OpenOffice 3.x Getting Started Guide

Table of Contents

Introducing OpenOffice.org

Writer (word processor)

Calc (spreadsheet)

Impress (presentations)

Draw (vector graphics)

Base (database)

Math (formula editor)

Setting up OpenOffice.org

The advantages of OpenOffice.org

Minimum requirements

How to get and install the software

How to get Help

Help system

Free online support

Paid support and training

Extensions and addons

Starting OpenOffice.org

Starting from an existing document

Using the Quickstarter under Windows

Using the Quickstarter in Linux

Preloading OOo under Linux/KDE

Starting from the command line

Parts of the main window

Menu bar

Toolbars

Displaying or hiding toolbars

Submenus and tear-off toolbars

Moving toolbars

Floating toolbars

Docking/floating windows and toolbars

Customizing toolbars

Right-click (context) menus

Starting a new document

Opening an existing document

Saving, renaming, and deleting documents

Password protection

Saving a document automatically

Using the Open and Save As dialogs

Using the Navigator

Closing a document

Using Styles and Templates

Choosing options for all of OOo

User Data options

General options

Memory options

View options

Print options

Path options

Color options

Font options

Security options

Appearance options

Accessibility options

Java options

Online Update options

Choosing options for loading and saving documents

General Load/Save options

VBA Properties Load/Save options

Microsoft Office Load/Save options

HTML compatibility Load/Save options

Choosing language settings

Install the required dictionaries

Change locale and language settings

Choose spelling options

Choosing Internet options

Controlling OOo’s AutoCorrect functions

Getting Started with Writer

Applying styles

Using the Styles and Formatting window

Using Fill Format mode

Using the Apply Style list

Using keyboard shortcuts

Modifying styles

Changing a style using the Style dialog

Updating a style from a selection

Using AutoUpdate

Updating styles from a document or template

Creating new (custom) styles

Creating a new style using the Style dialog

Creating a new style from a selection

Dragging and dropping to create a style

Copying and moving styles

Using the Template Management dialog

Loading styles from a template or document

Deleting styles

Using a template to create a document

Creating a template

Creating a template from a document

Creating a template using a wizard

Editing a template

Updating a document from a changed template

Adding templates using the Extension Manager

Setting a default template

Setting a custom template as the default

Resetting the default template

Associating a document with a different template

Method 1

Method 2

Organizing templates

Creating a template folder

Deleting a template folder

Moving a template

Deleting a template

Importing a template

Exporting a template

Examples of style use

Defining a different first page for a document

Dividing a document into chapters

Changing page orientation within a document

Different headers on right and left pages

Controlling page breaks automatically

Compiling an automatic table of contents

Defining a sequence of styles

Getting Started with Calc

The Writer interface

Status bar

Document views

Moving quickly through a document

Working with documents

Saving as a Microsoft Word file

Working with text

Selecting items that are not consecutive

Selecting a vertical block of text

Cutting, copying, and pasting text

Finding and replacing text and formatting

Inserting special characters

Setting tab stops and indents

Checking spelling

Using language tools

Using AutoCorrect

Using word completion

Using AutoText

Inserting dashes and non-breaking spaces

Formatting text

Using styles

Formatting paragraphs

Formatting characters

Autoformatting

Creating numbered or bulleted lists

Hyphenating words

Undoing and redoing changes

Formatting pages

Which layout method to choose?

Creating headers and footers

Numbering pages

Changing page margins

Adding notes and graphics to a document

Creating a table of contents, index, or bibliography

Printing from Writer

Quick printing

Controlling printing

Selecting print options for a document

Printing in black and white on a color printer

Previewing pages before printing

Printing a brochure

Printing envelopes

Printing labels

Sending a fax

Sending a fax through the Print dialog

Adding a Fax icon to the toolbar

Tracking changes to a document

Mail merge, master documents, forms, and fields

Using cross-references

Getting Started with Impress

Parts of the main Calc window

Title bar and Menu bar

Toolbars

Formula bar

Individual cells

Sheet tabs

Status bar

Starting new spreadsheets

From the menu bar

From the toolbar

From the keyboard

From a template

Opening existing spreadsheets

From the menu bar

From the toolbar

From the keyboard

Saving spreadsheets

From the menu bar

From the toolbar

From the keyboard

Navigating within spreadsheets

Going to a particular cell

Moving from cell to cell

Moving from sheet to sheet

Selecting items in a sheet or spreadsheet

Selecting cells

Selecting columns and rows

Selecting sheets

Inserting columns and rows

Deleting columns and rows

Working with sheets

Inserting new sheets

Deleting sheets

Renaming sheets

Viewing Calc

Using zoom

Freezing rows and columns

Splitting the window

Entering data using the keyboard

Entering numbers

Entering text

Entering numbers as text

Entering dates and times

Speeding up data entry

Using the Fill tool on cells

Using selection lists

Sharing content between sheets

Editing data

Removing data from a cell

Replacing all the data in a cell

Changing part of the data in a cell

Formatting data

Formatting multiple lines of text

Shrinking text to fit the cell

Formatting numbers

Formatting the font

Formatting the cell borders

Formatting the cell background

Autoformatting cells and sheets

Defining a new AutoFormat

Formatting spreadsheets using themes

Hiding and showing data

Outline group controls

Filtering which cells are visible

Sorting records

Printing from Calc

Selecting sheets to print

Selecting the page order, details, and scale

Using print ranges

Printing rows or columns on every page

Page breaks

Headers and footers

Getting Started with Draw

Parts of the main Impress window

Slides pane

Tasks pane

Workspace

Toolbars

Navigator

Working with views

Normal view

Outline view

Notes view

Slide Sorter view

Handout view

Creating a new presentation

Planning a presentation

Using the Presentation Wizard

Formatting a presentation

Creating the first slide

Inserting additional slides

Modifying the appearance of slides

Modifying the slide show

Slide masters and styles

Working with slide masters

Creating slide masters

Applying a slide master

Loading additional slide masters

Modifying a slide master

Adding text to all slides

Adding and formatting text

Using text boxes created from the Layout pane

Using text boxes created from the text box tool

Pasting text

Creating bulleted and numbered lists

Creating tables

Adding graphics, spreadsheets, charts, and other objects

Setting up and running the slide show

Getting Started with Base

The Draw workspace

Rulers

Status bar

Toolbars

Positioning objects

Snap to grid

Showing the grid

Configuring the grid

Changing the color of the grid points

The basic drawing shapes

Drawing a straight line

Drawing an arrow

Drawing lines and arrows

Drawing a rectangle or square

Drawing a circle or ellipse

Drawing curves

Writing text

Gluepoints and connectors

Drawing geometric shapes

Basic shapes

Symbol shapes

Block arrows

Flowcharts

Callouts

Stars and banners

Selection modes

Changing the selection mode

Selecting objects

Direct selection

Selection by framing

Selecting hidden objects

Arranging objects

Selecting several objects

Moving and dynamically adjusting an object’s size

Dynamic movement of objects

Dynamic size modification of objects

Rotation

Inclination and perspective

Editing objects

The context menu

Editing lines and borders

Common line properties

Drawing arrows

Customizing line and arrow styles

Editing the inside (fill) of an object

Adding a shadow

Adding transparency

Special effects

Flip an object

Mirror copies

Distorting an image

Dynamic gradients

Duplication

Cross-fading

Combining multiple objects

Grouping by common selection

Maintaining groups and undoing groups

Combining objects

Aids for positioning objects

Pictures and 3D objects

Getting Started with Math

Getting started

Planning a database - DRAFT

Creating a new database

Creating database tables

Using the Wizard to create a table

Creating a table by copying an existing table

Creating tables in Design View

Creating tables for the list box

Adding data to the list table

Creating a View

Defining relationships - DRAFT

Creating a database form

Using the Wizard to create a form

Modifying a form

Creating forms in Design View

Creating subforms in Design View

Accessing other data sources

Accessing a dBase database

Accessing a Mozilla address book

Accessing spreadsheets

Registering databases created by OOo2.x or later

Viewing data sources

Editing data sources

Launching Base to work on data sources

Using data sources in OOo documents

Entering data in a form

Creating queries

Using the Wizard to create a query

Using the Design View to create a query

Creating reports

Creating a static report

Creating a dynamic report

Modifying a report

More ways to create reports

Printing, Exporting, and E-mailing

Entering a formula

The Selection window

Example 1: 5 × 4

Right-click menu

Markup

Greek characters

Example 2: π 3.14159

Customizations

Formula editor as a floating window

How can I make a formula bigger?

Formula layout

Brackets are your friends

Equations over more than one line

Common problem areas

How do I add limits to my sum/integral?

Brackets with matrices look ugly!

How do I make a derivative?

Numbering equations

Graphics, the Gallery, and Fontwork

Exporting to PDF

Quick export to PDF

Controlling PDF content and quality

Exporting to other formats

E-mailing documents

E-mailing a document to several recipients

See also

Digital signing of documents

Creating Web Pages

Inserting an image from a file

Linking an image file

Embedding linked images

Inserting images from a graphics program

Using the OpenOffice.org Gallery

Inserting images into a document

Inserting objects as links

Inserting an object as a background

Managing the Gallery

Adding objects to the Gallery

Deleting images from the Gallery

Adding a new theme to the Gallery

Deleting a theme from the Gallery

Location of the Gallery and the objects in it

What is Fontwork?

Editing a Fontwork object

Using the Fontwork toolbar

Using the Formatting toolbar

Using menu options

Getting Started with Macros

Your first macro

Inserting hyperlinks

Editing hyperlinks

Saving Writer documents as web pages

Saving a document as a single web page

Saving a document as a series of web pages

Creating web pages using a Wizard

Saving Calc spreadsheets as web pages

Saving Impress presentations as web pages

Saving Draw documents as web pages

Customizing OpenOffice.org

Creating a new menu

Modifying existing menus

Adding a command to a menu

Modifying menu entries

Creating a simple macro

Running the macro

Viewing and editing the macro

Creating a macro

A complicated example

Running the macro quickly

Sometimes the macro recorder fails

The dispatch framework

How the macro recorder uses the dispatch framework

Other options

Macro organization

Where are macros stored?

Importing macros

Downloading macros to import

How to run a macro

Extensions

Writing macros without the recorder

Finding more information

Included material

Online resources

Published material

Keyboard Shortcuts

Customizing toolbars

Creating a new toolbar

Adding a command to a toolbar

Choosing icons for toolbar commands

Assigning shortcut keys

Example: Assigning styles to shortcut keys

Saving changes to a file

Loading a saved keyboard configuration

Resetting the shortcut keys

Assigning macros to events

Adding functionality with extensions

PDF Import

Presenter Console

Report Builder

Professional Template Pack II

Template Changer

OpenOffice.org history and community

Function key shortcuts

General shortcut keys for OpenOffice.org

Shortcut keys in the Gallery

Shortcut keys in the New Theme area of the Gallery

Shortcut keys in the Gallery preview area

Selecting rows and columns in a database table (opened by F4)

Shortcut keys for drawing objects