OpenOffice.org Toolbars

OpenOffice.org Toolbars

OpenOffice.org contains several toolbars, many of which are similar across all the OpenOffice.org programs. You'll use some more than others, however, and some change depending on the program you're using at the time.

TIP

Select from the View, Toolbars menu option to display and hide specific toolbars.

In the previous section, you saw the Main toolbar in action when you learned about the long mouse click. The Main toolbar is a new kind of toolbar that doesn't have an equivalent in many other Windows programs. The Main tool ( assuming you've chosen not to hide it) is the toolbar that resides on the left edge of your screen, left of the vertical ruler if the vertical ruler is showing. Often, when you long-click to select a button on the Main toolbar, another toolbar called a floating toolbar will appear at that location, and you then choose an option from the floating toolbar by clicking one of the buttons .

KEY TERM

Floating toolbar ” A small toolbar that most often appears when you long-click a button on the Main toolbar.

The Main toolbar is the toolbar you'll most likely select from as you use OpenOffice.org programs.

Table 1.2 describes the remaining toolbars available to you. The Function and Object toolbars are far more common and used throughout all the OpenOffice.org programs, whereas the "Formula" and Hyperlink toolbars are used only in specific instances. The "Formula" toolbar is generally only helpful when using Calc (see 52 Enter Calc Functions ). The Hyperlink toolbar is most useful if you elect to work within OpenOffice.org's Web page editor (not covered in this book) to create, edit, and design Web pages.

Table 1.2. OpenOffice.org's Toolbars

Toolbar Name	Description
Function	Provides quick access to common functions, such as file opening, saving, printing, copying, cutting, pasting, undoing, and redoing. In addition, the Function toolbar provides one-click access to the Navigator and Gallery windows so you don't have to select from menus to show and hide these items.
Object	Offers formatting options, such as font name, font size , and bold, italics, and underlining. Depending on the program, the Object toolbar's buttons can change dramatically. For example, when you select a shape in Draw, the Object toolbar changes to show the edit points within that shape (see 110 Draw from Scratch for more information about edit points and how to use them).
Hyperlink	Enables you to type Web addresses and search the Internet using keywords.
Formula	Provides a way for you to enter formulas and functions in Calc spreadsheets and displays background formulas that produce values that show in the cells .

NOTE

OpenOffice.org toolbars are also called bars in the online help. Therefore, the Function toolbar is also referred to as the Function bar.

TIP

You can turn any fixed toolbar into a floating toolbar, which you can drag elsewhere and resize. Hold Ctrl and double-click any blank spot within the toolbar to turn that toolbar into a floating toolbar. To return the floating toolbar back to its fixed position, hold Ctrl and double-click any blank spot within the toolbar once again.

The following figure shows you where the most common toolbars ”the Function bar, the Object bar, and the Main bar ”are located.

The Main toolbar is the toolbar you'll most likely select from as you use OpenOffice.org programs (the Hyperlink and Formula bars are not shown but are available from the View menu if you need them).

KEY TERM

Context-sensitive help ” An automated system that looks at what you're currently doing and provides assistance for that particular menu, button, or command.