WG42-WriterGuideLO

8/9/2019 WG42-WriterGuideLO

1/481

LibreOffice 4.2Writer Guide

Word Processing with Style


2/481

Copyright

This document is Copyright © 2011–2014 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributorsare listed belo. !ou may distribute or modify it under the terms of either the "#$ "eneral %ublicLicense &http'((.gnu.org(licenses(gpl.html)* +ersion , or later* or the Creati+e Commons-ttribution License &http'((creati+ecommons.org(licenses(by(4.0()* +ersion 4.0 or later.

-ll trademars ithin this guide belong to their legitimate oners.

Contributors

/ohn - mith /ean ollis eber %eter chofielda3el ussman Leo 5oons Da+id 6lymire/eremy Cartright /ohn 5. D7ugos3 6arbara Duprey/amie 8by on 9aile /r. "ary chnabl:laus;/


3/481

Contents

Copyright.....................................................................................................................................2

Preface..................................................................................................................................9

ho is this boo for?.................................................................................................................10

hat=s in this boo?...................................................................................................................10here to get more help.............................................................................................................10

hat you see may be different...................................................................................................11

$sing LibreOffice on a 5ac........................................................................................................12

hat are all these things called?...............................................................................................12

ho rote this boo?................................................................................................................1,

-cnoledgements....................................................................................................................14

9re@uently ased @uestions.......................................................................................................14

hat=s ne in LibreOffice riter 4.2?........................................................................................1A

Chapter !ntroducing "riter............................................................................................#

hat is riter?..........................................................................................................................1B

%arts of the main riter indo................................................................................................1B

Changing document +ies.........................................................................................................2B

tarting a ne document...........................................................................................................2

Opening an eisting document...................................................................................................,1

a+ing a document....................................................................................................................,2

Closing a document...................................................................................................................,A

Closing LibreOffice.....................................................................................................................,A

$sing the #a+igator...................................................................................................................,A

$ndoing and redoing changes...................................................................................................,Chapter $ %etting up "riter..............................................................................................&

Choosing options that affect all LibreOffice components............................................................42

Choosing options for loading and sa+ing documents.................................................................A,

Choosing options for riter........................................................................................................AE

Choosing options for T5L documents.....................................................................................FF

Choosing language settings.......................................................................................................FF

Controlling riter=s -utoCorrect functions..................................................................................E0

Chapter ' "orking with (e)t.............................................................................................#

Gntroduction................................................................................................................................E2electing tet.............................................................................................................................E2

Cutting* copying* and pasting tet..............................................................................................E,

9inding and replacing tet and formatting..................................................................................E4

Gnserting special characters.......................................................................................................E

9ormatting paragraphs...............................................................................................................B1

9ormatting characters................................................................................................................BA

-utoformatting...........................................................................................................................BF

Creating numbered or bulleted lists...........................................................................................BB

$sing footnotes and endnotes...................................................................................................1

Checing spelling and grammar.................................................................................................4

LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide 3


4/481

$sing built;in language tools......................................................................................................

$sing synonyms and the thesaurus.........................................................................................101

yphenating ords..................................................................................................................102

$sing -utoCorrect....................................................................................................................104

$sing ord completion.............................................................................................................10A

$sing -utoTet.........................................................................................................................10F

Line numbering........................................................................................................................10B

Tracing changes to a document.............................................................................................10

-dding other comments...........................................................................................................11,

Lining to another part of a document......................................................................................114

itching beteen insert and o+errite mode.........................................................................11E

Counting the ords in a selection............................................................................................11E

Changing the case of selected tet..........................................................................................11B

Chapter & Formatting Pages...........................................................................................9

Gntroduction..............................................................................................................................120

Choosing a layout method.......................................................................................................120

etting up basic page layout using styles................................................................................122

Changing page margins...........................................................................................................12F

$sing columns to define the page layout.................................................................................12E

$sing frames for page layout...................................................................................................1,0

$sing tables for page layout....................................................................................................1,F

$sing sections for page layout.................................................................................................1,B

$pdating lins..........................................................................................................................144

Creating headers and footers...................................................................................................14A

#umbering pages....................................................................................................................1A0

Defining borders and bacgrounds..........................................................................................1AB

Chapter * Printing+ ,)porting+ Fa)ing+ and ,-ailing................................................../'

Huic printing...........................................................................................................................1F4

Controlling printing...................................................................................................................1F4

%rinting en+elopes...................................................................................................................1E0

%rinting labels..........................................................................................................................1E2

ending a fa...........................................................................................................................1E4

8porting to %D9.....................................................................................................................1E4

8;mailing riter documents.....................................................................................................1B0

Digital signing of documents....................................................................................................1B,

emo+ing personal data..........................................................................................................1B4

Chapter / !ntroduction to %tyles....................................................................................0*

hat are styles?......................................................................................................................1BF

The tyles and 9ormatting indo..........................................................................................1BE

-pplying styles.........................................................................................................................11

5odifying styles.......................................................................................................................1

Creating custom paragraph styles' eamples..........................................................................20,

Deleting styles.........................................................................................................................20E

-ssigning styles to shortcut eys.............................................................................................20E

# LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


5/481

Defining a hierarchy of headings..............................................................................................20E

Chapter # "orking with %tyles.......................................................................................$*

Gntroduction..............................................................................................................................21F

Creating custom &ne) styles...................................................................................................21F

oring ith paragraph styles.................................................................................................21

oring ith conditional paragraph styles...............................................................................22Boring ith character styles..................................................................................................2,0

oring ith frame styles........................................................................................................2,2

oring ith page styles.........................................................................................................2,4

oring ith list styles.............................................................................................................241

Chapter 0 "orking with !mages.....................................................................................$&9

Gmages &graphics) in riter......................................................................................................2A0

Creating and editing images....................................................................................................2A0

-dding images to a document..................................................................................................2A1

5odifying an image..................................................................................................................2AA

$sing riter=s draing tools....................................................................................................2F1

%ositioning images ithin the tet............................................................................................2F,

-dding captions to images.......................................................................................................2E1

Creating an image map............................................................................................................2E4

5anaging the "allery...............................................................................................................2EA

LibreLogo scripting..................................................................................................................2EE

Chapter 9 "orking with (ables.......................................................................................$0

Gntroduction..............................................................................................................................2B2

Creating a table.......................................................................................................................2B2

9ormatting the table layout......................................................................................................2BA9ormatting the table tet..........................................................................................................2,

Data entry and manipulation in tables......................................................................................2F

-dditional table operations.......................................................................................................2B

The Table menu and toolbar....................................................................................................,04

Chapter 1 "orking with (emplates..............................................................................'1#

Gntroduction..............................................................................................................................,0B

$sing a template to create a document....................................................................................,0B

Creating a template..................................................................................................................,0

8diting a template....................................................................................................................,11-dding templates obtained from other sources........................................................................,12

etting a default template........................................................................................................,1,

-ssociating a document ith a different template....................................................................,1A

Organi3ing templates...............................................................................................................,1A

Chapter 2sing ail erge..........................................................................................'9

hat is mail merge?................................................................................................................,20

Creating and registering the data source.................................................................................,20

Deregistering a data source.....................................................................................................,2,

e;registering an eisting data source.....................................................................................,2,

Creating a form letter...............................................................................................................,2,

LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide %


6/481

%rinting mailing labels..............................................................................................................,2E

%rinting en+elopes...................................................................................................................,,2

$sing the 5ail 5erge i3ard to create a form letter................................................................,,F

Chapter $ (ables of Contents+ !nde)es+ and 3ibliographies.....................................'

Gntroduction..............................................................................................................................,4B

Tables of contents....................................................................................................................,4B-lphabetic indees...................................................................................................................,AB

Other types of indees.............................................................................................................,FF

6ibliographies..........................................................................................................................,FE

Chapter ' "orking with aster 4ocuments...............................................................'#9

hy use a master document?.................................................................................................,B0

tyles in master documents and subdocuments......................................................................,B0

Creating a master document' scenarios...................................................................................,B1

plitting a document into master and subdocuments...............................................................,B1

Combining se+eral documents into a master document...........................................................,B2

tarting ith no eisting documents.........................................................................................,B4

estarting page numbering......................................................................................................,B

8diting a master document......................................................................................................,0

Cross;referencing beteen subdocuments..............................................................................,1

$sing the #a+igator.................................................................................................................,4

Creating one file from a master document and its subdocuments............................................,A

%roblem sol+ing' -nchoring pictures to a page........................................................................,F

Chapter & "orking with Fields.....................................................................................'99

Gntroduction to fields.................................................................................................................400

Huic and easy field entry........................................................................................................400$sing document properties to hold metadata and information that changes............................400

$sing other fields to hold information that changes..................................................................402

$sing -utoTet to insert often;used fields................................................................................404

Defining your on numbering se@uences................................................................................404

$sing automatic cross;references............................................................................................40F

$sing fields in headers and footers..........................................................................................410

$sing fields instead of outline numbering for appendi numbering...........................................411

Trics for oring ith fields....................................................................................................412

De+eloping conditional content................................................................................................412

$sing placeholder fields...........................................................................................................41B

$sing input fields and input lists...............................................................................................41

Chapter * 2sing Forms in "riter..................................................................................&$'

Gntroduction to forms................................................................................................................424

hen to use forms...................................................................................................................424

Creating a simple form.............................................................................................................42A

9orm controls reference...........................................................................................................42E

8ample' a simple form...........................................................................................................4,1

-ccessing data sources...........................................................................................................4,F

-d+anced form customi3ation..................................................................................................441

& LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


7/481

I9orms....................................................................................................................................444

Chapter / Customi5ing "riter......................................................................................&&*

Gntroduction..............................................................................................................................44F

Customi3ing menu content......................................................................................................44F

Customi3ing toolbars...............................................................................................................4A0

-ssigning shortcut eys...........................................................................................................4A,-ssigning macros to e+ents.....................................................................................................4A

-dding functionality ith etensions........................................................................................4A

Appendi) A 6eyboard %hortcuts....................................................................................&/

Gntroduction..............................................................................................................................4F2

Opening menus and menu items.............................................................................................4F,

#a+igating and selecting ith the eyboard.............................................................................4F4

Controlling dialogs...................................................................................................................4F4

5acros.....................................................................................................................................4FA

hortcut eys for controlling documents and indos.............................................................4FA

9unction eys for riter...........................................................................................................4FF

hortcut eys for riter...........................................................................................................4FE

hortcut eys for tables...........................................................................................................4E0

hortcut eys for paragraphs and heading le+els....................................................................4E1

hortcut eys for mo+ing and resi3ing frames* graphics* and obJects......................................4E1

hortcut eys in the "allery.....................................................................................................4E2

hortcut eys in the #e Theme area of the "allery...............................................................4E2

hortcut eys in the "allery pre+ie area................................................................................4E2

electing ros and columns in a database table &opened by 94)............................................4E,

hortcut eys for draing obJects............................................................................................4E,!nde)..................................................................................................................................*

LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide '


8/481


9/481

Preface


10/481

"ho is this book for7

-nyone ho ants to get up to speed @uicly ith LibreOffice riter ill find this boo +aluable.!ou may be ne to ord processing softare* or you may be familiar ith another office suite.

"hat8s in this book7This boo introduces some of the main features of riter* the ord processor component ofLibreOffice'

• Tet entry* editing* and formatting &Chapter ,)

• %age;layout methods* including frames* columns* and tables &Chapter 4)

• 8port to %D9* including boomars &Chapter A)

• Templates and styles &Chapters F* E* and 10)

• 8mbedding or lining of graphics* spreadsheets* and other obJects &Chapter B)

• 6uilt;in draing tools &Chapter B)

• Tables of data &Chapter )

• 5ail merge &Chapter 11)

• Tables of contents* indees* and bibliographies &Chapter 12)

• 5aster documents* to group a collection of shorter documents into a single long document&Chapter 1,)

• 9ields and forms &Chapters 14 and 1A)

• Database integration* including a bibliography database &Chapters 11* 12* 1A)

• -nd many more

"here to get more help

This boo* the other LibreOffice user guides* the built;in elp system* and user support systemsassume that you are familiar ith your computer and basic functions such as starting a program*opening and sa+ing files.

elp system

LibreOffice comes ith an etensi+e elp system. This is your first line of support for usingLibreOffice.

To display the full elp system* press () or go to elp ;ibre


11/481

Other ebsites run by users also offer free tips and tutorials. This forum pro+ides communitysupport for LibreOffice' http'((en.libreofficeforum.org(

This site pro+ides support for LibreOffice* among other programs'http'((forum.openoffice.org(en(forum(

*able ) (ree support for LibreOffice users

Free LibreOfce support

-s LibreOfficeHuestions and ansers from the LibreOffice communityhttp'((as.libreoffice.org(en(@uestions(

Documentation$ser guides* ho;tos* and other documentation.http'((.libreoffice.org(get;help(documentation(https'((ii.documentfoundation.org(Documentation(%ublications

9-Hs-nsers to fre@uently ased @uestionshttp'((ii.documentfoundation.org(9a@

5ailing lists9ree community support is pro+ided by a netor of eperienced usershttp'((.libreoffice.org(get;help(mailing;lists(

Gnternational support

The LibreOffice ebsite in your language.http'((.libreoffice.org(international;sites(

Gnternational mailing listshttp'((ii.documentfoundation.org(LocalK5ailingKLists

-ccessibility optionsGnformation about a+ailable accessibility options.http'((.libreoffice.org(get;help(accessibility(

Paid support and training

-lternati+ely* you are able to pay for support ser+ices. er+ice contracts can be purchased from a+endor or consulting firm speciali3ing in LibreOffice.

"hat you see may be different

!llustrations

LibreOffice runs on indos* Linu* and 5ac O I operating systems* each of hich has se+eral+ersions and can be customi3ed by users &fonts* colors* themes* indo managers). Theillustrations in this guide ere taen from a +ariety of computers and operating systems. Therefore*

some illustrations ill not loo eactly lie hat you see on your computer display.-lso* some of the dialogs may be different because of the settings selected in LibreOffice. !ou caneither use dialogs from your computer system or dialogs pro+ided by LibreOffice &default). 9ollothese steps to change to using LibreOffice dialogs if settings ha+e been altered'

1) On Linu and indos operating systems* go to (ools


12/481

!cons

The icons used to illustrate some of the many tools a+ailable in LibreOffice may differ from theones used in this guide. The icons in this guide ha+e been taen from a LibreOffice installation thathas been set to display the Tango set of icons.

!ou can change your LibreOffice softare pacage to display Tango icons as follos'

1) On Linu and indos operating systems* go to (ools


13/481

(igure ) Dialog showing common controls

1) Tabbed page &not strictly speaing a control).

2) adio buttons &only one can be selected at a time).

,) Checbo &more than one can be selected at a time).

4) pin bo &clic the up and don arros to change the number shon in the tet bo net toit* or type in the tet bo).

A) Thumbnail or pre+ie.

F) Drop;don list from hich to select an item.

E) %ush buttons.

Gn most cases* you can interact only ith the dialog &not the document itself) as long as the dialogremains open. hen you close the dialog after use &usually* clicing


14/481


15/481

"hat8s new in ;ibre


16/481


17/481

hapter )ntroducing Writer


18/481

"hat is "riter7

riter is the ord processor component of LibreOffice. Gn addition to the usual features of a ordprocessor &spelling chec* thesaurus* hyphenation* autocorrect* find and replace* automaticgeneration of tables of contents and indees* mail merge* and others)* riter pro+ides theseimportant features'

• Templates and styles &see Chapters F and E)• %age;layout methods* including frames* columns* and tables &Chapter 4)

• 8mbedding or lining of graphics* spreadsheets* and other obJects &Chapter B)

• 6uilt;in draing tools &Chapter B)

• 5aster documents* to group a collection of shorter documents into a single long document&Chapter 1,)

• Change tracing during re+isions &Chapter ,)

• Database integration* including a bibliography database &Chapters 11* 12* 1A)

• 8port to %D9* including boomars &Chapter A)

• -nd many more

Parts of the main "riter window

The main riter orspace is shon in 9igure 2. Gts features are described in this section.

(igure $ Parts of the main Writer window 0without sidebar1

(itle bar

The Title bar is located at the top of the riter indo* and shos the file name of the currentdocument. hen the document is nely created* the document name ill appear as 4ntitled 5 * here 5 is a number.

)6 LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


19/481

enus

The 5enu bar is located Just belo the Title bar. hen you select one of the menus* a submenudrops don to sho further options such as'

• 8ecutable commands* such as Close or %ave* found in the File menu.

• Commands to open dialogs* indicated by the command being folloed by an ellipsis &Q)*

such as Find or Paste %pecial found in the ,dit menu.• 9urther submenus* indicated by a right;pointing blac arro* such as (oolbars and oom

found in the @iew menu. 5o+ing the cursor onto these causes them to open.

(oolbars

riter displays toolbars in different ays' doced &fied in place)* or floating. ome toolbars ha+esections hich you can tear off. Doced toolbars can be mo+ed to different locations or made tofloat* and floating toolbars can be doced.

The top doced toolbar* Just under the 5enu bar* is called the Standard *oolbar . Gt is consistentacross all the LibreOffice applications &riter* Calc* Dra* Gmpress).

The second toolbar at the top is contet sensiti+e. 9or eample* hen oring ith tet* the9ormatting toolbar is displayed. hen the cursor is on a graphic &image type)* the "raphics toolbaris displayed* and the %ictures toolbar is displayed doced at the bottom of the screen. -n additionaltoolbar &6ullets and #umbering) is displayed net to the 9ormatting toolbar* hen for eample* thecursor is in a numbered(bulleted list.

Displayin or !idin toolbars

To display or hide toolbars* choose @iew (oolbars* then clic on the name of a toolbar in the list.-n acti+e toolbar shos a chec mar beside its name. Tear;off toolbars are not listed in the iemenu.

"ub#enus and tear$off toolbars

Combination toolbar buttons ha+ing a don arro ill display submenus* tear"off toolbars* andother ays of selecting things* depending on the toolbar.

9igure , shos a tear;off toolbar from the Draing toolbar. Once remo+ed from the parent toolbarit displays a title bar.

Tear;off toolbars can be floating or doced along an edge of the screen or in one of the eistingtoolbar areas. To mo+e a floating tear;off toolbar* drag it by the title bar* as shon in 9igure A.

(igure 3 78ample of a tear"off toolbar

hapter ) ntroducing Writer )9


20/481

Movin toolbars

To mo+e a doced toolbar* place the mouse pointer o+er the toolbar handle &the small +ertical barto the left of the toolbar)* hold don the left mouse button* drag the toolbar to the ne location* andthen release the mouse button.

(igure # :oving a doc-ed toolbar

To mo+e a floating toolbar* clic on its title bar and drag it to a ne location.

(igure % :oving a floating toolbar

%loatin toolbars

ome toolbars acti+ated from the ie menu may appear as floating toolbars* for eample theGnsert toolbar. riter also includes se+eral additional contet;sensiti+e toolbars* hose defaultsmay appear as floating toolbars in response to the cursor=s current position or selection. !ou candoc these toolbars to the top* bottom* or side of the indo* if you ish &see R5o+ing toolbarsSabo+e).

Doc&in'floatin windows and toolbars

Toolbars and some indos* such as the Navigator and the %tyles and Formatting indo* aredocable. !ou can mo+e* resi3e* or doc them to an edge.

To doc a indo or toolbar* hold don trl and double;clic on the frame of the floating indo&or in a +acant area near the buttons at the top of the floating indo) to doc it in its last position.

(igure & trl/double"clic- to doc- or undoc-

To undoc a indo* hold don trl and double;clic on the frame &or a +acant area near thebuttons at the top) of the doced indo.

$+ LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


21/481

4ocking DAutoideE

On any indo edge here another indo is doced you ill see a button hich allos you tosho or hide the indo.

• Gf you clic the button on the indo edge to sho the indo* the indo ill remain+isible until you manually hide it again &ith the same button).

• Gf you sho the indo by clicing the indo border* but not the button* you acti+ate theAutoide function. The -utoide function allos you to temporarily sho a hidden indoby clicing on its edge. hen you clic in the document* the doced indo hides again.

(igure ' *he ;ide button

(igure 6 Show button and


22/481

(igure 9 Selection of visible toolbar buttons

Bight-click Dconte)tE menus

ight;clic on a paragraph* graphic* or other obJect to open a contet menu. Often the contetmenu is the fastest and easiest ay to reach a function. Gf you=re not sure here in the menus ortoolbars a function is located* you can often find it by right;clicing.

Bulers

ulers are enabled by default. To sho or hide the rulers* choose @iew Buler. To disable therulers* choose (ools


23/481


24/481

choose None D4o not check spellingE to eclude the tet from a spelling chec or chooseore to open the Character dialog. -ny directly formatted language settings can be reset tothe default language from this menu. ee Chapter ,* Wor-ing with *e8t * for more information.

!nsert modeThis area is blan hen in Gnsert mode. Double;clic to change to Overwrite mode single;clicto return to Gnsert mode. Gn Gnsert mode* any tet after the cursor position mo+es forard to

mae room for the tet you type in O+errite mode* tet after the cursor position is replaced bythe tet you type. This feature is disabled hen in ,dit Changes Becord mode.

%election modeClic to choose different selection modes. The icon does not change* but hen you ho+er themouse pointer o+er this field* a tooltip indicates hich mode is acti+e.

hen you clic in the field* a contet menu displays the a+ailable options.

Mode Effect

tandard selection Clic in the tet here you ant to position the cursor clicin a cell to mae it the acti+e cell. -ny other selection is then

deselected.

8tending selection &(6) Clicing in the tet etends or crops the current selection.

-dding selection 0Shift/(61 - ne selection is added to an eisting selection. The resultis a multiple selection.

6loc selection 0trl/Shift/(61 - bloc of tet can be selected.

On indos systems* you can hold don the


25/481

@iew layoutClic an icon to change beteen single page* side;by;side* and boo layout +ies &see 9igure1,). !ou can edit the document in any +ie. Moom settings &see belo and net page) interact ith the selected +ie layout and the indo idth to determine ho many pages are +isible inthe document indo.

oom

To change the +ie magnification* drag the Moom slider* or clic on the V and W signs* or right;clic on the 3oom le+el percent to pop up a list of magnification +alues from hich to choose.

(igure )3 >iew layouts single2 side"by"side2 boo-

%idebar

To acti+ate the idebar* select @iew %idebar from the 5enu 6ar. The sidebar is located on theright side of the edit +ie. The sidebar &9igure 14) contains four decs' %roperties* tyles and9ormatting* "allery* and #a+igator. 8ach dec has a corresponding icon on the Tab bar to the rightof the sidebar* alloing you to sitch beteen them.

8ach dec consists of a title bar and one or more content panels. - panel is lie a combination oftoolbar and dialog. Toolbars and sidebar panels share many functions. 9or eample* the buttonsfor maing tet bold or italic eist in both the 9ormatting toolbar and the Character panel of the%roperties dec.

ome panels contain a ore button & ) hich hen cliced opens a dialog to gi+e greater

choice of editing controls.The dialog that opens locs the document for editing until the dialog isclosed.

hapter ) ntroducing Writer $%


26/481

(igure )# Sidebar Properties dec- and te8t conte8t panels

The decs are described belo.

• Properties' Contains tools for direct formatting ithin the document. The tools areseparated into three panels for tet editing'

– haracter ' 5odify tet by the font type* si3e* color* eight* style and spacing.

– Paragraph' tyle the paragraph by alignment* lists or bullets* bacground color* indent*and spacing.

– Page' 9ormat the page by orientation* margin* si3e* and number of columns.

Gf a graphic is selected* then the folloing panels open'

– "raphic' 5odify the graphicUs brightness* contrast* color mode and transparency.

– %osition' 5odifications to idth and height.

– rap' %ermits rap modifications here these are a+ailable.Gf a draing obJect is selected* then the folloing panels are a+ailable

– -rea' 9ill and transparency edits are a+ailable.

– Line' %ermits edits to the line style* idth* color* arros* corners and cap styles.

– %osition and i3e' 8nables edits to idth* height* rotation and flip attributes.

Gf a frame is selected* then the rap panel opens but may be grayed;out if frame rap isnot a+ailable.

Caution 6e aare that by changing the options on the %age panel you ill change the pagestyle in use* modifying not only the current page but all pages using the same page

style.

$& LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


27/481

• %tyles and Formatting' 5anage the styles used on the document* applying eisting styles*creating ne ones or modifying them. This dec is also a floating toolbar that can beaccessed from Format %tyles and Formatting from the 5enu bar.

• =allery' -dd images and diagrams included in the "allery themes. The "allery displays asto sections the first lists the themes by name &-rros* 6acground* Diagrams* etc.) andthe second displays the images in the selected category. elect the New (heme button to

create ne categories. To insert an image* or add a ne image to the gallery* drag anddrop the selected image. This dec is also a doced toolbar that can be accessed from(ools =allery or the =allery button on the tandard Toolbar.

• Navigator' 6rose the document and reorgani3e its content by selecting different contentcategories* such as headings* tables* frames* graphics* etc. The idebar #a+igator doesnot contain a ;ist 3o)


28/481

(igure )& Sidebar ;ide button

(igure )' Panel dragged past minimum useablewidth showing arrow

Changing document views

riter has three ays to +ie a document' Print Layout * Web Layout * and (ull Screen. To changethe +ie* go to the @iew menu and clic on the re@uired +ie.

%rint Layout is the default +ie in riter. Gn this +ie* you can use the Moom slider and the ieLayout icons on the tatus bar to change the magnification.

!ou can also choose @iew oom oom from the 5enu bar to display the oom G @iew;ayout dialog* here you can set the same options as on the tatus bar.

Gn eb Layout +ie* you can use only the Moom slider the ie Layout buttons on the tatus barare disabled* and most of the choices on the oom G @iew ;ayout dialog are not a+ailable.

(igure )6 hoosing @oom and >iew Layout options

$6 LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


29/481

Gn 9ull creen +ie* the document is displayed using the 3oom and layout settings pre+iouslyselected. To eit 9ull creen +ie and return to either %rint or eb Layout +ie* press the 7sc eyor toggle the Full %creen button on the floating toolbar in the top left;hand corner. !ou can alsouse trl/Shift/A to enter or eit 9ull creen +ie.

%tarting a new document

!ou can start a ne* blan document in riter in se+eral ays. Gf a document is already open inLibreOffice* the ne document opens in a ne indo.

From the %tart Center

hen LibreOffice is open but no document is open* the %tart Center is shon. Clic the Create:"riter 4ocument button to create a ne tet document* or clic the (emplates button to start ane document using a template.

(igure )9 LibreOffice Start enter

From the Huickstarter

hen LibreOffice is installed on computers running indos or Linu* a Huicstarter feature mayalso be installed. Computers ith a 5ac operating system do not ha+e a Huicstarter.

The Huicstarter is an icon that is placed in the system tray during system startup. Gt indicates thatLibreOffice has been loaded and is ready to use. The Huicstarter must be enabled in (ools


30/481

ee Chapter 1* ntroducing LibreOffice* in the Getting Started guide for more information aboutstarting riter and using the Huicstarter.

(igure $+ Buic-starter pop"up menu

From the operating system menu

!ou can open the LibreOffice tart Center or the riter component from the operating systemmenu in the same ay that you start other programs. hen LibreOffice as installed on yourcomputer* in most cases a menu entry for each component as added to your system menu. Gf youare using a 5ac* you should see the LibreOffice icon in the -pplications folder. hen you double;clic this icon* LibreOffice opens at the tart Center &9igure 1).

From the menu bar+ toolbar+ or keyboard

hen LibreOffice is open* you can also start a ne document in one of the folloing ays.

• %ress the trl/? eys.

• $se File New (e)t 4ocument.

• Clic the New button on the tandard Toolbar.

From a template

!ou can use templates to create ne documents in riter. - template is a set of predefined stylesand formatting. Templates ser+e as the foundation of a set of documents* to mae sure they allha+e a similar layout. 9or eample* all the documents of the Writer Guide are based on the same

template. -s a result* all the documents loo alie they ha+e the same headers and footers* usethe same fonts* and so on.

- ne LibreOffice installation does not contain many templates. Gt is possible for you to add netemplates to your installation and use them for ne documents. This is eplained in Chapter 10*Wor-ing with *emplates. 5ore templates can be donloaded from http'((templates.libreoffice.org( and other ebsites.

Once you ha+e templates on your system* you can create ne documents based on them by usingFile (emplates anage &trl/Shift/?)* File New (emplates or clic the arro button netto the #e Document button on the tandard Toolbar and select (emplates from the drop;donlist. This opens the Template 5anager dialog here you can choose the template you ant to usefor your document.

3+ LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide

http://templates.libreoffice.org/http://templates.libreoffice.org/http://templates.libreoffice.org/


31/481

The eample shon in 9igure 21 uses a template in the 4ocuments y (emplates folder.Double;clic on the re@uired template. - ne document is created based on the styles and formatsdefined in the template.

(igure $) reating a document from a template


32/481

%aving a document

To sa+e a ne document in riter* do one of the folloing'

• %ress trl/S.

• Choose File %ave.

• Clic the %ave button on the tandard Toolbar.

hen the a+e -s dialog appears* enter the file name* +erify the file type* and clic %ave.

To sa+e an opened document ith the current file name* select one of the abo+e options. This illo+errite the last sa+ed state of the file.

To sa+e an opened document ith a different file name in order to preser+e the original and ha+eedits sa+ed in another +ersion* choose File %ave As+ gi+e it another name and(or select adifferent file type. - document can be sa+ed ith the same file name if the file type is changed* butmust ha+e a different name if the same file type is retained. File %ave a Copy beha+es in asimilar fashion.

%aving a document automatically!ou can choose to ha+e riter sa+e your document automatically in a temporary file at regularinter+als. -utomatic sa+ing* lie manual sa+ing* o+errites the last sa+ed state of the target file inthe temporary file. To set up automatic file sa+ing'

B) elect (ools


33/481

CautionGt is recommended that if you use a 5icrosoft ord format* you use the DOC andnot the DOCI &I5L) format. There is anecdotal e+idence that the DOCI formateperiences problems e+en ithin nati+e 5icrosoft applications. a+ing in OD9format gi+es you the option to redo the document if the recipient of your documenteperiences trouble ith the 5icrosoft format.

(igure $$ Saving a file in :icrosoft Word format

Password protection

riter pro+ides to le+els of document protection' read;protect &file cannot be +ieed ithout apassord) and rite;protect &file can be +ieed in read;only mode but cannot be changed ithouta passord). Thus you can mae the content a+ailable for reading by a selected group of peopleand for reading and editing by a different group. This beha+ior is compatible ith 5icrosoft ordfile protection.

1) $se File %ave As hen sa+ing the document. &!ou can also use File %ave the firsttime you sa+e a ne document.)

2) On the a+e -s dialog* select the %ave with password option* and then clic %ave.

,) The et %assord dialog opens.

hapter ) ntroducing Writer 33


34/481

(igure $3 *wo levels of password protection

ere you ha+e se+eral choices'

• To read;protect the document* type a passord in the to fields at the top of the

dialog.• To rite;protect the document* clic the ore


35/481

Closing a document

Gf only one document is open and you ant to close that document* go to File > Close on the

5enu bar or clic on the I on the Title bar. The I may be located on either the right or left end ofthe Title bar.

Gf more than one document is open and you ant to close one of them* go to File > Close on the

5enu bar or clic on the I on the 5enu bar of that document=s indo. hen only the lastdocument is open* the I on the 5enu bar disappears.

Gf the document has not been sa+ed since the last change* a message bo is displayed. Choose hether to sa+e or discard your changes.

Closing ;ibre


36/481

NoteThe Navigator has different functions in a master document. ee Chapter 1,*Wor-ing with :aster Documents.

(igure $# *he ?avigator

*able $ (unction of buttons in the ?avigator

Toggle' #ot acti+e in ordinary documents &left image). Gn a master document &rightimage)* sitches beteen the master document file and its subdocuments.

#a+igation' Opens the #a+igation toolbar &see page ,E).

%re+ious* #et' /umps to the pre+ious or net item in the selected category &page*graphic* hyperlin* comment* and so on). To select the category of items* see R$singthe #a+igation toolbar on page ,E.

%age number' /umps to the page se@uence number shoing in the bo. Type there@uired page number or select it using the up and don arros.

Drag 5ode' elect yperlin* Lin* or Copy. ee RChoosing drag modeC on page ,for details.

List 6o On(Off' hos or hides the list of categories. ot idebar).

Content ie' itches beteen shoing all categories and shoing only theselected category.

et eminder' Gnserts a reminder &see page ,).

eader(9ooter' /umps beteen the tet area and the header or footer area &if thepage has them).

-nchor Y–Z Tet' /umps beteen a footnote anchor and the corresponding footnotetet.

eading Le+els hon' Choose the number of heading le+els to be shon.

3& LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


37/481

oving uickly through a document

The #a+igator pro+ides se+eral con+enient ays to mo+e around a document and find items in it'

• To Jump to a specific page in the document* type its se=uence number in the bo at the topof the Navigator and press 7nter . The se@uence number may be different from the pagenumber if you ha+e restarted numbering at any point.

• hen a category is shoing the list of items in it* double;clic on an item to Jump directly tothat item=s location in the document. 9or eample* you can Jump directly to a selectedheading* graphic* or comment by using this method.

To see the content in only one category* highlight that category and clic the Content @iew button. Clic the button again to display all the categories. !ou can also change the numberof heading le+els shon hen +ieing eadings.

• $se the Previous and Ne)t buttons to Jump to other obJects of the type selected in theNavigation toolbar. &ee net page for details.)

Note- hidden section &or other hidden obJect) in a document appears gray in the

Navigator* and displays the ord RhiddenS as a tooltip. 9or more about hidden

sections* see Chapter 4* 9ormatting %ages.

(ip

ObJects are much easier to find if you ha+e gi+en them names hen creating them*instead of eeping LibreOffice=s default names of graphics1* graphics2* Table1*Table2* and so onXhich may not correspond to the position of the obJect in thedocument.

To rename an image* right;clic on the image* select Picture


38/481

The #a+igation toolbar has buttons for all the obJect types shon in the #a+igator* plus someetras &for eample* the results of a Find command).

Clic a button to select that obJect type. #o all the Previous and Ne)t buttons &in the Navigator itself* in the Navigation toolbar* and on the scroll bar) ill Jump to the pre+ious or net obJect of theselected type. This is particularly helpful for finding items lie inde entries* hich can be difficult tosee in the tet. The names of the buttons &shon in the tooltips) change to match the selected

category for eample* Ne)t =raphic* Ne)t 3ookmark* or Continue search forward.

Bearranging chapters using the Navigator

!ou can rearrange chapters and mo+e headings in the document by using the Navigator.

1) Clic the Content @iew button to epand the headings* if necessary.

2) &Optional) Gf you ha+e se+eral subheading le+els* you can more easily find the headingsyou ant* by changing the eading Le+els hon selection to sho only 1 or 2 le+els ofheadings.

,) Clic on the heading of the bloc of tet that you ant to mo+e and drag the heading to ane location on the Navigator* or clic the heading in the Navigator list* and then clic

either the Promote Chapter or 4emote Chapter button. -ll of the tet and subsectionsunder the selected heading mo+e ith it.

To mo+e only the selected heading and not the tet associated ith the heading* hold dontrl * and then clic the Promote or 4emote button.

(ip

The tooltips Promote Chapter and 4emote Chapter can be misleading allheadingsXhether at Le+el 1 &chapter) or loerXcan be rearranged using thisfunction and the feature might be better described as 5o+e $p or 5o+e Don&ithin the document* ithout changing the heading le+el) to distinguish it moreclearly from Promote ;evel and 4emote ;evel* hich change the heading le+el ithin the document &see belo).

4) To @uicly change the outline le+el of a heading and its associated subheadings* select theheading in the Navigator* and then clic either the Promote ;evel or 4emote ;evel button. This action does not change the location of the heading* only its le+el.

To increase the outline le+el of only the selected heading* but not its associatedsubheadings* hold don trl * and then clic the button.

(igure $' ,eorganiEing with the ?avigator

Note$sers of 5icrosoft ord ill note the similarity beteen this functionality and ordUsOutline ie.

36 LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


39/481

%etting reminders

One of the little;non features of riter that you may find @uite useful is the possibility of Jumpingbeteen reminders. ,eminders let you mar places in your document that you ant to return tolater on* to add or correct information* mae some other change* or simply mar here youfinished editing. The possible uses of reminders are limited only by your imagination.

To set a reminder at the cursorUs current location* clic on the & ) button in the #a+igator. !oucan set up to A reminders in a document setting a sith causes the first to be deleted.

eminders are not highlighted in any ay in the document* so you cannot see here they are*ecept hen you Jump from one to the netXthe location of the cursor then shos the location ofthe reminder.

To Jump beteen reminders* first select the Beminder button on the Navigation toolbar. Then clicthe Previous and Ne)t buttons. eminders are not sa+ed ith the document.

Choosing drag mode

To select the drag and drop options for inserting items such as other documents and images* into adocument using the Navigator* choose one of the folloing from the drop;don menu of the 4ragode button.

!nsert As yperlinkCreates a hyperlin hen you drag and drop an item into the current document.

!nsert As ;inkGnserts the selected item as a lin here you drag and drop in the current document. Tet isinserted as protected sections. oe+er* you cannot create lins for graphics* OL8 obJects*references* or indees using this method.

!nsert As CopyGnserts a copy of the selected item here you drag and drop in the current document. !oucannot drag and drop copies of graphics* OL8 obJects* or indees.

2ndoing and redoing changes

hen a document is open* you can undo the most recent change by pressing trl/@2 or clicing

the 2ndo button & ) on the tandard Toolbar* or choosing ,dit 2ndo from the 5enu bar.

The ,dit menu shos the latest changes that can be undone.

(igure $6 7dit F 4ndo last action

hapter ) ntroducing Writer 39


40/481

Clic the don arro button of the 2ndo combination button to get a list of all the changes that canbe undone. !ou can select multiple changes and undo them at the same time &see 9igure 2).

(igure $9 List of actions that can be undone

-fter changes ha+e been undone* Bedo becomes acti+e. To redo a change* select ,dit Bedo* or

press trl/ or clic on the Bedo button & ). -s ith 2ndo* clic on the don arro button of

the combination button to get a list of the changes that can be restored.

#+ LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


41/481

hapter $Setting up Writer hoosing options to suit the way you wor-


42/481

Choosing options that affect all ;ibre


43/481

elp I ,)tended tipshen ,)tended tips is acti+e* a brief description of the function of a particular icon or menucommand or a field on a dialog appears hen you hold the mouse pointer o+er that item.


44/481

contains a lot of them* increase the number of obJects in the cache. &The obJects are still inthe file e+en if you cannot see them on screen.)

• To load the Huicstarter hen you start your computer* select the option near the bottom ofthe dialog. This maes LibreOffice start faster the trade;off is that LibreOffice uses somememory e+en hen not being used. This option &called ,nable systray Huickstarter onLinu) is not a+ailable on 5ac O I or on systems here the Huicstarter module has not

been installed.

@iew options

The options on the ;ibreiew options for LibreOffice applications

2ser !nterface I %calingGf the tet in the help files or on the menus of the LibreOffice user interface is too small or toolarge* you can change it by specifying a scaling factor. ometimes a change here can ha+eunepected results* depending on the screen fonts a+ailable on your system. oe+er* it doesnot affect the font si3e of the tet in your documents.

2ser !nterface I !con si5e and styleThe first bo specifies the display si3e of toolbar icons &Automatic* %mall* or ;arge) theAutomatic icon si3e option uses the setting for your operating system. The second bospecifies the icon style &theme) here the Automatic option uses an icon set compatible ith

your operating system.

2ser !nterface I 2se system font for user interfaceGf you prefer to use the system font &the default font for your computer and operating system)instead of the font pro+ided by LibreOffice for the user interface* select this option.

2ser interface I %creen font Anti-Aliasingot a+ailable in indos not shon in 9igure ,2.) mooths the screen appearance of tet.8nter the smallest font si3e to apply anti;aliasing.

enu I !cons in menusCauses icons as ell as ords to be +isible in menus. Choice of Automatic* ide or %how.

## LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


45/481

Font ;ists I %how preview of fontsCauses the font list to loo lie 9igure ,,* Left* ith the font names shon as an eample ofthe font. ith the option deselected* the font list shos only the font names* not their formatting&9igure ,,* ight). The fonts you ill see listed are those that are installed on your system.

9onts hich are tuned for use ith a specific script* such as -rabic* ebre* 5alayalam* andso on* no sho an additional pre+ie of some sample tet in the target script.

(igure 33 (ont list 0Left1 showing previewH 0,ight1 without preview

Font ;ists I %how font historyCauses the last fi+e fonts you ha+e assigned to the current document to be displayed at the topof the font list.

=raphics output I 2se hardware accelerationDirectly accesses hardare features of the graphical display adapter to impro+e the screendisplay. #ot supported on all operating systems and LibreOffice distributions.

=raphics output I 2se Anti-Aliasing8nables and disables anti;aliasing* hich maes the display of most graphical obJects loosmoother and ith feer artifacts. #ot supported on all operating systems and LibreOfficedistributions.

(ip%ress Shift/trl/, to restore or refresh the +ie of the current document afterchanging the anti;aliasing settings* to see the effect.

ouse positioningpecifies if and ho the mouse pointer ill be positioned in nely opened dialogs.

iddle mouse buttonDefines the function of the middle mouse button.

• Automatic scrolling – dragging hile pressing the middle mouse button shifts the +ie.

• Paste clipboard – pressing the middle mouse button inserts the contents of the RelectionclipboardS at the cursor position.

The Relection clipboardS is independent of the normal clipboard that you use by ,dit Copy?Cut?Paste or their respecti+e eyboard shortcuts. Clipboard and Relection clipboardS

can contain different contents at the same time.

hapter $ Setting up Writer #%


46/481

%unction (lipboard "election clipboard

Copy content ,dit Copy or trl/ elect tet* table* or obJect.

%aste content ,dit Paste or trl/> pastesat the cursor position.

Clicing the middle mouse buttonpastes at the mouse pointer position.

%asting into another

document

#o effect on the clipboard

contents.

The last mared selection is the

content of the selection clipboard.

%election I (ransparencyDetermines the appearance of selected tet or graphics* hich appear on a shadedbacground. To mae the shaded bacground more or less dar* increase or decrease theTransparency setting.

Gf you prefer selected material to appear in re+ersed color &typically hite tet on a blacbacground)* deselect this option.

Print options

On the ;ibre


47/481

(ipGf your printouts are incorrectly placed on the page or chopped off at the top* bottom*or sides or the printer is refusing to print* the most liely cause is page;si3eincompatibility.

Paths options

On the ;ibre


48/481

(igure 3& Defining colors to use in color lists in LibreOffice

Fonts options

!ou can define replacements for any fonts that might appear in your documents. Gf you recei+efrom someone else a document containing fonts that you do not ha+e on your system* LibreOffice ill substitute fonts for those it does not find. !ou might prefer to specify a different font from theone the program chooses.

(igure 3' Defining a font to be substituted for another font

On the ;ibre


49/481

,) Gn the Beplace with bo* select a suitable font from the drop;don list of fonts installed onyour computer.

4) The chec mar to the right of the Beplace with bo turns green. Clic on this chec mar.- ro of information no appears in the larger bo belo the input boes. elect Always toreplace the font* e+en if the original font is installed on your system. elect %creen only toreplace the screen font only and ne+er replace the font for printing. The results ofcombining these selections are gi+en in Table ,. - listing in the display pane can beremo+ed by selecting it and clicing the red cross.

A) Gn the bottom section of the page* you can change the typeface and si3e of the font used todisplay source code such as T5L and 6asic &in macros).

*able 3 (ont substitution replacement actions

*lwaysc!ec&box

"creen only c!ec&box

+eplace#ent action

checed blan 9ont replacement on screen and hen printing* hether the font isinstalled or not.

checed checed 9ont replacement only on screen* hether the font is installed or not.

blan checed 9ont replacement only on screen* but only if font is not a+ailable.

blan blan 9ont replacement on screen and hen printing* but only if font is nota+ailable.

%ecurity options

$se the ;ibre


50/481

the file is in LibreOffice=s default Open Document format* or has been sa+ed to other formats*including %D9.

Clic the


51/481

Ctrl-click reuired to follow hyperlinksThe default beha+ior in LibreOffice is to trl/clic- on a hyperlin to open the lined document.5any people find creation and editing of documents easier hen accidental clics on lins donot acti+ate the lins. To set LibreOffice to acti+ate hyperlins using an ordinary clic* deselectthis option.

The other options on this dialog should be self;eplanatory.

Personali5ation

$sing %ersonali3ation* you can add a theme to your LibreOffice installation. Choices on this pageare to not use a Theme* use a pre;installed Theme if one is a+ailable* select a Theme from the5o3illa 9irefo site* or add your on design. This option defaults to Pre-installed (heme atinstallation time.

(igure #+ PersonaliEation options

To install a Theme* clic the %elect (heme button to open the install dialog &9igure 41). 9rom hereyou can enter an address &$L) to the theme or clic the @isit Firefo) (hemes button. -n internetconnection is re@uired for this process. Gnstallation instructions are on this dialog.

(igure #) *heme installation dialog

9ull details about Themes are on the ebsite' https'((addons.mo3illa.org(en;$(firefo(themes(

(igure #$


52/481

Appearance options

riting* editing* and &especially) page layout are often easier hen you can see the page margins&tet boundaries)* the boundaries of tables and sections* grid lines* and other features. Gn addition*you might prefer to use colors that are different from LibreOffice=s defaults for such items ascomment indicators or field shadings.

On the ;ibre


53/481

(igure ## hoosing accessibility options

Advanced options

,ava options

Gf you install or update a /a+a untime 8n+ironment &/8) after you install LibreOffice* or if youha+e more than one /8 installed on your computer* you can use the LibreOffice J


54/481

(igure #% hoosing Load and Save options

;oad user-specific settings with the document- LibreOffice document contains certain settings hich are read from the userUs system. henyou sa+e a document* these settings are sa+ed ith it.

elect this option so that hen a document loads* it ignores the stored settings in fa+or of thesettings on your computer.

8+en if you do not select this option* some settings are taen from your LibreOffice installation'

• ettings a+ailable in File Print


55/481

-utoeco+ery in LibreOffice sa+es the information needed to restore all open documents incase of a crash. Gf you ha+e this option set* reco+ering your document after a system crash illbe easier.

Automatically save the document toopecifies that LibreOffice sa+es all open documents hen sa+ing auto reco+ery information.$ses the same time inter+al as -utoeco+ery does.

,dit document properties before savingGf this option is selected* the document=s Properties dialog pops up to prompt you to enterrele+ant information the first time you sa+e a ne document &or hene+er you use %ave As).

Always create backup copya+es the pre+ious +ersion of a document as a bacup copy hene+er you sa+e a document.8+ery time LibreOffice creates a bacup copy* the pre+ious bacup copy is replaced. Thebacup copy gets the etension 3A6. -uthors hose or may be +ery lengthy should alaysconsider using this option.

%ave 2B;s relative to file system ? to internet

$se these options to select the default for relati+e addressing of $Ls in the file system and onthe Gnternet. elati+e addressing is only possible if the source document and the referenceddocument are both on the same dri+e.

- relati+e address alays starts from the directory in hich the current document is located. Gncontrast* absolute addressing alays starts from a root directory. The folloing tabledemonstrates the difference in synta beteen relati+e and absolute referencing'

Exa#ples %ile syste# /nternet

relati+e ..(images(img.Jpg ..(images(img.Jpg

absolute file'(((c(or(images(img.Jpg http'((myser+er.com(or(images(img.Jpg

Gf you choose to sa+e relati+ely* the references to embedded graphics or other obJects in yourdocument ill be sa+ed relati+e to the location in the file system. Gn this case* it does not matter here the referenced directory structure is recorded. The files ill be found regardless oflocation* as long as the reference remains on the same dri+e or +olume. This is important if you ant to mae the document a+ailable to other computers that may ha+e a completely differentdirectory structure* dri+e or +olume names. Gt is also recommended to sa+e relati+ely if you ant to create a directory structure on an Gnternet ser+er.

Gf you prefer absolute sa+ing* all references to other files ill also be defined as absolute*based on the respecti+e dri+e* +olume or root directory. The ad+antage is that the documentcontaining the references can be mo+ed to other directories or folders* and the referencesremain +alid.

4efault file format and


56/481

Caution

Gf you need to sa+e in 5icrosoft ord format* it is good practice to sa+e inLibreOffice &OpenDocument) format &


57/481

elect the [\ chec boes to con+ert LibreOffice OL8 obJects into the corresponding 5icrosoftOL8 obJects hen a document is sa+ed in a 5icrosoft format &mnemonic' RS for Rsa+eS).

(igure #' hoosing Load!Save :icrosoft Office options

(; compatibility

Choices made on the ;oad?%ave I (; Compatibility page &not shon) affect T5L pagesimported into LibreOffice and those eported from LibreOffice. ee ;*:L documentsHimporting!e8porting in the elp* and the Getting Started boo* for more information.

Choosing options for "riter

ettings chosen on the pages in the LibreOffice riter section of the Options dialog determine hoyour riter documents loo and beha+e hile you are oring on them.

Gf the Options dialog is not already open* clic (ools


58/481

=eneral options

The choices on the ;ibre


59/481

@iew options

To pages of options set the defaults for +ieing riter documents' @iew &described here) andFormatting Aids &described belo).

8nabling the "uides helps you to precisely position a draing obJect on a page by pro+idinghori3ontal and +ertical parallel lines the height and idth of the obJect* across the complete oringarea of the screen as the obJect is mo+ed.

Gf the remaining items on the ;ibre


60/481

Note

Direct cursor lets you enter tet* images* tables* frames* and other obJects in anyblan area in your document. riter inserts blan paragraphs and tabs to position thetet or obJects.

This feature is incompatible ith rigorous use of styles and can lead to manyformatting oddities* so it should be a+oided by professional riters.

=rid options

pecifying snap to grid can be +ery helpful hen you are trying to align se+eral obJects such asgraphics or tables.

On the ;ibre


61/481

(igure %3 hoosing default fonts

Print options

On the ;ibre


62/481

• Gf you are printing double;sided on a non;dupleing printer* you might choose to print onlyleft or right pages* then turn the stac o+er and print the other pages.

(ip!ou can o+erride any of these defaults hen printing a document. Clic File Print*then use the options on the +arious pages of the %rint dialog.

(able options

On the ;ibre


63/481

(igure %& hoosing options for trac-ing changes

Compatibility options

Do you need to import 5icrosoft ord documents into LibreOffice riter? Gf so* you might ant toselect some or all of the settings on the ;ibre


64/481

Gf this option is not selected* a printer;independent layout ill be used for screen display andprinting.

Add spacing between paragraphs and tables Din current documentEGn LibreOffice riter* paragraph spacing is defined differently than it is in 5 ord documents.Gf you ha+e defined spacing beteen to paragraphs or tables* spacing is also added in thecorresponding 5 ord documents.

Gf this option is selected* 5icrosoft ord;compatible spacing is added beteen paragraphs andtables in LibreOffice riter documents.

Add paragraph and table spacing at tops of pages Din current documentE!ou can define paragraphs to ha+e space appear before &abo+e) them. Gf this option isselected* any space abo+e a paragraph ill also appear if the paragraph is at the beginning ofa page or column* if the paragraph is positioned on the first page of the document* or after amanual page brea.

Gf you import a 5icrosoft ord document* the spaces are automatically added during thecon+ersion.

Add paragraph and table spacing at bottom of table cellspecifies that the bottom spacing is added to a paragraph* e+en hen it is the last paragraph ina table cell.

2se as 4efaultClic this button to use the current settings on this page as the default in LibreOffice.

AutoCaption options

Do you ant LibreOffice to automatically insert captions for tables* pictures* frames* and OL8obJects that ha+e been inserted in a riter document?

Note!ou may not alays ant captions for e+ery table* for eample* if you use tables forlayout as ell as for tables of data. !ou can alays add captions to indi+idual tables*

graphics* or other obJects &right;clic Caption).

Gf you do ant automatic captions on one or more obJect types* use the options on the ;ibre


65/481

(igure %6 Setting up a new category for automatic captions on graphics

ail erge ,-mail options

!ou can produce form letters using riter and then use the mail merge function to personali3ethose letters and send them to a number of addresses taen from a data source* such as anaddress boo. 5ail merged documents can be printed and mailed* or sent by e;mail. &ee Chapter11* $sing 5ail 5erge* for details.)

$se the ;ibre


66/481

Choosing options for (; documents

!ou can configure LibreOffice to treat T5L documents in riter differently than regulardocuments.

1) Gf the Options dialog is not already open* clic (ools


67/481

On the right;hand side of the ;anguage %ettings I ;anguages page &9igure F1)* change the2ser interface2 ;ocale setting* 4efault currency* and the settings under Default languages fordocuments as re@uired. Gn the eample* 8nglish &$-) has been chosen for all the appropriatesettings.

Gf you ant the language setting to apply to the current document only* instead of being the defaultfor all ne documents* select For the current document only.

Gf necessary* select the options to enable support for -sian languages &Chinese* /apanese*:orean) and support for CTL &comple tet layout) languages such as indi* Thai* ebre* and-rabic. Gf you choose either of these options* the net time you open the Options dialog* you illsee some etra pages under ;anguage %ettings* as shon in the right side of 9igure F0. Thesepages &earching in /apanese* -sian Layout* and Comple Tet Layout) are not discussed here.

(igure &) hoosing language options

Choose spelling options

To choose the options for checing spelling* choose ;anguage %ettings "riting Aids. Gn theOptions section of the page* choose the settings that are useful for you.

ome considerations'

• Gf you do not ant spelling checed hile you type* deselect Check spelling as you type.

This option can also be deselected using the Auto%pellcheck button on the tandardToolbar.

• Gf you ant grammar to be checed as you type* you must ha+e Check spelling as youtype enabled too.

• Gf you use a custom dictionary that includes ords in all uppercase and ords ithnumbers &for eample* -(400)* select Check uppercase words and Check words withnumbers.

• Check special regions includes headers* footers* frames* and tables hen checingspelling.

ere you can also chec hich of the user;defined &custom) dictionaries are acti+e* or you can addor remo+e user installed dictionaries by clicing the New or 4elete buttons. Dictionaries installedby the system cannot be deleted.

hapter $ Setting up Writer &'


68/481

(igure &$ hoosing languages2 dictionaries2 and options for chec-ing spelling

,nglish sentence checking

On the ;anguage %ettings ,nglish sentence checking page* you can choose hich items arecheced for* reported to you* or con+erted automatically. This menu is also found in the 8nglishdictionaries etension installed by default by LibreOffice. elect (ools ,)tension anager*select the 8nglish spelling dictionaries and clic the


69/481

"ord duplicationChecs for all ord duplication* increased from the default number of ords checed.

ParenthesesChecs for pairs of parentheses and @uotation mars.

0unctuation"ord spacing

This option is selected by default. Gt checs for single spaces beteen ords* indicatinginstances of double or triple spaces* but not of more than that.

%entence spacingChecs for single spacing beteen sentences* indicating hen one or to etra spaces arefound.

ore spacesChecs ord and sentence spacing for more than to etra spaces.

,m dashQ ,n dashThese options force a non;spaced em dash to replace a spaced en dash* or force a spaced endash to replace a non;spaced em dash* respecti+ely.

Huotation marksChecs for correct typographical double @uotation mars.

ultiplication signThis option is selected by default. Gt replaces an UU used as a multiplication symbol ith thecorrect typographical symbol.

Apostropheeplaces an apostrophe ith the correct typographical character.

,llipsiseplaces three consecuti+e periods &full stops) ith the correct typographical symbol.

inus signeplaces a hyphen ith the correct minus typographical character.

Ot!ers

Convert to metricQ Convert to non-metric

Con+erts @uantities in a gi+en unit to @uantities in the other type of unit' metric to imperial orimperial to metric.

(housands separation of large numbersCon+erts a number ith fi+e or more significant digits to a common format* that is one hichuses the comma as a thousands separator* or to the GO format hich uses a narro space asa separator.

hapter $ Setting up Writer &9


70/481

Controlling "riter8s AutoCorrect functions

ome people find some or all of the items in riter=s -utoCorrect feature annoying because riterchanges hat you type hen you do not ant it changed. 5any people find some of the-utoCorrect functions @uite helpful if you do* then select the rele+ant options. 6ut if you finduneplained changes appearing in your document* this is a good place to loo to find the cause.

To open the -utoCorrect dialog* choose (ools AutoCorrect


71/481

hapter 3Wor-ing with *e8t


72/481

!ntroduction

This chapter co+ers the basics of oring ith tet in riter* the ord;processing component ofLibreOffice. Gt assumes that you are familiar ith the use of a mouse and eyboard and that youha+e read about riter=s menus and toolbars and other topics co+ered in Chapter 1* Gntroducingriter.

e recommend that you also follo the suggestions in Chapter 2* etting up riter* aboutdisplaying formatting aids* such as end;of;paragraph mars* and selecting other setup options.

hen you ha+e read this chapter* you should no ho to'

• elect* cut* copy* paste* and mo+e tet

• 9ind and replace tet

• Gnsert special characters

• 9ormat paragraphs and characters

• Create numbered or bulleted lists

• Chec spelling and grammar* use the thesaurus* and choose hyphenation options

• $se the autocorrection* ord completion* autotet* and line numbering features• Trac changes* undo and redo changes* and insert comments

• Lin to other parts of a document

%electing te)t

6efore you can do anything ith tet* you need to select it. electing tet in riter is similar toselecting tet in other applications.

Gn addition to selecting blocs of tet* you can select items that are not consecuti+e* and columns&+ertical blocs) of tet.

%electing items that are not consecutive

To select nonconsecuti+e items &as shon in 9igure FA) using the mouse'

1) elect the first piece of tet.

2) old don the trl ey and use the mouse to select the net piece of tet.

,) epeat as often as needed.

#o you can or ith the selected tet &copy it* delete it* change the style* and so on).

To select nonconsecuti+e items using the eyboard'

1) elect the first piece of tet. &9or more information about eyboard selection of tet* see thetopic R#a+igating and electing ith the :eyboardS in the LibreOffice elp &()).)

2) %ress Shift/(6. This puts riter in R-dding selectionS mode.

,) $se the arro eys to mo+e to the start of the net piece of tet to be selected. old donthe Shift ey and select the net piece of tet.

4) epeat as often as re@uired.

#o you can or ith the selected tet.

%ress 7sc to eit from this mode.

'$ LibreOffice #.$ Writer Guide


73/481

(igure &% Selecting items that are not ne8t to each other

%electing a vertical block of te)t!ou can select a +ertical bloc or RcolumnS of tet that is separated by spaces or tabs &as you mightsee in tet pasted from e;mails* program listings* or other sources)* using LibreOffice=s blocselection mode. To change to bloc selection mode* use ,dit %election ode 3lock Area * orpress trl/(6* or clic on the %election icon in the status bar and select 3lock selection from thelist.

#o you can highlight the selection* using mouse or eyboard* as shon in 9igure FF.

(igure && Selecting a vertical bloc- of te8t

Cutting+ copying+ and pasting te)t

Cutting and copying tet in riter is similar to cutting and copying tet in other applications. !oucan copy or mo+e tet ithin a document* or beteen documents* by dragging or by using menuselections* icons* or eyboard shortcuts. !ou can also copy tet from other sources such