Basic Instructions for Openoffice Writer

Basic Instructions for OpenOffice Writer

Hilary Todorovich

Table of Contents

GENERAL

About Open Office Copyright, License, and Privacy System Requirements Download

WRITER

Open/Create Document Save Document Insert Text Basic Modify Text Basic Modify Text Using Paragraph Insert/Modify Picture Preview and Print Export as PDF GENERAL

ABOUT http://www.openoffice.org/about/

Apache OpenOffice is an advantageous alternative to Microsoft Office. The software provides the basic necessities for offices such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. OpenOffice is available in a variety of languages, user-friendly, and completely free. It began as a single piece of software over twenty years ago and developed into a mature, reliable product that is very consistent. Since it came from one software rather than multiple software, the usability crosses over between applications. What works in one will work in all the others making the software much easier and precise.

OpenOffice is compatible with all major computing platforms like Windows, Linux, or even Apple Mac. The installation process is simple and condensed into one installation download from either the internet or a single CD. Migration to OpenOffice is also easy, because the software will read any documents previously created with other office software packages. The application for the document isn't even necessary to know, because OpenOffice will automatically use the correct one.

As an open-software, OpenOffice allows anyone access to the programs to suggest improvements or comment and fix bugs. Problems can be reported and enhancements requested by any individual with responses from both users and developers viewable. The public wiki for the status of all current and future releases is displayed at https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Main_Page. COPYRIGHT, LICENSE, AND PRIVACY https://www.openoffice.org/license.html

OpenOffice Software is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 found at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html. All pages and sections found at www.openoffice.org and hyperlinked within text are also under the Apache License, Version 2.0 unless otherwise stated.

OpenOffice Software, once installed, is at the users discretion and privacy. Any use of openoffice.org, however, is collected using server access logs and a tracking cookie. The information collected is:  IP address where accessed  Type of browser and operating system  Date and time  Pages visited  Addresses of pages which led to openoffice.org Additional information on Privacy can be found at https://www.openoffice.org/privacy.html. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for Apache OpenOffice 4.1.x http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/sys_reqs_aoo41.html

Microsoft Windows  Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 2012, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1  Free memory of 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)  At least 650 MB available disk space for a default install via download. After installation and deletion of temporary installation files, Apache OpenOffice will use approximately 440 MB disk space.  1024 x 768 pixel or higher resolution with at least 256 colors (16.7 million colors recommended) GNU/Linux ("Linux")  Linux kernel version 2.6 or higher, glibc2 version 2.5 or higher  Free memory of 256 MB RAM (512 MB recommended)  400 MB available disk space  X-Server with 1024 x 768 pixel or higher resolution with at least 256 colors OS X  OS X 10.7 (Lion) or higher  Intel Processor  Free memory of 512 MB RAM  400 MB available disk space  1024 x 768 pixel or higher resolution with 16.7 million colors Java  The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.5.x, is the minimum version required to use the full functionality of Apache OpenOffice that need Java  recommend the lastest version of Oracle Java 1.6.x, patch level 45, or the latest Oracle Java 7, or - for Linux users - OpenJDK 6, build 27, or OpenJDK 7.

For system requirements for platforms of OpenOffice other than 4.1.x please visit http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/sys_reqs.html

DOWNLOAD

The OpenOffice Software can be downloaded from the OpenOffice website at https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html. The download page offers drop boxes to choose the operating system, language, and version needed. WRITER

OPEN/CREATE DOCUMENT:

While OpenOffice offers several programs, the most used is writer. Writer allows users to create, modify, and publish documents involving both text and objects. To begin, launch OpenOffice. This brings up a screen that contains the 6 basic programs as well as a drop down box for existing documents. (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1

To bring up Writer there are two options:

1. Open an Existing file to start Writer: **The existing file does not need to have come from OpenOffice, but could be from any Office Suite. Any text document file can be opened using Writer. a. To locate the file, hit the drop down arrow beside the “open” option b. This brings up a menu of files and folders c. Navigate the menu until the existing file is found d. Double click the file or right click > open to launch writer with the existing file Fig. 2

2. Create a New File a. To start a new file, click on the text document option or the image beside it b. This pops up a blank document page with several tool bars, rulers, and menu options already placed around the document. This should look similar to those familiar with Microsoft Office Word. (Fig. 3)

Fig. 3

TO SAVE AND THE DIFFERENT SAVE FILES

Once the new document has been created, it is crucial to save the document so as to not lose any data. Throughout working with Writer, the user should periodically save to ensure no data is lost. To save the document for the first time:

1. File > Save as 2. This brings up a menu with folders and locations. Open the desired place to save the document too. At start up, the location is usually either documents or desktop 3. In the “File Name” box insert the document's name 4. In the “Save As Type” box, hit the drop down arrow (Fig. 4) a) To save as an OpenOffice document choose the .odt save type. This creates a document that is readable by OpenOffice b) To save as a Word document choose the .doc save type. This creates a document that both Microsoft Office and OpenOffice can read. It is generally the more preferred save type. c) To save as a Rich Text document which won't save most formatting but can be read by most programs choose the .rtf save type.

Fig. 4

5. Click ok 6. The document is now saved

There are two ways to save the document after the file has been created:

1. File > Save 2. Floppy Disk Quick Key on the toolbar

Clicking either one of these automatically saves the document. INSERT/MODIFY TEXT:

Once the new document is created, the creativity is left up to the user. For writer, the most common input is text. To enter text:

1. Begin typing using the keyboard 2. Paste text that has been copied from another source a) To copy text from another source, first highlight the source by clicking the mouse and holding it as you scroll across the words. b) Then, right-click the text and select copy c) To paste into the new document, right-click in the document where you wish to insert the text and select paste

To modify the text, there are two main menus.

1. Format > Character

a) This brings up a menu that allows the format of the font to be changed. (Fig. 5)

Fig. 5

b) The menu has five tabs: Font, Font Effects, Position, Hyperlink, Background  Font: Allows the changing of the Font Type, Typeface, Size, and Language  Font Effects: Adds special effects such as strike-through, emboss, etc. or change font color  Position: Changes to position like subscript or superscript or rotation by a certain angle  Hyperlink: insert a hyperlink  Background: adds a background color

2. Format > Paragraph

a) The paragraph menu allows users to alter the basic alignment and spacing (Fig. 6)

Fig. 6

b) The menu has seven tabs: indents and spacing, alignment, text flow, outline and numbering, tabs, drop caps, borders  Indents and Spacing: changes the indention amount and line spacing  Alignment: changes the alignment of the text  Text Flow: toggle hyphenation, change breaks, and paragraph options  Outline and Numbering: edit outline or numbering for text  Tabs: set up tab indention size and alignment  Drop Caps: changes to drop caps  Borders: add and/or edit page borders

TO CHANGE THE FONT AND ADD EFFECT

The basic modification to text is changing the font format and adding effects. This can be done by either accessing the character menu or using the quick keys found on the toolbars. To change the font from the Character menu:

1. Format > Character 2. This brings up the “Character” menu (Fig. 5). 3. The first tab, “font”, has the three columns: a. Font b. Typeface c. Size 4. To choose a different type of font to change the handwriting of the text, scroll down the first column until the desired font is reached 5. Click on the font 6. Change the Typeface to either bold or italicized by changing the option in the second column 7. If the text size is either too big or small, choose a different number under the size column. Typically size 12 is the most common. 8. Press okay to change the text

To change the font using the toolbar:

1. When viewing the document, there are various toolbars above the document and below the main tabs 2. To switch fonts use the font toolbar a. Font toolbar > font drop down box > scroll to font > click on font to change

3. To change the size of the font use the drop down box beside the font a. Font toolbar > size drop down box > click on number to change b. To quickly increase the font choose the icon beside the size drop down box of a capital A with an arrow pointing up c. To quickly decrease font choose the icon with a capital A and an arrow pointing down

4. To add a typeface, click on the icon needed. a. B = Bold b. I = Italicize c. U = Underlined To add effects from the Character menu:

1) Font > Character 2) Font Effects Tab a) This brings up a menu with several different drop boxes such as font color and effects and check boxes such as shadow or outline (Fig. 7)

Fig. 7

1. To change the effect, just pull down the drop box and pick the desired effect or click the check boxes 2. Once the desired effects are chosen hit OK to apply the font effects

TO CHANGE THE LINE SPACING AND TEXT ALIGNMENT

To Change the Line Spacing: 1. Format > Paragraph 2. Under the “Indents & Spacing” tab, hit the drop down arrow under Line Spacing 3. Choose the appropriate spacing. Typically the spacing needed is either “single” or “double” 4. Click OK

To Change the Text Alignment from the Paragraph Menu: 1. Format > Paragraph (Fig.6) 2. Choose the Second tab- “Alignment” 3. Under the “Options” column, click the dot next to the desired alignment for the text 4. Click OK

To Change the Text Alignment from the Toolbar: 1. When viewing the document, there are various toolbars above the document and below the main tabs 2. To switch alignment use the appropriate quick key 1. Align Left 2. Centered 3. Align Right 4. Justified

TO INSERT/ MODIFY A PICTURE INTO WRITER …...

To Insert a Picture into Writer:

Method One: 1. Insert > Picture > From File 2. Choose the file of the picture to be inserted 3. Click OK. 4. The picture is inserted where the cursor is in the document

Method Two: 1. Right-click on the image to insert 2. Click Copy 3. Go to document and place cursor where the image is to be ' 4. Right-click 5. Choose paste

Once the picture is inserted, the picture is selected with green squares on the corners and sides. By clicking and holding one of the green squares, the mouse can be moved to re-size the image. As well, a picture toolbar appears (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8 TO VIEW IN PAGE PREVIEW AND TO PRINT

To Open the Document in Page Preview:

1. File > Page Preview 2. This opens the Print Preview View Screen (Fig. 9)

Fig. 9

3. The Page Preview allows viewing of all pages of the document before printing

To Print the Document there are two options:

1. File > Print > Print 2. Click the Print Icon

TO EXPORT TO PDF FOR PUBLISH...

Once the document is finished, the user can export the file as a PDF to publish it for reading. A PDF is a portable document format that is used to present documents independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. A PDF also negates any unwanted alterations to the document after publishing.

To export file as PDF:

1. File > Export as PDF 2. This brings up a PDF Option menu. (Fig. 10) Fig. 10

3. The user can alter the options if needed but for a general use, no changes need to be made 4. Hit Export 5. This saves the document as a .pdf file 6. After export, the user can send, publish, or open the pdf file

7. A shortcut to export as PDF is to click the quick key:

This is a very generalized overview of OpenOffice Writer. For more questions or concerns about OpenOffice Writer, please view the www.openoffice.org website.