Chapter 4 StarOffice Writer

StarOffice Writer is a word processing application that lets you create text documents. This chapter introduces the basic steps for creating, editing, and saving a Writer document.

Opening a Sample Writer Document

To Open a Sample Writer Document

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

You can create a new text document from a template or by using a wizard.

To Create a New Empty Text Document

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File->New->Text Document.

   The new document is based on the default template for text documents. The default template defines default settings, for example, font name, font size, language, page margins, and more. The application help displays more information about default templates and how to change them.

To Create a New Document From a Template

1. In any StarOffice program, 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.

   The application help contains instructions how to save any document as a template.

To Create a New Text Document With a Wizard

1. In any StarOffice program, choose File->Wizards.

2. Choose Letter, Fax, or Agenda.

3. Follow the instructions.

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

Adding and Editing Document 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 Document Text

The easiest way to enter text in your document is to type the text. Writer provides some interactive tools to make typing text more efficient.

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, the StarOffice software automatically completes the word. To accept the word, press Return, else continue typing.

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Tip –

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

• AutoCorrect function

• AutoInput function

• Word completion

• Number recognition

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Selecting Document 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 a single word, double-click anywhere in the word.

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

• To select a whole paragraph, click four times in short succession.

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

Selecting Text With the Keyboard

• To select the entire document, press Control-A.

  If the cursor is positioned inside a table within your text document, the first Control-A selects the current cell (if there is content in the cell), the next Control-A selects the table, the next Control-A selects the complete text body including all tables.

• To select a single word on either side of the cursor, hold down Control-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 Document 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

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

   • Choose Edit->Copy.

   • Press Control-C.

   • Click the Copy icon on the Standard toolbar.

   • 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.

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     Tip –

     Choose Edit->Paste Special, and paste as unformatted text, if you want to insert only the text, without copying any formatting.

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   • Press Control-V.

   • Click the Paste icon on the Standard bar.

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

To Delete Text

1. Select the text that you want to delete.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Choose Edit->Cut or press Control-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.

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

To Insert a Text Document

You can insert the contents of any text document into your Writer document, as long as the file format can be handled by the StarOffice software.

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

2. Choose Insert->File.

3. Indicate 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 Optionally Replace Text

1. Choose Edit->Find & Replace.

   The Find & Replace dialog box appears.

2. In the Search For field, 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. Click Find to start the search.

4. (Optional) In the Replace With field, type the replacement text, then click Replace.

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   Tip –

   You can also find (and replace) text that matches a wildcard pattern. Expand the dialog to show more options, then enable the Regular Expression checkbox. The application help shows more information about this topic and about finding (and replacing) styles and formatting.

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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.

1. To set this feature, click the AutoSpellcheck icon on the Standard toolbar.

   When this feature is on, a red wavy line marks possible spelling errors.

2. To display choices to handle a potentially misspelled word, right-click a word that has a red wavy underline.

3. Do one of the following:

   f

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

     The misspelled word is replaced by the word you choose.

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

     The misspelled word is replaced by the word you choose. 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 spelling as you type, you can run the Spellcheck tool to check for spelling mistakes throughout the document. The Spellcheck tool starts at the current cursor position or at the beginning of the selected text.

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Note –

If a grammar checking extension is installed, then following the spelling check a grammar check will be performed. With AutoSpellcheck enabled, the grammar errors are underlined in blue and the spelling errors in red.

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

2. Choose Tools->Spelling and Grammar.

3. When a possible spelling error is found, the Spelling and Grammar dialog box suggests a replacement.

   

4. Do one of the following:

   • To accept the replacement for the current word, click Change.

   • To accept the replacement for the complete current document, click Change All.

   • To accept the replacement for new text in all documents, using the AutoCorrect feature, click AutoCorrect.

   • To substitute a different replacement, replace the misspelled word in the upper box with the correct word, and then click Change.

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

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

Formatting Document Text

You can 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 Document Text Manually

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

Select the text that you want to change, and modify the text.

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

• To change the size of the text, select or type a size in the Font Size field.

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

  You can also use the following shortcut keys: Control-B for bold, Control-I for italics, or Control-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. On Mac OS X, use the Command key instead of the Control key.

• 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.

  Refer to the application help for more information about the icons for Background Color and Highlight.

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.

The styles are part of the template in use. For a new text document, the default text template defines all styles. For more detailed information, press F1 to open the Help, and type the index “styles; styles and templates”.

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 assign a style to 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 assign a format to 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 provides a complete list of the objects in your document, listed in categories. You can double-click an object in the Navigator to jump to that object in the document. You can use the context menu of an object in the Navigator for a menu of commands. Press F5 to open or close the Navigator.

• To view the contents 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 an object in your document, double-click any entry in the Navigator list.

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

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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 application help about the Navigator for more information.

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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.

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

1. Choose Table->Insert->Table.

2. In the Size area, type 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

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

2. Add a row or a column.

   • To quickly add a row under the current row, click the Insert Row icon on the Table toolbar.

   • To quickly add a column to the right of the current column, click the Insert Column icon on the Table toolbar.

   • To determine the number of new rows and their position, choose Table->Insert->Rows.

   • To determine the number of new columns and their position, choose Table->Insert->Columns.

To Delete a Row or a Column From a Table

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.

Designing Formulas in StarOffice Math

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

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

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

To Insert a Formula Into a Writer Document

1. Choose Insert->Object->Formula.

   The StarOffice Math window opens.

2. Use the Selection toolbar to build your formula.

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

   2. 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.

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

To Insert a Known Formula Quickly

1. In a Writer document, type the formula as normal text.

   For example, type 2 over 3.

2. Select the formula text.

3. Choose Insert->Object->Formula.

   The text formula is replaced immediately by the Math formula object.

   You can choose Tools->Customize to configure a shortcut key for the Insert Formula command. See the Math help for more information.

To Edit a Formula in a Writer Document

1. Double-click the formula to open Math.

2. Make the changes that you want.

3. Click in the Writer document.