11:UsingOpenOffice.orgMath
FormulaEntry
MainViewofOpenOfficeFormula.
Toolbar
Thetoolbarisdividedintotwoparts.
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Theupperpartisforadjustingtheonscreensizeoftheimage.Thelowerpartcontainsan
iconforaninteractivecursor,andaniconforinsertingspecialcharacters.
CommandIconBox
ThecommandiconboxprovidesamethodofwritinganequationusingGUIsimilartoother
wordprocessors.
Theuppertworowsintheiconboxaremenusthatcalltheactualcommandbuttonsintothe
lowerportionofthecommandbox.Thecommandbuttonsareusedtoinserttheappropriate
commandatthecursorpositioninthecommandfield.
CommanddialogueBox
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Thecommanddialogueboxdisplaysthecommandsthatcreatetheequation.Thedialogue
boxcanbeediteddirectly.
CreatinganEquationwithdialogueCommands
Tocreateanequationwithequationeditor,entertheprogrammingcommandsinlogical
sequenceintothedialoguebox.Thecommandsenteredaresimilartothecommandsusedto
generateequationsinTeX(ascientificpublishingformat).
Maintaininglogicalconsistencyofthecommandsenteredintothedialogueboxisimportant.
Thebracketsusedinthedialogueboxmustbematched,forexampleall"("musthavea
corresponding")".
Herearesomeexamples.Ascanbeseen,itisreallysimpletotypeformulaeinthedialogue
box.
CommandInputField
1+1=2
Formula
11= 2
Thenextexampleshowshowroundbrackets()andbraces{}areused.Theparenthesisare
usedwhenitisdesiredtodisplaygroupingintheequation,thebraceisusedtogroupthe
commands,buttonotdisplay.Ifbracesareneededinanequation,thenthelbraceandrbrace
commandsareused.
CommandInputField
(1+2)over(2+3)
{1+2}over{2+3}
lbrace1+2rbraceoverlbrace2+3rbrace
Formula
1 2
2 3
1 2
2 3
{12 }
{ 2 3 }
Hereisamorecomplicatedexample.
CommandInputField
{{1over5}+4}over{5+{4+1}over{3+3+1}}
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4
5
41
5
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SpecialFormating
OfcoursetherearemanyothertypesofgroupingsthatcanbecreatedwithOpenOffice.
Exponentiation:
CommandInputField
2^3
5^(1+3+3^2)
Subscripting:
CommandInputField
2_3
(1over2)_%alpha+4_3
Formula
3
2
5 133
2
Formula
23
1
43
2
Leadingandtrailingsuperscriptandsubscript:
CommandInputField
Formula
2lsub(123)
123 2
2rsub(123)
2 123
123
2lsup(123)
2
123
2rsup(123)
2
209
1
Bilsup{209}+felsup{58}towardMt
Bi 58 fe 266
109 Mt n
lsup{266}lsub{109}+nlsup{1}
Inthelastexample,the'Mt'hasbothleadingsuperscriptandsubscriptapplied.Thisrequires
onlytypingbothcommandsafter'Mt'.
Centresubscript/superscript:
CommandInputField
{24*3}csub(123)
+18csup(plus)(1+2+3+4)csub{minus}
Formula
2 43
123
plus
18 12 3 4
minus
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Underbrace/Overbrace:
CommandInputField
+18underbraceplus(1+2+3+4)underbrace
minus
+18overbraceplus(1+2+3+4)overbrace
minus
Formula
18
23 4
1
plus
plus
minus
minus
18
23 4
1
VarioustypesofBrackets
Inalmostallequationsvarioustypesofbracketsarerequired.OpenOfficeformulaallowsthe
useofseveralkindsofbrackets.
{}structuralbraces:usedtogrouppartsofanequationforprogrammingpurposes.
()Parenthesis:usedtogrouppartsofanequation.Parenthesisaredisplayedinthefinal
equation.
[]squarebrackets:usageisthesameasparenthesis().
{}braces:asthekeyboardcharacters{}areusedforprogramcommandsandarenot
displayedintheresultingformula,bracesmustbetypedaslbracefor'{'andrbracefor'}'
Thesizeofbracketscanbecontrolledwiththecommands'left'and'right'
CommandInputField
(1+22cdot(2over(21)))
left(1+22cdotleft(2over{21}right)right)
leftlbracea^2+b^2=c^2rightrbrace
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2
1 22
21
1 22
{ a 2b 2= c 2 }
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SpecialCharacters
Manyequationsusespecialcharactersinadditiontotheusualcharactersofthealphabet.
OpenofficeprovidesaneasymethodtouseGreekcharacters,whileanyothercharacterin
theavailablefontscanbeused.
TheSigmaappearsinthetoolbarwhenOpenOfficeFormulaisactive.Thisactivatesthe
dialogueforspecialcharacters.
TheGreeklettersandothersymbolscanbeentereddirectlyintothecommanddialoguebox
byenteringthenameofthespecialcharacterprecededby%,forexample%SIGMAproduces
and%mugives .
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SpecialOperators
Thefollowingexamplesshowtheuseofsomespecialoperators
IntegralSign:
CommandInputField
intfrom{0}to{infinity}{a^2over3}="?"
SummationCharacter:
CommandInputField
sgn(%sigma)cdotsumfrom{%SIGMAin
%PHI}{1over{1aleph_%sigma^2}}
ProductCharacter:
CommandInputField
prodfrom{i=1}to{i=100}{{(x_i+1)cdot
x_i^3}over{x_i^21}}="?"
5^(1+3+3^2)
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Formula
2
a
0 3 =?
Formula
sgn
1
2
1
Formula
3
i =100
x i 1x i
i =1
x 2i 1
=?
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VectorsandMatrices
VectorsandMatricesarecreatedbythe'stack'and'matrix'commandsrespectively.These
commandsareusedwiththeoctothorp#toindicateelements,anddoubleoctothorp##to
indicatenewline.Anemptyelementisindicatedbystructuralbraces{}.
Vector
Vectorsarecomposedusingthe'stack'commandasfollows:
CommandInputField
left(stack{A#B#a+b=c}right)
left(stack{alignr1#2}right)+left(stack{2#
3}right)+left(stack{3#1}right)
Formula
A
B
a b= c
1 2 3
2
3
1
Matrix
Matricesarecomposedusingthematrixcommandasfollows:
CommandInputField
left(matrix{1#2##2#3}right)=x
absmatrix{a#b##c#{}}=y
absmatrix{{1over2}#b##c#d}=z
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1 2
=x
2 3
a b
=y
c
1
b
=z
2
c d
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Formatting
TherearesomeadditionalformatingcommandsthatareavailableinOpenOfficeFormula.
Theseallowadjustmentofthesize,colour,andlayoutoftheequation.
Size
Theinstructionsizechangesthesizeoftextintheequation.
CommandInputField
size2{a+b}=size+10{C}
Formula
a b =
Colour
Theinstructioncolourchangesthecolourofthetextintheequation.
coloursavailablearered,blue,green,yellow,white,andblack(default),
CommandInputField
colourblueA
left(matrix{{colourred1}#{colourblue2}
##{colourgreen3}#4}right)=colourblack
{x}
Formula
A
1 2 =x
3 4
Layout
Varioustextformatingcommandsareavailabletochangethelayout.
CommandInputField
bold{"bold"}newline"newline"
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Alignment
Thealignmentcommandsareavailabletochangethepositionoftheelementsofanequation
withrespecttoeachother.
CommandInputField
stack{alignra={}#alignrb+c+d={}}
stack{alignl12#alignlb^22}
5^(1+3+3^2)
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a= 12
b c d = b 22
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Examples
Nowforthecomplicatedexamples:
CommandInputField
nroot{4}{nroot{3}{1over3+x^2}}
ldlineR_%alphardline=leftldlinematrix{sin
%alpha#cos%alpha##cos%alpha#sin
%alpha}rightrdline
{partialover{partialt}x(t)}+a(x)=%lambdacdot
F(x,t)
matrix{
a_11#a_12#dotsaxis#a_{"1m"}##
a_21#a_22#dotsaxis#a_{"2m"}##
dotsvert#dotsvert#dotsdown#dotsvert##
a_{"n1"}#a_{"n2"}#dotsaxis#a_{"nm"}
}
sqrt{1x}=1xover21over2x^2over4
dotslow
t=size+6intfrom{r_0}to{r_t}size8{drover
sqrt{2over%my[E_cmV(r)]l^2over{
%my^2r^2}}}
Formula
1
2
x
3
sin cos
R =
cos sin
x t a x = F x , t
t
a 11 a 12 a 1m
a 21 a 22 a 2m
a n1 a n2 a nm
4 3
x 1 x2
1 x =1 2 2 4
rt
t=
r0
left(stack{n#k}right)=factnover{factkcdot
fact(nk)}
f(x)=leftlbracematrix{1#xinsetZ##1overx
#xinsetQ##0#xinsetR}rightnone
[a;a_0,a_1,a_2,dotslow]=a+{1over{a_0+1over
{a_1+{1over{a_2+1overdotslow}}}}}
dr
2
2
l
[ E V r ] 2 2
my cm
my r
n!
n=
k k ! n k !
1 x
f x= 1 x
x
0 x
1
[ a ; a 0, a1, a 2, ]= a
a 0
a 1
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Chapter12:BuildingFormswithXforms
Chapter12:BuildingFormswithXforms
OpenOffice.org2.0nowallowstocreateformsbasedontheopenW3CXFormsstandard.
WithXFormsitisveryeasytoimplementsimplelogicwithoutanyprogramming.
Thissimpleexampledescribescreationofaformsdocumentwhichcanbeusedtocreateand
collectdatasetsofapredefinedstructureinordertoexchangethisdatawithotherparties.
1. Usercreatesanewdocumentasshownabove.
2. Useraddsformcontrolsandlaysoutofthedocument.
3. Whenlayoutiscompleted,,theusercanstarttoworkonthepropertiesoftheindividual
formcontrols.Thefirststepisbindingthecontrolstotheirrespectivecounterpartsin
theinstancedata.
4. Asubmissioncontrolisaddedbytheuser.Normallytheinstancedataissavedtogether
withthedocumentortoalinkedinstance.Byusingasubmitbutton,theinstancedata
canbesenttoaserver,toanemailrecipientorbesavedtoafile.
5. Theusercannowswitchoffdesignmodeforuse.Wherethefinishedformistobe
sharedwithothers,theusershouldalsosettheformtoopeninusagemodebydefault.
StepbyStepProcedure
1. StartwithFile>New>XMLFormDocumentasshownbelow:
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2. ThenUseView>ToolbarsandensurethattheFormControlandFormDesignbars
arechecked.
Usersmaydockanythatarefloating.
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Chapter12:BuildingFormswithXforms
3. EnsurethatDataNavigatorisenabledasshownbelow.
4. Edittheformandaddtextboxesforthosefieldsthatareneeded.
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5. Selectoneofthetextboxesandrightclicktobringupthecontextmenu.Select
Control.
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6. Adffix
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Chapter12:BuildingFormswithXforms
7. UsetheDataNavigatorthatwasmentionedearlier.Underthe"Bindings"tabthe
definedbindingsshouldbevisibleandthedefaultmodelshouldbelistedinthe
comboboxontheleftsideofthe"Models"button.IntheDataNavigatorpicka
binding,doarightclickandselectedit:
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Chapter12:BuildingFormswithXforms
8. Inthisdialogue,selectthesettingsneeded.Forthisexample,theseareDecimalas
theDataTypeandthatdataentryismandatory.
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9. NowdeselectDesignmodesothattheformmaybetestedinRunmode.
10. Enterdatainthefields.Noteinthegraphicbelow,theredframeandtheerror
messageindicatethatthefAMountfieldsismandatoryandmustfilledin:
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11. Becauseoneusuallywantstodosomethingwiththedatafromtheform,itis
importanttoadda"Submission".Thereforetogglebacktothedesignmode,goto
theDataNavigatoragainthenclickonthe"Submission"tabandclicktheAdd
icon:
12. Next,filloutthe"AddSubmission"dialogueasshownbelow.Inthisexample
dataissimplysavedtoafile.Usersmayemploymorecomplicatedmethodsassuits
requirements.
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13. ToggleDesignOn/OfftoOffandtest.
14. Thisgraphicshowsthecontentofthesubmitasstoredinthefilesspecifiedabove.
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Chapter12:BuildingFormswithXforms
UsingXformsandfurtherxmlprocessingcanthusproduceveryusablereportsetcetera.
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Chapter13:XmlEnhancements
Chapter13:XmlEnhancements
ThissectioncontainshintsandtipsforusingTools>XMLFilterSettingstocreatenew
filters.
FlatXMLfilter
TherearetwodifferentwaystogetOpenOffice.orgtooutputFlatXmlfiles:
1. UsingthemethodfromtheSDK(Seehttp://api.openoffice.org/)
2. UsingTools>XMLFilterSettings
OutputtingFlatXMLfilesandimportingthemisfairlystraightforwardwiththebuiltintool.
ThefollowingisastepbystepprocedurethatwillletonesaveandopenflatXMLfiles:
1. ClickonTools>XMLFilterSettings
2. ClickonNew
3. Enteranysettingsasshowninthefollowingillustrations:
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4.
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Chapter13:XmlEnhancements
5. Testthefilterusingthecurrentdocument.BAdisplaywillopenthatprovidesoutput
similartothefollowing:
<?xmlversion="1.0"encoding="UTF8"?><office:document
xmlns:office="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:offic
e:1.0"
xmlns:style="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:style:
1.0"
xmlns:text="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:text:1.
0"
xmlns:table="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:table:
1.0"
xmlns:draw="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:drawing
:1.0"
xmlns:fo="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:xslfo
compatible:1.0"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:meta="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:meta:1.
0"
xmlns:number="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:datas
tyle:1.0"
xmlns:svg="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:svg
compatible:1.0"
xmlns:chart="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:chart:
1.0"
xmlns:dr3d="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:dr3d:1.
0"xmlns:math="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"
xmlns:form="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:form:1.
0"
xmlns:script="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:scrip
t:1.0"
xmlns:config="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:confi
g:1.0"xmlns:ooo="http://openoffice.org/2004/office"
xmlns:ooow="http://openoffice.org/2004/writer"
xmlns:oooc="http://openoffice.org/2004/calc"
xmlns:dom="http://www.w3.org/2001/xmlevents"
xmlns:xforms="http://www.w3.org/2002/xforms"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchemainstance"
office:version="1.0"office:mimetype="application/x
vnd.oasis.openoffice.text">
<office:meta>
<meta:generator>OpenOffice.org/2.0$Linux
OpenOffice.org_project/680m3$Build8968
</meta:generator>
<dc:title>UsingDataSources</dc:title>
<meta:initialcreator>Ian
Laurenson</meta:initialcreator>
...
6. UseSaveAsandselecttheFlatfilterfromthelist.
OfcourseoneneedstosupplyanXSLTfiletoprovidetheinstructionsneededtodothe
conversion.Hereisasimpleexamplethatcanbeusedanditisthethecontentofthefile
simple.xslthatwasusedabove.:
<xsl:stylesheetversion="1.0"
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
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Chapter13:XmlEnhancements
<xsl:stripspaceelements="*"/>
<xsl:templatematch="/">
<xsl:copyofselect="."/>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:outputmethod="xml"indent="yes"/>
</xsl:stylesheet>
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CreatinganewDocbookFilter
GotoTools>XMLFilterSettings...
SetFilterNameandNameofFileTypetoDocBook(Chapter)
GototheTransformationtab
SetDocTypeto<chapter>
ForXSLTforExportbrowsetothechapterexportstylesheet
(sofftodocbookheadings_chapter.xsl).
ForXSLTforImportbrowsetothechapterimportstylesheet
(docbooktosoffheadings.xsl).
ForTemplateforImportbrowsetothestyletemplate(DocBookTemplate.stw).
ClickOKandclosetheXSLTFilterSettingdialog
Intheabovelist,theexportandimportstylesheetsareswappedasfollows:
ForXSLTforExportbrowsetothechapterstylesheet
(sofftodocbookheadings_chapter.xsl).
ForXSLTforImportbrowsetothechapterstylesheet(docbooktosoffheadings.xsl).
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Chapter14:TroubleshootingCommonProblems
Chapter14:TroubleshootingCommonProblems
ErrorMessagecontainsGetStorage:"NoContent"
Thefullerrormessagereads:
OpenOfficecannotbestar tedduetoanerrorinaccessingthe
OpenOffice.orgconfigurationdata.
Pleasecontactyoursystemadministrato r.
Thefollowinginternalerrorhasoccurred:GetStorage:"NoContent"
ThereasonthismessageoftenoccursisbecausethereisafilecalledCommon.xcuthat
sometimesgetscorrupted.Inmostcases,itseemsthatthisfilesometimesendsupbeing
filledwith0sandtheproblemseemstooccurmoreoftenunderWindows,possiblyasa
resultofacrashorimproperexitwhileOpenOffice.orgwasopen.
UnderWindows
TolocatethisfileunderWindows,itiseasiesttouseWindowsExplorer'sFindfunction
(sometimescalledSearch).
Multiuserinstallations:
WhereOpenOffice.orgisinstalledasmultiuserunderWindowsNT/W2k/XP,thisfileis
likelytobeinaspecialsystemuserdirectory.Therefore,havingadministratorrightsand
enablingtheoptiontoviewsystemdirectoriesinExplorerisessentialbeforeusingtheFind
function.Thisparticularfileshouldbefoundin
C:\DocumentsandSettings\user\ApplicationData\OpenOffice.org<release>\<user>\regi
stry\data\org\openoffice\Office\Common.xcuwhere<user>isanactualusernameand
<release>isthereleaseofOpenOffice.org.
Oncethefileislocated,simplyrenamethefile(forexampletosomethinglike
Common.xcu.old).NowrestartOpenOffice.org,anewCommon.xcuiscreatedandthe
problemshouldhavedisappeared.
Singleuserinstallations:
WhereOpenOffice.orgisinstalledforasingleuser,thisfileislikelytobein
C:\ProgramFiles\OpenOffice.org<release>\<user>\registry\data\org\openoffice\Office
\Common.xcuwhere<user>isanactualusernameand<release>isthereleaseof
OpenOffice.org..However,iftheOSisNT/W2k/XP,.thisfilecouldstillbeinaspecial
systemuserdirectory.Therefore,havingadministratorrightsandenablingtheoptiontoview
systemdirectoriesinExplorerisessentialbeforeusingtheFindfunction.ForWindows
95/98/ME,thelocationshouldbeasmentionedabove.
Again,oncethefileislocated,simplyrenamethefile(forexampletosomethinglike
Common.xcu.old).NowrestartOpenOffice.org,anewCommon.xcuiscreatedandthe
problemshouldhavedisappeared.
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Note:thattheremaybefilescalledCommon.xcuunderpathssuchasC:\<some
path>\.OpenOffice.org<release>\share\registry\......etceterawhere<release>
isthereleaseofOpenOffice.org..DoNOTdeletethesefiles!
UNIXsystems
ThedefaultlocationofthisfileunderaUNIXinstallation(singleormultiuser)is$HOME/
.openoffice.org<release>/user/registry/data/org/openoffice/Office/Common.xc
uwhere$HOMEistheuser'shomedirectory.Asabove,simplyrenamethefile(forexample
tosomethinglikeCommon.xcu.old)andrestartOpenOffice.org.AnewCommon.xcuis
createdandtheproblemshouldhavedisappeared.
Outlinenumberingisnotretainedafterasave.
Thisisissue27534whichisfixedinrelease1.1.4.However,indocumentsgeneratedby
OpenOffice.org1.1.0upto1.1.3,onemustemployaworkaroundtoachieveexpected
behaviour.Theproblemisthatalineinsettings.xml.isbeingsetincorrectlywhena
documentissaved.Unfortunatelytheonlywaytofixthisistomanuallyeditthe.sxwfile.
Thefollowingprovidesaproceduretofollow:
1. Makeatemporarydirectoryinwhichtounzipthe.sxwfile.Forexample,my_text.
2. Changeintothisdirectory.
3. Useunziporsimilarzipfileutilitytounpackthedocumentfilethatisnotretainingits
numbering.
4. Editsettings.xmlandlocatethelineinitthatlookslikethefollowing:
<config:configitemconfig:name="UseOldNumbering"
config:type="boolean">false</config:configitem>
5. Setthevaluefrom'false'to'true'.
6. Nowusingziporsimilarutility,repackthefilesinthetemporarydirectoryunderanew
nameandgiveitthe.sxwextension.UnderLinuxthecommandcouldbe:
ziprmy_new_fixed_document.sxw*
7. OpenthefixeddocumentinOpenOffice.organdcheckthatnumberingiswhatiswanted.
IfacopyofStarOffice6.0isavailable,onecangetthesameeffectbyopeningandsavingthe
documentinStarOffice6.0.Bydoingso,thislinewillberemovedtotally.Likewise
OpenOffice.org1.0mightalsowork.
Ineithercase,whenthedocumentisopenedusingOpenOffice1.1.x,theline,described
above,isaddedwithvalue'true';sothatwillbenofurtherproblemswithoutline
numbering.
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Howgetthepagecounttonotcountatitlepage?
OrHowdoIoffsetthepagecount?
Ifonehasatitlepageorcoverpageinthedocument,Writer's"pagecount"fieldstillcounts
thosepagesandwillbetoohigh.
Unfortunately,thereisnowaytooffsetthe"pagecount"field.Thususingaformula,instead,
willinserttheproperpagecount.Here'stheprocedure:
1. Placethecursorwheretoinserttheoffsetpagecount(perhapsintehheader).
2. PresstheF2keytobringuptheformulabar.Typeintheformula"=page1"(the
"="willalreadybeinthere).The"page"variableisthenumberofpagesinthe
document,notthepagecurrentlyselected.Subtractthenumberofpagesthatshould
notbecountedinthepagecount(inthisexample,1,foratitlepage).
3. PresstheEnterkeytoinserttheformula.
4. ChooseTools>Update>Fieldsfromthemenu(orpressF9)toforcetheformulato
refresh.(Otherwise,thepagecountformulawilljustbe0.)
5. Toeditthisformulaagainlater,placetecursorimmediatelybeforetheformula,and
pressF2.
Note:Everytimethepagecountchanges,refreshtheformulaagain.
Whattodowhendocumentprintsorexportswithblankpages
Thisisissueisaffectedbythebookcentricparadigmofleft/right,even/oddpagesthatisso
deeplyingrainedintoOpenOffice.orgthatitappliesevenwhenusingnothingbutthe
Defaultpagestyle.
1. CreateaTitlepagestylefromDefaultorFirstPage.
2. LayouttheTitlepagehoweveritneedstolook.
3. Next,selectInsert>ManualBreak..andspecifyNextStyleas"FirstPage",
numbered1.Thisresultsinthephantompagewhichthefollowingstepswillcorrect.
4. SelecttheStylesandFormattingwindowandmodifytheFirstpagestylelayouttobe
"LeftOnly".
5. Thestatusbarwillnowshow"Page12/2",whichiswhatiswanted.Thepagestyle
followingFirstPageisdefaultandthepagenumberingwillproceedwithoutsurprises
fromthere.
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WhattotodowithaGeneralerrorGeneralinput/outputerror
Thiserrormessageindicatesthatthefilesscript.xlcanddialog.xlc,could
bemissingorcorrupted.Lookfortheminthedirectory
$HOME/.openoffice.org2/user/basicunder*NIX
or,underWindows
C:\DocumentandSettings\<username>\ApplicationData\OpenOffice.org<release>\user\basic.
Tofixtheproblem,tryexitingOpenOffice.org(includingtheQuickstarter,ifany)andcopy
thesefromthedirectory<where_OOo_is_installed>/presets/basic/under
*NIX,
or,under
Windows,from
C:\ProgramFiles\OpenOffice.org<release>\presets\basic
to
C:\DocumentsandSettings\<username>\ApplicationData\OpenOffice.org
<release>\user\basic
Note:Tobeabsolutelysafe,onecouldalsodeletethelocalsettingsdirectory;however,.thepenaltyfordoingthis
isthatitispossibletoloseallpersonalsettingsandcustomizations.
HowtorecovercontentfromaOpenoffice.orgfile
Thefollowingsetofinstructionsmayormaynotwork,dependingonhowbablydamaged
thefilehasbecome.Thestepsoutlinedassumetheuserhassomebasictechnicalskillsas
theseareneededinthisinstance.Prerequisitesforusingthismethodare:
a) AziputilitysuchasZipformostplatformsorWinZipforWindowsandsimilartools
b) Sufficientdiskspacetoallowmultiplecopies
c) Patience
StepsforrecoveringadamagedOpenoffice.orgfile:
1. Makeabackupofthefile
2. Createadirectoryinwhichtowork
3. UsetheziputilityofyourchoicetoopenthedamagedOpenoffice.orgfileandunpack
itintothedirectorycreatedinstep2.
NOTE:sometimeschangingtheextensionoftheOpenoffice.orgfiletozipisrequired.
4. UseOpenoffice.orgtocreateanewemptyfileofthesametypeasthedamagedone
andsaveit.
5. RepeatSteps2and3withthenewemptyfile.
6. Replacethecontents.xmlfileinthedirectorycreatedinStep5withthe
contents.xmlfromthedamagedfileunpackedinStep3.
7. Usetheziputilitytorepackagethefilesanddirectoriesinthedirectorycreatedin
Step6.
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8. Renamethenewzipfilewiththeextensionusedwiththeoriginalfile.
9. OpenthenewfileinOpenoffice.organdfixanyformattingproblemsincluding
insertinggraphics,Userscangetthesefromtheappropriatesubdirectoryofthe
directorycreatedinStep3.
10. Ifthecontentsisrecoveredusingthismethod,cleanup.
11. Openoffice.orghasagoodrecoverymechanismandusersshouldensureitisenabled
bygoingtoTools>Options>Openoffice.org>Load/Saveandenablingthe
following:
a) Alwayscreateabackup
b) Save AutoRecovery information everyandselecttheintervalfrom
thespinbox.
HowtogetsoundsunderLinux?
NOTE:Thissectionisunderconstruction.Pleaseusewithcaution.
Overview
OpenOffice.org2.x,underLinuxandpossiblyother*NIXvariants,requirestheJavaMedia
Framework(JMF)torendermediasuchasfilmandsoundunderLinux.
Thissectionofthetroubleshootingchapterwilloutline
InstallingtheJavaMediaFramework(JMF)
ConfiguringtheJMFunderOpenOffice.organdmakingitusable
InstallationofadditionalJMFPluginsthatsupportfurthermediatypes
WindowsusersemployWindowstheDirectShowpartofDirectX.
Starting
Getthefollowingcomponents:
JavaruntimeEnvironment(JRE)
TheJREisthebasisforMediasupportinOpenOffice.orgaswellasBase.Itisnot
necessarytouseSun'sJREasotherJREscanemploythebuiltinhook,Howevernon
SunJREsmaynotimplementthefullJavaAPIsoshouldbetested..
Fourdifferentdownloadformatsareavailable.ChoosetheonethatsuitesyourOSand
environment.Allformatswillunpackfiles.Forexample,ifthesystemusesaRPMbased
distribution,taketheRPMpackage.Otherwise,takeoneoftheotherpackagesthatis
mostsuitable.
JavaMediaFramework(JMF)
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TheJMFprovidestheframeworkforrenderingmediainOpenOffice.org.Outofthebox,
itsupportsonlyalimitedsetofmediaformats.Mediatypeswhicharemissinginthe
actualJMFcanbeaddedviaPlugins.
JMFMP3Plugin(optional)
TheMP3PluginallowsplayingaudioinMP3FormatviaJMFand,thus,with
OpenOffice.org.
JffmpegacodecpackfortheJMF(optional)
Jffmpegisacodecpack,whichextendstheJMFtoincludemanymoremediumtypes.
WithJffmpegalloftheFFmpegproject(libavcodec)supportedmediumtypesare
playable.
InstallingtheJRE
Installationinstructionsaregivenwhenyouselectthedownload.See
http://www.java.com/en/download/
ActivatingtheJREinOpenOffice.org
OncetheJREisinstalled,startOpenOffice.organdopenTools>Options>OpenOffice.org
>Javadialoguewhichwilllooksomethinglikethefollowinggraphic.
DowaitabitforOpenOffice.orgtolocateanyinstalledJREsandlistthem.Inthecasewhere
theJREisinstalledinalocationotherthanthestandardlocationof/usr/java/,clickthe
AddbuttonandsetthepathtowherevertheJREisinstalled.ThenewJREshouldnowbe
listedinthedialogue.
InstallatingtheJMF
1. DoreviewtheLicenseAgreementfortheJMF.Wherepossible,installthe
PerformancePack.When,installingthesoftware,executeallcommandsastheroot
user.InstallationasauserlimitsuseoftheJMFtothatuser.
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2. EditthesofficeexecutablethatisusedtoinvokeOpenOffice.org(maybe
/opt/openoffice.org2.0/program/soffice)andaddthefollowingnearorat
else
LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$sd_prog$add_moz_lib"
fi
soitlookslikethis:
else
LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$sd_prog$add_moz_lib:$JMFHOME/lib"
fi
rememberingtosubstitute$JMFHOMEwiththepathtowhereJMFisinstalledandsave
thefile.
IntegrationoftheJMFinOpenOffice.org
AroundtheJMFtousetobeablethefilemustbeaddedjmf.jartotheClasspathofthe
Office.SelectinadditioninExtras|Optionen>OpenOffice.org>JavatheButtonClassPath.
Intheappearingdialogueselecttheswitchingsurfacearchivesadd.Changeintothesublist
libtheJMF.Selectjmf.jarandleaveyouthedialogueswithOKONE.Start
OpenOffice.orgagainlikeitthemessagerequired.
TheJMFnotexclusivelyconsistsofJavacomponents.Atleastwiththeperformancepack
somecomponentsareprovidedasnativeLIBRARies.Thesearchpathfortheruntime
librariesmustbeadaptedaccordingly.Inadditionyoumustsettheenvironmentvariable
LD_LIBRARY_PATH.AsisthecasefortheClasspathalsotheLD_LIBRARY_PATHisa
listfrompathdatabyacolonfromeachotherseparatedis.
Theinstructionlooksasfollowsout:
$exportLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/pfad/zu/JMF2.1.1e/lib
StartnowOpenOffice.orgbymeansofsoffice.Ifyoumadecorrecteverythingrepresentto
MultimediainhalteinOOonomoreproblem.
Theycantransfertheinstructionalsotothesofficescript,thenyoudonotneedtoenterthe
instruction.AlternativelytoityoucanbuilditalsointotheirotherStartup/LoginSkripte.
Afirsttest
OvertotestwhethertheinstallationoftheJMFwassofarsuccessfulstartsyou
OpenOffice.organdopensanemptydocument.OpentheGallery(Extras|Gallery)andclick
youdoublyonanentryfromtherangeofsounds.TheMediaPlayershouldappearand
playtheselectedfile.
Iftheyheartheclay/tone,thencongratulations!thefirsthurdleistaken:)
(asexamplevideoyoucane.g.invitemotorcyclethevideo(~1.1MB)touse)
Afterallthesestepsyouprovidedthebasicstructure.Alreadymanyaudioandvideoformats
function,shouldyouhowevertosupportforfurtherformatsneed,thenyoureadonsimply.
ExplainedinthefollowingsectionslikeonetheJMFrigs.
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InstallationofanadditionalPlugins:Themp3Plugin
TheJMFsupportedsomemediumtypes,manymustberetooledhoweveronly.Simplyto
retoolistheMP3Untersttzung.ButtherearealreadyaPluginwhichyoubytheJMFside
downloadedcan.
Downloadyourselvesthusthemp3pluginofhttp://java.sun.com/products/java
media/jmf/mp3/download.html.ThePluginisdrivenoutinformofZiparchives,which
containtheactualfiles.Whereyouthemp3pluginunpackareforOpenOffice.orgwithout
meaningforOOoonlytheClassPathattitudeintheoptionscounts.Itisrecommendable
thatyoucopythePluginintoalistinglib/extordirectlyintolibthelistingoftheJMF.
Completelysimplybecauseonehastheneverythingtogetherwhichbelongedtogether.They
knowthePluginnaturallyalsointothelistinglib/exttheJREtoinstall.Theyhavetheagony
ofthechoice.:)
RegistrationofthePluginsintheJMF
Sothatthemp3pluginintheJMFcanbeused,youmustregisterthePluginintheJMF.
Forregistrationyouimplementthefollowingsteps:
Openaterminalwindow
theenvironmentvariableCLASSPATHset,sothatinitbothjmf.jarandthemp3plugin.jar
areindicated:
$exportCLASSPATH=/pfad/zu/jmf.jar:/pfad/zu/mp3plugin.jar
(Thepathsareseparatedbyacolon)
theactualregistrationcommandimplement:
javacom.sun.media.codec.audio.mp3.JavaDecoder
Fortheconclusionoftheregistrationyouaretoreceiveregisteredonesasonlymessage
succesfully.Everyothermessageisanindicationofanerror.
Note:IfyouinstalledtheJMFasroots,youmustlikewiseregisterthePluginasroots.
OtherwisetheconfigurationfileoftheJMFcannotbeupdated.
HeretheprocedureisheldinascreenSHOT.Installedinthisexamplethemp3plugin.jaras
abovementionedintoaUnterordnerlib/exttheJMF.
IntegrationofthePluginsinOpenOffice.org
Ifyouaddthefilemp3plugin.jar,howdescribedwiththeinstallationoftheJMF,the
ClasspathofOpenOffice.orginaddition(Extras|Optionen>OpenOffice.org>Java,switching
surfaceClassPath,thenaddsarchives)
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Timeforthesecondtest
AfteryouOpenOffice.orgtohavIntegrationofthePluginsinOpenOffice.orgeagainstarted
cantestyounowtheMP3Untersttzung.OpeninadditionfortheMediaplayeroverExtras|
Mediaplayerandopenyouamp3Datei.Thefileshouldbeplayednow.
InstallationofafurtherPlugins:Jffmpeg
Nowitbecomessomewhatmorecomplex.StilltheJMFdoesnothaveasupportforoggor
variousvideocodecs.Thatisnowchanged.LoadyourselvesJffmpegfromtheside
http://jffmpeg.sourceforge.net/download.htmldown(youfollowtheleftJffmpegdownload
PAGE).
Jffmpegconsistsoftwoparts:AJMFcomponentandasystemcomponent.TheJMF
componentsupportednotyetallformatslibavcodec(FFMPEG)supported,thesystem
componentclosesthisgapandservesforitsimplythenormalsystembinariestoheadfor
(formatssupportoverviewthatofJffmpeg).Loadthusbothdown(bothjffmpeg1.0.0.jarand
libjffmpeg1.0.0.so).Againitisallthesameinthereasonwhereyouthefilesstores,I
recommendslikealsowiththemp3pluginthesublistlib/exttheJMF
Note:Designatethefileafterlibjffmpeg1.0.0.solibjffmpeg.soover,sincethemare
otherwisenotloaded.
RegistrationofthePluginsintheJMF
Asthemp3PluginmustbeannouncedalsotheJffmpegPluginattheJMF.Thisissomewhat
morecomplexthanwiththemp3Plugin,becausethejffmpegPlugindoesnotprovidea
registrationfunction.Thenecessaryattitudesmustimplementyoubyhand.Thatistobe
createdhowevernowitchworkandalsofrominexperiencedusersto:)
AroundthePlugintoregisteryouimplementthefollowingsteps:
aterminalopen
theenvironmentvariableCLASSPATHset,sothatinitarchivesjffmpeg1.0.0.jarare
contained(archivesjmf.jarareaddedautomaticallybytheProgramjmfregistry):
$exportCLASSPATH=/pfad/zu/jffmpeg1.0.0.jar
theProgramjmfregistryimplement(isintheUnterordneraretheJMF
/pfad/zu/jmfregistry
Example:
$CD~/JMF2.1.1e/
$exportCLASSPATH=./lib/ext/jffmpeg1.0.0.jar
$./bin/jmfregistry
Intheprogramjmfregistrynowthefollowingattitudesmustbetransacted:
AddthefollowingentriesintheriderMIMEoftype:
video/vob>vob
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audio/ogg>ogg
AddthefollowingentriesintheriderPluginsunderDemultiplexer
net.sourceforge.jffmpeg.demux.vob.VobDemux
net.sourceforge.jffmpeg.demux.ogg.OggDemux
AddthefollowingentriesintheriderPluginsundercodecs
morenet.sourceforge.jffmpeg.VideoDecoder
morenet.sourceforge.jffmpeg.AudioDecoder
CommitdonotforgettoalsoalwaysoperatetheButton!
IntegrationofthePluginsinOpenOffice.org
Ifyouaddthefilejffmpeg1.0.0.jartheClasspathofOpenOffice.org,asdescribedwiththe
installationoftheJMF(Extras|Optionen>OpenOffice.org>Java,switchingsurfaceClass
Path,thenarchivesadd)
AroundallcodecsoftheJffmpegpackagetousetobeableyoumustusethenative
component.InadditiononemusttakeupittotheLIBRARYPathalso(naturallytohavealso
theffmpegpackagestobeinstalled).Likeonethepathforruntimelibrariessetsyoualready
furtheraboveexperienced(withtheJMFinstallation).Addsimplythepathinadditioninthat
youthenativelibrary(libjffmpeg.so)stored.IfyouhavetheJffmpegLIBRARYinthe
Unterordnerlib/exttheJMFinstalled,thentheinstructionreadsnow
$exportLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/pfad/zu/JMF2.1.1e/lib:/pfad/zu/JMF2.1.1e/lib/ext
AgainyouhavethepossibilitythepathintoOpenOffice.orgstartingscriptorintoyour
Loginskripteofregistering.
Timeforthethirdtest
AfterarestartofOpenOffice.orgyoucantestnowtheOGGsupport.Openinadditionforthe
MediaplayeroverExtras|Mediaplayerandopenyouaoggfile.Thefileshouldbeplayed
now.
Note:Ifnecessaryyoumustbeabletoselectthefilteroftypeoffileonallfiles(*.*)to
placetherebyyouaoggfile.
Functionedthat,thenyoucreatedit.WiththecombinationofJMFandffmpegyoucanplay
now(nearly)everything.
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Whattodoifitfails?
Onlynopanic,theproblemcanbesurelysolved.Turntoourmailinglist
users@openoffice.org.Considerthefollowingreferences:
Useameaningfulreference
Describe*genau*whichyoualreadytried.Areproceededlikethatasdescribedinthe
guidanceistooinaccurate.Describestepbystepwhichyouwhereadjusted
Describewithwhichactiontheproblemarise
Iftheproblemconcernsonlycertainfiles,sendalefttothefilewith(innocasetothe
mailinglistsendthefile!)
Donotforgetalsotheinformationtotheusedsystem(distribution,JREversion,etc.)
HowtoopenMicrosoftWorksDocumentsinOpenOffice.org2.x
MattGodfreyhascontributedthisworkaroundforWorksusers.
Afterhoursoftinkering,hereisafreeworkaroundtoget.wpsfilesintoOpenOffice.org2.x
ThishasbeentestedandisworkingonWindows,XPand2000,withOpenOffice.org2.x.
Pleaseverifyandreportanysuccessorproblemstodev@documentation.openoffice.orgfor
forwardingtotheauthor.
Herearethesteps:
1. Downloadandinstallthefree,asof20060715,"WordViewer2003"from
Microsoft
2. Downloadandinstallthefree,asof20060715,"Works6.0ConverterforWorks
andWordUsers"fromMicrosoft.
3. Installboth.
4. StartMicrosoftOfficeWordViewer2003fromtheStart>(All)Programsmenu.
5. Anopendialogueappears.Atthebottomofthisdialogueensurethatthe"Files of
type"issetto"All Files(*.*)".
6. Nowbrowsetoyour.wpsfileandselectit
7. Clickopen.Awarningdialoguewillappear.Ifyoutrustthisfileetcetera,clickyes
andlikemagicyour.wpswillopen!.
8. Selectall>editcopy>.
9. NowopenOpenOffice.org2.xwriteranddoeditpaste.
10. YoushouldnowbelookingatyourdocinOpenOffice.org2.x.
11. ChooseSaveasfromthefilemenuandsaveyourdocumenttoyourpreferredformat.
Youarenowgoodtogo!
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Index
Index
Thisindexisaworkinprogressandpagenumbersmayormaynotbecorrectinthedraft.
Theyareaguideonly.
1
2
3
aligning.............................................................................
cells..........................................................................212
1/2 replacement...........................................................214 objects.............................................................xviii, 315
titles in charts....................................................xiv, 238
alphabetical indexes.............................................viii, 117
2D charts selection......................................................237 anchoring..........................................................................
objects......................................................................156
anchors..............................................................................
3D charts........................................................................... changing. .134, 150, 151, 156, 162, 168, 169, 185, 188,
402, 403
inserting....................................................................236
selecting...................................................................237 animating text...............................................vii, 104, 105
views....................................................................7, 237 appearance options.............................................xxii, 396
3D text creation...........................................................318 applying............................................................................
languages, to selected text..........................................34
A
abbreviation replacement..................................42, 43, 98
abbreviations.................................................................97
accents...........................................................................60
areas..................................................................................
fill.............................................................vii, 77, 83, 94
patterns.............................................................104, 224
shaded................................................................xx, 346
shadows......................................66, 109, 185, 307, 346
slanting.....................................................................314
transparency.....................................333, 338, 340, 342
accessibility.......................................................................
shortcuts........6, 19, 20, 28, 44, 60, 65, 71, 72, 97, 112,
151, 180, 212, 285, 292, 384, 392, 393, 405
arranging...........................................................................
adding............................................................................... headings............................................................viii, 113
backgrounds........xvi, xix, xxii, 66, 104, 141, 142, 162, assigning scripts..........................................xxii, 392, 393
166, 183, 187, 224, 226, 234, 236, 238, 274, 280,
attachments in e-mails..............................................ii, 27
288, 289, 290, 298, 299, 307, 312, 315, 324, 333,
338, 340, 353, 370, 371, 384, 400
AutoAbstract function for sending text to presentations. .
bullets..................viii, 81, 125, 126, 127, 128, 136, 137 406
buttons in toolbars............................................xxii, 394 AutoComplete function in text and list boxes.......vii, 98,
captions........................................x, 129, 130, 157, 158 100, 391
command buttons.....xxi, 368, 369, 370, 371, 373, 382, AutoCorrect function........................................................
383, 384, 385, 386, 435
adding exceptions..............................................vii, 100
conditions for XForm items........................5, xxvi, 435
options........................................................................42
hyperlinks.......................................................v, 63, 123
replacement table.........................................42, 96, 171
line numbers........................................................ix, 138
switching on and off...........................................95, 100
objects from Gallery.....x, xxii, 58, 159, 160, 237, 285,
URL recognition...................................................iii, 42
309, 324, 343, 362, 399, 400
textures on chart bars........................................xiv, 239 word completion....................................................v, 60
address books.................................................................... AutoFormat function.........................................................
registering................................................................379 applying to text tables.......................................xiii, 224
switching on and off.............................................iii, 40
address labels from databases................................xi, 179 text documents......................................................iii, 40
ADO databases...................................................365, 379 Automatic .................................................32, 33, 96, 171
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automatic bullets.........................................................128
automatic captions..............................................129, 157
automatic changes on/off......................................95, 100
automatic hyperlink formatting...............................iii, 42
automatic hyphenation in text.....xi, xii, 34, 65, 171, 172,
190
bullets................................................................................
adding and editing......................................................81
automatic............................................................40, 128
automatic saving.....................................................22, 23 formatting options....................................................126
Automatic Spellcheck...............iii, vii, xi, 32, 33, 96, 171 in imported lists................................................viii, 136
replacing.....................................................................40
automatic word completion..........................................60
turning on and off.............................................viii, 125
AutoShapes feature in Microsoft Office......................i, 3
business cards...................................................................
AutoText.......vii, xxv, 43, 97, 98, 99, 100, 421, 422, 423 creating and synchronizing.........................xi, 177, 178
axes................................................................................... buttons...............................................................................
editing...............................................................xiv, 239 big/small...................................................................395
scaling .....................................................................239 changing view..................................................xxii, 395
automatic numbering........................................................
of objects...........................................viii, 100, 125, 137
backgrounds......................................................................
colour..........................66, 141, 162, 183, 187, 274, 384C
for cells and pages.............................................xiv, 226 calculating.........................................................................
for slides...................................................................288 across multiple text tables............................x, 150, 151
graphics....................................................xxii, 187, 400 complex calculation.................................................145
style..................................................................288, 299 in text......................................ix, x, 143, 145, 146, 150
backups.............................................................................
automatic................................................................ii, 23
Base................................................................................... callouts..............................................................................
Data Sources......5, xx, xxi, 25, 57, 240, 247, 364, 376, draw objects....................................................xviii, 318
377, 378, 379, 380, 449
properties........................................................xviii, 318
Basic................................................................................. capital letters.....................................................................
programming............................................................422 AutoCorrect function.....................................vii, 40, 95
recording macros.............................................xxiv, 421 changing to small letters......................................vii, 95
bibliographies..............................................114, 122, 123 font effects.................................................................72
bitmaps.............................................................................. captions.............................................................................
applying text to.................................................xix, 332 adding chapter numbers........................viii, x, 129, 158
editing...............................................................xix, 332 automatic captions....................................................129
inserting............................................................xix, 332 editing or deleting................................................x, 157
replacing colours in...........................................xix, 338 update numbering.....................................................158
saving................................................................xix, 333 case-sensitive search.....................................................46
vectorizing........................................................xix, 321
cats....................................................................................
black and white printing....................................iii, 30, 31 care.................................................................................
feeding................................................................121
blocks of text...........................................................73, 97
bold................................................................................... long haired.....................................................................
Maine Coon........................................................121
formatting while typing.........................................vi, 73
Persian................................................................121
borders..............................................................................
longhaired......................................................................
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Himalayan..........................................................121 changes made automatically.....iii, vii, 40, 42, 43, 57, 65,
Persian................................................................121 95, 96, 100, 125, 139, 171, 214
semi longhaired.............................................................. changing............................................................................
Maine Coon........................................................121 default templates.............................................xxiv, 419
Norwegian Forest...............................................121 formats of hyperlinks.............................................v, 63
shorthaired...................................................................... headers/footers.....x, xi, xii, 84, 87, 162, 163, 165, 166,
Abyssinian..........................................................121
177, 180, 183, 206, 224, 226, 231, 242, 244, 246,
248, 254, 264, 266, 271, 288, 376
American Shorthair....................................120, 121
Bengal.................................................................121 icon sizes..........................................................xxii, 395
cells................................................................................... indents........................................................................15
addressing and naming.......xiv, xv, 206, 221, 227, 229, object sizes......................................................xviii, 307
page backgrounds.................................xi, xii, 183, 187
231, 255
as OLE objects.........................................................405 size of text frames....................................................102
assigning a background colour to.............................141 toolbars............................................................xxii, 394
attributes...........................216, 218, 223, 226, 240, 271 work directory............................................................19
backgrounds.............................................................226
copy visible.......................................................xiv, 230
currency format........................................................216
enlarging and reducing in text tables...................x, 153
entering fractional numbers in.................................214
entering numbers as text in......................................213
formatting text in......................................................212
increasing width.......................................................206
inserting a formula into............................................143
inserting a range of...........................................139, 140
inserting an object into.............................................142
Inserting and Editing Notes..............................xiii, 219
inserting paragraphs before.................................ix, 141
invalid table cell.......................................................150
line breaks................................................................212
merging........................................................x, 141, 152
number formats................................152, 212, 214, 240
printing range...........................................................222
protecting................................................xxiii, 411, 412
selecting a range of..................................139, 231, 242
showing grid lines....................................................226
splitting.................................................x, 141, 152, 153
style..........................................................................274
Text overflow...........................................................206
validity of contents.............................................xv, 261
Value Highlighting...................................................209
character counts...........................................................i, 5
characters..........................................................................
bold..............................................................46, 76, 240
coloring..............................................................66, 418
counting....................................................................i, 5
font effects.........................................................72, 184
fonts........................................................................v, 63
formats......................iv, vi, vii, xiv, 60, 72, 76, 95, 226
italics....................................................................64, 82
languages selection....................................................34
shadowed..................................................................109
spacing.......................................................................83
special...............................................42, 49, 60, 65, 429
subscript and superscript......................xxv, 71, 72, 427
uppercase or lowercase.........................................vi, 72
chart legends.....................................................................
editing...............................................................xiv, 238
charts.................................................................................
3D views......................................................7, 236, 237
bars with textures..............................................xiv, 239
data...................................................................161, 236
dragging and dropping.............................................161
editing axes.......................................................xiv, 239
editing legends..................................................xiv, 238
editing titles..............................................................238
inserting................................x, 160, 161, 203, 235, 236
certificates for documents..........................xxiv, 414, 415
linked data............................................................x, 161
changes............................................................................. organization....................................................xviii, 309
accepting or rejecting......................................xxiii, 408
check box creation......................................................383
comparing.......................................................xxiii, 409
filtering.....................................................................408 checking spelling..............................................................
protecting.........................................................411, 414 automatically.........................iii, vii, xi, 32, 33, 96, 171
recording.........................................xxiii, 407, 409, 410 excluding words............................................xi, 96, 171
in all languages..........................................................34
manually.....................................................................34
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turning on and off.........................................32, 96, 171 combo box.....................xx, 370, 371, 383, 385, 396, 440
while typing...........................iii, vii, xi, 32, 33, 96, 171 comments..........................................................................
choosing printers...........................................................28 on changes................................................................410
circles................................................................................ comparisons......................................................................
drawing....................................................................316 hidden text fields.................................ix, 147, 148, 149
clipboard........................................................................... completion of words.................................................v, 60
cutting........................................................................62 compose key.....................................................................
pasting........62, 136, 139, 146, 228, 296, 401, 402, 405 special characters. .v, xxv, 42, 48, 60, 64, 65, 126, 322,
pasting options.........................................................405
425, 429
colorus............................................................................... concordance files..............................................................
backgrounds...............66, 141, 162, 183, 187, 274, 384 definition..................................................................119
colour bar.......................................15, xix, 312, 335, 342 indexes...........................................i, viii, 119, 120, 121
colours...............................................................................
assinging to area.......................................................107
Cross-fading......................................................xix, 327
custom.......................................................xix, 336, 337
fill.............................................................................313
filter..........................................................................237
fonts............................................................66, 290, 418
gradient.............................xix, 238, 285, 340, 341, 342
in cells..............................................................141, 223
in equations..............................................................432
in layers..............................................................xx, 362
modifying........................................xviii, 307, 336, 349
new...................................................336, 337, 339, 341
of text............................................v, xxiv, 66, 106, 418
preview.....................................................................236
printing in black & white...........................................30
printing in grayscale...................................................30
replacing............................................................xix, 338
selection...................................................................337
user-defined..............................................................335
Conditional Separators..............................................v, 65
conditional text.................................................................
setting up.............................................ix, 147, 148, 149
conditions..........................................................................
in fields and sections..................................................75
configuring........................................................................
for faxing..................................................xxii, 397, 398
for specific document......................................xxiv, 416
keyboard..........................................................xxii, 392
menus.......................................................xxii, 392, 393
toolbars.....................................................................392
contents protection.............................................xxiii, 411
context menus. .13, 17, 33, 34, 35, 63, 66, 67, 70, 78, 81,
83, 85, 86, 88, 90, 91, 92, 96, 102, 104, 105, 106, 116,
123, 125, 138, 140, 141, 142, 152, 153, 156, 160, 165,
169, 171, 172, 183, 184, 185, 186, 190, 193, 194, 207,
209, 212, 214, 218, 219, 220, 226, 231, 236, 238, 239,
240, 264, 271, 273, 274, 287, 288, 290, 298, 299, 303,
305, 306, 307, 311, 315, 318, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324,
328, 330, 340, 344, 354, 361, 362, 391, 394, 398, 400,
column headers................................................................. 401, 402, 405, 412, 413, 416, 417, 418, 419, 438
column header. 177, 180, 206, 240, 241, 254, 266, 273, continuously numbered captions.................................157
404
Contour Editor............................................................186
columns.............................................................................
contour wrap...............................................................186
altering order of........................................................252
changing width and height...............................153, 209 control points....................................................................
designations in Calc.................................................206 for editing.................................................................320
display attributes in table.........................................154 controls.............................................................................
editing................................................................xii, 183 activating in forms....................................xxi, 385, 386
finding labels automatically.....................................230 available............................................................xxi, 383
freezing.............................................................xvi, 273 customizing.......................................................xxi, 384
inserting or deleting.....................................x, 139, 153 inserting..........................................................xxiii, 404
Multicolumn section..................................................75 linked fields..............................................................386
printing...............................................................xv, 265 properties of form controls.......................................384
selecting...................................................................240 toolbar......................369, 370, 373, 382, 383, 384, 385
combination charts......................................................237 converters..........................................................................
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Euro converter..........................................................211D
PostScript,UNIX..............................................294, 397
dashes................................................................................
copies................................................................................ AutoCorrect function.............................................v, 65
printing...............................................................28, 294
data....................................................................................
copying............................................................................. consolidating......................................................xv, 253
datasource records in spreadsheets...........xiv, 246, 247 editing in chart.................................................161, 236
draw objects......................................................xix, 326 evaluating..........................................................xiv, 249
filter conditions........................................................391 Extrapolating....................................................xiii, 202
Gallery...x, xxii, 58, 159, 160, 237, 285, 309, 324, 343, forms........................................................368, 375, 382
362, 399, 400
in columns................................................................236
icons.........................................................................394
referencing........................................................xiii, 204
sheet areas.........................................................xvi, 273
sorting and filtering data..............................6, 177, 377
styles........................................................vii, 77, 83, 94
user data.............................................44, 191, 192, 423
text sections................................................................73
data binding......................................................................
corner roundings.........................................................323
changing in Xforms..........................................435, 440
counting words.............................................................i, 5
Data Navigator............................................437, 440, 443
creating.............................................................................
data series..........................................................................
address labels from databases.............................xi, 178
changing order of.............................................236, 238
new styles from selections.................vii, 77, 81, 83, 94
table of contents..................................viii, xii, 116, 187 data source browser.....................................240, 246, 248
currencies.......................................................................... data source explorer....................................................404
format codes.............................206, 215, 216, 226, 241 data source view................................................................
number formats........................................152, 215, 241 drag and drop..................................................xxiii, 404
currency formats.........................................................152 opening.....................................................................180
cursor................................................................................ data sources.......................................................................
allowing in protected areas..............................412, 413 copying records to spreadsheets........................xiv, 246
direct cursor...............................................................61 registering.................................xxi, 364, 378, 379, 461
in read-only text.................................................20, 267 viewing..............................................................xiv, 246
quickly moving to an object.....................................111 data structure of Xforms.....................................435, 440
curves................................................................................ data values in charts............................................161, 236
drawing...........................................................xviii, 319 database contents..............................................................
editing...............................................................xix, 320 inserting as tables............................................xxiii, 404
custom dictionaries........................................................... inserting as text........................................................404
creating.......................................................................33 database tables..................................................................
editing...............32, 33, 34, 96, 170, 171, 172, 392, 393 copying............................................................xxii, 399
Removing Words From.......................................xi, 171 creating.................................................................5, 364
custom hyphens..............................v, xi, 34, 65, 171, 172 creating in design view............................365, 366, 374
Custom Quotes.................................................vii, 41, 95 data source browser..................................240, 246, 248
searching..................................................................388
custom templates..........................................xxiv, 44, 419
databases..............................................................xxi, 378
customizing.......................................................................
administration through SQL........5, 240, 374, 386, 389,
events...............................................................142, 386
390, 391
keyboard..........................................................xxii, 392 ADO.................................................................365, 379
menus.......................................................xxii, 392, 393 changing list of..................................................xxi, 378
OpenOffice.org................xxii, 392, 393, 397, 398, 456 connecting.........................................................xxi, 378
toolbars............................................................xxii, 394 creating.................................................................5, 378
cutting...........................................................................15 Creating Bibliographies....................................viii, 122
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dBase.......240, 246, 247, 248, 365, 366, 378, 379, 380, defaults..............................................................................
381
fonts............................................................................64
default filters....................................243, 244, 248, 377 number formats........................................................223
Designing Labels................................................xi, 178 options.....10, 11, 15, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30,
exchanging...............................................xvii, 296, 380
31, 33, 34, 35, 44, 99, 129, 154, 158, 171, 172, 191,
192, 195, 196, 206, 209, 215, 219, 223, 224, 226,
form filters.......................................xxii, 378, 389, 391
234, 268, 269, 270, 273, 279, 292, 303, 307, 317,
formats.....................................................................246
345, 355, 378, 395, 396, 398, 410, 412, 413, 417,
JDBC................................................................365, 379
456, 457
MySQL........................................................................5
saving.....................................................................ii, 23
ODBC......................................................365, 379, 380
templates...............................................................vi, 92
Printing Labels............................................xi, 177, 178
views..................................................15, 195, 345, 396
produce labels..........................................................175
defining.............................................................................
registering.........................................................xxi, 378
searching records......................................................388 arrowheads and other line ends................................318
sorting..............................................................177, 243 colours...............................................xix, 335, 336, 337
standard filters..........................................................243 conditions...v, ix, xvi, 65, 147, 148, 149, 223, 273, 274
text formats.......................................................xxi, 380 line styles....................................68, 107, 110, 298, 353
viewing.....xiv, xx, xxiii, 177, 180, 246, 247, 248, 364, page styles...........................................................xi, 183
table borders.........................................................67, 69
365, 381, 404
databases in conditions..................................................... deleting.............................................................................
apply conditions to the data.....................................252 captions................................................................x, 157
Filter conditions.......................................252, 389, 391 datapilot tables...................................................xv, 252
special conditions.....................................................202 decimal place...........................................................223
Date Field......xx, 176, 244, 368, 369, 377, 378, 383, 384 footnotes...................................................................168
hyperlinks.............................................................iii, 42
date fields..........................................................................
icons.........................................................xxii, 394, 396
fixed/variable...........................................175, 176, 183
indexes/tables of contents.................................viii, 123
date format..................................................176, 218, 241 rows/columns, by keyboard.................................x, 153
dates.................................................................................. slides................................................................xvii, 305
formatting.................................................................223 snap lines..................................................................361
inserting....................................................................176 tables...................................................................ix, 140
dBase...240, 246, 247, 248, 365, 366, 378, 379, 380, 381 tabs..................................................................xxiv, 417
text..........................................................................v, 62
DDE........................................................74, 75, 140, 161
demoting heading levels.............................................128
decimal places in numbers................................................
Decimal Place..................................................217, 223 design view.......................................................................
creating forms..........................................................435
default directories...................................................19, 23
designing...........................................................................
default file format...........................................................3
database tables..........................................365, 366, 367
default filters..................................................................... fonts.................................vii, x, 66, 108, 109, 110, 156
comparison operators...............................................389
detaching toolbars...................................................17, 18
databases..................................................................243
dialogues...........................................................................
default languages........................................7, 33, 34, 171
opening and saving................................................ii, 19
default printer....................................................................
dictionaries........................................................................
settings...............................................................28, 294
spellcheck...iii, vii, xi, 32, 33, 34, 35, 57, 96, 170, 171,
default tab stops in text...............................................417
172, 173, 174, 196
default templates............................................................... thesaurus.................................xi, 33, 57, 173, 174, 196
changing..........................................................xxiv, 419 Digital Signatures....................i, iv, 5, xxiv, 51, 414, 415
defining.................................................................vi, 92
direct cursor..................................................................61
resetting...........................................................xxiv, 419
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direct formatting...............................................................
applying......................................................................76
resetting......................................................................73
copying a slide.........................................................286
copying text....................................................xxiii, 406
from Gallery to draw objects...................................159
styles..........................................................................95
text frames................................................................102
visible cells...............................................................231
disabling............................................................................
AutoCorrect................................................................95
document protection.................................................272
superscripting.............................................................71 draw objects......................................................................
tips..............................................................................10 anchoring..................................................................156
display of fields................................................................. arranging.........................................................xviii, 315
conditions............................................ix, 147, 148, 149 Callouts...........................................................xviii, 318
changing colour.................................................xix, 338
displaying..........................................................................
combining.........................................................xix, 330
formulas instead of results................................xvi, 273
converting to 3D.......................................318, 324, 349
non printing characters...............................................73
copying.....................................................................296
notes in spreadsheets........................................219, 273
copying between documents............................xxii, 401
distances......................................................xxii, 396, 417 Cross-fading......................................................xix, 327
docking............................................................................. curves..............................................................xviii, 319
Navigator window....................................................111 duplicating........................................................xix, 326
toolbars.....................................................................395 effects in Impress.............................................xvii, 291
windows.....................................................ii, 17, 18, 58 exporting to HTML..................................................107
Document Templates.........................................vi, 20, 82 frames.......................................................................157
documents......................................................................... Gradients and Patterns......................................xix, 340
changing titles............................................................14 grouping............................................................xix, 328
character counts........................................................411 inserting.................................................x, xix, 159, 332
comparing.......................................................xxiii, 409 Inserting a Draw object...........................xxiii, 402, 403
exporting...........xvii, xxi, 134, 294, 295, 310, 333, 381 inserting in a number range..................................x, 157
importing...................................................xvi, 136, 268 labeling.................................................................x, 157
languages.......i, 7, xii, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 80, 107, 140, Layer view................................................286, 312, 362
legends............................................................xviii, 318
171, 172, 173, 174, 196, 197, 199, 215, 216, 317,
linking precise points...............................................320
392, 421, 422, 475
master document and subdocuments.......124, 131, 132, mirroring..................................................................156
positioning....................................................x, 156, 355
133, 134
merging....................................................................409 rectangles and ellipses............................xviii, 312, 316
opening............................................................ii, 19, 24 rotating.......................................................................67
organizing...........................................92, 129, 419, 420 sectors and segments.......................................xviii, 316
page count.......................................xxvi, 163, 164, 454 sizes................................................................xviii, 314
page count?..............................................................454 text............................................................................317
printing...28, 30, 31, 134, 194, 222, 265, 294, 306, 398 Using Dimension Lines......................................xx, 361
read-only............................................................20, 267 Using Snap Lines...............................................xx, 361
saving.........................................................ii, 19, 22, 23 vector graphics........xviii, 294, 296, 309, 312, 319, 321
saving automatically..............................................ii, 23 drawing.............................................................................
sending as e-mail...................................................ii, 27 Drawing Lines....................................................vii, 107
styles changed................................................77, 84, 94
drawing toolbar.............................................................66
version management...............................xxiii, 408, 409
word count................................................................i, 5 drawings............................................................................
creating new.........................................iv, xviii, 58, 309
dotted areas.................................................238, 288, 340
Mechanical or Construction...............................xx, 356
drag and drop.................................................................... pinting in blank and white..........................................30
cancelling.................................................................404 Vectorizing Bitmaps.........................................xix, 321
chapters....................................................................113
Drop caps....................................................................184
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T
tree....................................................................................
bark..........................................................................121
replacement.............................................................214
type.........................................................................7, 237
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PublicDocumentationLicense,Version1.0
1.0 DEFINITIONS.
The license rights granted in this Section 2.1 ("Initial Writer Grant")
are effective on the date Initial Writer first distributes Original
Documentation under the terms of this License.
OpenOffice.orgUserGuidefor2.x
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PublicDocumentationLicense,Version1.0
All Documentation to which You contribute must identify the
changes You made to create that Documentation and the date of any
change. You must include a prominent statement that the
Modification is derived, directly or indirectly, from Original
Documentation provided by the Initial Writer and include the name
of the Initial Writer in the Documentation or via an electronic link
that describes the origin or ownership of the Documentation. The
foregoing change documentation may be created by using an
electronic program that automatically tracks changes to the
Documentation, and such changes must be available publicly for at
least five years following release of the changed Documentation.
3.4. Intellectual Property Matters.
Contributor represents that Contributor believes that Contributor's
Modifications are Contributor's original creation(s) and/or
Contributor has sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this
License.
3.5. Required Notices.
You must duplicate the notice in the Appendix in each file of the
Documentation. If it is not possible to put such notice in a particular
Documentation file due to its structure, then You must include such
notice in a location (such as a relevant directory) where a reader
would be likely to look for such a notice, for example, via a
hyperlink in each file of the Documentation that takes the reader to
a page that describes the origin and ownership of the
Documentation. If You created one or more Modification(s) You
may add your name as a Contributor to the notice described in the
Appendix.
You must also duplicate this License in any Documentation file (or
with a hyperlink in each file of the Documentation) where You
describe recipients' rights or ownership rights.
You may choose to offer, and to charge a fee for, warranty, support,
indemnity or liability obligations to one or more recipients of
Documentation. However, You may do so only on Your own behalf,
and not on behalf of the Initial Writer or any Contributor. You must
make it absolutely clear than any such warranty, support, indemnity
or liability obligation is offered by You alone, and You hereby agree
to indemnify the Initial Writer and every Contributor for any
liability incurred by the Initial Writer or such Contributor as a result
of warranty, support, indemnity or liability terms You offer.
10.0 MISCELLANEOUS.
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PublicDocumentationLicense,Version1.0
This License represents the complete agreement concerning the
subject matter hereof. If any provision of this License is held to be
unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent
necessary to make it enforceable. This License shall be governed by
California law, excluding its conflict-of-law provisions. With
respect to disputes or any litigation relating to this License, the
losing party is responsible for costs, including without limitation,
court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses. The
application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the
International Sale of Goods is expressly excluded. Any law or
regulation which provides that the language of a contract shall be
construed against the drafter shall not apply to this License.
Appendix
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