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Introduction to Writer A word processor similar in look and feel to Microsoft Word and offering a comparable range of functions and tools. It also includes the ability to export Portable Document Format (PDF) files with no additional software, and can also function as a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Give) editor for creating and editing web pages. One important difference between Writer and Microsoft Word is that in Writer, many functions and number formats from Calc (below) are available in Writer’s tables.

Open A New Text Document

1. Open a new text document. Click File > New > Text Document. (On the top of your

screen is a blue line with white letters, . That is the name of the file that you are seeing on your computer screen.)

2. The next line down that starts with the word File is called the Menu Bar. (Clicking on a word in the Menu Bar shows a list of things that you can choose to do in Writer. This list is called a Menu.)

3. The third line down is the Standard Toolbar. (Clicking on a small picture will make available a specific function that can be done in Writer.)

4. The fourth line down is the Formatting Toolbar. (Additional specific functions that can be done in Writer are on this line.)

5. The fifth line down is the Ruler which appears on the top and the left side of the page. (Click “View”. If there is a check mark by Ruler, a ruler will appear at the top and the left side of your page on the screen.) The Horizontal Ruler is below.

6. The numbers on the Ruler on the left side of the page indicate where the text is located on the page from the top of the page. The numbers at the top of the page indicate the location of the text from the left or right sides of the page.)

7. Right-click on the Ruler to see the choices for the settings which are Millimeter, Centimeter, Inch, Point, and Pica.

8. The Horizontal Scroll bar (by clicking and holding the pointer, you can navigate a document left and right) is located at the bottom of the page above the Status Bar which

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is the line at the bottom of the screen that starts with Page 1/1. (This line gives you information about the document you are presently using.)

9. The Vertical Scroll Bar (by clicking and holding the pointer, you can navigate up and down) is located on the right side of your screen.

The "Standard Toolbar"

The "Formatting Toolbar"

Depending on your screen resolution, the size of your icons, and the number of icons on your

toolbar, you may see or on the far right. Add Icons To The Toolbar

1. If the icon is not on your Standard Toolbar, click the on the Standard Toolbar. 2. Click Customize Toolbars > Toolbars tab. (The "Customize" window appears.)

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3. Under OpenOffice.org Writer Toolbars in the dialog box to the right of Toolbar, click on

the to select Standard (if it is not already selected). 4. In the dialog box to the right of Commands, click the icon to put a check mark beside the

icon. Click OK. (The icon will appear on your Standard toolbar. Note: The same procedure applies if you want to add icons to your “Formatting Toolbar”.)

5. If the icon is not visible when you scroll, click Add. Under Category, click Documents. In the Commands menu box, click the icon to put a check mark beside it. Click Add. (The "Add Commands" window appears. The icon will appear on your "Standard Toolbar". )

Delete Icons From The Toolbar

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1. If you want to remove an icon from your Standard Toolbar, click the on the Standard Toolbar.

2. Click Customize Toolbars > Toolbars tab. (The "Customize" window appears.) 3. Under OpenOffice.org Writer Toolbar in the dialog box to the right of Toolbar, click on

the to select Standard (if it is not already selected). 4. In the dialog box to the right of Commands, click the icon to remove the check mark

beside the icon. Click OK. (The icon is no longer on the toolbar. Note: The same procedure applies if you want to delete icons from your Formatting Toolbar.)

Rearrange The Icon(s) On The Toolbar

1. Click the on the Standard Toolbar. (A menu appears.) 2. Click Customize Toolbar .. > Toolbars tab. (The "Customize" window appears.) 3. Under OpenOffice.org Writer Toolbar in the dialog box to the right of Toolbar, click on

the to select Standard (if it is not already selected). 4. Click on the icon you want to move to another position on your toolbar. (The icon is

highlighted.)

5. Click the to move the icon to the left or to the right on the toolbar. Clicking on the up

arrow moves the icon to the left on the toolbar. Clicking on the down arrow moves the icon to the right on the toolbar. (You will notice that your screen flickers as the icon moves to a new location on the toolbar.)

6. When the icon is located where you want it, click OK. (Note: The same procedure applies if you want to rearrange icons on your Formatting Toolbar.)

Replace The Icon

1. Click Tools > Customize > Toolbars tab. (The "Customize" window appears.) 2. Under OpenOffice.org Writer Toolbar in the dialog box to the right of Toolbar, click on

the to select Formatting (if it is not already selected).

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3. In the Commands list, scroll down to the icon you want to change, Numbering On/Off , and select (highlight) it.

4. Click the Modify button and choose Change Icon. 5. On the Change Icon dialog, scroll down until you find the icon

BulletsandNumberingDialog. (The "Change Icon" window appears.)

6. Select the icon and click OK.

7. Back on the Customize dialog, click OK again. (The "Numbering On/Off icon, ", has

been replaced with the "BulletsandNumberingDialog", , icon.)

Insert Special Character

1. Place the pointer on the page and click where the symbol is to appear. 2. Click Insert > Special Character. (The "Special Characters" window appears. You will

see two dialog boxes. The one on the left is the "Font" menu and the one on the right is the “Subset” menu.)

3. In the Subset menu, click on the until you see Miscellaneous Symbols. Click Miscellaneous Symbols.

4. Scroll until you see the "☺" symbol. Click on the "☺" . 5. Click OK.

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6. The ☺symbol appears on the page.

Spellcheck

When AutoSpellcheck is on, it automatically checks spelling as you type and underlines errors with a wavy red line. When the word is corrected, the red wavy line disappears.

Two Ways To Activate AutoSpellcheck.

1 - Activate AutoSpellcheck from The "Standard Toolbar"

1. Notice how the AutoSpellcheck icon looks on your Standard Toolbar. Click the

AutoSpellcheck icon. The 'AutoSpellcheck" is on. (The icon how has a brighter background)

2. Click it again to turn it off. (The brighter background is now gone)

2 - Activate AutoSpellcheck in the Spellcheck Window

3. Type derections. (notice that the word is spelled incorrectly) Press the space bar. A red wavy line does not appear under “derections”.

4. Click Tools > Spellcheck. The "Spellcheck "window appears. 5. Click Options. (The "Writing aids" window appears.) In the menu box under Options,

click Check spelling as you type to put a check mark by it. Click OK.

4. Type behaveour. Press the space bar. You will see:

Using Spellcheck On The Document Or A Text Selection

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1. Type the words, Agoodspeller is a persen who. Press the space bar. You will see

. (Typing errors and misspelled words are highlighted in the document with a red, wavy, underline.)

2. Click the Spellcheck, , icon. The "Spellcheck" window appears. Under Not in dictionary, the word(s), “agoodspeller” will be in red. Place your cursor between the words, a good speller, in agoodspeller, and press the Space bar to add spaces, “agoodspeller” becomes “a good speller”. Click Change. Persen will be the next word in red. Under Suggestions, persen will have two suggestions, person and per sen, select person. Click Change. “persen” becomes person. Other choices are Ignore Once, Ignore All, Add, Change, Change All, and AutoCorrect.

3. Click Close.

Correct Misspelled Words As You Enter Text

1. Type the word, thae. Press the space bar. A red wavy line appears under the misspelled word, thae.

2. Right-click on the misspelled word, thae. A menu appears.

3. The menu will have a list of suggested corrections and a line to separate the suggested words from the your choice of the selections. Under the line are the selections:

“Spellcheck” opens the Spellcheck dialog. “Add” gives you a choice of dictionaries to add the word. “Ignore All” gives you the choice to ignore that word in the document

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“AutoCorrect” gives you a list of suggested corrections.

4. Select the suggested correction, that. 5. The menu closes and the spelling of the word has been corrected . 6. If you make the same mistake again while typing the document, it will be corrected

automatically. (These automatic replacements are only made during the current OpenOffice.org session).

Thesaurus (Synonyms)

1. Type the word, bargain. Click on the word, bargain. 2. Click Tools > Language > Thesaurus. (The “Thesaurus” window appears.) 3. In the Meaning” pull-down menu, select the meaning, (noun) deal. 4. In the Synonym box, select the word, agreement (generic term). 5. Click the OK button. “Bargain” is replaced by the word, “agreement”.

Close And Open Files

1. On the Menu Bar, click on the word File. (A menu opens that has a list of words.) 2. Click on the words, Save As. (The “Save As” window appears.) 3. Click My Documents > File name: (If the words, "My Documents", are not already in the

"Save in:" dialog box, click the at the right end of the “Save in:' dialog box. A menu will appear; find “My Documents'” on this menu and click it. "My Documents" appears in the "Save in:" dialog box. If the cursor is not flashing in the “File name:” dialog box at the bottom of the “Save As:” window, move the I-beam pointer into the box and click. The cursor is flashing in the “File name:” dialog box.)

4. In the File name: dialog box, type the words, My Lesson. In the Save as type: pull-down menu box, click OpenDocument Text (.odt) if it is not already selected. Click on the Save button located to the right of the File name: dialog box. (The “My Lesson” file has been saved on your computer in the folder, "My Documents", and can be opened

later. The top line on the screen has changed to . This indicates the file “My Lesson” is still open on your computer.)

5. Click the word, File, again. Click the word, Close. (The “My Lesson” file is closed and is not seen on the screen.)

6. Click File > Open. (The “Open” window appears. If "My Documents" is not already in the Look in: dialog box at the top of the "Open" window, in the list of directories below the Look in: box, click "My Documents". The words, "My Documents", appear in the "Look in:" dialog box.)

7. Click on My Lesson in the list below the Look in: dialog box. (The words, “My Lesson”, appear in the “File name:” dialog box.)

8. Click the Open button which is to the right of the File name: dialog box. (The top line on

the screen changes to and the first page of the file, “My Lesson”, appears on the screen below the ruler.)

Undo Entries

Entries can be undone (can be deleted) in the reverse order in which the entries were made. Word(s), graphic(s), and paragraph(s) can be deleted and "Undo" can be used to put them back in your document. Type the three paragraphs below. This is the first paragraph. This is the second paragraph. This is the third paragraph.

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Delete Word(s)

1. In the first paragraph, (This is the first paragraph.), highlight the word, first. Press the delete key. (The word, “first”, is deleted.)

2. Click Edit.

3. Click on Undo: Delete 'first'. (The word, "first", that was deleted is placed back in the document and the menu will close.)

Delete One Paragraph

1. Highlight the first paragraph, This is the first paragraph. Press the Delete key to delete

the paragraph. Click Edit. (When you delete one paragraph and you click Edit,

2. Click Undo: Delete 'This is ...agraph.' (The paragraph, "This is the first paragraph" is placed back in the document. The length of the sentences in the paragraph determines how much of the paragraph is shown after the "Undo: Delete".)

Delete More Than One Paragraph

1. Highlight the three paragraphs (This is the first paragraph. This is the second paragraph. This is the third paragraph.) at the beginning of the section, Undo Entries. Press the delete key to delete the paragraphs. (The three paragraphs are deleted.)

2. Click Edit.

3. Click on the Undo: Delete 'Paragraphs'. (The deleted paragraphs are placed back in the document.)

Delete Graphic(s)

1. Click on the image. (The green handles will appear.)

2. Press the Delete key. (The graphic is no longer on your document.) 3. Click Edit. (You will see the menu below.)

4. Click Undo: Delete graphics Alt+Backspace. (The graphic reappears on the document.)

Save File

1. Click File > Save As. In the Save in: pull-down menu box, click My Documents if it is not already selected. In the Save as type: pull-down menu box, click OpenDocument Text (.odt) if it is not already selected.

2. In the File name: dialog box, type Lesson #2.

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3. Click Save. (The file, "Lesson #2" is saved and can be used in other tutorials. The file is still on the screen.)

4. Click File > Close. (The file, "Lesson #2", is no longer on the screen.)

Highlight

You can make an object on a display screen stand out by displaying it in a different mode (background becomes yellow or black and the print is white) from other objects by doing one of the following:

1. Click and hold on the first word or letter while moving the pointer over the word or section and when you reach the end of the section or letter that you wish to highlight, release the mouse button.

2. Click one word or icon at the top or bottom of the section. Hold the Shift key down and click the opposite end. The section will be highlighted.

3. Press and hold down the Shift key. The four arrow keys are located on the bottom right side of the keyboard. Use the up arrow key and the left arrow key to select the words.

Release the Shift key. 4. While the selected block of text or letter is highlighted, you can make formatting changes

such as the font name and size, toggle bold, Italic, and underlining on and off, alignment, spacing, toggle numbering on and off, and font color. You can delete, copy, move, or replace the highlighted block of text or letter.

Select Items That Are Not Consecutive

Use The Mouse

5. Select the first piece of text, People learn. 6. Hold down the Control key and use the mouse to select the next piece of text, different.

3. Select the next piece of text, you. 4. You can repeat this procedure as often as needed. 5. You can work with the selected text –copy it, delete it, change the style, etc.

Use The Keyboard

6. Select the first piece of text. No one has a better learning style than anyone else. 7. Press Shift +F8. This puts Writer in Add mode. The word, ADD, appears on the Status

Bar. 8. Use the arrow keys to move to the start of the next piece of text to be selected. Hold

down the Shift key and select the next piece of text,

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three types of learning:

1. Listening learners 2. Seeing learners 3. Touch / experience learners .

4. Repeat as often as needed. 5. You can work with the selected text –copy it, delete it, change the style, etc. 6. Press ESC to exit from this mode.

Copy

Drag and Drop Method

1. Select the text that to be copied, No one has a better learning style than anyone else. 2. Place the mouse pointer in the selected text, press the mouse button and keep it

pressed.

3. Press Ctrl and drag the mouse until the pointer changes to .

4. A gray text cursor, , moves with the mouse pointer indicating where the selection is to be inserted.

5. Release the mouse where you want the copied material.

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Edit > Copy

1. Select/highlight the text that is to be copied. 2. Click Edit > Copy. 3. Place the pointer on the location for the graphic/text and click. 4. Right click to open the context menu and select Paste at the position you want to insert

text. (You may use Ctrl+V or click the Paste icon on the Standard Toolbar.)

Copy Icon

1. Select/highlight the text that to be copied.

2. Click on the Copy icon on the Standard Toolbar. 3. Place the pointer on the location for the graphic/text and click. 4. Right click to open the context menu and select Paste at the position you want to insert

text. (You may use Ctrl+V or click the Paste icon on the Standard Toolbar.)

Highlight, Right-Click On The Text

1. Highlight and right click on the text to copy. (The menu below will appear.) 2. Click Copy.

3. Place the pointer on the location for the graphic/text and click. 4. Right click to open the context menu and select Paste at the position you want to insert

text. (You may use Ctrl+V or click the Paste icon on the Standard Toolbar. icon.

Inserting A Graphic/Object As A Copy

1. Click on the Gallery, , icon to open the Gallery. 2. Choose a theme, Homepage, from the left area.

3. Select the graphic/object by a single click. Select . 4. Drag the graphic/object into the document or right click on the graphic/object to open the

context menu and select Insert and Copy.

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5. The graphic (object) is on your document.

Copying Graphics Between Documents

Graphics can be copied from one document to another. If you plan to publish the document, please observe copyright laws and obtain the consent of the authors of the original.

1. Open the document (the target document) in which you want to insert the graphic object. 2. Open the document that has the graphic you want to copy. 3. Click the graphic to select it. 4. Right click to open the context menu or use Ctrl+C 5. Select Copy to place the graphic into the clipboard. 6. Return to the target document. 7. Place the pointer on the location for the graphic and click. 8. Right click to open the context menu and select Paste at the position you want to insert a

copy of the picture or use Ctrl+V. 9. Note: If the graphic is connected with a hyperlink, the hyperlink and not the

graphic is inserted.

Cut

Select/highlight the text to be cut. Do one of the following:

1. Click Edit > Cut.

2. Click on the Cut icon on the Standard Toolbar. 3. Highlight and right click on the text to cut. (The menu below will appear.) Click Cut.

Paste

Highlight the text on the website or in your document. Click "Cut" or "Copy". (Text is copied to Clipboard). "Paste" replaces any selected text or objects. Place your pointer and click where you want the text to be pasted. Click the arrow next to the

Paste icon to select the format. Do one of the following:

1. Click Edit > Paste. (The text on the website or in your document appears on the chosen location on the page of the document.)

2. Click on the Paste icon on the Standard Toolbar. (The text on the website or in your document appears on the chosen location on the page of the document.)

3. Highlight and right click on the text to paste. (The menu below will appear.) Click Paste. (The text on the website or in your document appears on the chosen location on the page of the document.)

The Paste Menu

If you click on the Paste icon, any formatting the text has (such as bold) is retained. Click on the

to the right of the Paste icon to see the Paste Menu. The Paste Menu gives you a choice of OpenOffice.org Writer, DDE link, HTML, Formatted text (RTF) and Unformatted

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text. Not all the choices are available every time you click on the to the right of the Paste

icon. The Paste Menu below is the one you usually see.

1. To make the pasted text take on the formatting of the surrounding text where it is being

pasted, click the to the right of the Paste icon. (The Paste Menu appears.) Click Unformatted text on the menu. (The text appears in your text with the formatting of the surrounding text.)

2. The other choices are OpenOffice.org Writer, DDE link, HTML and RTF.

OpenOffice.org Writer Text will be copied in the OpenOffice Writer format. As far as I can tell, this works the same as 'Unformatted Text" --the text appears in your text with the formatting of the surrounding text. DDE link DDE stands for "Dynamic Data Exchange," which is a predecessor of OLE, "Object Linking and Embedding". HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a document code language, which is used as the file format for WWW documents. It is integrates text, graphics, videos and sound. Formatted text (RTF) Rich Text Format is a file format developed for the exchange of text files. A special feature is that the formatting is converted into directly readable text information but using this method creates large files.

Paper Size

1. Click Format > Page. (The "Page Style: Default" window appears.) 2. Click on the Page tab. (The "Page" window appears.) 3. In the Paper format section in the Format menu, select the name of a paper size. To see

the list of selections in the “Format” menu, click on the . (Users in the UK would select A4 which is the standard paper used in the UK. This tutorial is being written for the USA standard paper size.)

4. Click Letter > OK. (The “Width” is set to 8.50 inches and the “Height” is set to 11.00 inches. The flashing cursor appears back on the page.)

Margins

The flashing cursor, , is where the two lines come together. The line to the left of the curser,

, is the Left Margin and the line above the cursor, , is the Top Margin. The line on the right of your screen is the right margin. (There is a bottom margin not seen on the screen.) Words, numbers, and graphics can be placed anywhere on a sheet of paper except for a small border at the four outer edges of the paper. The word margin is used to describe the boundary lines where the borders end and the words begin. All future added words, numbers, and graphics will stay within the lines that indicate the margins. The margin lines appear on the screen and will not appear on the printed page.

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Change The Margins

1. Click Format > Page. (The "Page Style: Default" window appears.) 2. Click the Page tab. 3. In the “Left” dialog box under Margins, change the number in the dialog box to .50 by

doing the following:

• Move the pointer over the Left dialog box. The cursor changes from a pointer, , to a

cursor, .

• Staying inside the Left dialog box, move the pointer all the way to the left (without

changing the back into an ) .

• Click. (Press the button on the mouse with the pointer finger.)

• Press the Delete key enough times to delete everything in the “Left” dialog box. Type .50

4. Two other methods to change the number in the dialog box is to highlight the number,

then type ".50" or to click on the to select ".50". (".50" is in the dialog box.) 5. In the Right dialog box and in the Top dialog box, change the number in the dialog box

to .50 (Use the same method as used for the “Left” margin in step 3.) 6. Change the number in the Bottom dialog box to .55 7. Press the OK button. 8. The "Untitled1" text document appears on the screen with the margins reset. There is

less space outside the margins.

Paper And Margins

1. The most common paper size used in the USA is 8 ½ inches by 11 inches. In this tutorial, OpenOffice assumes the USA 8 ½” x 11” paper is being used. Other paper sizes can be used by changing settings within OpenOffice.

2. Words, numbers, and graphics can be placed anywhere on a sheet of paper except for a small border at the four outer edges of the paper. The word margin is used to describe the boundary lines where the borders end and the words begin. All future added words, numbers, and graphics will stay within the lines that indicate the margins. The margin lines appear on the screen and will not appear on the printed page.

3. The Ruler has the numbers 1 through 6. Where the number 0 would appear is above the left margin. The number 6 is above the right margin.

4. The Ruler indicates 6 inches of the paper are available for words. The left and right borders take up a total of 2 ½ inches. These 2 ½ inches and the 6 inches available for use equals 8 ½ inches (the total width of the paper). The bottom margin of the page cannot be seen on the screen.

Change Margins

Paragraph margins may be changed by the drag method (See “Use The Ruler To Change The Indentation Of Selected Paragraphs”.) or the Page tab. To change the page margins, use the Format > Page method below. Change the margins so there is 7 inches across the page instead of 6 inches. To do this both the left margin and the right margin is reduced from 1.25” to .75”.

1. On the Menu Bar, click Format > Page. (The “Page Style: Default” window appears.) 2. Click the Page tab. In the Left dialog box, change the 1.25” to .75”. (To do this, click

repeatedly on the until .75 appears in the Left dialog box OR You can highlight the numbers and type .75 To highlight, click and hold on the first word or letter while moving

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the pointer over the word or section and when you reach the end of the section or letter that you wish to highlight, release the mouse button.)

3. In the Right dialog box, change the 1.25” to .75”, (This is done the same way that you changed the “Left” dialog box)

4. Click the OK button. (The “Page Style: Default” window closes.)

Use The Ruler To Change The Indentation Of Selected Paragraphs

Indents are adjusted with the three small triangles on the horizontal ruler or use the “Paragraph” window > “Indents & Spacing” tab by double-clicking anywhere on the horizontal ruler.

1. To change the left or the right paragraph indent, highlight the paragraph(s) that you want to change the indent, drag the bottom left or the bottom right triangle on the horizontal ruler to a new location.

2. To change the first line indent of a selected paragraph, drag the top left triangle on the Horizontal Ruler to a new location.

3. You can adjust the indents by double-clicking anywhere on the Horizontal Ruler and adjust the indents in the Paragraph dialog. (The “Paragraph” window appears.)

Footer

Click Insert > Footer > Default. The Footer appears at the bottom of the page with the flashing

cursor, , in the Footer.

Page Numbering And Page Count

Add In The Footer

1. Click in the Footer. Type the word, Page, then press the Space bar. Click Insert > Fields > Page Number. (Page 1” appears in the Footer.)

2. To add page count, press the space bar, then type the word of, then press the space bar. Click Insert > Fields > Page Count. (Page 1 of 1 appears in the footer.)

3. Click anywhere on the page. (The cursor appears on the page.)

Show Field Names Instead Of A Number

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1. Click View (A menu appears). 2. If there is no check-mark before the words Field Names, numbers appear in the Footer.

3. If there is a check-mark by words Field Names, the name of the field such as Date (fixed) instead of the date 09/01/07 will appear in the Footer.

Place The Drawing toolbar On Your Screen

1. Click on the Show Draw Functions icon, . (The Drawing toolbar appears at the bottom of your screen.)

2. To close the Drawing Toolbar when you are done, click the .

Draw Two Rectangles

1. On the Drawing Toolbar, click the Rectangle icon. 2. Without pressing any button on the mouse, move the mouse so that the pointer is about

one inch below the top margin and about one inch in from the left margin. (The pointer

will change into when the pointer is anywhere on the page.)

3. When the is at the proper location, do the following: Press and keep holding down the left button on the mouse, then move the mouse down and to the right. (As you move the mouse, a rectangle will appear.) When the rectangle is about two inches across and one inch down, release the left button of the mouse. (A rectangle will be placed on the page and it will have green squares called handles on the edges.)

4. Without pressing any button on the mouse, move the pointer to the right so the is about 1 inch from the rectangle. Draw a second rectangle as done in Step 3, above. (A second rectangle appears to the right of the first one.)

Add Color

Use The Drawing Object Properties Toolbar.

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1. In the Draw A Rectangle exercise above, when you clicked on the rectangle in the Drawing toolbar, the Drawing Object Properties toolbar appeared at the top of your screen below the Formatting toolbar.

2. The 2nd

rectangle should still have the eight green handles indicating that the 2nd

is selected. Click in the Area Style/ Filling dialog box which is just to the right of the Area

icon.

3. Click the to select Color in the first Area Style / Filling dialog box. In the second

Area Style / Filling dialog box, click the to select Gray 10%.

4. Your 2nd

rectangle is now gray.

Use The Right-Click Menu

1. Keep the pointer anywhere on the gray rectangle, then right-click. (A menu appears.) 2. Click on the word Area. (The Area window appears)

3. Click on the Area tab. 4. Scroll until you can see the words Gray 30%. Click on Gray 30%, then click the OK

button (Your 2nd

rectangle is now a darker gray than before. )

Change The Size And Position Of A Rectangle

By Using “Position And Size”

We are going to make the gray rectangle, 1 inch wide by 2 inches high, and place the rectangle 3.0 inches from the left margin and 1.5 inch from the top margin.

1. Right-click anywhere on the gray rectangle. (A menu appears.)

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2. Click Position and Size. (The Position and Size window appears.) 3. Click on the Position and Size tab. In the Size section, set the Width to 1.0. (The cursor

is flashing just before the numbers in the Width box. Type 1.0, then press the Del (delete key) enough times to delete the original number.)

4. Set the Height to 2.0. (In the Height box, click just before the number, type 2.0 then delete the old number with the Del key)

5. In the Position section, change the Horizontal setting as follows: In the by box, change the number to 3.0. (In the "by " dialog box, click just before the number. Type 3.0, then press the Del key to delete the original number.)

6. Change the Vertical setting as follows: In the "by" dialog box, click just before the number. Type 1.5, then press Del to delete the original number.)

7. Click the OK button. (The rectangle changes size and location.)

By Using The Mouse

1. To move the gray rectangle, click in the gray rectangle. (Your mouse pointer becomes .) Drag the gray rectangle to a different location by dong the following: Keep the pointer on the gray rectangle. Press and keep holding down the left button on the mouse, then move the mouse in any direction to reposition the rectangle. Release the mouse button. The rectangle is moved to a new location.)

2. To resize the gray rectangle and still keep the proportions of the rectangle, click in the gray rectangle. Press and keep holding the Shift key then click and drag a handle of the rectangle. Release the mouse button to complete the resize. (The size of the rectangle changes and is not distorted.)

Save The Rectangles In the "Gray Rectangle" File

1. Click File > Save As. (The Save As window appears.) If the words, My Documents, are

not already in the Save in: dialog box, click the of the Save in: dialog box. (A menu will appear) Find My Documents on this menu and click it. (My Documents will appear in the Save in: dialog box. )

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2. In the File name: dialog box, type the words, Gray Rectangle. In the Save as type: pull-down menu box, click on OpenOffice Text Document. Click on the Save button. (The Gray Rectangle file has been saved on your computer in the My Documents folder, and can be opened later.)

3. in the blue area at the top of your screen indicates the file Gray Rectangle is still open on your computer.

4. Click File > Close. (The Gray Rectangle file is closed and is not seen on the screen.)

Use The "Gray Rectangle" In Another Document

1. Click File > New > Text Document. appears on the screen.

2. Click File > Open. (The "Open" window appears.) 3. In the menu below the Look in:" dialog box, click My Documents if it is not already

there. In the menu below the File name: dialog box, click Gray Rectangle. (The Gray Rectangle file appears on your screen.)

4. Right-click inside the Gray Rectangle. (The green handles and a menu appears.) 5. Click Copy. Right-click where you want to place the Gray Rectangle on your new

document. Click Paste. (Or you can use the “Copy”, , and “Paste”, , icons on the Standard Toolbar. The Gray Rectangle is now on your new document.)

6. Click File > Close > Discard. (When a file has been changed, you will see the message below.)

7. The document is no longer on the screen.

Using The Gallery

Open The Gallery

1. Click File > New > Text Document.

2. Click on the Gallery icon or click Tools > Gallery. (You may have changed your icons to another display; if so, click on the icons to find the "Gallery" icon. The “Gallery” window appears with a lot of colored graphics (pictures). On the left side of the Gallery window are the words, “Backgrounds, Bullets, etc. These words are the names of different "Themes". In the "Gallery', the folders are called "Themes".

3. Click on the Bullets Theme. The graphics that are in the Bullets Theme (Bullets folder), appear on the screen.

Working With Graphics In Your Document

Copy A Graphic (A Picture) From The Gallery

1. Click Format > New > Text Document. Type the word, Learning. Highlight it. (To highlight the word, "Learning", click and hold on the first letter while moving the pointer over the word and when you reach the end of the word, "Learning", release the mouse button.) Click the Bold icon and the Centered icon. (Place your cursor on the icons on

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the "Formatting toolbar" to find the "Bold" icon and the "Centered" icon.) Press Enter. (The word, "Learning", moves to the center and is in bold.)

2. Click on the Homepage Theme The graphics that are in the Homepage Theme appear in the Gallery.

3. Scroll down until you see (To scroll down, click on the a number of times until the picture appears.)

4. Drag the graphic, , below the word, Learning. (Dragging is done by clicking on the graphic and moving the mouse without letting go of the mouse button until the graphic is where you want to place it. The picture is moved below the word, "Learning".)

5. Click on the Gallery icon. (The "Gallery" window closes.)

Resize The Picture

Using The Mouse

1. Click on the picture. ( An anchor will appear. Eight points (green squares), called handles, will appear along the sides of the picture. )

2. Place your pointer on any of the points. Click and drag the mouse to modify the picture. (A double-headed arrow ,. , will appear. The size of the picture changes but is distorted.)

3. To keep the proportions of the graphic, press and hold the Shift key. Click and drag a handle of the picture. Release the mouse button to complete the resize. (The size of the picture changes and is not distorted.)

4. When you have changed the picture to the desired size, click anywhere on the page except on the picture. (The picture will be the desired size.)

Using The “Picture" Window

5. Right-click anywhere on the picture. (A menu appears.) 6. Click Picture. (The “Picture” window appears.)

3. Click on the Type tab. In the Size section, set the Width to 1.0”. (The cursor is flashing just before the numbers in the “Width” box. Highlight and delete (using the Del key) the numbers and type "1.0".) Set the Height to 2.0. (In the “Height” box, click just before the number. Highlight and delete (using the Del key) the numbers . Type 2.0. The picture changes size.)

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Relocate The Picture

In The Document Itself

Using The Mouse

1. Click on the graphic/picture. The mouse pointer turns into a four-way arrow like this . (An anchor will appear. Eight points (green squares), called handles, will appear along the sides of the picture.)

2. Long-click on the and drag the picture to the desired place on your page. (Dragging is done by clicking on the graphic and moving the mouse without letting go of the mouse button until the graphic is where you want to place it. The picture changes location.)

Using The "Picture" Window

3. Right click in the picture, click Picture. (The "Picture" window appears.) Click the Type tab. Under the Position section, click From left in the dialog box to the right of Horizontal. In the dialog box to the right of by, change the setting to 1.0”. (In the “by” box, click just before the number. Type 1.0, then press Del to delete the original number.)

4. In the dialog box to the right of Vertical, click From top. In the dialog box to the right of by, change the setting to 1.0” (In the “by” box, click just before the number. Type 1.0, then press Del to delete the original number.)

5. Click the OK button. (The picture changes location.)

The Same Picture In Another Location In Your Document Or In Another Document

6. Right-click on the picture. Click Copy (The picture is saved onto the clipboard.) 7. Place the pointer and click where you want to put a copy of the same picture in your

current document or in another document. Click Paste. (The same picture is in the document or in another document.)

Insert Graphic As A Background

1. In the document, click on the page OR on the paragraph that will have the background. For this tutorial, we will click on the page.

2. Click the Gallery icon > Backgrounds. In the Backgrounds Theme, right- click on the graphic of your choice. (For this tutorial , we will use the "Backgrounds" Theme folder but you may use any Gallery Theme folder. You may use a picture as a background.)

3. Click Insert > Background > Page (OR Paragraph). The background you selected becomes the background for the page.

4. To close Gallery, click on the Gallery icon.

Anchor The Graphic/Picture - A Brief Introduction

You can anchor graphics to a page, paragraph, or character, or as a character. You can place graphics in a frame and anchor the frame to a page, paragraph, or character. Anchored items remain even if you insert or delete text. Further information about the anchoring is contained in the Anchoring Help section.

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To Page

1. Anchors the selected item to the current page. Format > Anchor > To Page 2. The anchored item remains on the current page even if you insert or delete text. 3. The anchor icon is displayed at the top left corner of the page.

To Paragraph

4. Anchors the selected item to the current paragraph. Format > Anchor > To Paragraph. 5. The anchor icon is displayed at the left page margin at the beginning of the paragraph.

To Character

6. Anchors the selected item to a character. 7. This command is only available for graphic object. Format > Anchor > To Character

As A Character

8. Anchors the selected item as a character in the current text. This is usually the one you would use to insert a picture between text.

9. If the height of the selected item is greater than the current font size, the height of the line containing the item is increased.

10. Format > Anchor > As Character

To Frame

11. Anchors the selected item to the surrounding frame. 12. Format > Anchor > To Frame

Change Anchor

13. Allows you to switch between anchoring options.

The Change Anchor icon is only visible when an object such as a graphic, control field or frame is selected.

Create A Table

You can click "View > Toolbars > Table" to make the "Table Toolbar" visible. The "Table Toolbar"

appears automatically when you create a table or select an existing Table.

Click Table > Insert > Table or click the Table icon on the Table Toolbar to insert a table. (The “Insert Table” window appears.)

1. In the Name box, you will see Table1. (This means that this is the first table you inserted in this document. If you insert another table in this document, the name will be “Table2”.)

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2. Under Size, Columns, click on the to change the number to 5. Under Rows, click on

the to change the number to 5. 3. Under Options > Borders > OK. (A table appears that has 5 rows and 5 columns. There

is a check mark by Borders by default. To have a table without the borders being seen or printed, remove the check mark by Borders. The "Table Toolbar" appears automatically if you have not already clicked "View > Toolbars > Table" to make the "Table Toolbar" visible.)

Use "AutoFormat" To Create A Table

You can use "AutoFormat" to make your table formats consistent.

1. Click Table > Insert or click the Table icon on the Table Toolbar. 2. Click AutoFormat located at the bottom left corner of the Insert Table window or click

the AutoFormat icon on the Table Toolbar. (The “AutoFormat” window appears. On the left, you will see a list of formatted tables.)

3. Click Black 1 4. At the bottom right, click More. You can change Number, Borders, Fonts , Pattern, and

Alignment. Click each of these to see the changes in the menu box. 5. Click OK. (The table appears in your document. If you cannot see the rows and columns,

click "Table > Table Boundaries", a check mark will appear before "Table Boundaries". If you were to print the table now, there would be no lines/borders around the cells. "Table Boundaries" can be shown or hidden around table cells. The boundaries are only visible on screen and are not printed.)

6. In the Black row, type Measurements. (“Measurements” appears as white text on the black background.)

7. In the first row in the left column, type 1 cup 8. In the second row in the left column, type 4 cups. 9. In the first row in the right column, type 8 fluid ounces. 10. In the second row in the right column, type 32 fluid ounces.

Insert Row(s)

1. To add additional rows, click after the last word in the last column on the right. Press the tab key. (A row appears after the last row.)

2. To add rows between rows, click in the row in the Table where you wish to add a row before or after.

3. Click Table > Insert > Rows or click the Insert Rows icon on the Table Toolbar to insert one row at a time.

4. Under Insert, Amount, click on the and select the number, 4, for the number of rows. Under Position, click Before. (“After” is the default selection. 4 new rows are added in the Table.)

Insert Column(s)

1. Click in the second column, click Table > Insert > Columns or you can click the Insert

Column icon on the Table Toolbar to insert one column at a time.

2. Under Insert, Amount, click on the and click 1. 3. Select the position of column(s) Before > OK. (“After” is the default selection. A column

appears between the original first and second columns.)

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Delete Rows Or Columns

1. Click in one of the empty rows you just added. Click Table > Delete, > Rows or click the

Delete Row icon on the Table Toolbar. (The row is deleted.) 2. Click in the empty column you just added. Click Table > Delete > Columns or click the

Delete Column icon on the Table Toolbar. (The middle column is deleted.)

Merge Cells

1. Click outside the margin to the left of the one of the rows that you just added or click the

Select Row icon on the Table Toolbar. (The pointer becomes a small arrow when it is outside the Table margin. You will see "Select table row". The row is highlighted.)

2. Click Table > Merge Cells or click the Merge Cells icon on the Table Toolbar. (The table row is one long row with just one cell (column).

Split Cells

1. Click in the left cell (column) of one of the rows you added. Click Table > Split Cells or

click the Split Cells icon on the Table Toolbar. (The "Split Cells" window appears.)

2. Under Split cell into, click on the to change the number to 3. 3. Under Direction, click Horizontally > Into equal proportions. (The cell is divided into 3

equal sections.)

4. Click in the right cell. Click Table > Split Cells. Under Split cell into, click on the to change the number to 3.

5. Under Direction, click Vertically . (The cell is divided into 3 parts.)

Resize/Move The Table

By default, tables are the full width of the page. Tables can be resized by dragging the borders of columns and rows or the border of the Table to change the width. You use the same method to change the height of the columns and the table. This method can be frustrating. There is another way.

1. Click Table > Table Properties... or click the Properties icon on the Table Toolbar. 2. Click the Tables tab. (The “Table Format” window appears.) 3. Under Properties, Width, click Relative.

4. Click the to change the number to 50%. 5. Under Alignment, click Center > OK. (The Table is smaller and centered. You can also

move the Table to the left or to the right.)

Merge Tables

Combine two consecutive tables into a single table. The tables must be directly next to each other and not separated by an empty paragraph. If you choose this command when the cursor is in the middle of three consecutive tables, you are prompted to select the table that you want to merge with.

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1. Type the shortcut, ml. Press F3. (A new table appears.) 2. Type the shortcut ML. Press F3. (A second table appears below the first table.) 3. Delete the spaces between the two Tables. Click Table > Merge Table. (The two Tables

become one Table.)

Split Table

Split Table gives you choices of split table with heading or without heading. Click anywhere in the table. Click Table > Split Table > Copy heading. (The Table splits into two tables. Both tables have the table heading. )

Convert Text To Table and Table to Text

Writer makes it easy for you to convert from a table to text or text to a table.

1. Type In most cases your eyeglasses will be adjusted by the optical store where you had your prescription filled. (Start a new Paragraph here) When a local optical professional is adjusting your eyeglasses for you, it is called a “fitting”.

2. Highlight the text and click Table > Convert > Text to Table > Paragraph if it is not already selected. (The "Convert Text To Table" window appears. There is a dot in the circle before “Paragraph”.) Under Separate text at , you must select Tabs or Semicolon or Other to determine what will be used to divide the data into different cells. (A table appears with each paragraph in its own row.)

3. Click in the table. Click Table > Convert > Table to Text > Paragraph if it is not already selected. (The text appears as you typed it.)

4. Highlight the text below, click Table > Convert > Text to Table > Semicolons if it is not already selected. (You will get a table like the one in Step 5 .)

1 inch [in];;2.54 cm 1 foot [ft];12 in;0.3048 m 1 yard [yd];3 ft;0.9144 m

5. Using the table below, click in the table. Click Table > Convert > Table to Text > Semicolons if it is not already selected. (You will get the text in Step 4 .)

1 inch [in] 2.54 cm

1 foot [ft] 12 in 0.3048 m

1 yard [yd] 3 ft 0.9144 m

Delete A Table

1. Click in the table you want to delete. 2. Click Table > Delete > Table.;The table is deleted.

To undo Delete Table, click on the Undo , icon on the Standard Toolbar.

Formula Formula Editor makes it easy to write mathematical formulas in symbolic form. For example, if

you write 12 over 4 = 3, the follow will appear in Writer:

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Add A Symbolic Form

1. In OpenOffice, click File > New > Text Document. (The

document appears. If on the desktop, click “Start > All Programs >OpenOffice 2.0 > OpenOffice.org Writer > File > New > Text Document”.)

2. Click Insert > Object > Formula. (The cursor appears in the "Math" box at the bottom of the screen.)

3. Type 12 over 4 = 3. (The symbolic form appears in your document. )

4. Type 12 times 2 = 24 ( appears in your document.)

5. Type x times x = 2x. ( appears in your document.) 6. Click somewhere in the text document to close Math.

Examples Of Formulas

The following are some possible formulas

1. 3 times 4 = 12 2. %PI func e^{5x} 3. int 4 x^5 + 2 x^4 + 6x dx 4. {df(t)} over {dt} = {partial f} over {partial x} {dx } over {dt} + {partial f} over {partial y} {dy }

over {dt} 5. x = { -b +- sqrt { b^2 - 4ac } } over { 2a } 6. x = { -b +- sqrt { b^2 - 4ac } } over { 2a }

Getting Help

1. On the Menu Bar, click on the word Help. (A menu appears)

2. Click on the words, What's this?. (The mouse pointer becomes ). 3. On the Standard Toolbar, move the pointer onto a picture (icon). (A brief description of

what the picture does appears on the screen) 4. On the Standard Toolbar and the Formatting Toolbar, move the pointer onto the icons

to see what is there. 5. To get rid of the question mark, click anywhere on the screen below the Standard

Toolbar and the Formatting Toolbar.