Abstract
This section will give you a brief introduction to OpenOffice.org Writer's word processing functions.
![]() | Note |
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In order to make the text a little easier to read, we will alternate between the popular OOo acronym and the very long, yet full and correct OpenOffice.org name. |
OpenOffice.org Writer is the part of the OpenOffice.org suite which provides the word processing functions. OpenOffice.org Writer can read most popular Office formats, easing the transition from, and ensuring compatibility with, other Office suites.
To launch OpenOffice.org Writer, select + → from the main menu. You can also open it from any other OOo application screen, by selecting + → , which will open a blank OOo Writer document.
When you first launch OpenOffice.org Writer, a dialog will show up asking you whether you prefer to use the Microsoft® or OpenOffice.org format to save your files.
Your decision depends on whether you plan to exchange a lot of files with people who only use Microsoft® tools. If this is the case, click , but be warned that it is not perfectly supported. Also this is only the default format and can always be overridden by changing the File type in the Save as dialog.
Word processor users often waste a lot of time formatting (changing paragraph alignment, font family, weight and size, etc.) their documents instead of using that time to concentrate on document structure and document content writing.
Styles provide a structure-centric approach to
writing documents with a word processor, while normalizing
document formatting and layout, and easily automating the
generation and maintenance of table of contents
(TOC), indexes, references, etc. In
OpenOffice.org Writer, styles are handled using the
Stylist, click on its icon in the tool
bar to open/close it.
Table 10.1. Suggested Styles
When you have a... | Then apply the ... style |
---|---|
Chapter Title | Heading 1 |
Section Title | Heading 2 |
Sub-Section Title | Heading 3 |
Sub-Subsection Title | Heading 4 |
Paragraph | Text Body, First Line Indent |
List Item | List |
Use the styles listed in Table 10.1, “Suggested Styles”, as a guide. Select the region of the document to apply the style to, and in the Stylist window, double-click on the style you want to apply to that region.
You can always adjust margins by hand with the ruler, but if you want to format a long document, this may not be the best solution. This is where the Stylist comes in handy.
By clicking on this icon in the
Stylist, you will access the page
formatting section of the Stylist.
First, make a copy of the Default style:
Then, right-click on your newly created style item and choose from the pop-up menu. The Page Styles: Default Copy window will appear. Open the Page tab and modify the margins to your liking.
In the Page Styles: Default Copy window, you can modify many formatting elements. If most of your work with a word processor consists of writing business letters with a predefined format, you could set it up right now, thereby saving lots of time.
Use lists to enumerate the properties of an object (“unordered” or “bullet” list), or the steps to be performed in order to accomplish some task (an “ordered” or “numbered” list).
Clicking on this button will format the
selected text into an unordered list. Selecting the list items
and choosing → from
the menu will allow you to change the bullet type from a
predefined set.
Clicking on this button will format the
selected text into an ordered list. The same rules as for
unordered lists apply regarding to the numbering format.
By default page headers and footers are common to all pages of a document. Use them to describe certain aspects about the document's content, for example: page number, total number of pages, chapter, section, document's title, etc.
Choose + → from the menu to add a page header to your document, and choose + → to add a page footer to your document. Just type the header/footer text you want to be shown or use one or more of the → menu items to compose the header/footer.
If you wish to learn more on the usage of OpenOffice.org Writer, you should consult the tutorial available on the Tutorials for OpenOffice Web site.
Also don't hesitate to refer to the OpenOffice.org Writer's help which is accessible through the → menu, or by pressing the F1 key. You are bound to find the answers to your questions.