Using the Gallery to Set Up Frequently Used Images for UML Diagrams, D&D Maps, and Anything Illustrated

Note: One great source for images is http://www.openclipart.org/.

I've talked about a few things so far in this series on Draw that will give you some pretty decent power for creating flow charts, UML diagrams, and just plain pretty pictures.

• Making your own line ends, including unfilled arrows for UML diagrams
• A grand day out with Draw--getting to know all the new 2.0 features
• 3D extravaganza with Draw

Here's another step that will help the diagram folks in particular.

OpenOffice.org 2.0 has many great prefab shapes but none of them is of a server cluster. What do you do? Other software packages have all the prefab symbols, images, graphics, etc. that you could want. Mmm....feeling the dark side of the force tempting me to come back to Visio...mmm....

 

No need. You can just get the images you need and put'em in OpenOffice.org.

 

We're not going to go into detail and talk about copyright law--let's just say you've got all the rights you need to all the images you're going to use.

 

You collect all the images you want to use in your diagrams in the gallery. Turn on the gallery with the Gallery icon (shows in the top of your work area typically in Writer, and the bottom in Draw).

Then just find the category you want, and drag any of the images into your document. Once it's there you can resize it or do whatever you want. (Click the thumbnail to see a slightly larger image, for this and any other images that are a little small.)

So I'll walk through how this is done.

Adding Images to the Gallery

Let's say you do a lot of system diagrams and it's just not working for you to draw all the symbols from scratch. Go find the images you need; on the Internet, in other documents, whatever. Save them all in a directory called diagramsymbols, or something.

 

Start up OpenOffice.org; we'll do this in Draw. Click the Gallery icon to view the gallery.

 

OpenOffice.org comes with a predefined empty theme called My Theme. Theme is just a directory, basically.

Select it, right-click and choose Properties to rename it and put files in it.

Note: You could click New Theme and get the same results.

 

You'll see the theme definition window. In the General tab, give the theme a good name like Network Symbols. (Click the thumbnail to see a slightly larger image, for this and any other images that are a little small.)

   

Click the Files tab, where you'll add files to the them. The quickest way is to just click the Find Files button.

 

Navigate to the directory where your network symbol graphics are, and just select that directory, not files inside it.

 

Back in the theme definition window, you must also click Add All.

 

The files will be added, so just click OK in the theme definition window once that's done.

Note: To add just one at a time, you would click Add  in the theme definition window, and then navigate to a specific file.

Add the Pictures by Dragging

 

Now you've got pictures in your theme, and you can drag them into any document in Writer, Draw, Impress, or Calc.

In another post, I'll show how to take the gallery, the line ends you've defined, and a little fairy dust (if desired) to create complex diagrams.

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Comments

[Carlton]

Hey, that little tutorial was interesting as I have recently converted to OpenOffice and starting to use things other than Writer and Calc. Is there a repository that you would recommend for this sort of thing as I would like to also use them for something I am working on.

[Solveig]

Hi Carlton,

"Is there a repository that you would recommend for this sort of thing as I would like to also use them for something I am working on."

I'm not much of an expert on tools like that--I just keep my graphics in directories, generally. ;> Named so that I can find them, but that's it.

Glad the tutorial was interesting. I still plan to get out "UML Distilled" and create a few diagrams to prove that it can be done. Presuming, of course, that it can be done.... ;>

~ Solveig

[Carlton (again) :)]

Sorry my bad, I read what I wrote and it doesn't actually make sense...ha ha. I meant to say is there a website which you would recommend looking at in order to get hold hold of the graphics that you used in your article?

Thanks,
C

[Solveig]

Hi Carlton,

"I meant to say is there a website which you would recommend looking at in order to get hold hold of the graphics that you used in your article?"

Ah! I see. ;> I'm used to hearing from people who have use far more complex tools and systems than I do so I made that assumption about your comment.

I haven't found any recommendable sites yet, but I imagine I'll come up with some when I do the UML Proof article. It depends on whether one is doing electrical stuff or UML or architecture or who knows what. I'll try to list an array of sites in the UML article.

~ Solveig

[Robert Brians]

Hi,
In additon to my microprocessor implementation seminars I have offerred to teach a free class to middle students at a local school. I can't seem to use a background from writers gallery and then put text ON the background. In other words I want a textured background with the text on it. I will investigate you book.

Quite Cordially Robert Brians near Hollister California

[Daniel Feiglin]

How do you
1. Import the MS Word clipart?
2. Import MS cil format clipart archives previously installed to MS Word? (Same for individual clipart files in wmf format.)

[Solveig]

Hi Daniel,

I'm not familiar with the format of the graphics in Word clipart. If it can be accessed as a group of jpgs, gifs, etc. then you follow the directions in this post. You might mail a Word site to determine how to get Word clipart into standard graphics format.

Solveig

[Rav]

Very unhelpful

[Thailand]

Hi Carlton
Thx for this assertion. Very usefull! I´ve check it out ( step by step), and i improved alot of "peanuts". I hope you would keep it on, i need more backup on this problems.It finally sunk in, but there would be new challenges.
Greets,Thailand

[Tasche]

You can define the printing preferences for an individual UML diagram or for all new UML diagrams that you create.

[Webverzeichnis]

Hi Daniel,

I'm not familiar with the format of the graphics in Word clipart. If it can be accessed as a group of jpgs, gifs, etc. then you follow the directions in this post. You might mail a Word site to determine how to get Word clipart into standard graphics format.

Solveig

[Tom , Ballontiere]

Hello,
thanks a lot for all the useful hints on you site,
keep on doing,
greetings from germany
Tom

[Schwarzenbeker]

I meant to say is there a website which you would recommend looking at in order to get hold hold of the graphics that you used in your article?