Taming OpenOffice.org

The Free Alternative to Microsoft Word

by Jean Hollis Weber
published July 2004 by O’Reilly Community Press
ISBN 0596008260

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(This book replaces Taming OpenOffice.org Writer 1.1.)

Table of contents

This book is aimed at people who are new or intermediate users of OpenOffice.org Writer and are intermediate or advanced users of Microsoft Word or some other word processing program. This book does not cover the entire suite of OpenOffice.org applications.

Chapter 1: Setting up Writer to work your way
Choosing options that affect all the OpenOffice.org applications
    General options
    Memory options
    View options
    Print options
    Paths
    Font options
    Appearance options
    Accessibility options
Choosing options for loading and saving documents
Choosing options for text documents
    General options for text documents
    View options for text documents
    Formatting aids options for text documents
    Grid options for text documents
    Default fonts for text documents
    Print options for text documents
    Default table options for text documents
    Track changes options for text documents
Preparing to check spelling
    Install the required dictionaries
    Choose the dictionaries and spelling options
    Change the default language for documents
    Create and use a custom dictionary
    Create and use an exception dictionary
Correcting your user information
Controlling Writer’s AutoCorrect functions

Chapter 2: Writing, editing, and reviewing documents
Parts of the main window
    Fly-out toolbars
    Keyboard shortcuts, extended tips, and right-click menus
    Special-purpose object bars
The Navigator
Checking spelling
    Set the version of English to be checked
    Add words to a custom dictionary while checking spelling
    Ignore some text while checking spelling
Finding and replacing text and formatting
    Use wildcards and regular expressions to fine-tune a search
    Find and replace specific formatting
    Find and replace paragraph styles
    Plan a multiple-pass find and replace
Marking and tracking changes
    Prepare a document for editing or review
    Edit (review) the document
    Insert notes and questions
Accepting or rejecting editorial changes and comments
Changing document properties
Useful techniques
    Undo edits
    Move paragraphs quickly
    Paste unformatted text
    Select items that are not next to each other
    Count the number of words
    Number the first page of a document something other than 1

Chapter 3: Controlling page layout
Setting up page styles for a typical document
    Define a First Page style
    Define a Left Page style
    Define a Right Page style
    Define other page styles
Using tables for page layout
    Create sideheads using tables
Using columns for page layout
    Define the number of columns in a page style
    Change from one- to two-column layout on a page
Using frames for page layout
    Create a frame containing text
    Move, resize, or change other attributes of a frame
    Anchor a frame
    Link frames
Editing headers and footers
Putting portrait headers and footers on landscape pages
Controlling tabs
Some tips for taming tables
    Control spacing within table cells
    Create a heading row in an existing table
    Define a default table style
    Use AutoFormat for consistent table formats
    Use AutoText for consistent table formats
    Repeat a table heading when the table continues on another page
    Insert tabs, rows, and columns
    Change tabbed text into a table
    Position text in a table cell
    Rotate text in a table cell
    Break up rows or cells into smaller units
    Merge cells

Chapter 4: Using templates and styles effectively
Working with templates
    Create a new template
    Import a template
    Define a default printer for a template
    Specify which template is the default for text documents
    Change the information in an existing template
    Copy information between templates
    Create a new document from a template
    Determine what template is associated with a document
    Apply a different template to a document
    Copy styles from a template into a document
    Find where your templates are stored
Working with styles
    Apply a style to text
    Change a style definition
    Define a new style
    Use list numbering styles
    Use outline numbering styles
    Use frame styles
    Use character styles
    Number chapters and appendixes separately
    Update a style from a selection
    Create a new style from a selection
    Remove unwanted and unused styles from a document
    Remove unwanted character styles from selected text

Chapter 5: Getting the most from fields
Using document properties to hold information that changes
Using other fields to hold information that changes
Using AutoText to insert often-used fields quickly
Defining your own numbering sequences
    Create a number range variable
    Use AutoText to insert a number range field into a document
Using automatic cross-references
    Prepare items as targets for cross-referencing
    Insert cross-references
Using fields in headers and footers
Using fields instead of outline numbering for chapter numbers
Tricks for working with fields
    Keyboard shortcuts for fields
    Fixing the contents of fields
    Converting fields into text
Developing conditional content
    Choose the types of conditional content to use
    Plan your conditional content
    Create the variable
    Apply the condition to the content
    Change the value of the variable

Chapter 6: Tables of contents, indexes, bibliographies
Creating a table of contents
    Define the format and styles to be included in the table of contents
    Modify what the table of contents displays
    Generate or regenerate the table of contents
Creating an alphabetic index
    Insert the index entries
    Define the format of the index
    Modify what the index displays
    Generate or regenerate the index
    View index entries
    Edit an index entry
Creating lists of figures, tables, equations, and other items
Creating and using bibliographies
    Create a bibliographic database
    Create entries in the bibliographic database
    Change the fields in the bibliographic database
    Insert bibliographic references (citations) into the text
    Define the format of the references and the bibliography
    Generate or regenerate the bibliography

Chapter 7: Working with large or complex documents
Strategies for working with large or complex documents
Inserting or linking to other files
Using footnotes and endnotes
    Define the location of footnotes on the page
    Define the formatting of footnotes
    Insert footnotes
Creating and using master documents
    Step 1. Plan the project
    Step 2. Create a template containing the required styles
    Step 3. Create the master document and subdocuments from the same template
    Step 4. Insert subdocuments into the master document
    Step 5. Add a table of contents, bibliography, or index to the book
Editing a master document
    Change the appearance of the document
    Edit subdocuments
    Cross-reference between subdocuments in a master document

Chapter 8: Working with graphics in Writer
Creating graphics and screen captures using other programs
Using Writer’s drawing tools to create graphics
    Create drawing objects
    Set or change properties for drawing objects
    Group drawing objects
Organizing graphics using the gallery
    Add a new theme to the gallery
    Add graphics to an existing theme
    Delete individual graphics files from a theme
    Copy graphics from a document into a theme
Inserting graphics into a text document
    Copy (embed) or link a graphic file
    Scan a graphic and embed it directly
    Copy or link a graphic from the gallery
    Copy a graphic from OpenOffice.org Draw, Impress, or Calc
Placing graphics where you want them on the page
    Anchor graphics
    Arrange and align graphics and wrap text around graphics
    Use frames to place graphics on the page
    Use watermarks
    Use background colors and images
Editing and formatting graphics
Adding captions to graphics
    Add captions using the caption dialog
    Add captions manually
    Define a style for a graphic frame
    Line up a frame precisely

Chapter 9: Miscellaneous tips and tricks
Converting documents to PDF
Saving documents in DocBook XML format
Using and configuring the status bar
    Configuring the status bar
Working with hyperlinks
    Undo automatic URL recognition for a selected hyperlink
    Turn off automatic URL recognition
    Insert a hyperlink
    Change formatting of hyperlinks in a document
    Create a hyperlink to another document
    Edit the address or displayed text of a hyperlink
Changing the default bullet character

Chapter 10: Moving from Microsoft Word
Sharing files with users of Word
Comparison of Word and Writer ways to do things
    Set up the program to work your way
    Write, edit, and review documents
    Control page setup and layout
    Use templates and styles
    Use fields
    Work with large or complex documents
    Work with graphics

Index