midterm - openoffice writer manual

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CSc 1 Module 2: OpenOffice.org 3.1 Writer

Introduction to OpenOffice.org

1.1What is OpenOffice.org?OpenOffice.org (OOo) is both a software product and an open source project by a community

of volunteers who produce and support the software. Because someone else owns the trademarkOpenOffice , the correct name for both the open-source project and its software is OpenOffice.org .

1.2The OpenOffice.org Software

The OpenOffice.org software is a freely available, full-featured office suite. OOo 3.1 is a majorupgrade of an already feature-rich office suite. If you have used previous versions of OOo, please lookover the new feature on the OOo wiki. OOos native file format is OpenDocument, an open standardformat that is being adopted by governments worldwide as a required file format for publishing and

accepting documents. OOo can also open and save documents in many other formats, including thoseused by several versions of Microsoft Office.

OpenOffice.org is reasonably intuitive but is sufficiently different to other suites that a period offamiliarization required before use is fluid and effective.

OpenOffice.org is the default office application suite provided with Ubuntu. This is a free andopen-source office software suite that comprises all the features normally expected in an office suite.The OpenOffice.org suite is not just a collection of separate software programs. It has been designedas a complete office package, in which all applications have a similar look and feel and common tools.

The OpenOffice.org suite is available in more than 30 languages and can function on many

operating systems, including Linux, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X. It is compatible with allother major office suites, including Microsoft Office, which makes it easy for you to open, save andexchange documents with friends and colleagues in Windows and Microsoft Office formats.

The OpenOffice.org software suite includes the following applications to help you handle yourwork effectively:

Writer (word processor): Writer is a feature-rich tool for creating letters, books, reports,newsletters, brochures, and other documents. You can insert graphics and objects from othercomponents into Writer documents. Writer can export files to HTML, XHTML, XML, AdobesPortable Document Format (PDF), and several versions of Microsoft Word files. It alsoconnects to your email client.

Calc (spreadsheet): Calc has all of the advanced analysis, charting and decision-makingfeatures expected from a high-end spreadsheet. It includes over 300 functions for financial,statistical, and mathematical operations, among others. The Scenario Manager provides whatif analyses. Calc generates 2-D and 3-D charts, which can be integrated into other OOodocuments. You can also open and work with Microsoft Excel workbooks and save them inExcel format. Calc can export spreadsheets to Adobes PDF and to HTML.

Impress (presentations) Impress provides all the common multimedia presentation tools, suchas special effects, animation, and drawing tools. It is integrated with the advanced graphicscapabilities of OOos Draw and Math components. Slideshows can be further enhanced withFontworks special effects text, as well as sound and video clips. Impress is compatible withMicrosofts PowerPoint file format and can also save your work in numerous graphics formats,including Macromedia Flash (SWF).

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Draw (vector graphics) Draw is a vector drawing tool that can produce everything from simplediagrams or flowcharts to 3-D artwork. Its Smart Connectors feature allows you to define yourown connection points. You can use Draw to create drawings for use in any of OOos othercomponents, and you can create your own clipart and add it to the Gallery. Draw can importgraphics from many common formats and save them in over 20 formats including PNG, HTML,PDF, and Flash.

Base (database) Base provides tools for day-to-day database work within a simple interface. Itcan create and edit forms, reports, queries, tables, views, and relations, so that managing aconnected database is much the same as in other popular database applications. Baseprovides many new features, such as the ability to analyze and edit relationships from adiagram view. Base incorporates HSQLDB as its default relational database engine. It can alsouse dBASE, Microsoft Access, MySQL, or Oracle, or any ODBC- or JDBC-compliant database.Base also provides support for a subset of ANSI-92 SQL.

Math (formula editor) Math is OOos formula or equation editor. You can use it to createcomplex equations that include symbols or characters not available in standard font sets. While

it is most commonly used to create formulas in other documents, such as Writer and Impressfiles, Math can also work as a stand-alone tool. You can save formulas in the standardMathematical Markup Language (MathML) format for inclusion in webpages and otherdocuments not created by OOo.

1.3The OpenOffice.org community

OpenOffice.org's Mission Statement is:

To create, as a community, the leading international office suite that will run on all major platforms and provide access to all functionality and data through open-component based APIs and an XML-based file format .

The OpenOffice.org project is primarily sponsored by Sun Microsystems, which is the primarycontributor of code to the Project. Our other major corporate contributors include Novell, RedHat,RedFlag CH2000, IBM, and Google. Additonally over 450,000 people from nearly every curve of theglobe have joined this Project with the idea of creating the best possible office suite that all can use.This is the essence of an open source community! With its free software licence and active NativeLanguage Confederation, OpenOffice.org is a key player in the drive to eradicate digital exclusion andpreserve minority languages threatened by being on the wrong side of the digital divide. For tens ofthousands of community members, this makes the OpenOffice.org community their volunteeringopportunity of choice.

The OpenOffice.org community invites contributors. Whatever you do best, you can do it forOpenOffice.org. As well as software developers, the Community welcomes translators, artists, technicalwriters and editors, testers, people offering user support, sales and marketing people, lobbyists,donors... the list is long. The Community operates internationally in all time zones, linked by theinternet.

1.4What is open source?

The ideals of open-source software can be explained by the four essential rights, which areembodied within the Free Software Foundations General Public License (GPL):

The right to use the software for any purpose.



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Freedom to redistribute the software for free or for a fee. Access to the complete source code of the program (that is, the blueprints). The right to modify any part of the source, or use portions of it in other programs.

Another view of this philosophy comes from the Open Source Definiton:

The basic idea behind open source is very simple : When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing.

1.1What is OpenDocument?

Starting with Version 2.0, OpenOffice.org by default saves documents in Open DocumentFormat (ODF). OpenOffice.org 3 has adopted version 1.2 of the OpenDocument standard.

OpenDocument is an XML-based file format for office documents (text documents,spreadsheets, drawings, presentations and more), developed at OASIS, an independent, internationalstandards group.

Unlike other file formats, ODF is an open standard. It is publicly available, royalty-free, andwithout legal or other restrictions; therefore ODF files are not tied to a specific office suite and anybodycan build a program that interprets these files. For this reason ODF is quickly becoming the preferredfile format for government agencies, schools and other companies who prefer not to be too dependenton a particular software supplier.

1.2The advantages of OpenOffice.org

Here are some of the advantages of OpenOffice.org over other office suites:

No licensing fees . OOo is free for anyone to use and distribute at no cost. Many features thatare available as extra cost add-ins in other office suites (like PDF export) are free with OOo.There are no hidden charges now or in the future.

Open source . You can distribute, copy, and modify the software as much as you wish, inaccordance with either of OOos Open Source licenses.

Cross-platform . OOo3 runs on several hardware architectures and under multiple operatingsystems, such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Sun Solaris.

Extensive language support . OOos user interface is available in over 40 languages, and theOOo project provides spelling, hyphenation, and thesaurus dictionaries in over 70 languagesand dialects. OOo also provides support for both Complex Text Layout (CTL) and Right to Left(RTL) layout languages (such as Hindi, Hebrew, and Arabic).

Consistent user interface . All the components have a similar look and feel, making themeasy to use and master.

Integration . The components of OpenOffice.org are well integrated with one another.

All the components share a common spelling checker and other tools, which are used consistentlyacross the suite. For example, the drawing tools available in Writer are also found in Calc, with similar

but enhanced versions in Impress and Draw. You do not need to know which application was used to create a particular file (for example, you can



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open a Draw file from Writer).

Granularity . Usually, if you change an option, it affects all components. However, OOo optionscan be set at a component level or even document level.

File compatibility . In addition to its native OpenDocument formats, OOo includes PDF andFlash export capabilities, as well as support for opening and saving files in many commonformats including Microsoft Office, HTML, XML, WordPerfect, and Lotus 123 formats. New inOOo3 (using an extension): the ability to import and edit some PDF files.

No vendor lock-in . OOo3 uses OpenDocument, an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) fileformat developed as an industry standard by OASIS (Organization for the Advancement ofStructured Information Standards). These files can easily be unzipped and read by any texteditor, and their framework is open and published.

You have a voice . Enhancements, software fixes, and release dates are community-driven.You can join the community and affect the course of the product you use.

Another key feature of the OpenOffice.org suite is that all the applications save in theOpenDocument format, which is the new international standard for office documents. ThisExtensible Markup Language (XML) based format enables you to access your data from anyOpenDocument-compliant software.

1.1 A Short History of the OpenOffice.org

The OpenOffice.org project began when Sun Microsystems released the source code(blueprints) for its StarOffice software to the open source community on October 13, 2000. Thisallowed Sun to use the technical expertise and rapid development times of an open-source project in

the development of its own software products. All recent versions of Suns StarOffice use source codedeveloped by the OpenOffice.org community. However, the products do not provide exactly the samefeatures due to the copyrights of third parties that are not compatible with open-source licensing.

Note: You can read more about OpenOffice.org, its mission, history, licensing, and other organizationalinformation on the OpenOffice.org website http://about.openoffice.org/

1.2 Working with OpenOffice.org Application

1.2.1Starting OpenOffice.org

The most common way to launch any component of OOo is by using the system menu,the standard menu from which most applications are started. On Windows, it is called the Startmenu. On GNOME, it is called the Applications menu . On KDE it is identified by the KDElogo. On Mac OS X, it is the Applications menu.

When OOo was installed on your computer, in most cases a menu entry for eachcomponent was added to your system menu. The exact name and location of these menuentries depends on the operating system and graphical user interface.

To access or launch the OpenOffice.org suite with Ubuntu Click on the Applications menu , point to Office and then click the OpenOffice.org

application you want.

http://about.openoffice.org/http://about.openoffice.org/


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A window or screen interface of the OpenOffice.org application selected will bedisplayed.

1.2.1Parts of the OpenOffice.org main window

The main window is similar in each component of OOo, although some details vary foreach component of the OpenOffice.org suite. Common features include the title bar, menu bar,standard toolbar, and formatting toolbar at the top of the window and the status bar at thebottom.

The figure below shows the OpenOffice.org Writer window . A text document isdisplayed and edited in the Writer window. Spreadsheet, presentations or drawings aredisplayed in very similar windows, except the menus and icons change automatically dependingon the context.

Title Ba r : The title bar shows the name of the program, OpenOffice.org, and usuallythe file name of the current document. (If a document title is entered in File >Properties > Description , this title is displayed rather than the file name). The close,minimize, restore, and maximize buttons also appear in the title bar to makemanipulation of the window even easier.

Menu Bar : The Menu bar is located across the top of the OpenOffice.org window,immediately under the title bar that contains menus such as File, Edit, and View. The


Figure 1: Main Parts of an Openoffice.org Application Window

Minimize, Maximize,Restore, Close Buttons

Title Bar

Menu Bar

Standard Toolbar

Formatting Toolbar

Status Bar


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menu is a list of options displayed to the user from which the user can select an actionto be initiated. An OOo application may have additional menu option in the list neededfor its function. This additional option varies from one OOo application to the other.

When you choose one of the menus, a submenu drops down to showcommands associated with the chosen menu option. This could be done in two ways:

1.Point with the mouse to a command on the menu bar and press the left mousebutton. The menu opens, allowing one to choose a command from the submenu byclicking it.

2.The menu bar can also be accessed from the keyboard, by pressing down the Alt key.By default the File submenu drops and commands can be selected using thearrow keys. To choose commands from the different menu options, highlight theselection using the arrow keys and press enter to run the command.

The menus are organized into basic functions. These functions are:

File contains commands that apply to the entire document such as Open, Save,and Export as PDF.

Edit contains commands for editing the document such as Undo and Find &Replace. It also contains commands to cut, copy and paste selected parts of yourdocument.

View contains commands for controlling the display of the document such as Zoomand Web Layout.

Insert contains commands for inserting elements into your document such asHeader, Footer, and Picture.

Format contains commands, such as Styles and Formatting and AutoFormat, forformatting the layout of your document.

Table shows all commands to insert and edit a table in a text document.

Tools contains functions such as Spelling and Grammar, Customize, and Options.

Window contains commands for the display window.

Help contains links to the Help file, Whats This?, and information about theprogram.

It must be noted that the commands used for editing, viewing, sequencing,formatting and printing a document can only be used when the document is openand active. Active, in this sense, means that the document is front of any others onthe screen. If the commands should correspond to an object in the document, thenthat object has to be selected. In addition, the menus are context sensitive; thismeans that only those menu commands that are relevant to the current work will beavailable . For example, if the cursor is located in a text document, then only thetext editing menu commands are available.

Likewise, if graphics are selected in a document, then only the menucommands that can be used to edit graphics will be available. The other inactivemenu items are hidden. By choosing Tools > Options >OpenOffice.org > View, onecan select the Show inactive menu items field and then see the inactive menu itemsas gray entries in menus.

OpenOffice.org lets the user change and customize the menu bar the way



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as desired. Many of the toolbars and the status bar may so be modified to suitpersonal requirements.

Status Bar : The bar at the bottom of the screen displays information about a commandor toolbar button, or operation in progress, or the location of the insertion point.Information on the staus bar may vary for each component of the OpenOffice.org suite.

Toolbars : Two of the most common toolbars in OOo applications are:

Standard toolbar found at the top docked toolbar by default position. The Standardtoolbar is consistent across the OpenOffice.org applications.

Formatting toolbar is the second toolbar across the top by default location. It is acontext-sensitive bar that shows the relevant tools in response to the cursorscurrent position or selection. For example, when the cursor is on a graphic, theFormatting bar provides tools for formatting graphics; when the cursor is in text, the

tools are for formatting text.

Displaying or hiding toolbars

An OOo application have several toolbars. By default, the Standard andFormatting toolbars are only shown. If all of the avialble toolbars will be displayed,then the document area will become smaller as the screen will be crowded withtoolbars that are not necessary for the current task. However, other toolbarsavailable in OOo application can be displayed or they can be hidden.

To display or hide toolbars: choose View > Toolbars , then check or uncheck the name of a toolbar in the list by checking the espective

box. An active toolbar shows a checkmark beside its name.

Types of Toolbars: OOo has several types of toolbars: docked, floating, and tear-off.

Docking Toolbars : By default, toolbars are docked, this means that thay arepositioned either at the top or bottom of the application screen.

Figure 2: Example of Docked Toolbars

Floating toolbars : OOo includes several additional context-sensitive toolbars,whose defaults appear as floating toolbars in response to the cursors current


Handle of docked toolbar


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position or selection. For example, when the cursor is in a table, a floating Table toolbar appears, and when the cursor is in a numbered or bullet list, the Bullets and Numbering toolbar appears. You can dock these toolbars to the top, bottom,or side of the window, if you wish

Figure 3: Example of Floating toolbars

Submenus and tear-off toolbrs : Toolbar icons/buttons with a small triangle to theright will display submenus, tear-off toolbars, and other ways of selecting things,depending on the icon. Tear-off toolbars are not listed in the View menu. Figure 4below shows the Paste submenu. Figure 5 shows a sample of a tear-off toolbarfrom the Drawing toolbar.

Figure 4: Sample of a Submenu


Floated toolbars

Title bar of floating toolbar


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Figure 5: Example of a tear-off toolbar

The tear-off toolbars can be floated or docked along an edge of the screenor in one of the existing toolbar areas.

Moving toolbars : Docked, floating, or tear-off toolbars can be moved to differentlocations in the screen.

To move a docked toolbar, place the mouse pointer over the toolbar handle, holddown the left mouse button, drag the toolbar to the new location, and thenrelease the mouse button.

To move a floating toolbar, click on its title bar and drag it to a new location. To move a tear-off toolbar is similar to moving a toolbar.

Docking/floating windows and toolbars : Toolbars and some windows, such asthe Navigator and the Styles and Formatting window, are dockable. You can move,re-size or dock them to an edge.

To dock a window or toolbar, do one ofthe following:

Click on the title bar of the floating

window and drag it to the side untilyou see the outline of a box appear inthe main window, then release thewindow. This method depends onyour systems window managersettings, so it may not work for you.

Hold down the Control key and double-click on a vacant part of the floatingwindow to dock it in its last position. Ifthat does not work, try double-clickingwithout using the Contro l key.

To undock a window, hold down theControl key and double-click on a vacant


Click here and drag Toolbar tears off and floats

Figure 6: Docking a window


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part of the docked window.

Note: The Styles and Formatting window can also be docked or undocked by using Control+double-click on the gray area next to the icons at the top of the window.

Customizing toolbars: You can customize toolbars in several ways, includingchoosing which icons are visible and locking the position of a docked toolbar. Youcan also add icons and create new toolbars.

To access a toolbars customization options, use the down-arrow at the end of thetoolbar or on its title bar (see figure ?? below).

Figure 7: Customizing toolbars

1.Open the Toolbars page of the Customize dialog in one of these ways: On the toolbar, click the arrow at the end of the toolbar and choose

Customize Toolbar. Choose View > Toolbars > Customize from the menu bar. Choose Tools > Customize from the menu bar.

1.On the Toolbars tab of the Customize dialog (Figure ?? below), choose in theToolbar drop-down list the toolbar you want to customize.

2.Click the Toolbar button on the right to display a drop-down list of choicesincluding Icons Only , Text Only , Icons and Text , and Restore DefaultSettings . For toolbars you created, the choices also include Rename andDelete.

3.To display or hide commands, select or deselect the checkboxes in the ToolbarContent Commands section.

4.To change the position of commands on a toolbar, select a command and clickthe big up and down arrows to the right of the lists.

5.To add commands to a toolbar, click the Add button on the right. The AddCommands dialog opens. Follow the instructions on this dialog and then clickAdd to return to the Customize dialog.


Toolbar customization icons


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Figure 8: The toolbars tab of the Customize window.

6.In the Save In drop-down list, choose whether to save this changed toolbar for theapplication (for example, Writer) or for a selected document.

7.When you have finished, click OK to save your changes.

To show or hide icons defined for the selected toolbar, click the toolbar customizeicon and choose Visible Buttons from the drop-down menu. Visible icons havea checkmark next to them. Click on icons to select or deselect them.

Right-click (context) menus : You can quickly access many menu functions byright-clicking on a paragraph, graphics, or other object. A context menu will pop up.Often the context menu is the fastest and easier way to reach a function. If yourenot sure where in the menus or toolbars a function is located, you can often find it

by right-clicking.

1.1 Closing/Quitting an OpenOffice.org

There are several ways to close and exit or quit from OpenOffice.org. However, correct exitingmethod should be taken into consideration to prevent data lost when closing openoffice.org program.The following ways could be used:

To close OOo completely, click on File > Exit ; or Click on the close button located at the upper right corner of the title bar; or Press Alt-F-x

Note: Before closing or exiting OOo completely, follow procedures on Closing Document given in thesucceeding sections to prevent data lost.



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Word Processing with OpenOffice.org 3.1

2.1 Word Processing Program

Word processing is the most popular computer application. The term word processing can bedefined as the manipulation of computer generated text data including creating, editing, storing,retrieving and printing a document.

At first, computers were built only to perform mathematical calculations. But as time goes by

and computer technology advances, computers are used to produce text and even graphics. Wordprocessing in one form or another, in its basic level, is still mathematical process because computersstill works on numbers-the binary numbers. But what appears on the screen are texts and graphics.

The question is how? With this, we need software to work with words. This software is knownas wordprocessor or the word processing program.

Word processor is a program that transforms a computer into a tool for creating, editing, proofreading, formatting, and printing documents. That is, turning a computer into a sort of sophisticated typewriter. The great advantage of word processing over using a typewriter is that you can make changeswithout retyping the entire document. If you make a typing mistake, you simply back up the cursor andcorrect your mistake. If you want to delete a paragraph, you simply remove it, without leaving a trace. Itis equally easy to insert a word, sentence, or paragraph in the middle of a document. Word processorsalso make it easy to move sections of text from one place to another within a document, or betweendocuments. When you have made all the changes you want, you can send the file to a printer to get ahardcopy.

Word processors vary considerably, but all word processors support the following basicfeatures:

insert text : Allows you to insert text anywhere in the document. delete text : Allows you to erase characters, words, lines, or pages as easily as you can cross

them out on paper. cut and paste : Allows you to remove (cut) a section of text from one place in a document and

insert (paste) it somewhere else. copy : Allows you to duplicate a section of text. page size and margins : Allows you to define various page sizes and margins, and the word

processor will automatically readjust the text so that it fits. search and replace : Allows you to direct the word processor to search for a particular word

or phrase. You can also direct the word processor to replace one group of characters withanother everywhere that the first group appears.

word wrap : The word processor automatically moves to the next line when you have filledone line with text, and it will readjust text if you change the margins.

print : Allows you to send a document to a printer to get hardcopy.

Word processors that support only these features (and maybe a few others) are called texteditors. Most word processors, however, support additional features that enable you to manipulate andformat documents in more sophisticated ways. These more advanced word processors are sometimescalled full-featured word processors. Full-featured word processors usually support the followingfeatures:

file management : Many word processors contain file management capabilities that allow you

to create, delete, move, and search for files. font specifications : Allows you to change fonts within a document. For example, you can



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specify bold, italics, and underlining. Most word processors also let you change the font sizeand even the typeface.

footnotes and cross-references : Automates the numbering and placement of footnotes andenables you to easily cross-reference other sections of the document.

graphics graphics : Allows you to embed illustrations and graphs into a document. Someword processors let you create the illustrations within the word processor; others let youinsert an illustration produced by a different program.

headers, footers, and page numbering : Allows you to specify customized headers andfooters that the word processor will put at the top and bottom of every page. The wordprocessor automatically keeps track of page numbers so that the correct number appearson each page.

layout : Allows you to specify different margins within a single document and to specifyvarious methods for indenting paragraphs.

macros : A macro is a character or word that represents a series of keystrokes. Thekeystrokes can represent text or commands. The ability to define macros allows you to saveyourself a lot of time by replacing common combinations of keystrokes.

merges : Allows you to merge text from one file into another file. This is particularly useful forgenerating many files that have the same format but different data. Generating mailinglabels is the classic example of using merges.

spell checker : A utility that allows you to check the spelling of words. It will highlight anywords that it does not recognize.

tables of contents and indexes : Allows you to automatically create a table of contents andindex based on special codes that you insert in the document.

thesaurus : A built-in thesaurus that allows you to search for synonyms without leaving theword processor.

windows : Allows you to edit two or more documents at the same time. Each documentappears in a separate window. This is particularly valuable when working on a large project

that consists of several different files. WYSI

WYG

(what you see is what you get): With WYSIWYG, a document appears on the display screenexactly as it will look when printed.

2.2 What is OpenOffice.org Writer?

Writer is the word processor component of OpenOffice.org (OOo). In addition to the usualfeatures of a word processor (spell checking, thesaurus, hyphenation, autocorrect, find and replace,



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automatic generation of tables of contents and indexes, mail merge and others), Writer provides theseimportant features:

Templates and styles

Powerful page layout methods, including frames, columns, and tables Embedding or linking of graphics, spreadsheets, and other objects Built-in drawing tools Master documentsto group a collection of documents into a single document Change tracking during revisions Database integration, including a bibliography database Export to PDF, including bookmarks And many more

Styles are central to using Writer. Using styles, you can easily format your documentconsistently and change the format with minimal effort. A style is a named set of formatting options.

Writer defines several types of styles, for different types of elements: characters, paragraphs, pages,frames, and lists. Often, you are using styles whether you realize it or not. The use of styles isdescribed in more detail in the following sections (Introduction to Styles) and (Working with Styles). Theother features of Writer listed above are also covered in detail in other sections of this manual. Severalways to start Writer: From the system menu, from and existing document, from the command line (mostusers will never want to do this), using the quickstarter. In this manual, we will be discussing only twoways.

2.1 Launching OpenOffice.org Writer

Several ways to start Writer: From the system menu, from and existing document, from thecommand line (most users will never want to do this), using the quickstarter. In this manual, we will bediscussing only two ways.

2.1.1 Starting from the system menu

The most common way to start Writer is by using the system menu, the standard menufrom which most applications are started. On Windows, it is called the Start menu. On KDE, itis identified by the KDE logo. On Mac OS X, it is the Applications menu. On GNOME, it iscalled the Applications menu. For this manual, refer to the steps given in section 1.8.1 inlaunching Openoffice.org application in launching Writer.

When OpenOffice.org was installed on your computer, in most cases a menu entry foreach component was added to your system menu. The exact name and location of these menuentries depends on the operating system and graphical environment.

2.1.2 From an existing document

All Writer documents are associated with the Writer application. This means that youcan start OpenOffice.org automatically, simply by double-clicking a Writer document in a filemanager such as Windows Explorer.

You can spot an OpenOffice.org Writer document by its icon: .

2.2 The Writer Interface

The main Writer workspace is shown in Figure 9 below. The menus and toolbars are described



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in the previous section (Introducing OpenOffice.org). Some other features of the Writer interface arecovered in this chapter.

Figure 9: The Default Main OpenOffice.org 3.1 Writer Interface in Print Layout View

Cursor : This is the blinking dash or block, which tells your location or where the next characterwill appear. It can be moved over in the document to enable you to edit or modify the text at thecursor position.

Horizontal ruler : The horizontal ruler display settings for the paragraph that contains theinsertion point.

Vertical ruler : The vertical ruler displays settings for the top and bottom margins of pages andthe height of rows in tables.

Scroll bars : The shaded bars along the right side and bottom of a document window thatscrolls to another part of the document.

Status bar : The Writer status bar provides information about the document and convenientways to quickly change some document features. From left to right, the fields are as follows:

Page number : Shows the current page number, the sequence number of the current page (ifdifferent), and the total number of pages in the document. For example, if you restartedpage numbering at 1 on the third page, its page number is 1 and its sequence number is 3. To jump to the location of a bookmark, right-click on this field. A list of bookmarks pops

up; click on the required one. To jump to a specific page in the document, double-click in this field. The Navigator

opens. Click in the Page Number field and type the required page number.


Menu Bar

Standard ToolbarFormatting Toolbar

HorizontalRuler

Vertical Ruler

Work Area

Status Bar

HorizontalScrollbar

VerticalScrollbar

Paper Edge

Page Margin `

PageNumber

PageStyle

Language InsertMode

SelectionMode

DigitalSignature

Zoom

SectionDocument

Views

Navigation


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Page style : Shows the style of the current page. To change the page style, right-click on thisfield. A list of page styles pops up; choose a different style by clicking on it. To edit the page style, double-click on this field. The Page Style dialog opens.

Language : Shows the language for the selected text. Click to open a menu where you can choose another language for the selected text or for

the paragraph where the cursor is located. You can also choose None to exclude thetext from spellchecking or choose More... to open the Character dialog.

INSRT (Insert mode): Click to toggle between Insert and Overwrite modes when typing.

Selection mode : Displays the current selection mode. You can switch between STD =Standard, EXT = Extend, ADD = Add, BLK = Block selection. Click to toggle between STD(Standard), EXT (Extend), ADD (Add) and BLK (Block). Each click in the field cycles

through the available options:

Display Mode Effect

STD Standard mode Click in text where you want to position the cursor;click in a cell to make it the active cell. Any otherselection is then deselected.

EXT Extension mode (F8) Clicking in the text extends or crops the currentselection.

ADD Additional selection mode(Shift+F8)

A new selection is added to an existing selection.The result is a multiple selection.

BLK Block selection mode(Ctrl+Shift+F8)

A block of text can be selected.

Digital signature : If the document has been digitally signed, an icon shows in this part ofthe Status bar. You can double-click the icon to view the certificate.

Section or object information : When the cursor is on a section or object (such as a picture),information about that item appears in this field.

View layout : Click the appropriate icon to change between single page, side-by-side, andbook layout views (Figure 10). You can edit the document in any view.



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Figure 10: View Layouts: Single, side-by-side, book

Zoom : Reduces or enlarges the screen display of OpenOffice.org. The current zoom factor is

displayed as a percentage value on the Status bar. To change the view magnification, drag the Zoom slider or click on the + and signs or

click on the slider itself. You can also right-click on the zoom level percentage to selecta magnification value. Zoom interacts with the selected view layout to determine howmany pages are visible in the document window.

Document views

Writer has several ways to view a document: Print Layout, Web Layout, and FullScreen. To access these and other choices:

go to the View menu and click on the required view. When in Full Screen view, press the Esc key to return to either Print or Web Layout view. When in Web Layout, you can use the Zoom slider on the Status bar, as describedabove. In Print Layout, you can use both the Zoom slider and the View Layout icons on theStatus bar. Or, you can also choose View > Zoom from the menu bar to display the Zoom & ViewLayout dialog (see Figure 11), where you can set the same options as on the Status bar. In

Web Layout view, most of the choices are not available.



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Getting Started with OpenOffice.org Writer

3.1 Creating a New Document

By default, OpenOffice.org 3.1 Writer provides a blank document for the you to beginwith a filename Untitled 1. You can directly begin typing or entering text in the Writer work area.

You can create a new, blank document in Writer in several ways: by default settings orother available templates.

To create document that is based on default settings, use one of the following:

Use File > New > Text Document .

Click the New button on the standard toolbar.

Press Ctrl + N keys.

This will display a blank screen in which you can create a document. A newempty document opens. If you already have a document open, the new documentappears in a new window. This document will be based on default settings. Defaultsettings are ones which Writer sets up for you automatically.

Creating a document from a template

You can use templates to create new documents in Writer. Templates serve as the

foundation of a set of documents, to make sure they all have a similar layout. For example, allthe documents of this manual are based on the same template. As a result, all the documentslook alike; they have the same headers and footers, use the same fonts, and so on.

Templates are predefined layouts for creating documents. Writer has a number oftemplates. It also allows you to create your own templates. When you select File ->New , anumber of Writer templates are displayed.

For example, to create business cards:

File ->New ->Business cards

This will then display a dialogue which will make the process of creatingbusiness cards much simpler than it would have been without the use of a template.

Once you do have templates on your system, you can create new documentsbased on them by using:

File > New > Templates and Documents

This opens a window where you can choose the template you want to use foryour document.



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3.1 Saving a document

When you work with a document on your computer, the working form resides in the computer'sRAM. This is temporary memory used for your current activities. Since RAM is volatile, when thecomputer is switched off, everything that is in RAM is automatically lost. In order to keep your work youwill need to transfer the contents of RAM to your hard disk. This process is called saving.

Saving a document is very important; it will make your document available anytime you want it(unless deleted) for the reason that it will be permanently stored in the disk.

You can save the active document you are working on, whether it is new or existed previously.You can save all open documents at the same time. And you can save a copy of the active documentwith different name or in a different location.

Moreover, you can save a document in another file format for use in another program. Bydefault, OpenOffice.org loads and saves files in the OpenDocument file format. The OpenDocument fileformat (ODF) is a standardized file format used by many software applications.

OpenDocument file format names : OpenOffice.org 3.1 uses the following file formats:Document format File extension

ODF Text .odt

ODF Text Template .ott

ODF Master Document .odm

HTML Document .html

HTML Document Template .oth

ODF Spreadsheet .odsODF Spreadsheet Template .ots

ODF Drawing .odg

ODF Drawing Template .otg

ODF Presentation .odp

ODF Presentation Template .otp

ODF Formula .odf

ODF Database .odb

OpenOffice.org Extension .oxt

Note: The HTML format is not an OpenDocument format.

3.1.1 Saving a new document :

When you create a document from scratch, there is no version stored on disk. To savea new, unnamed document into the disk, choose one of the following options:

Click File > Save

Click File > Save As

Click the Save icon found at the standard toolbar.



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Press ALT+F, then press S (for Save) or A (for Save As)

Press CTRL+S .

When you save a document, you give it a name and you specify where it is to bestored. The first time you save an untitled document, after doing one of the save optionsmentioned above, the Save As dialogue will appear similar to the figure shown below. Ingeneral, this will point to your home directory. Do the following steps to complete the savingprocess.

1.If necessary, navigate to the directory in which you wish to save the file.2.Enter a name into the File name combo box. By default .odt will be attached as the filename

extension3.Click Save.

Once the document is saved under a given filename, the title bar in the Writer windowwill display the filename of the document being saved and is no longer the Untitled1.

Figure 12: Save As Dialog Window

On the top right of the Open dialogue, there are three important icons:

Up one level . Pressing this icon will move you to the parent of the current directory. Create new directory . This option allows you to create a new directory in the current

directory. Default directory . Pressing this icon will move you to the default directory. This is

useful if you have moved through several directories and wish to return to yourstarting point in the directory tree. This will be different for each user.


Path of theCurrent Location

File namecombo box

File typedrop box

Default Directory

Create NewDirectory

Up One Level


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3.1.1 Save an existing document :

If you have opened a document and made some changes, the process of saving it isvery simple. Choose one of the following options:

Click File > Save

Click the Save icon found at the standard toolbar.

Press ALT+F, then press S (for Save).

Press CTRL+S .

This will change the contents of the stored version so that it is identical to the versionthat is displayed on your screen. In this case, the previous version on disk is overwritten. Saveyour documents as often as possible as you are working on them to prevent data lost.

3.1.1 Save a document under another name and/or different location :

When you use the File ->Save function, the contents on disk are overwritten by thecontents on your screen. It often happens that we do not want to do so. In other words, wemight wish to keep copies of different versions of the file under different names. Anotherpossibility is that we wish to keep copies of the same document, but in different places. In bothcases, this is possible through the Save As command. To invoke this command, choose one ofthe following options:

Click File ->Save As function.

Press ALT+F , then press A (for Save As)

Press CTR L+SHIFT +S

To save a document under another name in the same location: on the Save As dialogue dothe following steps:

1.On the File name drop-down menu, delete the old name and enter a new name that isdifferent from the old one

2.Click Save.

To save a document under the same or another name in different location: on the Save As

dialogue window do the following steps:

1.Navigate to the directory in which you wish to save the file. Or, you may create a directorywithin a specific location where you wish to save the file. To do this:

a)Navigate to the directory where you wish to create a new directory or folder.b)Click the Create New Directory button, a create new folder dialogue box will appear.c)On the Name box, you can find the default name of the directory to be folder , if you

wish to accept the default name proceed to the next instruction. If you want to havea different folder name delete the default name and enter a new folder/directoryname.

d)Click OK button or simple press Enter key. You will be prompted back to the Save As

dialogue box. The newly created folder is shown in the directory window.e)Double click on the newly created folder to change to this directory. Once you are in



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this directory you are ready to save your file.

1.If you want to save the file with the same filename click Save . If you want to save indifferent filename, enter a new name on the File Name combo box and then click Save

or press Enter key.

3.1.1 Save a document in another file type such as: text file, Rich Text Format,HTML, template, software specific file extension, version number

There are many different word processors and applications that can read textdocuments. One of the very important aspects of working with information technology is theability to exchange documents between different systems.

Each application has its own way of storing information in electronic form. This isknown as the format of the application. For example, Microsoft Word stores documents is adifferent electronic format to OpenOffice.org Writer.

Another issue we need to contend with is that as software develops in sophistication,the format of the documents will change to cater for the increased sophistication. We also needto be able to store a document in a format that could be read by an earlier version of anapplication package.

There are also a number of generic formats that can be used. These are formats thatare not specific to a particular application but which have been designed by the informationtechnology industry to form a common basis for all documents.

Each format has its own file extension. Sometimes we refer to the format by itsextension. For example, Writer creates .odt files while Microsoft Word creates .doc files. Rich

text format, a generic format, uses the rtf extension.

Web browsers can only read documents created in Hypertext Markup Language orhtml . Apart from its own format, Writer allows you to store documents in a wide range offormats.

To save a file in a particular format do the Save As command. On the save as dialog box do thefollowing steps:

1.If you wish to save under different name and/or location, perform the steps describeabove do this task then proceed to the next step.

2.Click on the File type drop down box. (This will give lists in both formats and versions of

formats.)3.Select the type of file formats that you wish to save with.4.Click Save or press Enter key.

3.1.1 Save/Create a file in pdf format :

Saves the current file to Portable Document Format (PDF). To do this, perform thefollowing:

1.Click File ->Export .2.Select the directory in which you wish to save the file.3.Enter a file name.

4.Click Save .



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A PDF file can be viewed and printed on any platform with the original formatting intact,provided that supporting software is installed. This can be done using the File > Export asPDF.. command. For now, we will be dealing only on saving to PDF.

3.1 Closing a document

If you are done working with your current document you may close document withoutclosing or exiting the Writer application. To do this, choose one of the following options:

Click File > Close .

Press ALT+F , then press X.

You can also close a document by clicking on the Close icon on the document window. Ifmore than one OOo window is open, each window looks like the sample shown on the leftin Figure 13. Closing this window leaves the other OOo windows open. If only one OOowindow is open, it looks like the sample shown on the right in Figure 13. Notice the smallblack X below the larger X in the red box. Clicking the small black X closes the documentbut leaves OOo open. Clicking the large red X closes OOo completely.

Figure 13: Close Icons

If the version in the work area corresponds to what is saved on disk, Writer will closethe document immediately. If you have edited the document and has not been saved since thelast change, Writer will check whether or not you wish to save or discard the changes beforeclosing. If this happens, a message box is displayed similar to the figure below.

Figure 14: Message Box

Choose whether to save or discard your changes.

Save : The document is saved and then closed.

Discard : The document is closed, and all modifications since the last save are lost.

Cancel : Nothing happens, and you return to the document.

Note: Not saving your document could result in the loss of recently made changes, or worsestill, your entire file.



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3.1 Closing OpenOffice.org Writer

To close Writer completely, click File > Exit , or close the last open document as described inClosing Document on section 3.3.

If all the documents have been saved, OOo closes immediately. If any documents have beenmodified but not saved, a warning message appears. Follow the procedure in Closing Document onsection 3.3. to save or discard your changes.

3.2 Opening a single or multiple existing document

When no document is open, the Welcome screen provides an icon for opening an existingdocument. To open an existing document that was saved on the hard drive or on a removable disk, youcan choose in one of the following ways.

Click File > Open.

Click the Open button on the standard toolbar.

Press Control+O on the keyboard.

In each case, the Open dialog box appears. In general, this will point to your home directory. Insome instances this will point to your current directory that you are working with. The Open dialog box issimilar to the Save As dialog box. To open the file you want:

1.If necessary, navigate to the desired directory.2.Select the file you wish to open by highlighting it.3.Click Open.

In the Open dialog box, you can reduce the list of files by selecting the type of file you arelooking for. For example, if you choose Text documents as the file type, you will only see documentsWriter can open (including *.odt, *.doc, *.txt). This method opens Word (*.doc) files, as well as OOo filesand other formats.

You can also open an existing OOo Writer document using the same methods you would use toopen any document in your operating system. If you have associated Microsoft Office file formats withOpenOffice.org, you can also open these files by double-clicking on them.

You may open several documents at the same time. Simply repeat the process describedabove. If a document is already open in OOo, the second document opens in a new window. Eachdocument has its own window. Although the files will all be open, only one will be displayed on yourscreen for editing. We will refer to this as the active document. In the section called Switch betweenopen documents, you will learn how to switch between open documents.

3.1 Switch between open documents

You may open several documents using the File->Open function. You will, however, only beable to edit the active document, the one that is displayed on your screen. To make another documentactive, you need to switch to that document.

1.Click Window on the menu bar.

A list of open documents is displayed in the lower half of the window. The active



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document is marked with a dot.

2.Click on the document you wish to switch to.

You can also switch between documents by clicking the applicaton from the task pane.

3.1 Getting help

Writer provides several forms of help. In addition to a full Help file (reached by pressing F1 orchoosing Help > OpenOffice.org Help from the menu bar), you can choose whether to activatetooltips, extended tips, and the Help Agent from Tools > Options > OpenOffice.org > General.

Placing the mouse pointer over any of the icons displays a small box, called a tooltip. It gives abrief explanation of the icons function. For a more detailed explanation, select Help > Whats This?and hold the mouse pointer over the icon you need more help with.



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Working With Your Document

This chapter covers the basics of working with text in Writer, the wordprocessing component of

OpenOffice.org (OOo). It is assumed that the reader has basic skills with the use of a mouse andkeyboard and that have read about Writers menus and toolbars and other topics covered in previoussections.

The following section summarises some of the important points above enter and editing text viathe keyboard. As there is some variation in the position of keys on different keyboards, the position ofthe keys is not shown.

4.1Data Entry

4.1.1.Entering/Inserting Text

A character is inserted at the insertion point in the working area of the document. Asyou type character from the keyboard, these characters are entered or inserted.

4.1.2.Entering/Inserting Paragraphs

The technical meaning of a paragraph in Writer's terminology is therefore slightlydifferent to that of ordinary usage. A paragraph entry refers to entering lines of text (sentences)without entering a hard carriage return (Enter key). As you enter characters, Writer has a word wrap feature that wraps down text to the beginning of the next line if they go beyond the rightmargin. The end of a paragraph is noted when an Enter key is pressed.

To end a paragraph and begin a new line, press the Enter key. Pressing the Enter key asecond time inserts a blank line following the end of the paragraph.

If you press Shift+Enter, you will create a new line but not a new paragraph. Sometimesthis is referred to as a soft break. The effect appears to be the same as that of pressing Enter,but there is a subtle difference. If you were to use the Format->Paragraph command, Writerwould treat all text on either side of the soft break as part of the same paragraph.

4.1.3.Deleting Text

There are two keys on the keyboard that allow you to delete text. The Del key deletestext under the cursor while the Backspace key deletes text to the left of the cursor.

4.1.4.Insert Special Characters

The keyboard allows you to enter most of the text you require. Further, there arenumerous keyboards available for different languages that allow you to enter the characters thatare commonly used in those languages. When the operating system is installed, whether Linuxor Windows, one of the things that has to be defined is the language of the keyboard.

Whatever keyboard you are using, Writer allows you to enter hundreds of othercharacters and special symbols not available on the keyboard.

A special character is one not found on a standard English keyboard. For example, are all special characters. To insert a special character:

1.Place the cursor where you want the character to appear.



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Ctrl+Up arrow key Moves the cursor from the current paragraph (or line) up to theprevious paragraph (or line)

Ctrl+Down arrow key Moves the cursor from the current paragraph (or line) down to thenext paragraph (or line)

Ctrl+Home key Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.

Ctrl+Home key (in a table) Moves the cursor to the beginning of the contents of the currentcell. Press again to move the cursor to the first cell in the table.Press again to move the cursor to the beginning of the document.

Ctrl+End key Moves the cursor to the end of the document

Ctrl+End Key (in a table) Moves the cursor to the end of the contents of the current cell.Press again to move the cursor to the last cell in the table. Pressagain to move the cursor to the end of the document.

Ctrl+PgUp key Moves the cursor to the header.

CtrlPgDn key Moves the cursor to the footer.

4.1Select Data

We are able to perform operations such as copying, deleting and formatting on entire blocks oftext. However, before we can do so we need to select the text we wish to operate on. Usually we refer tothis as highlighting the text.

Selecting text in Writer is similar to selecting anything in other applications. We can selectcharacter, word, line, sentence, paragraph, and/or entire body text through one of the followingmethods:

4.1.1.Shift + direction keys

One way of highlighting text, is to position the cursor at the start or end of the text youwish to highlight and, while holding down the Shift key, use the navigation keys to move to theother end of the text you wish to highlight. Refer to the following table below.

Key / key combination Function

Shift+Left or Right arrow key Select one character to the left or to the right.

Shift+Up or down arrow keys Select one line in upward or downward direction.

Shift+Home Select block of text from the cursor position to the beginningof the current line.

Shif t+End Select block of text from cursor position to the end of thecurrent line.

Shift+PgUp Select block of text from cursor position to up screen page

Shift+PgDn Select block of text from cursor position to dow screen page

Shift+Ctrl+Left arrow key Select block of text one word to the left.

Shift+Ctrl+Right arrow key Select block of text one word to the right.

Shift+Ctrl+Up arrow key Select block of text from cursor position of the currentparagraph (or line) up to the beginning of the paragraph (orline).

Shift+Ctrl+Down arrow key Select block of text from cursor position of the currentparagraph (or line) up to the end of the paragraph (or line)



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Note: Press Esc to exit from the ADD mode or to unselect the selected items.

4.1.1.Selecting a vertical block of text(example shown in Figure 17 below)

You can now select a vertical block or column of text that is separated by spaces ortabs (as you might see in text pasted from e-mails, program listings, or other sources), usingOOos block selection mode. To chang to block selection mode, you can choose from either ofthe following method:

Edit > Selection Mode > Block Area; or

click several times in the status bar on STD until it changes to BLK.

After changing the selection mode to BLK mode, you can now highlight the selection,using mouse or keyboard, as shown in Figure 17.

4.1Edit Data

Edit content by inserting new characters, words within existing text, over-typing to replaceexisting text

4.1.1.Insert and overwrite mode


Figure 17: Selecting a vertical block of text


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When working with Writer there are two different modes of text entry: insert andoverwrite mode. When you are in inser t mode and you begin typing, text is inserted at thecurrent position. All text ahead of the cursor is simply pushed further to the right to make wayfor the new text. In overwrite mode text you type replaces existing text at cursor position.

The Insert key on the keyboard acts as a toggle switching Writer between the twomodes. The current mode is indicated on the status bar at the bottom of the screen. The statusbar below indicates that Writer is in Insert mode (INSRT). If we press the Insert or INS key, thestatus bar will change to indicate that you are now in overwrite mode (OVER).

4.1.2.Undoing and Redoding changes

When we execute a command on some text, for example delete the text, we are able toreverse what we have done. This is known as the undo function. It is also possible afterhaving undone the change, get it back. This is called the redo function. Writer actually keeps ahistory of recent changes you have made.

Undo

Pressing Ctrl+Z undoes the last change you made. Pressing it a second time, undoesthe one before that, and so on.

An alternative method is to use Edit->Undo . When you use this method, the menu willindicate what type of operation you will be undoing.

For example, the following screen segment (Figure ??) shows that the last operationwas the creation of a new paragraph. The undo will remove this new paragraph.

Yet another way of carrying out undo is to press the undo icon on the function bar.

Click the small triangle to the right of the Undo icon to get a list of all the changes thatcan be undone as an example shown in Figure 18. You can select multiple changes and undothem at the same time.


Figure ??: Example menu for a type of undo operation that can be performed.

Figure ??: Undo Icon


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Figure 18: List of actions that can be undone

After changes have been undone, Redo becomes active.

Redo

As mentioned above, redo undoes the action of the last undo. To use this functionuse Edit->Redo , or press CTRL+Y . You can also execute the redo function by pressing theredo icon on the function bar.

.

As with Undo, click on the triangle to the right of the arrow to get a list of the changesthat can be reapplied.

Note: To modify the number of changes OpenOffice.org remembers, select Tools > Options

> OpenOffice.org > Memory and change Undo number of steps . Be aware thatasking OOo to remember more changes consumes more computer memory.

4.2Duplicate (Copy), Move and Delete Data

Cutting and copying text in Writer is similar to cutting and copying text in other applications. Youcan copy or move text within a document, or between documents, by dragging or by using menuselections, icons, or keyboard shortcuts. You can also copy text from other sources such as Web pagesand paste it into a Writer document.

After selecting text, you can use the mouse or the keyboard for these operations. The followingicons (Figure ??) found on the Standard toolbar are useful for the copy, move and delete operations:


Figure ??: Redo Icon


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the Standard toolbar3.Position the cursor at the point you wish to insert the text.4.Use Edit->Paste , or use the keyboard shortcut by pressing CTRL+V or , click on the Paste

icon on the Standard toolbar.

Note: To move (cut and paste) selected text using the mouse, drag it to the new location andrelease it.

Move text between documents

The process is basically the same when moving between documents.1.Highlight the text you wish to duplicate in the first document.2.Use Edit->Cut , or use the keyboard shortcut by pressing CTRL+X or, click on the Cut icon on

the Standard toolbar3.Open the target document if it is not yet open or switch to it using the Window menu item.4.Position the cursor at the point you wish to insert the text in the target document.

5.Use Edit->Paste , or use the keyboard shortcut by pressing CTRL+V or , click on the Pasteicon on the Standard toolbar.

The result of a paste operation depends on the source of the text to be pasted. If you simplyclick on the Paste icon, any formatting the text has (such as bold or italics) is retained. Text pasted fromWeb sites and other sources may also be placed into frames or tables. If you do not like the results,click the Undo icon or press CTRL+Z .

To make the pasted text take on the formatting of the surrounding text where it is to be pasted,choose:

Use Edit > Paste Special , or click the triangle to the right of the Paste icon , or click the Paste icon without releasing the left mouse button

Then select Unformatted text from the resulting menu. The range of choices on the PasteSpecial menu varies depending upon the origin and formatting of the text (or other object) to be pasted.See Figure ?? for an example with text on the clipboard.

This example includes the formatting option DDE link. DDE is an acronym for Dynamic DataExchange, a mechanism whereby selected data in document A can be pasted into document B as alinked, live copy of the original. It would be used, for example, in a report written in Writer containingtime-varying data, such as sales results sourced from a Calc spreadsheet. The DDE link ensures that,as the source spreadsheet is updated so is the report, thus reducing the scope for error and reducingthe work involved in keeping the Writer document up to date.


Figure ??: Paste Special Menu


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4.1Sf



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Shortcut Keys for OpenOffice.org WriterYou can use shortcut keys to quickly perform common tasks in OpenOffice.org. This section lists thedefault shortcut keys for OpenOffice.org Writer.

Some of the shortcut keys may be assigned to your desktopsystem. Keys that are assigned to the desktop system are not

available to OpenOffice.org. Try to assign different keys eitherfor OpenOffice.org, in Tools - Customize - Keyboard , or inyour desktop system.

You can also use the general shortcut keys in OpenOffice.org .

Function Keys for OpenOffice.org Writer

Shortcut keys Effect

F2 Formula BarCtrl+F2 Insert FieldsF3 Complete AutoTextCtrl+F3 Edit AutoTextF4 Open Data Source ViewShift+F4 Select next frameF5 Navigator on/off Ctrl+Shift+F5

Navigator on, go to pagenumber

F7 SpellcheckCtrl+F7 ThesaurusF8 Extension modeCtrl+F8 Field shadings on / off Shift+F8 Additional selection modeCtrl+Shift+F8

Block selection mode

F9 Update fieldsCtrl+F9 Show fieldsShift+F9 Calculate TableCtrl+Shift+F9

Update Input Fields and InputLists

Ctrl+F10 Nonprinting Characters on/off F11 Styles and Formatting window

on/off Shift+F11 Create StyleCtrl+F11 Sets focus to Apply Style box

Ctrl+Shift+F11 Update Style

F12 Numbering onCtrl+F12 Insert or edit Table
http://vnd.sun.star.help//shared/text/shared/04/01010000.xhp?Language=en-US&System=UNIX&UseDB=no&DbPAR=swriterhttp://vnd.sun.star.help//shared/text/shared/04/01010000.xhp?Language=en-US&System=UNIX&UseDB=no&DbPAR=swriter


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Shift+F12 Bullets onCtrl+Shift+F12

Numbering / Bullets off

Shortcut Keys for OpenOffice.org Writer

Shortcut keys EffectCtrl+A Select AllCtrl+J JustifyCtrl+D Double UnderlineCtrl+E CenteredCtrl+F Find and ReplaceCtrl+Shift+P SuperscriptCtrl+L Align LeftCtrl+R Align RightCtrl+Shift+B SubscriptCtrl+Y Redo last actionCtrl+0 (zero) Apply Default paragraph styleCtrl+1 Apply Heading 1 paragraph styleCtrl+2 Apply Heading 2 paragraph styleCtrl+3 Apply Heading 3 paragraph styleCtrl+5 1.5 Line SpacingCtrl+ Plus Key(+) Calculates the selected text and copies

the result to the clipboard.Ctrl+Hyphen(-) Custom hyphens; hyphenation set by

you.Ctrl+Shift+minussign (-)

Non-breaking dash (is not used forhyphenation)

Ctrl+multiplicationsign * (only onnumber pad)

Run macro field

Ctrl+Shift+Space Non-breaking spaces. Non-breaking

spaces are not used for hyphenation andare not expanded if the text is justified.Shift+Enter Line break without paragraph changeCtrl+Enter Manual page breakCtrl+Shift+Enter Column break in multicolumnar textsAlt+Enter Inserting a new paragraph without

numberingAlt+Enter Inserting a new paragraph directly before

or after a section or a table.

Arrow Left Move cursor to leftShift+Arrow Left Move cursor with selection to the leftCtrl+Arrow Left Go to beginning of wordCtrl+Shift+ArrowLeft

Selecting to the left word by word


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Arrow Right Move cursor to rightShift+Arrow Right Move cursor with selection to the rightCtrl+Arrow Right Go to start of next wordCtrl+Shift+ArrowRight

Selecting to the right word by word

Arrow Up Move cursor up one lineShift+Arrow Up Selecting lines in an upwards directionCtrl+Arrow Up Move cursor to beginning of paragraphShift+Ctrl+Arrow Up Select to beginning of paragraphArrow Down Move cursor down one lineShift+Arrow Down Selecting lines in a downward directionCtrl+Arrow Down Move cursor to end of paragraphShift+Ctrl+ArrowDown

Select to end of paragraph

Home Go to beginning of line

Shift+Home Go and select to the beginning of a lineEnd Go to end of lineShift+End Go and select to end of lineCtrl+Home Go to start of documentCtrl+Shift+Home Go and select text to start of documentCtrl+End Go to end of documentCtrl+Shift+End Go and select text to end of documentCtrl+PageUp Switch cursor between text and header

Ctrl+PageDown Switch cursor between text and footerInsert Insert mode on/off PageUp Screen page upShift+PageUp Move up screen page with selectionPageDown Move down screen pageShift+PageDown Move down screen page with selectionCtrl+Del Delete text to end of wordCtrl+Backspace Delete text to beginning of word

In a list: delete an empty paragraph in

front of the current paragraphCtrl+Shift+Del Delete text to end of sentenceCtrl+Shift+Backspace

Delete text to beginning of sentence

Ctrl+Tab Next suggestion with Automatic WordCompletion

Ctrl+Shift+Tab Use previous suggestion with AutomaticWord Completion

Ctrl+ double-click or

Ctrl+Shift+F10

Use this combination to quickly dock or

undock the Navigator, Styles andFormatting window, or other windows
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Shortcut Keys for Paragraphs and Heading Levels

Shortcut keys Effect

Ctrl+Alt+UpArrow

Move the active paragraph or selectedparagraphs up one paragraph.

Ctrl+Alt+Down Arrow

Move the active paragraph or selectedparagraphs down one paragraph.

Tab The heading in format "Heading X" (X = 1-9) ismoved down one level in the outline.Shift+Tab The heading in format "Heading X" (X = 2-10) is

moved up one level in the outline.Ctrl+Tab At the start of a heading: Inserts a tab stop.

Depending on the Window Manager in use,Alt+Tab may be used instead.

To change the heading level with the keyboard,first position the cursor in front of the heading.

Shortcut Keys for Tables in OpenOffice.org Writer

ShortcutKeys

Effect

Ctrl+A If the active cell is empty: selects the whole table.Otherwise: selects the contents of the active cell.Pressing again selects the entire table.

Ctrl+Home

If the active cell is empty: goes to the beginning of the table. Otherwise: first press goes to beginningof the active cell, second press goes to beginning of the current table, third press goes to beginning of document.

Ctrl+End If the active cell is empty: goes to the end of thetable. Otherwise: first press goes to the end of theactive cell, second press goes to the end of thecurrent table, third press goes to the end of thedocument.

Ctrl+Tab Inserts a tab stop (only in tables). Depending on theWindow Manager in use, Alt+Tab may be usedinstead.

Alt+ArrowKeys

Increases/decreases the size of the column/row onthe right/bottom cell edge

Alt+Shift+ArrowKeys

Increase/decrease the size of the column/row onthe left/top cell edge

Alt+Ctrl+Arrow Keys

Like Alt, but only the active cell is modified

Ctrl+Alt+S

hift+ArrowKeys

Like Alt, but only the active cell is modified

Alt+Insert 3 seconds in Insert mode, Arrow Key insertsrow/column, Ctrl+Arrow Key inserts cell

Alt+Del 3 seconds in Delete mode, Arrow key deletes


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row/column, Ctrl+Arrow key merges cell withneighboring cell

Ctrl+Shift+T

Removes cell protection from all selected tables. If no table is selected, then cell protection is removedfrom all of the tables in the document.

Shift+Ctrl+Del

If no whole cell is selected, the text from the cursorto the end of the current sentence is deleted. If the

cursor is at the end of a cell, and no whole cell isselected, the contents of the next cell are deleted.If no whole cell is selected and the cursor is at theend of the table, the following sentence from belowthe table will be deleted and the remainder of thatparagraph will be moved into the last table cell. If an empty line follows the table, the empty line willbe deleted.If one or more cells are selected, the whole rowscontaining the selection will be deleted. If all rowsare selected completely or partially, the entire tablewill be deleted.

Shortcut Keys for Moving and Resizing Frames, Graphics and Objects

Shortcut Keys Effect

Esc Cursor is inside a text frame and no text isselected: Escape selects the text frame.

Text frame is selected: Escape clears thecursor from the text frame.

F2 or Enter orany key thatproduces acharacter onscreen

If a text frame is selected: positions thecursor to the end of the text in the textframe. If you press any key that produces acharacter on screen, and the document is inedit mode, the character is appended to thetext.

Alt+Arrow Keys Move object.Alt+Ctrl+ArrowKeys

Resizes by moving lower right corner.

Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Arrow Keys Resizes by moving top left corner.

Ctrl+Tab Selects the anchor of an object (in Edit Pointsmode).


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Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts

Introduction You can use OpenOffice.org (OOo) without requiring a pointing device,such as a mouse or trackball, by using its built-in keyboard shortcuts.Tasks as varied and complex as docking and un-docking toolbars andwindows, or changing the size or position of objects, can all beaccomplished with only a keyboard.

OOo has a general set of keyboard shortcuts, available in all

components, and a component-specific set directly related to the work of that component (Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Base). Thisappendix lists the general set. For component-specific shortcuts, seethe relevant component guide.

For help with OOos keyboard shortcuts, or using OOo with a keyboardonly, search the OOo Help using the shortcut or accessibilitykeywords.

In addition to using the built-in keyboard shortcuts listed in this Appendix, you can define your own. See Chapter 14 (CustomizingOpenOffice.org) for instructions.

Note

Some of the shortcut keys may be assigned to your desktopsystem. Keys that are assigned to the desktop system are notavailable to OOo. Try to assign different keys either for OOo(described in Chapter 14), or for your desktop system (see yoursystems documentation).


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Function key shortcutsShortcut Keys Result F1 Starts the OpenOffice.org Help.

In the OpenOffice.org Help: jumps to main help page.Shift+F1 Activates Whats This? (extended tip) help for the

mouse pointer, which turns into a question mark.Move the pointer over an item (command, icon orcontrol) to view the extended tip.

Shift+F2 Displays an extended tip for the item (command, iconor control) currently selected by using the keyboard.

Ctrl+F4 or Alt+F4 Closes the current document. Closes OpenOffice.orgwhen the last open document is closed.

F6 Sets focus in next subwindow.Shift+F6 Sets focus in previous subwindow.

F10 Activates the first menu (File menu).Shift+F10 Opens the context (pop-up) menu.Ctrl+F11 Opens the Style Catalog.

General shortcut keys for OpenOffice.orgShortcut Keys Result

Enter key Activates the focused button in a dialog.

Esc Terminates the action or dialog. If in OpenOffice.orgHelp: goes up one level.

Spacebar Toggles the focused checkbox in a dialog. Arrow keys Changes the active control field in an option section

of a dialog.Tab Advances focus to the next section or element in a

dialog.Shift+Tab Moves the focus to the previous section or element

in a dialog. Alt+Down Arrow Opens the list of the control field currently selected

in a dialog. This shortcut applies to combo boxesand to icon buttons with pop-up menus. Close anopened list by pressing the Esc key.

Del Deletes the selected items into the recycle bin.Shift+Del Deletes the selected items without putting them in

the recycle bin.Backspace When a folder is shown: goes up one level (goes

back).Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar Removes direct formatting from selected text orobjects (as in Format > Default Formatting ).


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Shortcut Keys Result

Ctrl+Tab When positioned at the start of a header, a tab isinserted.

Enter (if an OLEobject is selected)

Activates the selected OLE object.

Enter (if a drawingobject or text object isselected)

Activates text input mode.

Ctrl+O Opens a document.Ctrl+S Saves the current document.Ctrl+N Creates a new document.Shift+Ctrl+N Opens the Templates and Documents dialog.Ctrl+P Prints the document.Ctrl+Q Exits the application.

Ctrl+X Cuts the selected items.Ctrl+C Copies the selected items.Ctrl+V Pastes from the clipboard.Ctrl+Shift+V Opens the Paste Special dialog.Ctrl+A Selects all.Ctrl+Z Undoes last action.Ctrl+Y Redoes last action.Ctrl+Shift+Y Repeats last command.

Ctrl+F Calls the Find & Replace dialog.Ctrl+Shift+F Searches for the last entered search term.Ctrl+Shift+J Toggles the view between fullscreen mode and

normal mode in Writer or Calc.Ctrl+Shift+R Refreshes (redraws) the document view.Ctrl+Shift+I Enables or disables the selection cursor in read-only

text.Ctrl+I Applies the Italic attribute to the selected area or

the word in which the cursor is positioned.Ctrl+B Applies the Bold attribute to the selected area or

the word in which the cursor is positioned.Ctrl+U Applies the Underlined attribute to the selected

area or the word in which the cursor is positioned.


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Shortcut keys in the GalleryShortcut Keys Result Tab Moves between areas.Shift+Tab Moves between areas (backwards).

In the New Theme area of the GalleryShortcut keys Result Up arrow Moves the selection up.Down arrow Moves the selection down.Ctrl+Enter Opens the Properties dialog.Shift+F10 Opens a context menu.Ctrl+U Refreshes the selected theme.Ctrl+R Opens the Enter Title dialog.Ctrl+D Deletes the selected theme.Insert Inserts a new theme.

In the Gallery preview areaShortcut keys Result Home Jumps to the first entry.

End Jumps to the last entry.Left Arrow Selects the next Gallery element on the left.Right Arrow Selects the next Gallery element on the right.Up Arrow Selects the next Gallery element above.Down Arrow Selects the next Gallery element below.Page Up Scrolls up one screen.Page Down Scrolls down one screen.Ctrl+Shift+Insert Inserts the selected object as a linked object into the

current document.Ctrl+I Inserts a copy of the selected object into the current

document.Ctrl+T Opens the Enter Title dialog.Ctrl+P Switches between themes view and object view.Spacebar Switches between themes view and object view.Enter Switches between themes view and object view.Step backward Switches back to main overview (only in object view).


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Selecting rows and columns in a databasetable (opened by F4)

Shortcut keys Result Spacebar Toggles row selection, except when the row is in

edit mode.

Ctrl+spacebar Toggles row selection.Shift+spacebar Selects the current column.Ctrl+PgUp Moves pointer to the first row.Ctrl+PgDn Moves pointer to the last row.

Shortcut keys for drawing objectsShortcut keys Result

Select the toolbar withF6 . Use the Down

Arrow and Right Arrow to select thedesired toolbar iconand press Ctrl+Enter .

Inserts a Drawing Object.

Select the documentwith Ctrl+F6 andpress Tab

Selects a Drawing Object.

Tab Selects the next Drawing Object.Shift+Tab Selects the previous Drawing Object.Ctrl+Home Selects the first Drawing Object.Ctrl+End Selects the last Drawing Object.Esc Ends Drawing Object selection.Esc (in Handle Selection Mode)

Exits Handle Selection Mode and returns to ObjectSelection Mode.

Up/down/left/right arrow

Moves the selected point (the snap-to-gridfunctions are temporarily disabled, but end pointsstill snap to each other).

Alt+Up/Down/Left/ Right Arrow

Moves the selected Drawing Object one pixel (inSelection Mode).Re-sizes a Drawing Object (in Handle SelectionMode).Rotates a Drawing Object (in Rotation Mode).Opens the properties dialog for a Drawing Object.

Activates the Point Selection mode for the selecteddrawing object.

Spacebar Selects a point of a drawing object (in PointSelection mode) or cancels the selection.The selected point blinks once per second.

Shift+Spacebar Selects an additional point in Point Selection mode.

8/7/2019 MIDTERM - OpenOffice Wri