Difference between revisions of "Documentation/UserGuide/Formatting"

Revision as of 18:55, 24 June 2014

Introduction

In Apache OpenOffice, it is possible to apply formatting to your documents in one of two different ways. You can choose to do so directly through the use of menus and toolbars, or you can make use of styles and templates.

To a new user, it may seem easier to format a document directly, applying formatting only as needed. However, this can be a repetitive task, and problematic especially when working with longer documents. You can save yourself a lot of time and trouble by using styles and templates, which cause your document to follow predefined formatting rules. While this may seem complex at first glance, it is actually an easy-to-learn tool that affords a great deal of flexibility and consistency in authoring documents.

Styles can be used in all Apache OpenOffice programs with the exception of Apache Math.

Understanding Styles

Let's look at a text document to better understand how styles work.

Suppose we've written a long report that is divided into chapters (let's call these chapter headings). We need the chapter headings to be displayed in a particular sans serif font (like Liberation Sans, Arimo, or Arial). We also need these headings to be displayed in large, bold text. At the same time, we want the rest of our text to be displayed in a smaller, serif font (Tinos, Times, or similar).

While it is possible to accomplish this with direct formatting, two problems arise: one of consistency (remembering to use the exact same font size and font face each time) and one of maintenance. What happens if you decide you need the body of your report to be displayed in a different typeface, or that you need your chapter headings to be slightly smaller? If you've applied the formatting directly, you'll need to do a lot of work.

This is where styles come in. Suppose that instead of setting the chapter heading's formatting as "Liberation Sans, 16 point, bold, centered, five millimeters before the paragraph, three after..." we just use "Heading 1", and instead of setting our body formatting to "Liberation Serif, 11 points, justified..." we just use "Body Text" having defined beforehand the specific parameters of these two styles.

In this way, the administration of document becomes much simpler. For example, to change the font used for all chapter headings, we only need to modify the definition of "Heading 1"; this change will then be reflected throughout our document.

Beyond this, styles can provide a lot more than just consistency and ease of administration. They permit the creation of an automatic table of contents, numbered chapters, the setting of colors, insertion of symbols, and more.

Adding Styles to your Document

You can create, edit, and apply styles to your document through the 'Styles and Formatting' panel. This is accessed through one of the following methods:

Method 1:

• Format → Styles and Formatting

Method 2:

• Press F11
• The 'Styles and Formatting' panel will appear

Method 3:

• Open the 'Styles and Formatting' panel as an option through the Sidebar[1]

With the panel open

1. Right click anywhere inside the 'Styles and Formatting' panel
2. Select “New” or “Modify”

You will then be presented with a large selection of options, the best way to learn is to experiment and set up one according to your own preferences.

Templates

Once a style has been defined, it can be saved in a file called a "Template" for future use in additional documents. This easily allows for consistency to persist across documents or projects.

File → Templates → Save will save a copy of the current document as a template that we can use for a new document by New → Templates and documents → Templates and double clicking on the needed template.

Template:Documentation/Note

It is possible to go further and set our preferred template as the default template for all documents. To do so:

• File → Templates → Organize
  • double click "My Templates"
  • select the required template
  • click the  Commands  button
  • select "Set as Default Template."

Template:Documentation/Tip

To modify an existing template:

• File → Templates → Edit
• Double click template file

Alternate Method:

• File → Templates → Organize
  • Double click My Templates
  • Select template from list
  • Select Edit under  Commands .

Once the changes are ready, save the document as a normal document.

Template:Documentation/Note