Using OpenOffice.org

Editor's Note: Linux in the Workplace, written by the Linux Journal Staff, was recently released under the GNU Free Documentation License (FDL). It is available at linuxpip.org, courtesy of No Starch Press.

This is my first article of a series that embraces and extends the book, Linux in the Workplace, which was written by several staff members of Linux Journal and published by No Starch Press. The purpose of that book, the same as this article, is to show new Linux users to do those everyday, ordinary tasks for which people use computers in the first place.

This particular article focuses on OpenOffice.org (the office suite formerly known as OpenOffice), in particular its word processor component. Please note that this article is from a KDE-centric viewpoint. Almost all of the items mentioned here, however, apply equally well to GNOME and other desktop environments.

OpenOffice.org is a feature-rich office productivity suite distributed and maintained by Sun Microsystems. Comparable to Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org includes a word processor, a spreadsheet application, presentation software and graphic program applications. OpenOffice.org is incredibly powerful; many believe that it is not only as good as MS Office, but better in many ways. OpenOffice.org is available for other platforms as well, including Solaris and Microsoft Windows, and it runs equally well on all of them. OpenOffice.org offers the ability to import many different types of documents and templates from a variety of other programs, including Microsoft Word. It can also export to a wide range of formats, including HTML, PDF and MS Office XP.

OpenOffice.org may be included on your distribution already. If it is not, simply visit www.openoffice.org, where you can download the latest version for free. This site also contains a list of distributors who sell CD-ROMs that install the software. On-line help also is available.

The default OpenOffice.org installation places an OpenOffice.org submenu in the K menu, for users of KDE. From there, you can launch any of the OpenOffice programs (Writer, Calc, Draw or Impress). You also can click on any existing OpenOffice document to open it within the appropriate OpenOffice application. Once the application is open, another OpenOffice program can be started from the open application's File menu. The menus and toolbars may look familiar to you, as they are similar to those of other office programs. The main menubar at the top and two tiers of toolbars are displayed by default. As usual, many of the most used menu items are available from the icons in the toolbars. You can discover the function of an icon by holding the mouse pointer over it.

Writer is a word processor that allows you to compose documents such as letters and articles, as well as import and export documents from other systems in a wide range of file formats, including HTML, ASCII, RTF and MS Word.

AutoPilot, often referred to as a wizard in other office programs, guides you through a series of document customization questions. To use this feature, select AutoPilot from the File menu. Then choose the type of document you want to create. Options include memos, faxes, letters and web pages. Once selected, the AutoPilot Agenda dialog box appears. You are instructed to customize your document by choosing a layout style, including a logo or graphic, and naming your file. Click Next to select your desired options, and continue clicking Next each time you are done with a set of customization questions. When you are finished, click Create, and your document loads.

Formatting allows you to choose the font and page styles to apply to your document, and many options are available in Writer. Here we review standard formatting tools. Advanced users can feel confident that other formatting features, such as those that let you apply text styles, add tables and create indices, are all available. They generally are located in the same places you would find them in other word processing applications. All of these formatting options can be set before beginning a new document or applied to existing documents.