Chapter 3 Using StarOffice 8 Applications

StarOffice 8 consists of the following main applications:

• Writer - a word processor that helps you to produce letters, reports, web pages, and other text documents

• Calc - a spreadsheet program that helps you to manage and to perform calculations on your data as well as to produce charts

• Impress - a presentation program that you can use to produce slide shows with animations and other effects

• Draw - a drawing program for line art and bitmap graphics

• Base - an application that lets you manage databases from StarOffice

Every StarOffice application shares a similar appearance as well as some commands. You can open any document from any StarOffice application, as long as the file type is supported by StarOffice. For example, you can choose File – Open in Calc, select a Microsoft Word document, and StarOffice automatically opens the document in Writer. All open StarOffice documents are listed at the the Windows menu in the StarOffice menu bar.

The following commands are common to every StarOffice application:

File – Open

Opens a document in the appropriate StarOffice application, as long as the file type of the document is supported by StarOffice

File – New

Creates a new StarOffice document of the type that you choose.

File – Save

Saves the current document.

File – Print

Prints the current document after you specify the printing options.

File – Close

Closes the current document and prompts you to save the document if you made any changes.

Working With Text in StarOffice Writer

StarOffice Writer is a word processing application that lets you create documents such as letters, resumes, books, or online forms. This chapter introduces the basic steps for creating, editing, and saving a Writer document.

Opening a Sample Writer Document

StarOffice 8 includes many sample documents. You can use these sample documents to see and learn what Writer can do.

To Open a Sample Writer Document

Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - New - Templates and Documents

2. In the left pane, click Samples.

3. In the middle pane, double-click the Text Documents folder.

4. Select a sample document and click Open.

   

Creating a New Writer Document

Writer provides you with several ways to create a new text document.

To Create a New Document From a Template

Steps

1. In any StarOffice application, choose File - New - Templates and Documents.

2. In the left pane of the Templates and Documents dialog box, click the Templates icon.

3. Double-click a template category in the middle pane.

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   Note –

   To leave a template category, click the left arrow icon at the top of the dialog box.

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4. Select the template that you want to use, and then click Open.

5. Replace the contents of the gray placeholder boxes with your own text, images, or objects.

To Create a New Text Document With a Wizard

Steps

1. In any StarOffice application, choose File - Wizards, and then choose Letter, Fax, or Agenda.

2. Follow the instructions.

   A wizard creates a template document which you can use as the basis for new documents.

Adding and Editing Text

You can add text to your document in the following ways:

• Typing text with the keyboard

• Copying and pasting text from another document

• Importing text from a file

Typing Text

The easiest way to enter text in your document is to type the text in. When you type your text, the AutoCorrect tool automatically corrects common spelling mistakes that you might make, such as "teh" instead of "the".

By default, the Word Completion tool collects long words as you type. When you start to type the same word again, StarOffice automatically completes the word. To accept the word, press Enter or continue typing.

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Tip –

To turn off the automatic completion and replacement tools, search the online help for the following terms:

• AutoCorrect function

• AutoInput function

• Word completion

• Number recognition

• AutoFormat function

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Selecting Text

You can select text with the mouse or the keyboard.

Selecting Text With the Mouse

• To select a text passage, click at the beginning of the passage, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag to the end of the text.

  You can also click in front of the passage, move the mouse to the end of the text, hold down Shift, and then click again.

• To select an entire sentence, triple-click anywhere in the sentence.

• To select a single word, double-click anywhere in the word.

• To append more than one text passage to a selection, select a text passage, hold down Ctrl, and then select another text passage.

Selecting Text With the Keyboard

• To select the entire document, press Ctrl+A.

• To select a single word on either side of the cursor, hold down Ctrl+Shift, and then press the left arrow key <- or the right arrow key ->.

• To select a single character on either side of the cursor, hold down Shift, and then press the left arrow key <- or the right arrow key ->. To select more than one character, continue to hold down Shift while you press the arrow key.

• To select the remaining text on the line to the left of the cursor, hold down Shift, and then press Home.

• To select the remaining text on the line to the right of the cursor, hold down the Shift key, and then press End.

Copying, Pasting, and Deleting Text

You can copy text from one place to a different place in the same document, or from one document to another document.

To Copy and Paste Text

Steps

1. Select the text that you want to copy and do one of the following:

   • Choose Edit – Copy.

   • Press Ctrl+C.

   • Click the Copy icon on the Standard bar.

   • Right-click the selected text and choose Copy.

   The text remains in the clipboard until you copy another text selection or item.

2. Click or move the cursor to where you want to paste the text. Then do one of the following:

   • Choose Edit – Paste.

   • Press Ctrl+V.

   • Click the Paste icon on the Standard bar.

   • Right-click where you want to paste the text and choose Paste.

To Delete Text

Steps

1. Select the text that you want to delete.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Choose Edit - Cut or press Ctrl+X.

     The text is deleted from the document and added to the clipboard, so that you can paste the text somewhere else.

   • Press Delete or Backspace.

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     Note –

     You can use these keys to delete individual characters as well.

     If you want to undo a deletion, choose Edit - Undo or press Ctrl+Z.

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To Insert a Text Document

You can insert the contents of any text document into your Writer document, as long as the file format is known to StarOffice.

Steps

1. Click in the Writer document where you want to insert the text.

2. Choose Insert – File.

3. Locate the file that you want to insert, and then click Insert.

Finding and Replacing Text

You can use the Find & Replace feature in StarOffice Writer to search for and to replace words in a text document.

To Find and Replace Text

Steps

1. Choose Edit - Find & Replace.

   The Find & Replace dialog box opens.

2. In the Search for box, type the text that you want to find in your document.

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   Note –

   You can also select the word or phrase that you want to search for in the text document, and then choose Edit - Find & Replace. The text that you selected is automatically entered in the Search for box.

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3. In the Replace with box, enter the replacement word or phrase.

4. Click Find to start the search.

5. When Writer finds the first instance of the word or phrase, do one of the following:

   • To replace the found instance of the text with what you entered in the Replace with box, click Replace.

   • To replace all instances of the text with what you entered in the Replace with box, click Replace All.

   • To skip the found text and to continue the search, click Find.

6. Click Close when you have finished the search.

Checking Spelling

Writer can check for possible spelling errors as you type or in an entire document.

To Check Spelling as You Type

Writer can warn you of possible spelling errors as you type. To turn this feature on and off, click the AutoSpellcheck icon on the Standard bar. When this feature is on, a red wavy line marks possible spelling errors.

Steps

1. Right-click a word with a red wavy underline.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Choose one of the suggested replacement words from the top of the context menu.

     The misspelled word is replaced by the word you chose.

   • Choose one of the replacement words from the AutoCorrect submenu.

     The misspelled word is replaced by the word you chose. Both words are automatically added to the Replace list of the AutoCorrect tool. The next time that you make the same spelling mistake, Writer automatically corrects the spelling for you.

   • Choose Spellcheck to open the Spellcheck dialog box.

     The Spellcheck dialog box is described in To Check Spelling in an Entire Document.

   • To add the word to one of the dictionaries, choose Add, and then click the name of the dictionary.

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     Note –

     The number of entries in a user defined dictionary is limited, but you can create as many user defined dictionaries as you need.

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To Check Spelling in an Entire Document

If you do not want to check the spelling as you type, you can use the Spellcheck tool to check for spelling mistakes manually. The Spellcheck tool starts at the current cursor position or at the beginning of the selected text.

Steps

1. Click in the document, or select the text that you want to check.

2. Choose Tools - Spellcheck.

3. When a possible spelling error is found, the Spellcheck dialog box suggests a correction.

   

4. Do one of the following:

   • To accept the correction, click Change.

   • Overwrite the misspelled word in the upper box by the correct word, and then click Change.

   • To ignore the current word once and to continue the spellcheck, click Ignore Once.

   • To ignore the current word in the entire document and to continue spellcheck, click Ignore All.

Formatting Text

Writer lets you format your text manually or by using styles. With both methods, you can control the size, font type, color, alignment, and spacing of the text. The main difference is that manual formatting is only applied to the text that you select, while style formatting is applied wherever the style is used in your document.

Formatting Text Manually

For simple formatting, such as changing the size and color of your text, use the icons on the Formatting bar. If you want, you can also use the menu commands in the Format menu as well as shortcut keys.

Select the text that you want to change, and do one of the following:

• To change the type of font that is used, select a different font in the Font Name box.

• To change the size of the text, select a size in the Font Size box.

• To change the typeface design of the text, click the Bold, Italic, or the Underline icon.

  You can also use the following shortcut keys: Ctrl+B for bold, Ctrl+I for italics, or Ctrl+U for underlining. To return to the default typeface design, select the text again, and then click the same icon, or press the same shortcut keys.

• To change the alignment of the text, click the Align Left, Center, Align Right, or Justified icon.

• To add or remove bullets or numbers from a list, click the Numbering On/Off or the Bullets On/Off icon.

• To change the indentation of the text, use the indentation icons.

• To change the color of the text, click the Font Color icon.

• To change the background color of the text, click the Background Color icon or the Highlighting icon.

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  Tip –

  Refer to the online help to find out the difference between these two icons.

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Formatting Text With Styles

In Writer, the default formatting of characters, paragraphs, pages, frames, and lists is done with styles. A style is a set of formatting options, such as font type and font size. A style defines the overall appearance of the text as well as the layout of a document.

You can select some common styles, and all applied styles, from the Apply Style drop down list on the Formatting bar.

An easy way to apply a formatting style is with the Styles and Formatting window. To open the Styles and Formatting window, choose Format – Styles and Formatting.

• To change the formatting of a paragraph, click in the paragraph, click the Paragraph Styles icon at the top of the Styles and Formatting window, and then double-click a style in the list.

• To change the formatting of text within a paragraph, select the text, click the Character Styles icon at the top of the Styles and Formatting window, and then double-click a style in the list.

• To change the layout of all pages that use the current page style, click the Page Styles icon at the top of the Styles and Formatting window, and then double-click a style in the list.

Using the Navigator

The Navigator displays the following categories of objects in your documents:

• Headings

• Sheets

• Tables

• Text frames

• Graphics

• OLE objects

• Sections

• Hyperlinks

• References

• Indexes

• Notes

• To view the content of a category, click the plus sign in front of the category name.

• To display the contents of a single category in the Navigator, select the category, and then click the Content View icon.

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  Note –

  To display all contents, click the Content View icon again.

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• To quickly jump to location in your document, double-click any entry in the Navigator list.

• To edit the properties of an object, right-click the object.

You can dock the Navigator to the edge of any document window. To detach the Navigator from the edge of a window, double-click in the gray area of the docked Navigator. To resize the Navigator, drag the edges of the Navigator.

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Tip –

In a text document, you can use the Content View mode for headings to drag-and-drop entire chapters to other positions within the document. See the online help about the Navigator for more information.

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Using Tables in Writer Documents

You can use tables to present and organize important information in rows and columns so that the information is easy to read. The intersection of a row and a column is called a cell.

To Add a Table to a Writer Document

Steps

1. Choose Table - Insert - Table.

2. In the Size area, enter the number of rows and columns for the table.

3. (Optional) To use a predefined table layout, click AutoFormat, select the format that you want, and then click OK.

   

4. In the Insert Table dialog box, specify any additional options, such as the table name, and then click OK.

To Add a Row or Column to a Table

Steps

1. Click in any row or column of the table.

2. Click the Insert Column or the Insert Row icon on the Table bar.

   

To Delete a Row or a Column From a Table

Steps

1. Click in the row or column that you want to delete.

2. Click the Delete Column or the Delete Row icon on the Table bar.

Working With Numbers in StarOffice Calc

StarOffice Calc is a spreadsheet program that you can use to organize and to manipulate data that contains text, numbers, date and time values, and more, for example, for your home budget.

To Open a Sample Calc Spreadsheet

Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - New - Templates and Documents

2. In the left pane, click Samples.

3. In the middle pane, double-click the Spreadsheets folder.

4. Select a sample spreadsheet and click Open.

   

Spreadsheet Basics

By default, a spreadsheet document consists of three sheets: Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. Each sheet is divided into a maximum of 65536 rows and 256 columns. Rows are labeled with numbers and columns are labeled with letters. The intersection of a row and a column is called a cell.

A cell is identified by a reference that consists of the column letter of the cell followed by the row number of the cell. For example, the reference for a cell at the intersection of column A and row 2 is A2. Furthermore, the reference for the range of cells in columns A through C and rows 1 through 5 is A1:C5.

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Note –

You can also include the file name and the sheet name in a reference to a cell or to a cell range. You can assign a name to a cell or cell range so that you can use the name instead of a column/number reference. For details, search the online help for the term references.

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Creating a Spreadsheet

To create a new spreadsheet from within any StarOffice program, choose File - New – Spreadsheet.

Moving Around in a Sheet

You can use the mouse or the keyboard to move around in a Calc sheet or to select items in the sheet. If you have selected a range of cells, the cursor remains in the range when you move the cursor around.

To Move Around a Sheet With the Mouse

Step

Use the horizontal or vertical scrollbar to move sideways or up and down in a sheet.

• Click the arrow on the horizontal or vertical scrollbar.

• Click in the empty space on the scrollbar.

• Drag the bar on the scrollbar.

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Tip –

To move the cursor to a specific cell, click in the cell.

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To Move Around a Sheet With the Keyboard

Step

Use the following keys and key combinations to move around in a sheet:

• To move one cell down in a column, press the down arrow or Enter.

• To move one cell up in a column, press the up arrow.

• To move one cell to the right, press the right arrow or Tab.

• To move one cell to the left, press the left arrow.

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Tip –

To move to the last cell that contains data in a column or row, hold down Ctrl when you press an arrow key.

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Selecting Cells in a Sheet

You can use the mouse or the keyboard to select cells in a Calc sheet.

• To select a range of cells with the mouse, click in a cell and drag the mouse to another cell.

• To select a range of cells with the keyboard, ensure that the cursor is in a cell, hold down Shift, and press an arrow key.

Typing or Pasting Data

The simplest way to add data to a sheet is by typing, or by copying and pasting data from another Calc sheet or from another program.

To Type or To Paste Data in a Spreadsheet

Steps

1. Click in the cell where you want to add your data.

2. Type your data.

   If you want to paste data from the clipboard into the cell, choose Edit - Paste.

3. Press Return.

   You can also press an arrow key to enter the data and move to the next cell in the direction of the arrow.

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   Tip –

   To type text on more than one line in a cell, press Ctrl+Return at the end of each line, and then press Return when you are done.

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To Quickly Enter Consecutive Dates and Numbers

Calc provides a fill feature so that you can quickly enter a successive series of data, such as dates, days, months, and numbers. The contents of each successive cell in the series is incremented by one. 1 is incremented to 2, Monday is incremented to Tuesday, and so on.

Steps

1. Click in a cell, and type the first item of the series, for example Monday. Press Return.

2. Click the cell again to see the fill handle — the small black box at the bottom right corner of the cell.

3. Drag the fill handle until you highlight the range of cells in which you want to enter the series.

4. Release the mouse button.

   The consecutive items in the series are added automatically to the highlighted cells.

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   Tip –

   To copy without changing the values in a series, press the Ctrl key while you drag.

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Editing and Deleting the Contents of Cells

You can edit the contents of a cell or cell range in a sheet.

To Edit the Contents of Cells in a Sheet

Steps

1. Click in a cell or select a range of cells.

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   Tip –

   To select a range of cells, click in a cell. Then drag the mouse until you cover the range that you want to select. To select an entire row or column, click the label of the row or column.

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2. To edit the contents of a single cell, double-click the cell, make the changes that you want, and then press Return.

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   Note –

   You can also click in the cell, type your changes in the Input line box of the Formula bar, and then click the green check mark icon. However, you cannot enter line breaks in the Input line box.

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3. To delete the contents of the cell or the cell range, press Backspace or Delete.

   1. In the Delete Contents dialog box, select the options that you want.

   2. Click OK.

Formatting Spreadsheets

Calc lets you format your sheet manually or by using styles. The main difference is that manual formatting is only applied to the cells that you select. Style formatting is applied wherever the style is used in your spreadsheet document.

Using AutoFormat

The easiest way to format a range of cells is to use the Calc AutoFormat feature.

To Apply Automatic Formatting to a Range of Cells

Steps

1. Select the range of cells that you want to format.

   Select at least a range of 3 x 3 cells.

2. Choose Format - AutoFormat.

   The AutoFormat dialog box opens.

3. In the list of formats, click the format that you want to use, and then click OK.

Formatting Cells Manually

To apply simple formatting to the contents of a cell, such as changing the text size, use the icons on the Format Object bar.

To Format Cells With the Format Object Bar

The Format Object bar lets you quickly apply formats to individual cells or cell ranges.

Steps

1. Select the cell or cell ranges that you want to format.

2. On the Format Object bar, click the icon that corresponds to the formatting that you want to apply.

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   Note –

   You can also select an option from the Font Name or Font Size boxes.

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To Apply Manual Formatting With the Format Cells Dialog Box

If you need more formatting options than the Calc Object bar provides, use the Format Cells dialog box.

Steps

1. Select the cell or the range of cells that you want to format, and then choose Format - Cells.

   The Format Cells dialog opens.

2. Click on one of the tabs and choose your formatting options.

   Numbers tab

   Changes the formatting of numbers in cells, such as changing the number of decimal places that are displayed

   Font tab

   Changes the font, font size, and the typeface used in the cell

   Font Effects tab

   Changes the color of the font, and the underline, strike-through, or embossed effects of the text

   Alignment tab

   Changes the text alignment and text orientation within cells

   Borders tab

   Changes the border options of cells

   Background tab

   Changes the background fill of cells

   Cell Protection tab

   Protects cell contents inside protected sheets.

3. Click OK.

Formatting Cells and Sheets With Styles

In Calc, the default formatting of cells and sheets is done with styles. A style is a set of formatting options, that defines the appearance of the cell contents as well as the layout of a sheet. When you change the formatting of a style, the changes are applied wherever the style is used in your spreadsheet.

To Apply Formatting With the Styles and Formatting Window

Steps

1. Choose Format - Styles and Formatting.

2. To change the formatting of cells, click in a cell or select a range of cells.

   1. Click the Cell Styles icon at the top of the Styles and Formatting window.

   2. Double-click a style in the list

3. To change the layout of a sheet, click anywhere on the sheet.

   1. Click the Page Styles icon at the top of the Styles and Formatting window.

   2. Double-click a style in the list.

Using Formulas and Functions

You can insert formulas in a spreadsheet to perform calculations for you.

If the formula contains references to cells, the result is automatically updated whenever you change the content of the cells. You can also use one of the many predefined formulas or functions that Calc provides to perform your calculations.

Creating Formulas

A formula starts with an equal sign (=) and can contain values, cell references, operators, functions, and constants.

To Create a Formula

Steps

1. Click in the cell where you want to display the result of the formula.

2. Type =, and then type the formula.

   For example, if you want to add the contents of cell A1 to the contents of cell A2, type =A1+A2 in another cell.

3. Press Return.

Using Operators

You can use the following operators in your formulas:

Table 3–1 Operators That You Can Use in Calc Formulas

Operator	Name	Example	Result
+	Addition	=1+1	2
-	Subtraction	=2–1	1
*	Multiplication	=7*9	63
/	Division	=10/2	5
%	Percent	=15%	15.00%
^	Exponentiation	=3^2	9
=	Equal	=8=8	TRUE
>	Greater than	=7>9	FALSE
<	Less than	=5<6	TRUE
>=	Greater than or equal to	=3>=4	FALSE
<=	Less than or equal to	=42<=63	TRUE
<>	Not equal to	=6<>4	TRUE
&	Text concatenation	="Sun" & "day"	Sunday

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Example 3–1 Sample Calc Formulas

=A1+15

Displays the result of adding 15 to the contents of cell A1

=A1*20%

Displays 20 percent of the contents of cell A1

=A1*A2

Displays the result of multiplying the contents of cells A1 and A2

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Using Parentheses

Calc follows the order of operations when it calculates a formula. Multiplication and division is done before addition or subtraction, regardless of where these operators appear in the formula. For example, for the formula =2+5+5*2, Calc returns the value of 17, and not 24.

Editing a Formula

A cell that contains a formula only displays the result of the formula. The formula is displayed in the Input line box.

To Edit a Formula

Steps

1. Click in a cell that contains a formula.

   The formula is displayed in the Input line of the Formula Bar.

   

2. Click in the Input line and make your changes.

   To delete part of the formula press Delete or Backspace.

3. Press Return or click on the Formula Bar to accept the changes.

   To reject the changes that you made press Esc or click on the Formula Bar.

Using Functions

Calc comes with many predefined formulas or functions. For example, instead of typing =A2+A3+A4+A5, you can type =SUM(A2:A5).

To Use a Function

Steps

1. Click the cell where you want to add a function.

2. Choose Insert - Function.

   The Function Wizard dialog box opens.

3. In the Category box, select the category that contains the type of function that you want to use.

4. In the Functions list, click the function that you want to use.

5. Click Next.

6. Enter any required values, or click the cells that contain the values that you want to use.

7. Click OK.

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   Tip –

   For more information on Calc functions, including examples, see the Calc online help.

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Using Charts

Charts can help you visualize patterns and trends in your numerical data. StarOffice 8 provides a number of chart styles that you can use to represent your numbers.

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Note –

Charts are not restricted to spreadsheets. You can also insert a chart by choosing Insert - Object - Chart in the other StarOffice programs.

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To Create a Chart

Steps

1. Select the cells, including the headings, that contain the data for the chart.

2. Choose Insert - Chart.

   The AutoFormat Chart dialog box opens. The cell range that you selected is displayed in the Range box.

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   Note –

   If you want to specify a different cell range for the data, click the Shrink button next to the Range text box, and then select the cells. Click the Shrink button again when you are done.

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3. Click Next.

4. In the Choose a chart type box, click the type of chart that you want to create.

5. Click Next.

6. In the Choose a variant box, click the variant that you want to use.

7. Click Next.

8. In the Chart title box, type the name of the chart.

9. Click Create.

Editing Charts

After you create a chart, you can still go back and change, move, resize, or delete the chart.

To Resize, Move, or Delete a Chart

Step

Click the chart, and do one of the following:

• To resize the chart, move your mouse pointer over one of the handles, hold down the mouse button, and drag the mouse.

  Calc displays a dotted outline of the new chart size as you drag.

• To move the chart, move your mouse pointer inside the chart, hold down the mouse button, and drag the mouse to a new location.

• To delete the chart, press Delete.

To Change the Appearance of a Chart

You can use the icons on the chart Standard toolbar to change the appearance of your chart.

Steps

1. Double-click a chart to display the chart Standard toolbar.

   The toolbar appears next to the Calc or Writer Standard bar.

   

2. Use the icons on the toolbar to change the properties of your chart.

Making a Presentation With StarOffice Impress

StarOffice Impress provides various tools to help you to create attractive presentations and slide shows. You can use Impress to show presentations on your computer or to print the presentations. This section introduces the basic steps that are involved in creating and editing a presentation.

To Open a Sample Impress Presentation

Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - New - Templates and Documents

2. In the left pane, click Samples.

3. In the middle pane, double-click the Presentations folder.

4. Select a sample presentation and click Open.

   

Creating a Presentation

To create a new presentation from within any StarOffice program, choose File - New – Presentation.

Using the Presentation Wizard

When you create a new Impress document, the Presentation Wizard automatically opens. The wizard guides you through the first steps of creating a presentation. You can use the wizard to create a presentation from an empty presentation, a template, or an existing presentation.

To Create a Presentation From a Template

Steps

1. In the Type area of the first page of the Presentation Wizard, click From template.

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   Note –

   You might have to wait a moment for the templates to load.

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2. Select a template category, for example, "Presentations", and then click the template that you want to use.

3. Click Next.

4. (Optional) If you want to use a different background for the slides in your presentation, click a style in the list.

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   Note –

   These styles also change the format of the font that is used in your presentation.

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5. Click Next.

6. For presentations that you intend to run on-screen, do the following:

   • In the Effect box, select the transition effect that you want to use when you move from one slide to another slide.

   • In the Speed box, select the speed of the transition.

   • If you want your presentation to automatically advance through the slides, click the Automatic option in the Select the presentation type area.

7. Click Next.

8. Type in the descriptive information for your presentation.

9. Click Next.

10. (Optional) To exclude a slide from the presentation, click the check box in front of the name of the slide in the Choose your pages list.

11. Click Create.

    After you have created your presentation, replace and enter your text in the slides.

To Save a Presentation

Steps

1. Choose File - Save.

   If you have not saved the presentation before, the Save As dialog box opens.

2. In the File name box, enter the name of the presentation.

3. Click Save.

To Export a Presentation to a Different Format

You can export your presentation as a series of linked HTML pages, as a PDF file, or as a Flash file.

Steps

1. Choose File – Export.

2. In the File name box, enter the name of the presentation.

3. In the File type box, select the format for the exported file.

4. Click Export.

Editing Your Slides

You can change the layout of your slides, the formatting of your text, as well as add graphics and color to your slides.

Using Different Views

To help you to edit and to organize your slides in Impress, you can use different workspace views. For example, you can use the Normal view to add images to a single slide. Use the Slide Sorter to reorder the slides and to assign transitions. Or use the Outline view to organize and to edit slide titles.

To change the view, click the view tab in the middle pane.

Moving between slides in Normal view

To move between slides in Normal view, click the slide preview on the left Slides pane.

To Change the Layout of a Slide

Slide layouts define where text and objects are placed on a slide. In Impress, you can easily change the layout of the slide you are working on by using the right Tasks pane.

Steps

1. In Normal view, select the slide that you want to apply a new layout to.

2. On the Task pane, click the layout that you want to use.

To Add a Slide

Steps

1. Click the Normal tab to choose the Normal view.

2. On the left Slides pane, right-click where you want to add a slide. Then choose New Slide.

To Copy a Slide

Steps

1. In Normal view, select the slide that you want to copy.

2. Choose Insert - Duplicate slide.

To Move a Slide

Steps

1. On the left Slides pane, click the slide that you want to move.

2. Drag the slide to another position on the Slides pane.

To Delete a Slide

Steps

1. On the left Slides pane, click the slide that you want to delete.

2. Choose Edit - Delete Slide.

Formatting Text

The Text Formatting bar lets you quickly apply formats to text in your slides. To use the bar, select the text that you want to format and click an icon. You can also select an option from the Font Name or Font Size boxes.

Adding Pictures to Your Slides

Pictures can help make your slides more interesting. In Impress, you can add graphics such as photos or images to your slides.

To Add a Picture From a File

Steps

1. Choose Insert - Picture - From File.

   The Insert Picture dialog box appears.

2. Locate the graphic you want to insert, and then click Open.

To Add a Graphic From the Gallery

The StarOffice Gallery contains predefined graphics that you can add to your slides.

Steps

1. Choose Tools - Gallery.

2. Select a theme from the list on the left.

3. Select the graphic you want to insert, and then drag the graphic onto the slide.

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   Note –

   You can also create your own graphic with the tools on the Drawing toolbar. For more information on using these tools, see Drawing Basic Shapes.

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Adding Slide Transitions

For an on-screen presentation, you can animate the transition from one slide to the next with effects such as blinds or fly-in.

To Add a Transition to a Slide

Steps

1. Choose the Slide Sorter view or open the left Slides pane.

2. Right-click a slide and choose Slide Transition.

   The Slide Transition page on the Tasks pane opens.

3. Click a transition effect.

   The effect is automatically previewed on the slide.

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   Note –

   All transitions are applied when you change to a slide. If you want a transition between slide 1 and 2, assign the transition to slide 2.

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Adding Animation Effects to Text and Graphics

You can use animation effects to make the text or the graphics in your slide appear after you click the mouse.

To Add an Animation Effect to a Text or Graphic

Steps

1. In Normal view, switch to the slide that contains the text or the graphic you want to animate.

2. Click the text box or the graphic you want to modify.

3. Choose Slide Show - Custom Animation.

   The Custom Animation page of Tasks pane opens.

4. Click Add.

5. In the Custom Animation – Add dialog, click the effect that you want to apply, and then click OK.

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   Note –

   You can add as many effects as you want. For more information about the Custom Animation page, consult the online help for Impress.

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Running a Presentation

After you create your slide show, you can present the slide show to an audience.

To Start a Slide Show

Steps

1. Open the presentation that you want to present as a slide show.

2. Choose Slide Show - Slide Show.

3. Advance through the slides.

   • To go to the next slide, press the Spacebar or click the mouse.

   • To advance to the next slide without an animation effect, press the right arrow key.

   • To go to the previous slide, press the left arrow key or right-click the mouse.

To Exit a Slide Show

Step

Press the Escape key.

Drawing With StarOffice Draw

StarOffice Draw lets you create simple and complex drawings. You can export the graphics to common image formats.

To Open a Sample Drawing

Steps

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File - New - Templates and Documents

2. In the left pane, click Samples.

3. In the middle pane, double-click the Drawings folder.

4. Select a sample drawing and click Open.

   

Creating a Drawing

To create a new drawing from within any StarOffice program, choose File - New – Drawing.

Drawing Basic Shapes

The tools in Draw let you create and modify freeform or precise lines, as well as 2D and 3D shapes. These tools are available on the Drawing toolbar.

To Draw a Rectangle

You can use the Rectangle icon to easily create rectangular shapes.

Steps

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Rectangle icon.

2. Move the mouse pointer to where you want to start the rectangle, and then drag to draw the shape.

To Draw an Oval

You can use the Ellipse icon to easily create oval shapes.

Steps

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Ellipse icon.

2. Move the mouse pointer to where you want to start the oval, and then drag to draw the shape.

Drawing 3D Shapes

Draw lets you create three-dimensional (3D) objects by converting an existing two-dimensional (2D) object.

To Convert a 2D Object Into a 3D Object

Steps

1. Click a 2D object in your drawing.

2. Right-click, choose Convert, and then select To 3D or To 3D Rotation Object.

Adding Text to Your Drawing

You can add text to your drawings with the Text icon on the Drawing toolbar.

To Add Text to Your Drawing

Steps

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Text icon.

   The Format Text toolbar opens.

2. In the document, drag open a rectangle where you want to enter your text.

3. Enter the text.

4. To format the text, select the text, then click one of the icons on the Format Text toolbar.

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   Note –

   To add text to an existing rectangle or ellipse, double-click the object and then enter the text.

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Editing Your Drawing

You can modify or delete objects and change the formatting of text in your drawing.

Using the Format Graphic Bar

The Format Graphic bar lets you quickly change the appearance of objects in your drawing. To use the bar, select the object(s) that you want to modify and click an icon on the toolbar, or select an option from one of the boxes.

To Align Objects on a Drawing

Steps

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Align icon.

   The Align toolbar opens.

   

2. Drag to select the objects that you want to align.

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   Note –

   You can also click an object, and then hold down Shift while you click other objects.

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3. On the Align toolbar, click the icon for the type of alignment that you want to apply.

To Arrange Objects on a Drawing

Each object that you add to your drawing is placed on top of the last object that you added. You can only see this effect if the objects overlap. You can use the Position feature in Draw to change the stacking order of objects.

Steps

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Position icon.

   The Position toolbar opens.

   

2. Click the object that you want to arrange.

3. On the Position toolbar, click the icon for the type of stacking order that you want to apply.

To Edit Text on a Drawing

Steps

1. Click the object that contains the text that you want to edit.

2. Make the changes that you want:

   • To format the text, choose Format - Character or Format - Paragraph, and then select your formatting options.

   • To change the text, double-click the object, select the text, and then make your changes.

   • To delete the entire text and the object, press Delete or Backspace.

To Delete Objects From a Drawing

Steps

1. Select the object that you want to delete.

2. Press Delete.

Additional StarOffice 8 Applications

This chapter provides a brief overview of the following StarOffice 8 applications.

• Base - an application that lets you access databases from StarOffice

• Math - an equation editor that lets you create graphical representations of equations and formulas

• Chart - a plug-in that lets you graphically represent your table data

This chapter presents also some tips to use more than one StarOffice application at the same time.

Accessing Databases From StarOffice 8

You can view, edit, add, and delete data that is stored in databases from StarOffice. The types of databases that you can use range from a simple spreadsheet to a server-based database, such as Oracle.

The StarOffice 8 Database File

The StarOffice database file format stores the methods and layouts that you use to access a database. When you open a database file, you see the following window:

The StarOffice database file format stores information about the layout or design of your tables, queries, forms, and reports. For new database files using the HSQLDB database format, the data records can also be embedded in the database file. These are the main database objects:

Tables

Table fields define what makes up each data record.

Queries

A query is a custom view of a table. You define a query when you want to see only a subset of your table data.

Forms

A form is a data input and output mask that you can use to manage your data more comfortable than in a table or query.

Reports

A report defines the printed output of a table or a query

Creating a StarOffice 8 Database File

The Database Wizard helps you to add a new database file and to register the database as a data source in StarOffice. The wizard creates a file that contains information about the database, including the queries, reports, and forms that are linked to the database.

To Add a New Database as a StarOffice Data Source

Steps

1. Choose File - New - Database.

   The Database Wizard opens.

2. Follow the steps and enter your options on every page.

3. (Optional) Create a new table.

   1. Select to start the Table Wizard on the last page of the Database Wizard.

   2. Enter your data in the new table.

Working with Databases in StarOffice 8 Base

You can open a database file using the File - Open menu command.

To Create a New Database Table in StarOffice

A database table is a collection of data records that is organized into rows and columns. A row in the table represents a data record. A column is one field of the record.

Steps

1. Choose File - Open to open the database file where you want to add a new table.

   Alternatively, choose File — New — Database to create a new database file.

2. In the StarOffice Base window, click Tables.

3. In the Tasks pane, click Use Wizard to Create Table.

To Add Data to a Database Table

Steps

1. Choose File — Open to open the database file that contains the table.

2. Click the Tables icon on the left pane.

3. Double-click the name of the table where you want to add data records.

4. Enter the data.

   When the cursor leaves the current data record, the changes are saved automatically.

To Create a Database Report

A database report is a text document that displays data from a database in a way that you specify. You can design the report to display the most current data or the data at the time when you created the report.

Steps

1. Choose File - Open to open the database file for which you want a report.

2. In the StarOffice Base window, click Reports.

3. Click Use Wizard to Create Report.

4. Follow the instructions.

   You can create two types of reports: a static snapshot of the data at the time the report was created, or a document with “live” links to the current data.

To Open a Database Report

Steps

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

2. Locate the database file that contains the report, and click Open.

3. In the StarOffice Base window, click the Reports icon.

   A list of the reports for the current database is displayed.

4. Double-click the report you want to see.

Designing Formulas in StarOffice Math

You can use StarOffice Math to design and display a formula in a text document. However, Math does not calculate the results of the formula. To create a working formula, use Calc.

Math provides you with symbols, on a toolbar that you can combine with characters that you type to build complex formulas.

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Note –

For more information on using Math, including sample formulas, see the online help.

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To Insert a Formula Into a Writer Document

Steps

1. Choose Insert - Object - Formula.

   The Math window opens.

2. Use the Selection toolbar to build your formula.

   • In the upper area of the toolbar, click a symbol type, and then click a symbol in the lower area of the toolbar.

   • In the Commands pane at the bottom of the document window, replace all instances of <?> in your formula with the values or numbers that you want.

   • When you are finished, click in the Writer document.

To Edit a Formula in a Writer Document

Steps

1. Double-click the formula to open Math.

2. Make the changes that you want and then click in the Writer document.

StarOffice Chart

Charts can help you visualize patterns and trends in your numerical data. StarOffice 8 provides a number of chart styles that you can use to represent your numbers.

You can create a chart from numerical data in table cells of Calc or Writer. When the values in the cells change, the chart also changes automatically.

StarOffice Integration

StarOffice applications are tightly integrated so that you can easily use the contents of one application in another application. The following sections provide a few examples of how you can take advantage of this integration.

To Insert a Calc Cell Range Into a Text Document

You can insert a range of Calc cells into a Writer document so that the data automatically updates when you modify the spreadsheet.

Steps

1. Open a Writer text document and the Calc spreadsheet that contains the data.

2. In the spreadsheet, select the cell range that you want to display as a table in the text document.

3. Choose Edit – Copy.

4. In the text document, choose Insert - Paste special.

5. In the Paste Special dialog, select DDE link, and then click OK.

To Insert a Text Outline into a Presentation

Before You Begin

Create an outline in a text document. An outline is text that uses one or more of the default heading paragraph styles, Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on.

Steps

1. In the text document that contains the outline, choose File - Send - Outline to presentation.

   A new presentation document is created which has the outline applied. Each Heading 1 paragraph style corresponds to a new slide. The heading styles that occur following Heading 1 in the heading hierarchy are displayed as bullets on the slide.

2. Add more text to the outline or switch to Normal view to add objects.

   For more information on outlines, consult the online help in StarOffice.

To Copy Data by Drag-and-drop

You can use drag-and-drop to copy text and objects between StarOffice applications. For example, if you want to copy a cell range from a Calc sheet inside a text document, proceed as follows:

Steps

1. Open a text document and the Calc spreadsheet that contains the data that you want to copy.

2. In the spreadsheet, select the cell range that you want to copy.

3. Hold down the Ctrl key and drag-and-drop the selected range into the text document.

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   Caution –

   If you do not hold down the Ctrl key, the contents of the cells are moved to the text document.

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   The cell range is copied as a plug-in. If you want to edit the contents of a copied cell in the text document, double-click the cell. The Calc menus and toolbars are displayed when you are in this mode, even though you are in a Writer document. To exit the edit mode, click outside the plug-in.