StarOffice 6.0 Office Suite Companion

Description

• Copyright 2003
• Edition: 1st

• Book
• ISBN-10: 0-13-038473-9
• ISBN-13: 978-0-13-038473-7

The user-friendly guide to mastering StarOffice Office Suite and OpenOffice.org.

• The user-friendly, task-based guide to StarOffice 6.0 Office Suite and OpenOffice.org 1.0
• For Windows, Linux, and Solaris OE platforms
• Covers Writer, Web, Calc, Impress, Draw, databases and formulas, and more

Imagine an inexpensive office productivity suite that's powerful and easy to use, and includes great extras like a drawing program and database connectivity. StarOffice 6.0 Office Suite and the open source equivalent OpenOffice.org 1.0 deliver all of this and outstanding Microsoft Office compatibility at an amazing low price for millions of Linux, Windows, and Solaris Operating Environment users.

Learn StarOffice for the first time, or get to know the great new features in the latest release, with StarOffice 6.0 Office Suite Companion, the comprehensive, insider's guide straight from Sun Microsystems, developer of StarOffice Office Suite.

StarOffice 6.0 Office Suite Companion also incorporates solutions to questions from hundreds of new and expert StarOffice Office Suite and OpenOffice.org users, making this the most practical, task-based book around. It delivers clear, step-by-step instructions, focusing on what you need to do to get your job done.

StarOffice 6.0 Office Suite is a Sun ONE Software Offering.

You'll find comprehensive coverage of all of the following and more:

• Great information across applications: Conversion to and from Microsoft file formats, as well as opening nearly 200 other file formats.
• Migration from StarOffice 5.2, and what's new in StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice.org 1.0.
• Tips on using OpenOffice.org, the open source version of StarOffice, and the minor details in which it differs from StarOffice.
• Answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions, including how to print spreadsheet headings on multiple pages, automatically converting from and saving to Microsoft formats, and migration tips.
• Quick Start tutorials that teach you the key features of each application, plus procedures on customizing StarOffice to make using it simple and productive.
• Comprehensive coverage of each application:
  • StarOffice Writer—Editing, formatting, mail merge, printing to postscript and PDF, long documents, version control, comparing documents.
  • StarOffice Web—Creating Web pages with the AutoPilot, hotlinks, viewing and editing source. animated GIFs, and marquees.
  • StarOffice Calc—Formatting, everything about data entry and calculations in spreadsheets, including the function AutoPilot, scenarios and goal seek, exporting to HTML and inserting spreadsheets in other documents.
  • StarOffice Impress—Creating, designing, and delivering presentations, including custom presentations and animation.
  • StarOffice Draw and image editing features—Using the vast array of drawing tools, including 3D, distorting and manipulating shapes and text, editing raster graphics like photos, exporting to formats like GIF, EPS, and SVG.
• Connecting to data sources—Bringing in the data from spreadsheets or databases, plus using the Web form AutoPilot.

Want to learn how to get things done with StarOffice? Here's the practical, direct, expert guide you've been searching for: StarOffice 6.0 Office Suite Companion.

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Sample Content

Online Sample Chapter

Introduction to StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice.org 1.0

Downloadable Sample Chapter

Click here for a sample chapter for this book: 0130384739.pdf

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements.


Table of Contents.


Preface.

I. GETTING STARTED.

1. Introduction to StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice.org 1.0.

One-Minute Guide. Top Ten Reasons to Use StarOffice or OpenOffice.org. StarOffice Essentials. OpenOffice.org Essentials. What's New in StarOffice and OpenOffice. Switching From Microsoft Office.

2. Installation.

Quick Start. Preparing to Install. Installing StarOffice or OpenOffice.org. Troubleshooting. Getting Started.

3. Migrating From StarOffice 5.2.

Quick Migration Overview. Removing StarOffice 6.0 Beta Software before Migrating. Migrating 5.2 Personal Data and Setup Options. Migrating Mail, Address Book, and Newsgroups. Exporting StarOffice Schedule Data. Converting 5.2 Files to 6.0 Files and Reading 5.2 Files. Converting UNIX 5.2 Printers. Macros. Migrating Data and Databases.

4. Printer Setup and Printing.

Creating UNIX Printers. Setup and Printing for All Operating Systems.

5. Setup and Tips.

Setting Up StarOffice and OpenOffice.org. Getting Help. Setting Up and Managing the Menus and Interface. Setting Up Font Substitution. Enabling and Setting Up Asian Fonts and Formatting. Specifying Zoom and Measurement Unit. Using and Setting Up Graphics and Colors. Controlling How StarOffice Changes Text and Does AutoCompletion. Turning Off Annoying Features. Working With Directories. Setting Up and Using Internet Features. Setting Undos and Number of Recent Documents You Can Open. Fun With XML. Setting Up Security. Setting Up and Viewing Document Characteristics. Converting To and From Other Applications. Printing Setup and Printing.

II. WRITER.

6. Getting Started with Writer.

Quick Start. Writer Setup Options. Keyboard Shortcuts. Creating a New Document. Working With Non-Writer Documents. Controlling Measurement and Ruler Display. Creating and Inserting AutoText. Selecting Text. Quotation Marks, ™ Symbols, Inline Text, and Word Counts. Spellchecking and Hyphenation. Useful Tips.

7. Formatting Documents.

Asian Language Setup and Use. Quick Character Formatting. Using the Character Formatting Window. Quick Paragraph Formatting. Using the Paragraph Format Window. Numbering, Bullets, and Outlining. Formatting Footnotes. Using Headers and Footers in Basic Documents. Page Layout. Specifying Page Orientation. Using Frames for Advanced Page Layout. Adding Vertical and Diagonal Text to Documents. Example: Creating a Complex Page Layout. Power Formatting With Styles. Using Templates.

8. Adding Objects and Links to Documents.

Graphics Setup. Hyperlinking Text to a File or URL. Drawing in Writer. Inserting Graphics. Tables. Charts. Spreadsheets. Converting a Spreadsheet to a Writer Table. Doing Spreadsheet Calculations in Writer Tables and Text. Inserting Frames and Floating Frames. Inserting an Object Created in Any Application. Mathematical Formulas. Documents. Scanning Images into Documents. Tips for Adjusting Inserted Objects. Adding Controls and Buttons. Lining Up Objects on a Grid. Inserting Captions.

9. Books and Longer Documents.

Overview. Managing and Moving Around in Files Using Navigator. Outline Numbering. Headers and Footers in Books. Page Numbering. Creating Books (Master Documents). Cross-Referencing. Creating a Table of Contents. Creating an Index. Creating Lists of Figures and Other Lists. Bibliographies. Spacing Before a Section, Index, or Table.

10. Mail Merges, Business Cards, and More.

Getting Started With Business Documents. Setting Up Data to Use in Mail Merge Documents and Business Cards. Creating Business Cards and Labels Using Fixed Data. Envelopes. Creating Mail Merge Letters and Faxes With Data Sources Using AutoPilots. Creating Mail Merges from Data Sources Using Templates. Creating Your Own Mail Merge Documents from Data Sources. Printing.

11. Creating and Controlling Different Document Versions.

The Two Ways of Controlling Versions of Documents. Document Version Control with Editing and Version Tools. Using Sections to Create Multiple Versions of the Same Document. Using the Automated Editing Tools. Using Notes.

12. Printing in Writer.

Printing Procedures. Basic Printing. Writer Printing Options. Printing Notes. Printing Multiple Pages with Page Preview.

III. WEB.

13. Web Setup.

Program-Wide HTML and Internet Setup Options. Controlling What Application Opens Documents. HTML Document Options. Displaying the Hyperlink Bar.

14. Browsing and Searching.

Bringing Up a Web Page. Using Web's Search Connection. Using FTP and Netscape to Upload Files.

15. Creating Web Pages.

Quick Start. Creating New HTML Files. What to Do If You Can't Edit a File. Creating and Modifying Styles and Templates. Using Sections. Creating Tables. Inserting Notes. Viewing and Editing HTML Source. Adding and Formatting Text. Adding and Formatting Graphics. Page Formatting. Setting and Viewing Document Properties.

16. Enhancing Web Pages.

Adding Hyperlinks to Documents. Inserting Spreadsheets and Other Objects. Using Animated GIFs and Animated Text. Creating Image Maps. Adding Applets and Plugins. Using Macros, Scripts, and Events.

17. Printing in Web.

Printing Procedures. Basic Printing. Web Printing Options.

IV. CALC.

18. Getting Started With Calc.

Quick Start. Calc Setup Options. Keyboard Shortcuts. Creating a New Document. Opening Another Document in Calc. Simple Procedures for Bringing Data Sources into Spreadsheets. Exporting Calc Spreadsheets to Other Formats. Using Navigator to Move Within and Between Documents. Searching and Replacing.

19. Data Entry and Formatting.

Entering Text and Numbers. Filling. AutoInputting Text. Using and Creating Value Lists. Changing Enter Key Direction. Working With Columns and Rows. Jazzing Up Spreadsheets with AutoFormat. Quick Cell Formatting. Applying Formatting and Security Using the Cell Attributes Window. Page Setup. Controlling Spreadsheet Layout and Scrolling. Power Formatting with Styles and Templates.

20. Calculating and Manipulating Data.

About Spreadsheet Calculations. Formula Basics. Entering Formulas Manually. Using the Function AutoPilot. Using Cell References. Updating Calculations. Sorting Data. Filtering Data. Conditional Formatting. Controlling Content and Formatting When Pasting Data. Combining Cells. Combining Sheets and Linking to Other Spreadsheets. Using Form Controls to Enter Values. Tips for Using Spreadsheets. Troubleshooting Spreadsheets.

21. Adding Objects to Spreadsheets.

Charts. Drop-Down Lists, Buttons, and Other Controls. Graphics and Drawings. Mathematical Formulas. Floating Frames. Updating Links to Graphics and Objects.

22. Useful Spreadsheet Tools.

Protecting Cells From Modification. Controlling Valid Entries. Using Scenarios. Using Goal Seek. Outlining. Naming Spreadsheet Areas. Pointing to Cell References and Errors. Value Highlighting. Conditional Formatting.

23. Version Control and Editing Tools.

Keeping Incremental Versions of Documents. Recording and Showing Changes. Using Notes.

24. Printing in Calc.

Printing a Spreadsheet. Things that Control Spreadsheet Printing. Printing a Mail Merge from Data in a Spreadsheet. Choosing What Sheets to Print. Repeating Spreadsheet Headings (Rows or Columns) on Each Page. Setting a Print Range. Selecting Spreadsheet Elements to Print. Page Size and Numbering. Keeping Specific Cells from Printing. Reducing or Increasing the Number of Pages the Spreadsheet Prints On. Printing to PostScript and PDF. Printer and Font Setup.

V. IMPRESS.

25. Creating Presentations.

Quick Start. Creating a New Presentation. Opening Existing Presentations. Setting Up Impress to Make Creating and Opening Presentations Easier. Creating and Modifying Templates. Using Master Views, Foreground/Background Views, and Layers. Controlling Workspace Display.

26. Developing Presentations.

Using the Navigator to Move Among Slides. Organizing Presentations. Adding Text. Formatting Text. Text Effects. Creating Organizational Charts. Modifying Presentation Default Fonts. Using Text and Object Styles. Adding Charts, Pictures, and Objects. Presentation Backgrounds. Headers and Footers.

27. Advanced Presentation Tools.

Adding Movement, Sound, and Special Effects to Objects and Text in Slides. Making Objects or Text Move Along a Path. Making Effects Run on Two or More Objects Simultaneously. How Effects Are Applied to Text. Interaction Effects: Run Macros and More. Animated GIFs. Applying Slide Transition Effects. Creating Custom Presentations. Harmless Pranks.

28. Delivering and Printing Presentations.

Adding Notes and Creating Handouts. Timing Automatic Presentations. Delivering a Presentation. Changing Presentation File Format. Creating an HTML Version of Your Presentation. Printing in Impress.

VI. DRAWING AND IMAGE EDITING.

29. Creating Drawings.

Quick Start. Creating and Opening Draw Files. Page Setup. Templates and Styles. Graphics and Color Setup. Adding Clip Art from the Gallery. Creating and Formatting Basic Objects. Creating and Formatting Lines. Working With Text. Positioning and Resizing Objects. Rotating and Flipping Objects. Setting Drawing Scale and Unit of Measurement. Exporting Drawings to Other Formats.

30. Advanced Drawing Tools.

About Draw's Advanced Features. Creating Your Own Lines and Arrows. Creating and Categorizing Fills and Lines. Creating Technical Drawings with Dimension Lines and Connectors. Working With Bezier Curves. Modifying and Creating Colors. Creating and Modifying Gradients, Hatches, and Bitmaps. Creating Three-Dimensional Objects. Adding Other Files or Objects to Drawings. Making Exact and Modified Copies. Distorting and Curving Text and Objects with the Effects Tools. Distorting and Curving Text Using FontWork. Converting Text to 3D and Applying Formatting. Morphing One Object Into Another Using Cross-Fading. Converting Objects to Different Types. Combining Shapes and Creating Lines from Objects.

31. Editing Images.

Changing Colors, Contrast, and Intensity. Deleting and Cropping an Image. Applying Effects to Modify Graphics' Appearance. Exporting to Other Raster Formats.

32. Printing Drawings and Images.

Finding Printing Procedures. Fitting the Content to the Page. Printing Options Setup. Selecting Options in Print Warning Dialog. Printing a Drawing.

VI. STORED DATA FIELDS, DATA SOURCES, AND FORMS.

33. Overview of Database Connection Features.

StarOffice, OpenOffice.org, and Databases. The Databases You Can Connect To. All the Ways You Can Create Stored Data and Bring It into Documents.

34. Setting Up Stored Data in Fields and AutoText.

Creating and Using Fields. Creating and Inserting AutoText.

35. Creating and Modifying Data Sources.

What to Do in This Chapter. Understanding Data Sources and Completing a Tutorial. Preparing to Create Data Sources. Creating Data Sources. Creating and Modifying Tables. Bringing New Data into a New or Existing Table. Creating Queries. Sorting and Filtering Information in the Data Source Viewer. Exporting Data Sources to Another Format. Editing Data in Data Sources Using the Data Source Viewer.

36. Creating and Using Forms, Controls, and Events.

Forms, What Are They Good For? Creating a Form Using AutoPilot. Basics for Creating a Form on Your Own. Form Modification Basics. Adding and Replacing Controls. Using Forms to View Data. Using Forms for Data Entry.

Appendix: Macros.

What's in This Appendix. Finding Macros and Macro Information. Macro Basics. Migrating Macros. Guided Tour. Macro Setup Options. Organizing Your Macros. Running Macros. Opening and Editing Macros. Adding a Macro to a Document.

Index.

Preface

Preface

Note - See Top Ten Reasons to Use StarOffice or OpenOffice.org on page 5.

It used to be that the saying "You get what you pay for" ranked up there with such indisputable truths as, "What goes up must come down," "Water is wet," and "I had to restart Windows today." But since StarOffice is a miniscule $75 at the time we write this book, "you get what you pay for" is not only disputable, but just plain false. Plus OpenOffice.org beats that-it's free.

Sun Microsystems' StarOffice is a full-featured, remarkably good office suite that matches Microsoft Word program for program, and goes a giant step further with a great graphics program. StarOffice's applications for working with documents, spreadsheets, slide presentations, web sites, graphics, and databases make StarOffice or OpenOffice.org the best office suite choice, hands down.

Create a Web site start-to-finish (along with graphics, animations, and image maps). Open your old WordStar files from college and your WordPerfect files from your first job. Scrape your jaw on the ground when you see how small the file sizes are.

What goes up must come down. Water is wet. StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice.org are spectacular (the reviewers on Amazon think so too), and have a bunch of enhancements over StarOffice 5.2. We spent time in a few of Sun's usability sessions, between 5.2 and 6.0, and we're satisfied and impressed that Sun incorporated a lot of crucial feedback.

(And yes, I really did have to restart Windows today.)

Microsoft Office Compatibility

StarOffice is particularly strong in its ability to open Microsoft Office file formats and save the documents back as Microsoft Office files. It even boasts an AutoPilot that automatically converts entire directories of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents and their templates to StarOffice formats.

What It Runs On

StarOffice runs on Windows, Linux, Lindows, and Solaris. The OpenOffice.org group is working on versions for Mac OSX, FreeBSD, and other platforms.

About This Book

This is a book that lets you find what you need quickly and get it done. This isn't a book for "dummies", with epic-length procedures for cutting and pasting. On the other hand, we don't include extensive details on those sexy technical issues like mime types and LDAP

We wrote the book that we would want: all the important stuff, but nothing too basic or technically impractical for the intermediate user (and with a little humor along the way). We also talked to hundreds of new StarOffice and OpenOffice.org users, so we were able to document what people really need to do.

Reading Is Fundamental

If you're like most intermediate users, you already know enough to be dangerous, which means you'll probably just dive in and try to do things in StarOffice without any help. Sometimes that strategy works, other times it doesn't. If it doesn't, read the relevant sections in this book.

For instance, one of the most frequently asked questions is "How do I print spreadsheet headings on every page?" The answer has been in this book all along. Go read Repeating Spreadsheet Headings (Rows or Columns) on Each Page on page 628.

We also indexed the living daylights out of this book, so use the Index, too, particularly a little entry we like to call "troubleshooting."

What Now?

You can get more info on StarOffice and OpenOffice.org in Chapter 1, Introduction to StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice 1.0, on page 3. You'll find the top ten reasons to use StarOffice and OpenOffice.org, essentials about each program, the new features, and tips for you Microsoft Office users on switching over.

Download and install StarOffice or OpenOffice.org if you haven't already. See Chapter 2, Installation, on page 19 for more information.

Go through Chapter 5, Setup and Tips, on page 97. It gives you an overview of the StarOffice work environment and shows you lots of useful things that will help you no matter which StarOffice applications you're using.

Use the tutorials. We've included something for those of you who like to plunge in quickly and get your hands dirty, without reading all the procedures ahead of time. At the beginning of most major parts of the book, there's a section called Quick Start that contains a Guided Tour. The guided tour leads you through specific steps that will help you get to know a lot of the features for each product, including features you probably won't come across while just exploring, as well as few tips that will make using StarOffice and OpenOffice.org a breeze.

Don't panic!

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