3 Open an Existing Document

3 Open an Existing Document

Opening an existing document to edit with Writer is simple. You tell Writer you want to open a document file and then locate the file, and Writer loads the document in the editing area.

Before You Begin

1 Set Writer Options

2 Create a New Document

One important Writer feature is its capability to open documents you create in other word processing programs. Most notably, Writer opens Microsoft Word documents with ease. Although Writer might not fully support 100% of Microsoft Word's advanced features, Writer does a super job of loading Word documents into Writer's workspace so that you can edit the documents using Writer's interface.

See Also

9 Print a Document

1. Request a Document
   
   Select Open from Writer's File menu to display the Open dialog box.
   
   Writer uses the document extension .sxw for its documents. Writer's file format is XML compatible. Microsoft Word uses the .doc file extension, and both types of files display when you want to locate files to open in Writer.
   
   
2. Navigate to the Document's Location
   
   The document you want to open might not appear at the default location shown in the Open dialog box, so navigate to the folder in which the document you're looking for resides using the Look in drop-down list.
   
   

   TIPS

   

   You can open documents from your computer's disk or from elsewhere in the file system. If you want to open a document located on the Web, preface the filename with http:// or ftp:// to open document files from those sources.

   Feel free to open more than one file by holding the Ctrl key while clicking multiple filenames. Writer opens each document you select in its own window. Use the Window menu to select an open document to edit.

3. Locate the File You Want
   
   When you locate the folder that holds the document file, select the file you want to open. Then click the Open button to open the selected file in Writer's editing workspace.
   
   If the default Editing view option on the OpenOffice.org Options page is set, Writer opens the document at the point where it last saved the document. For example, if the document is 35 pages long and you last edited page 20 before saving and closing the document last week, Writer will display that place on page 20 where you last quit editing. The Editing view option enables you to get right back to work where you left off.
   
   
4. Edit and Save the Document
   
   After the file opens in the Writer workspace, you can edit the file. Navigate to where you wish to make edits (see 5 Edit Text ) or move to the end of the document and add to it (see 4 Type Text into a Document ).
   
   Once you've made all the changes you wish to make, select File, Save to save your document. Your recent changes will be saved in the document file for your next editing session.