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OpenOffice.org Writer for Microsoft Word users: How to perform common tasks
Contents Overview ii Terminology 1 Set up the program to work your way 2 Write, edit, and review documents 3 Control page layout 4 Use templates and styles 6 Use fields 7 Work with large or complex documents 8 Work with graphics 9
OverviewExperienced users of Microsoft Word may take awhile to discover how to do common tasks in OOoWriter, because some of the menus and the terminology are a bit different. In a few cases no direct equivalent method is available. This document summarizes my research and experiments with OOoWriter 1.1.1, Microsoft Word 2000, and Word 2002 (XP) running on Windows ME. You may find some differences if you're using another operating system or another version of OpenOffice.org. This document covers only some of the things a former user of Word might wish to know. Copyright and trademark informationThe contents of this document are subject to the Public Documentation License Version 1.0 (the "License"); you may only use this document if you comply with the terms of this License. A copy of the License is available at http://www.openoffice.org/licenses/PDL.rtf. The Original Documentation is Chapter 10, "Moving
from Microsoft Word" in Taming OpenOffice.org Writer 1.1.
The Initial Writer of the Original Documentation is Jean Hollis Weber
© 2003. All Rights Reserved. Initial Writer contact:
All trademarks within this guide belong to legitimate owners. FeedbackPlease direct any comments or suggestions about
this document to: AcknowledgmentsThanks to everyone who made constructive suggestions for changes and additions to this document, including Andrew Brown, Daniel Carrera, and Ian Laurenson. Modifications and updates
TerminologyMost functions and controls have the same or similar names in Microsoft Word and OpenOffice.org Writer, but a few are different. This table compares some common terms in the two programs.
Set up the program to work your wayMost functions are found in similar places in both programs, but a few are slightly different, and the degree of control varies. This table summarizes where to find the setup choices.
Write, edit, and review documentsMost writing, editing, and reviewing techniques in OOoWriter are similar to those in Microsoft Word, but the details often vary.
Control page layoutThis section covers such things as margins, headers and footers, columns, and frames. OOoWriter controls basic page setup somewhat differently than Word does. Microsoft Word page setupPage setup (paper size, orientation, margins, and so on) is a property of the document as a whole. To change the setup for a page, you need to define a separate section with the changed setup. For example, if you specify headers and footers, they apply to the entire document, unless you change them in specific sections. OpenOffice.org Writer page setupPage setup is a property of the page style. You can define many page styles—for example, First Page, Left Page, Index Page, and Default. If you change the page layout for one page style, only that style will be affected. When you set up a page style, you can specify which page style applies to the next page, so when text flows from one page to the next, the correct page style will automatically apply to the following pages. For example, you could specify a First Page style to be followed by a Left Page style, to be followed by a Right Page style, to be followed by a Left Page style—a common setup in books.
Use templates and stylesA full discussion of the similarities and differences in the use of templates and styles would take too long for this summary document, but the following table should get you started.
Use fieldsA full discussion of the similarities and differences in the use of fields would take too long for this summary document, but the following table should get your started. Major differences exist in the use of cross-references.
Work with large or complex documentsA full discussion of the similarities and differences in working with large or complex documents would take too long for this summary document, but the following table should get your started. Major differences exist in the use of master documents. The table does not attempt to summarize all these differences. Other how-to documents are being written to describe the use of master documents in detail.
Work with graphicsMost graphics work should be done outside Word or Writer, with the graphic files embedded or linked to the Word or Writer file. However, you can do some simple graphics using the drawing tools in Word or Writer. This table covers the basics.
Use keyboard shortcutsThis table summarizes some of the built-in keyboard shortcuts used in Microsoft Word and their equivalents in OpenOffice.org Writer. Functions without built-in keyboard shortcuts can be performed using toolbar icons, or you could assign your own key combinations. Table contributed by Ian Laurenson.
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