Chapter 2 Getting to Know StarOffice

This chapter describes how to start StarOffice 8 and how to identify the elements that are common to all StarOffice applications.

Starting StarOffice 8

The way you start StarOffice 8 depends on the operating system that you use.

To Start StarOffice on Windows

Steps

1. On the taskbar, click the Start button.

2. Choose All Programs.

3. Double-click the StarOffice 8 folder.

4. Click the StarOffice program that you want to start.

To Start StarOffice on Linux and Solaris

Steps

1. Do one of the following:

   • Open a terminal and type soffice.

   • Choose Application - StarOffice 8, if available.

   • On the desktop, double-click the StarOffice 8 icon, if available.

2. In the StarOffice window, choose File - New and the type of document that you want to create.

Using Menus, Toolbars, and Shortcut Keys

You can use menu commands, toolbars, shortcut keys, or a combination of all three methods to accomplish tasks in StarOffice 8. Icons on a toolbar or shortcut keys can speed up frequently performed tasks, such as copying and pasting text in a document.

Menus

The menu bar at the top of the StarOffice 8 window lists the commands that you can use with the currently selected items. Click the name of a menu, and then click the command that you want to use. Unavailable commands are displayed in gray.

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Tip –

You can also choose a command by pressing a combination of keys. For example, to open a document, press Ctrl+O, that is, hold down the Control key and then press the O key.

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Another way to access StarOffice commands is through a context menu. To open a context menu, select a text passage or an object in your document, and right-click.

Toolbars

A toolbar is a set of icons that represent common commands. To access one of these commands, click the icon for the command on the toolbar.

The Standard toolbar is located below the menus at the top of each StarOffice application window. In the following figure, the Formatting toolbar which contains tools to format text is below the Standard toolbar. The Table toolbar represents a detached or floating toolbar that opens when your cursor is in a table.

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Tip –

If you rest your mouse pointer over a toolbar icon, the name of the command that the icon represents is displayed in a yellow box. To see an Extended Help Tip, press Shift+F1.

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Showing and Hiding Toolbars

Most toolbars open and close based on your actions. For example, when you click in a table in your text document, the Table toolbar opens. Click outside the table, and the toolbar closes automatically.

StarOffice keeps track of the state, size, and position of toolbars . When you close a floating toolbar, the toolbar remains closed until you choose View - Toolbars - and the name of the toolbar.

To Show a Hidden Toolbar

Step

Choose View – Toolbars and click the toolbar name.

Moving and Sizing Toolbars

To move a toolbar, drag the handle at the left edge of a docked toolbar or the title bar of a floating toolbar to another position on the screen. To attach the toolbar, drag the toolbar to an edge of the program window.

The image shows two toolbars that are docked next to each other.

To resize a floating toolbar, drag an edge of the toolbar. For example, you can drag the horizontal Table toolbar to a vertical shape.

To add or remove icons from a toolbar, click the arrow at the end of the toolbar, choose Visible Buttons, and select a button. To add more commands to the toolbar, click the arrow at the end of the toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar.

Shortcut Keys

You can use shortcut keys to quickly perform common tasks in StarOffice. Shortcut keys are one or more keys that you press on the keyboard to complete a task. For example, press Ctrl+S to save the current document. See the Appendix for a list of available shortcut keys.

Using Wizards

A wizard is a series of dialog boxes that guides you through the process of creating a document, such as a letter. To start a wizard, choose File - Wizards in any StarOffice application.

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Note –

Some wizards start automatically, for example when you create a database form document, or when you export a spreadsheet to HTML format.

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Using Templates

StarOffice uses templates to store the layout and the formatting styles of documents. You can format a new document by using one of the many specialized templates that are included in StarOffice. See To Create a New Document From a Template for more information on using templates.

Using the Gallery

The Gallery contains graphics, animations, and sounds that you can add to your documents. See Adding Pictures to Your Slides to find out how to use the Gallery.

Working With Documents

The following sections describe how to create, open, print, and save documents in StarOffice.

To Create a New Document

Step

In any StarOffice program, choose File - New, and then click the type of document that you want to create.

To Open an Existing Document

Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - Open.

2. Locate the document that you want to open, and then click Open.

   You can also open a document that is not in StarOffice format, for example, Microsoft Excel format (.xls).

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   Tip –

   StarOffice displays a list of recently saved files on the File menu. To open one of these files, choose File – Recent Documents and click the file name.

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To Print a Document

Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - Print.

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   Note –

   If you do not want to specify the printing options for the document, click the Print File Directly icon on the Standard bar.

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2. In the Print dialog box, specify the printing options that you want.

3. (Optional) Click Options to specify additional printing options.

4. Click OK.

To Save a Document

In StarOffice, you can save in many different formats, which include the Microsoft Office formats.

Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - Save.

2. In the File name box, enter a name for the document.

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   Note –

   If you want to save the document with another name, choose File - Save As.

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3. (Optional) In the File type box, select the format that you want to save the document in, for example Microsoft Word format.

4. Click Save.

To Export a Document to a Different Format

When you export a document, StarOffice converts the selected contents and saves to a different file format. For example, you can export an object from a Draw document to a JPEG image.

Other available export formats include Macromedia Flash SWF and HTML Document.

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Note –

To ensure that no information is lost, you should also save the current document in the OpenDocument file format.

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Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - Export.

2. In the File name box, enter a name for the document.

3. In the File type box, select the format for the exported document, for example HTML document.

4. Click Export.

To Export the Current Document as PDF

Steps

1. Choose File - Export as PDF.

2. In the File name box, enter a name for the document.

3. Click Export.

4. In the PDF Options dialog box, specify the options that you want, and then press Export.

To Send the Current Document as an Email Attachment

Step

Click the Document as E-mail icon on the Standard bar.

The default email program on your operating system opens and displays a blank message with the document as an attachment.

Migrating From Microsoft Office

If you have used other office suites before, you should find StarOffice familiar enough to work with right away. StarOffice simplifies the transition by letting you open and save documents that were saved in a different office format, including Microsoft Office format.

A Word About Microsoft Office Documents

Microsoft Office uses a proprietary binary file format to save a document. By contrast, StarOffice 8 uses the OpenDocument file format, an open and standardized format, to save your data. However, StarOffice can also open and save documents in Microsoft Office format. You can easily exchange documents with users who work with Microsoft Office.

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Note –

To preserve all information in a document, always save a copy of the document in the OpenDocument file format.

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Documents That Contain Microsoft Visual Basic Macros

StarOffice does not run Microsoft Visual Basic macros. To use the macros in StarOffice, you must rewrite the macros in StarOffice Basic, JavaScript, or Java. If you just want to edit a Microsoft Office document that contains a macro, you can open, edit, and save the document in Microsoft Office format, without affecting the macro.

Finding StarOffice Features by Microsoft Office Names

Although StarOffice is similar to Microsoft Office, not all terms and concepts are the same. For example, the formatting and layout of a Microsoft Word document is determined by a *.dot template file. In StarOffice Writer, the formatting and layout of a document is defined by styles. Styles provide greater flexibility and more control over the appearance of your documents than the template concept.

The following table matches Microsoft Office concepts with the equivalent StarOffice concept. You can find an expanded list in the StarOffice online help.

Microsoft Office XP Concept	StarOffice Concept
AutoShapes	Gallery objects and Shapes
Comments	Notes
Document map	Navigator
Formula auditing	Detective
Line and Page Breaks	Text flow
Markup	Edit – Changes – Show
Pivot table	DataPilot
Refresh data	File – Reload
Replace text as you type	AutoCorrect
Track changes	Edit – Changes – Record
Workbook	Spreadsheet
Worksheet	Sheet

Customizing Menu Commands, Toolbars, and Shortcut Keys

If you want, you can customize the menus, toolbars, and shortcut keys in StarOffice to create a more familiar working environment.

To customize these items, choose Tools - Customize. To customize a toolbar, click the arrow at the end of the toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the submenu.

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Tip –

To add or remove a button, click the arrow at the end of the toolbar, choose Visible Buttons, and then click a button name.

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Getting Help

StarOffice 8 provides several help systems that you can use while you work:

• Online help

• Help Agent

• Help Tips

• Extended Help Tips

• Context-sensitive help

You can access the StarOffice Help in several ways:

• Choose the menu command Help - StarOffice Help, or press F1.

  This command opens the StarOffice help where you can search for a help topic.

  

• Click the Help button in any dialog to open the help topic for the dialog.

• Click the Help Agent that appears automatically when you perform a complex task.

  The Help Agent opens the help topic for the task.

  

• Rest the mouse pointer over a menu command or over any icon to display a Help Tip.

  To view a brief description of what the command or icon does, press Shift+F1 to display an Extended Tip.