Writing without using your own computer.

OpenOffice.org Writer Features

OpenOffice.org Writer lets you design and produce text documents that can include graphics, tables, or
charts. You can then save the documents in a variety of formats, including the standardized OpenDocument
format (ODF), Microsoft Word .doc format, or HTML. And you can easily export your document to the
Portable Document Format (PDF).

Writing
OpenOffice.org Writer lets you create both basic documents, such as memos, faxes, letters , resumes and
merge documents, as well as long and complex or multi-part documents, complete with bibliographies,
reference tables and indexes.
OpenOffice.org Writer also includes such useful features as a spellchecker, a thesaurus, AutoCorrect, and
hyphenation as well as a variety of templates for almost every purpose. You can also create your own
templates using the wizards.

Designing and Structuring

OpenOffice.org offers a wide variety of options to design documents. Use the Styles and Formatting window
to create, assign and modify styles for paragraphs, individual characters, frames and pages. In addition, the
Navigator helps you to quickly move around inside your documents, lets you look at your document in an
outline view, and keeps track of the objects that you have inserted into your document.
You can also create various indexes and tables in text documents. You can define the structure and
appearance of the indexes and tables according to your individual needs. Live hyperlinks and bookmarks let
you jump directly to the corresponding items in the text.

Desktop Publishing with OpenOffice.org Writer

OpenOffice.org Writer contains numerous desktop publishing and drawing tools to assist you in creating
professionally styled documents, such as brochures, newsletters and invitations. You can format your
documents with multi-column layouts, text frames, graphics, tables, and other objects.

Calculations
Text documents in OpenOffice.org have an integrated calculation function that helps you execute
sophisticated calculations or logical links. You can easily create a table in a text document in order to perform
calculations.

Creating Drawings
The OpenOffice.org Writer drawing tool lets you create drawings, graphics, legends, and other types of
drawings directly in text documents.

Inserting Graphics
You can insert pictures with different formats into a text document, including graphics with a JPG or GIF
format. In addition, the Gallery provides a collection of clipart graphics, and the Fontwork Gallery creates
stunning font effects.

Flexible Application Interface

The program interface is designed so that you can configure it according to your preferences, including
customizing icons and menus. You can position various program windows, such as the Styles and Formatting
window or the Navigator as floating windows anywhere on the screen. You can also dock some windows to
the edge of the workspace.

Drag&Drop
The drag-and-drop feature enables you to work quickly and efficiently with text documents in
OpenOffice.org. For example, you can drag-and-drop objects, such as graphics from the Gallery, from one
location to another in the same document, or between open OpenOffice.org documents.

Help Functions
You can use the Help system as a complete reference for OpenOffice.org applications, including instructions
for simple and complex tasks.
Instructions for Using OpenOffice.org Writer
On the help page for OpenOffice.org general you can find instructions that are applicable to all modules,
such as working with windows and menus, customizing OpenOffice.org, data sources, Gallery, and drag and
drop.
If you want help with another module, switch to the help for that module with the combo box in the
navigation area.

Entering and Formatting Text

Switching Between Insert Mode and Overwrite Mode
Using the Direct Cursor
Navigating and Selecting With the Keyboard
Inserting Special Characters
Word Completion for Text Documents
Inserting Protected Spaces, Hyphens and Conditional Separators
Applying Text Formatting While You Type
Emphasizing Text
Changing the Color of Text
Rotating Text
Using a Frame to Center Text on a Page
Indenting Paragraphs
Defining Borders for Pages
Defining Borders for Paragraphs
Defining Borders for Tables and Table Cells
Defining Borders for Objects
Making Text Superscript or Subscript
Changing the Case of Text
Moving and Copying Text in Documents
Resetting Font Attributes
Outline Numbering
Arranging Chapters in the Navigator
Going to Specific Bookmark
Using Sections
Inserting Sections
Editing Sections
Copying Formatting With the Format Paintbrush
Templates and Styles
Creating New Styles From Selections
Applying Styles in Fill Format Mode
Updating Styles From Selections
Using Styles From Another Document or Template
Creating a Document Template
Changing the Default Template
Printing Register-true
Recording and Displaying Changes

Automatically Entering and Formatting Text

Turning Off AutoCorrect
Creating Numbered or Bulleted Lists as You Type
Automatically Check Spelling
Using AutoText
Adding Exceptions to the AutoCorrect List
Alternating Page Styles on Odd and Even Pages
Turning off Bullets and Numbering for Individual Paragraphs
Removing Line Breaks

Using Styles, Numbering Pages, Using Fields

Page Numbers
Changing Page Orientation
Changing Page Background
Applying Styles in Fill Format Mode
Creating New Styles From Selections
Updating Styles From Selections
Undoing Direct Formatting for a Document
Formatting Headers or Footers
Inserting Hyperlinks
Defining Number Ranges
Inserting and Deleting Page Breaks
Creating and Applying Page Styles
About Fields
Adding Input Fields
Querying User Data in Fields or Conditions
Converting a Field into Text
Inserting a Fixed or Variable Date Field
Editing Tables in Text
Selecting Tables, Rows, and Columns
Inserting Tables
Deleting Tables or the Contents of a Table
Calculating in Text Documents
Calculating Complex Formulas in Text Documents
Calculating and Pasting the Result of a Formula in a Text Document
Displaying the Result of a Table Calculation in a Different Table
Calculating Across Tables
Calculating the Sum of a Series of Table Cells
Inserting Text Before a Table at the Top of Page
Merging and Splitting Cells
Adding or Deleting a Row or Column to a Table Using the Keyboard
Repeating a Table Heading on a New Page
Resizing Rows and Columns in a Text Table
Modifying Rows and Columns by Keyboard
Copying Spreadsheet Areas to Text Documents
Inserting Line Breaks in Cells

Images, Drawings, ClipArt, Fontwork

Positioning Objects
Using Captions
Adding Chapter Numbers to Captions
Fontwork For Graphical Text Art
Inserting Graphics
Inserting, Editing, Saving Bitmaps
Inserting a Graphic From a File
Inserting Graphics From OpenOffice.org Draw or Impress
Inserting Graphics From the Gallery With Drag-and-Drop
Inserting a Scanned Image
Inserting a Calc Chart into a Text Document
Inserting a Horizontal Line
Animating Text
Rotating Text
Defining Graphics or Colors in the Background of Pages (Watermark)

Table of Contents, Index

Master Documents and Subdocuments
Defining Index or Table of Contents Entries
Updating, Editing and Deleting Indexes and Tables of Contents
Editing or Deleting Index and Table Entries
Formatting an Index or a Table of Contents
Creating a Table of Contents
Creating Alphabetical Indexes
Creating a Bibliography
User-Defined Indexes
Indexes Covering Several Documents
Navigator for Text Documents

Headings, Types of Numbering

Numbering and Numbering Styles
Adding Bullets
Adding Numbering
Outline Numbering
Creating Numbered or Bulleted Lists as You Type
Using Captions
Adding Chapter Numbers to Captions
Defining Number Ranges
Master Documents and Subdocuments
Changing the Outline Level of Numbered and Bulleted Lists
Combining Numbered Lists
Modifying Numbering in a Numbered List
Turning off Bullets and Numbering for Individual Paragraphs
Adding Line Numbers

Headers, Footers, Footnotes

About Headers and Footers
Inserting Page Numbers in Footers
Inserting a Chapter Name and Number in a Header or a Footer
Defining Different Headers and Footers
Formatting Headers or Footers
Inserting and Editing Footnotes or Endnotes
Spacing Between Footnotes

Editing Other Objects in Text

Positioning Objects
Creating Numbered or Bulleted Lists as You Type
Using Captions
Adding Chapter Numbers to Captions
Drawing Lines in Text
Applying Line Styles Using the Toolbar
Defining Line Ends
Defining Line Styles
Inserting, Editing, and Linking Text Frames

Spelling, Dictionaries, Hyphenation

Checking Spelling and Grammar
Automatically Check Spelling
Adding Exceptions to the AutoCorrect List
Removing Words From a User-Defined Dictionary
Hyphenation
Thesaurus

Form Letters, Labels and Business Cards

Creating a Form Letter
Creating and Printing Labels and Business Cards
Printing Address Labels
Conditional Text
Conditional Text for Page Counts

Working with Documents

Printing a Brochure
Master Documents and Subdocuments
Previewing a Page Before Printing
Printing faster with Reduced Data
Printing Multiple Pages on One Sheet
Printing in Reverse Order
Selecting Printer Paper Trays
Saving Text Documents in HTML Format
Inserting an Entire Text Document
Saving Documents in Other Formats
Opening documents saved in other formats
Sending Documents as E-mail
Changing Your Working Directory
Miscellaneous
Using Shortcut Keys (OpenOffice.org Writer Accessibility)
Using AutoText
Using Smart Tags
Sending Faxes and Configuring OpenOffice.org for Faxing
Pasting Contents in Special Formats
Creating a Page Style Based on the Current Page
Conditional Text
Conditional Text for Page Counts
Moving and Copying Text in Documents
Hiding Text
Displaying Hidden Text
Creating Non-printing Text
Inserting Hyperlinks With the Navigator
Inserting a Horizontal Line
Navigator for Text Documents
Docking and Resizing Windows
Turning Number Recognition On or Off in Tables
Previewing a Page Before Printing
Printing Multiple Pages on One Sheet
Selecting Printer Paper Trays
Inserting Cross-References
Using Wildcards in Text Searches
Checking Spelling in Other Languages
Saving Text Documents in HTML Format
Applying Text Formatting While You Type
Using the Direct Cursor
Inserting, Editing, and Linking Text Frames
Inserting an Entire Text Document
Counting Words
Wrapping Text Around Objects
Recording a Macro
Switching Between Insert Mode and Overwrite
Mode

With the keyboard:

Press Insert to toggle between overwrite mode and insert mode. The current mode is displayed on the Status
Bar.

With the mouse:

On the Status Bar, click on the area indicating the current mode in order to switch to the other mode:
• INSRT
Insert mode is enabled. The text cursor is a blinking vertical line. Click on the
area to enable the overwrite mode.
• OVER
The overwrite mode is enabled. The text cursor is a blinking block. Click on the
area to enable insert mode.

Related Topics
Keyboard command
Using the Direct Cursor
The direct cursor allows you to enter text anywhere on a page.
To set the behavior of the direct cursor, choose Tools - Options - OpenOffice.org Writer - Formatting
Aids.
1. On the Tools bar, click the Direct Cursor icon .
2. Click in a free space in the text document. The mouse pointer changes to reflect
the alignment that will be applied to the text that you type:
Align left
Centered
Align right
3. Type your text. OpenOffice.org automatically inserts the required number of
blank lines, and, if the options are enabled, tabs and spaces.

Related Topics
Templates and Styles
Creating a Document Template
Changing the Default Template
Navigating and Selecting With the Keyboard
You can navigate through a document and make selections with the keyboard.
• To move the cursor, press the key or key combination given in the following
table.
• To select the characters under the moving cursor, additionally hold down the
Shift key when you move the cursor.
Key Function +Ctrl key
Right, Moves the cursor one Moves the cursor one word to the left or to the right.
left character to the left
arrow or to the right.
keys
Up, Moves the cursor up (Ctrl+Alt) Moves the current paragraph up or down.
down or down one line.
arrow
keys
Home Moves the cursor to Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.
the beginning of the
current line.
Home Moves the cursor to Moves the cursor to the beginning of the contents of
In a the beginning of the the current cell. Press again to move the cursor to
table contents in the the first cell in the table. Press again to move the
current cell. cursor to the beginning of the document.
End Moves the cursor to Moves the cursor to the end of the document
the end of the current
line.
End Moves to the end of Moves the cursor to the end of the contents of the
In a the contents in the current cell. Press again to move the cursor to the
table current cell. last cell in the table. Press again to move the cursor
to the end of the document.
PgUp Scrolls up one page. Moves the cursor to the header.
PgDn Scroll down one page. Moves the cursor to the footer.
Inserting Special Characters
This function allows you to insert special characters, such as check marks, boxes, and telephone symbols,
into your text.
• To view a selection of all characters, choose Insert - Special Character.
• In the large selection field click the desired character or several characters in
succession. The characters are displayed at the bottom of the dialog. When you
close the dialog with OK, all displayed characters in the selected font are
inserted in the current document.
• In any text input field (such as the input fields in the Find & Replace dialog)
you can press Shift+Ctrl+S to open the Special Characters dialog.
Word Completion for Text Documents
OpenOffice.org collects words that you frequently use in the current session. When you later type the first
three letters of a collected word, OpenOffice.org automatically completes the word.
If there is more than one word in the AutoCorrect memory that matches the three letters that you type, press
Ctrl+Tab to cycle through the available words. To cycle in the opposite direction, press Ctrl+Shift+Tab.

To Accept/Reject a Word Completion

• By default, you accept the word completion by pressing the Enter key.
• To reject the word completion, continue typing with any other key.

To Switch off the Word Completion

1. Choose Tools - AutoCorrect Options - Word Completion.
2. Clear Enable word completion.
Inserting Protected Spaces, Hyphens and
Conditional Separators

Non-breaking spaces
To prevent two words from being separated at the end of a line, hold down the Ctrl key and the Shift key
when you type a space between the words.
In Calc, you cannot insert non-breaking spaces.

Non-breaking dash
An example of a non-breaking dash is a company name such as A-Z. Obviously you would not want A- to
appear at the end of a line and Z at the beginning of the next line. To solve this problem, press Shift+Ctrl+
minus sign. In other words, hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys and press the minus key.

Hyphen, dash
In order to enter longer dashes, you can find under Tools - AutoCorrect Options - Options the Replace
dashes option. This option replaces one or two minus signs under certain conditions with an en-dash or an
em-dash (see OpenOffice.org Help).
For additional replacements see the replacements table under Tools - AutoCorrect Options - Replace. Here
you can, among other things, replace a shortcut automatically by a dash, even in another font.

Definite separator
To support automatic hyphenation by entering a separator inside a word yourself, use the keys Ctrl+minus
sign. The word is separated at this position when it is at the end of the line, even if automatic hyphenation for
this paragraph is switched off.
Applying Text Formatting While You Type
To apply bold formatting
1. Select the text that you want to format.
2. Press Ctrl+B.
You can also press Ctrl+B, type the text that you want to format in bold, and
then press Ctrl+B when you are finished.

Related Topics