Creating and Formatting an OpenOffice.org Writer Document


The OpenOffice.org Writer application enables you to create professional-looking letters, reports, memos, books, and other types of text-based documents that are commonly used in business and academia. In OpenOffice.org Writer, you enter and format lines and paragraphs of text, usually with the eventual goal of outputting them to a printer in an easy-to-read format.

Launching OpenOffice.org Writer

Click the OpenOffice.org Writer icon to launch the application. Click the taskbar icon; the splash logo appears as the application loads. When the program is loaded, a new Writer application window containing an untitled document appears, as shown in Figure 8.2.

Figure 8.2. A new OpenOffice.org Writer window. Because no document has been loaded, a new document named Untitled1 appears in the application window.


The following components make up the OpenOffice.org Writer window:

  • The toolbars contain function buttons that, when clicked, perform common tasks, such as saving or printing a file, changing text alignment, or inserting a table.

  • The text body looks like a piece of paper or several pieces of paper and is the place where you enter text as you create documents. This element contains the text cursor, a blinking line that indicates where new text appears as you enter it. The faint gray line near the edge of the text body area indicates the position of the text margins.

  • The status bar displays information about the size of your document, the position of your cursor, and other mundane but useful data.

Does Your Writer Window Look Different?

Your OpenOffice.org Writer window probably looks slightly different from the one shown in Figure 8.2, because the window in Figure 8.2 has been adjusted to display an entire editable page. To do the same thing on your desktop, first maximize the OpenOffice.org Writer window using the Maximize Window button you learned about in Chapter 4, "Introducing the Fedora Core 4 Desktop." Then, right-click on the text "100%" near the bottom of the OpenOffice.org Writer window and select Page Width from the pop-up menu that appears.


Entering Text

To enter text in OpenOffice.org Writer, position the text cursor where you want to enter new text and then begin typing. Any text you type is inserted at that position. Words automatically wrap to the next line when you reach the right margin, so you don't have to press Enter at the end of each line to remain within the right margin and avoid splitting a word across two lines.

Enter a line or two of text now so that you have a nonempty document to work with for the rest of the chapter. The OpenOffice.org Writer application with a few lines of text entered is shown in Figure 8.3.

Figure 8.3. The cursor moves from left to right and from the top of the screen toward the bottom as you type text into OpenOffice.org Writer.


Editing Text

One of the greatest advantages inherent in using a word processing application such as OpenOffice.org Writer is that you easily can change text after you've entered it. Here are some of the most common editing techniques:

  • You can remove individual letters or words using Backspace and Delete editing keys. Backspace deletes characters to the left of the insertion point, and Delete deletes characters to the right of the insertion point.

  • You can edit a block of text by selecting the block and then choosing an editing key or command. Click at the beginning of the block of text you want to edit and then drag your cursor to the end of the text (see Figure 8.4). Selected text appears highlighted onscreen. Click Cut to remove the text from the document. Cut text can remain deleted from the document or moved to a new location (see the steps that follow this list). Click Copy to copy the selected text; then position your cursor where you want to place a copy of the text and click Paste. A copy of the selected text appears at the insertion point.

    Figure 8.4. By selecting blocks of text, you can issue a single editing command to apply changes to the entire block.


  • By selecting blocks of text, you can also type new text to replace existing text. Select a letter or word and then begin typing to replace it with new text.

Seeing Squiggly Underlines?

Two of the typed words in Figure 8.3 have squiggly underlines beneath them. You might also notice squiggly red underlines beneath words that you type into OpenOffice.org Writer.

OpenOffice.org Writer places a squiggly line underneath a word when it thinks the word might be misspelled. When you right-click on a squiggly-underlined word, OpenOffice.org Writer displays a pop-up that displays suggested spellings for the word in question. Select the correct spelling from the list, and the word will be fixed for you.

If you're sure that a squiggly-underlined word isn't misspelled, then it simply isn't in the OpenOffice.org Writer dictionary, and you can ignore the underlineit won't appear when you print the document.


To move a selected block of text to another location within a document, follow these steps:

1.

Click the Cut button (the scissors icon) to remove the selected text (or choose Edit, Cut); the text disappears from the document.

2.

Position the cursor at the location in the document where you want the moved text to appear.

3.

Click the Paste icon or choose Edit, Paste; the text appears in the new location.

You Can Select Without a Mouse and Erase Without a Backspace

You can also select text using your keyboard. Position the text cursor before the block of text you want to select. Press and hold your Shift key as you use the navigation keys to move the text cursor to the end of the block of text you want to select. After you have selected the block of text you want, release the Shift key.

The Insert command key on your keyboard enables you to toggle between Insert and Overwrite mode. In Insert mode, new text you enter pushes text to the right. In Overwrite mode, new text overwrites text to the right of the cursor, letter for letter. Press the key to toggle between the two modes.


Changing the Appearance of Text

You can apply different font sizes, typefaces, and text effects to change the appearance of text within your OpenOffice.org Writer documents. These changes can make your document look more professional and add emphasis to important words or phrases.

To change the appearance of text in your document, select a block of text and then click one of the following Formatting bar items (see Figure 8.5):

  • The typeface drop-down list changes the fundamental style of your text; for example, you might choose to use a sans-serif font such as Helvetica rather than a serif font such as Thorndale.

  • The font size drop-down changes the physical size of your text on the printed page; larger numbers indicate larger text.

  • The bold button causes text to appear in boldface.

  • The italic button causes text to appear in italics.

  • The underline button causes your text to be underlined.

Figure 8.5. Formatting bar items have been used to change the appearance of the text in the first line of this document. The title text is now in Luxi Sans typeface, 24 point size, boldface.


The bold, italic, and underline buttons work as toggles: Click them again to toggle them off.

To apply font styles before you begin typing, position the text cursor where you would like your text to be inserted and then use the font size, bold, italic, and other appearance-editing tools to set your choices. The text you enter reflects your settings.

You Can Choose Many Text Alignment Options

You can align text along the right or left margins, or you can center text on the page. You also can justify the text to create straight margins on both the right and left sides. Click in a paragraph and then choose one of the four alignment buttons located to the right of the Underline button in the Formatting bar. Each button face shows the alignment it provides. Select multiple paragraphs and then click a button to align all of them. You also can choose text alignment before you enter text. Choose an alignment option and then type. The text you enter is aligned with that style until you choose another option.


Changing Paragraph Formatting

You can format text in single-spaced, double-spaced, or 1.5-linespaced paragraphs. You also can indent paragraphs as you type or apply indentation to paragraphs of existing text. You choose line spacing and indentation options within the Indents & Spacing tab of the Paragraph dialog box.

To change the line spacing or indentation properties of an existing block of text, select the block of text you want to modify and then choose Format, Paragraph; the Paragraph dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 8.6.

Figure 8.6. The indentation and spacing values are given in inches. You enter a value or use the arrows to increase or decrease the value. The preview pane on the right shows the effect of your changes.


By changing the values of the settings in this dialog box, you can alter the spacing or margins of a selected block of text or set values for new text before you enter it:

  • Use the Before Text and After Text settings in the Indent area of the tab to indent paragraphs from the page margins; the higher the values, the greater the indentation.

  • Use the First Line setting in the Indent area to cause the first line in each selected paragraph to automatically be indented some additional distance relative to the left margin. Check the Automatic check box to make this the default behavior.

  • Use the Above Paragraph and Below Paragraph spacing settings to force OpenOffice.org Writer to leave some amount of empty space above and/or below each paragraph.

  • Use the Line Spacing drop-down list to choose single, double, or 1.5 line spacing.

  • Use the Register-True setting to cause all printed lines in your document to use the same baseline so that you can't see gray smudges between the lines on the current page caused by text lines on the next page.

Figure 8.7 shows the paragraph in the sample document altered to double-spaced and automatically indented from the left margin on the first line.

Figure 8.7. Double-spacing and first-line indent are common uses for the Paragraph dialog box.


Changing Margin Size and Page Layout

You can customize the margins of OpenOffice.org Writer documents, and you can change the size and orientation of their printed format. To edit these settings, use the Page tab of the Page Style dialog box, as shown in Figure 8.8. Open this dialog box by choosing Format, Page.

Figure 8.8. Use the Page Style dialog box to change document page margins, paper size, and paper orientation.


Here's how to use the settings in the Page Style dialog box to change the layout of your document:

  • Use the settings in the Paper Format area to choose a printed format (such as Letter, Legal, Envelope, and so on), paper size, and orientation. The Text direction setting changes the orientation of text (between vertical and horizontal) for international users. The Paper Tray setting enables you to choose which paper tray the print job should feed from.

  • The settings in the Margins area enable you to set specific Left, Right, Top, and Bottom margin sizes, as measured in inches. Type in a size or use the arrows to raise or lower the default settings.

  • The Page Layout setting in the Layout Settings area enables you to apply the current settings to all pages (Right and Left), to only odd pages (Right), to only even pages (Left), or to apply the current settings in anticipation of two-sided printing to allow for easy binding (Mirrored).

  • The Format setting in the Layout Settings area enables you to specify the type of page numbering that should be used if you have chosen to insert page numbers in your document.

After you make the changes you want, click OK to accept them. The changes you make in the Page Style dialog box affect the entire document you're working on.

Saving a File

After you finish entering, editing, and formatting a document, you can save the file for later retrieval or use.

Save the document by clicking the Save button (floppy disk icon) in the Function bar (or by choosing File, Save). If you have made changes to or entered text in a file that has not yet been saved, you'll be shown the Save As dialog box you learned about in Chapter 5, "Working With Files on the Desktop." In OpenOffice.org Writer, however, the file dialog has several additional options:

  • Checking Save with password causes OpenOffice.org Writer to ask you for a password before saving the file. Anyone who wants to open the file must then be able to supply the password.

  • The Automatic File Name Extension box should always be checked; this allows OpenOffice.org to automatically choose the correct three-letter extension for your file.

  • To save your file in a format other than the OpenOffice.org Writer format, for example if you want to exchange files with MS Word users, click Browse for Other Folders. This will cause the file type drop-down list shown in Figure 8.9 to be displayed. You can then elect to save your file using a format from this list.

    Figure 8.9. After clicking Browse for Other Folders, the file type drop-down list can be used to save your document for use in other word processing applications.


After you choose a filename, format, and directory, click Save to apply your choices and save the file to disk. Each time you save this file in the future, changes will be stored under the same filename.

Need to Save Another Copy?

You can use the Save As option in the File menu to select a new name for an existing document. This option enables you to create a copy of the original file under a new name, so you can make changes to the copy while preserving the original file's content.


Opening a File

To edit or print an existing saved document, you must first open it. You can open a document by clicking the Open icon (it looks like an open folder) in the Function bar; alternatively, you can choose File, Open from the menu bar.

After either action, the Open file dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 8.10.

Figure 8.10. The list box in the Open dialog box lists all the files and directories contained in the current directory (here, the user's home directory). Double-click a file to open it.


Scroll until you see the file you want in the file and directory list box. Double-click the filename to open it.

If your file isn't in the current directory, here's how to use the other controls in the Open file dialog box to find the file:

  • To list the contents of another directory, double-click the name of the directory in the file and directory list box. You can double-click the Home bookmark in the left-hand panel at any time to return to your home directory.

  • Use the file type drop-down list to limit the list of displayed files to a certain type of file, if there are too many files to sort through easily.

Printing a File

Printing a document is a simple process in OpenOffice.org Writer. Begin by opening the document you want to print. If you want to print the entire document, click the Print button (marked with a printer icon) in the Function bar. The document is sent to the printer.

If you want to print only a portion of the document, print multiple copies, or change any of the page layout settings (such as orientation, paper size, and so on), begin the print process by choosing File, Print. The Print dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 8.11.

Figure 8.11. The Print dialog box allows you to perform special printing tasks, such as printing a specific range of pages or a specific number of copies.


The highlighted controls in the Print dialog box can be used to alter several aspects of the OpenOffice.org Writer printing behavior:

  • The Number of Copies entry box enables you to determine how many copies of the output OpenOffice.org Writer will cause your printer to generate.

  • The Print to File check box enables you to output the printer data to a file, rather than to your printer. OpenOffice.org prompts you for the name of the file if you select this option. Because data that would normally have been sent to your printer is in a language suited to printers rather than to humans, you will rarely, if ever, use this option.

  • If you have chosen to print more than one copy of your file, selecting the Collate option causes the entire document to be printed in sequence multiple times (pages 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3). If you do not check the Collate option, each page is output several times in a row (pages 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3).

  • The Print Range options enable you to choose to print only a segment of the document, rather than all of it. To use this feature, enter a page number or range of numbers that you want to print. If you want to print only a paragraph or other block of text from the document, select the block with your mouse, open the Print dialog box, and click the Selection button in the Print Range area.

After you make your choices in the Print dialog box, click OK to begin printing.



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