LINUX Applications OpenOffice.org Learning Red Hat Enterprise Linux & Fedora, 4th Edition By Bill McCarty, 2004

OpenOffice.org is a desktop suite OpenOffice.org functionally resembles Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org can perform many of the functions performed by Microsoft Office includes features not found in Microsoft Office. you can share documents with Microsoft Office and other popular applications The distinctive advantage of a desktop suite is its component applications are designed to work together. have a similar look and feel

OpenOffice.org Package Includes Word processor Writer Spreadsheet Calc Drawing Program Draw Presentation manager Impress

Writer: OpenOffice.org Word Processor Launch via the Office menu item You can type text in the middle area of the window style text highlight the text format the text using Stylist double-click on a style in the Stylist. pressing F11 or choosing Format Stylist Create document files in PDF

Writer Window

Creating a PDF Document To create a PDF document, prepare and save your document as usual. Then choose File Printer Settings. The Printer Setup dialog box appears Choose PDF converter from the Name list box and click OK. Then, choose File=> Print. When the Print dialog box appears, review the Options and Properties as necessary and then click OK. The PDF document is created and stored as a file in your home directory.

Writer: Other features AutoPilot Choose File =>AutoPilot. From the submenu, choose the type of document you want to compose, such as a fax, agenda, web page, or form. AutoPilot will assist you in composing the document. Address Book Choose File=> Template=> Address Book Source. Writer can access and obtain names, addresses, and other information from Netscape or Mozilla address book, an LDAP or SQL database, or other data sources Navigator Choose Edit=>Navigator. The Navigator helps you find bookmarks, sections, hyperlinks, references, indexes, and notes. It's especially helpful when working on a large document.

Calc: The OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet Calc resembles Microsoft Excel many of Calc's keyboard shortcuts are identical to those used by Excel Calc can produce tables, graphs, and charts. send your work product to a printer or write it as a PDF document. obtain data from databases and other external sources

Calc Window

Interesting Calc features Detective Select a cell. Choose Tools=>Detective. Then, choose from the submenu. Calc will show you cells that determine the value of the selected cell (Precedents), cells with values determined by the selected cell (Dependents), or other relationships

Interesting Calc features Goal Seek Select a cell. Choose Tools=>Goal Seek. Specify a target value. Specify a precedent cell as the Variable cell. by typing the cell's name or by clicking the cell. Click OK. Calc determines the value of the variable cell causes the selected cell to have the specified target value and offers to enter the value in the variable cell.

Interesting Calc features Subtotals Select a block of cells in which the left column designates an entity such as a department and the right column or columns designate characteristics of the entity such as sales, sales returns, and net sales Choose Data Subtotals. On the 1st Group tab, enable the checkboxes associated with the right column or columns. Click the left column name and choose the function count. Click each right column name and choose the function Sum. Click OK. The block now includes subtotals and a grand total.

Interesting Calc features Input Validation Select a cell. Choose Data=>Validity. On the Criteria tab, specify rules that govern valid cell values. On the Error Alert tab, enable Show error message when invalid values are entered. Optionally, specify an action, title, and error message. Click OK. Enter an invalid value for the cell and press Enter. Calc presents a dialog box warning you that the value is invalid.

Draw: Drawing Program of OpenOffice.org Draw has no panel icon. Launch Draw by choosing Office=> Draw from the main menu Draw enables you to draw two- and three-dimensional objects, specify their color and other characteristics. move, align, and manipulate your objects to arrive at a complete composition. create graphics to incorporate into documents prepared using other OpenOffice.org applications You can save your work product as a GIF, JPEG, PNG, or in many other popular graphics formats.

Draw's main window

Impress: The Presentation Manager resembles to Microsoft PowerPoint Launch Draw by choosing Office=>Impress from the main menu When you launch Impress for the first time, it fires up AutoPilot to lead you through creating a presentation. You can manually launch AutoPilot from the File menu AutoPilot lets you specify the presentation medium paper, slides, and so on and select a presentation template, slide design, and slide transition

Impress's main window

Templates, Creating Slide & Support Video Currently, Impress is distributed without templates. A few templates are available on the OpenOffice.org web site http://www.openoffice.org To create a slide, click Insert Slide, which brings up the Insert Slide dialog box Select the desired layout and click OK. An empty slide appears in the window, ready for your customization Impress lacks support for video clips

The Insert Slide dialog box

some fun with Impress Effects Create a geometric shape, such as a filled circle, within a slide Select the shape and choose Slide Show=>Effects Choose the Favorites menu and click one of the effects Click the Assign button click the Preview button to see how your effect looks

some fun with Impress Interaction Create a geometric shape, such as a filled circle Choose Slide Show=>Interaction Use the Action at mouse click list to associate an action, such as playing a sound, with the shape

some fun with Impress Animation To create animations To assemble the shapes into an animation, select the first shape and choose Slide Show Animation. Click the Apply Object button select the second shape and click Apply Object Repeat this procedure for the third and subsequent shapes Click the VCR Play button to view your animation. When you're satisfied with the animation, click Create to place it in your slide as an animated GIF

End of Chapter LINUX Applications