OpenOffice.org Training, Tips, and Ideas

Using the OpenOffice.org Data Form extension to enter information in spreadsheets

Let's say that you've got a spreadsheet where you need to enter a lot of information. Here's one example, but let's say that you have lots of fields, aka lots of columns, and you have to scroll around a lot to enter the data.

What if there were a bit of an easier way to enter the data?

It's the Data Form extension. Download and install the Data Form extension here:

http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/DataForm

Download the file.

Then install that extension file.

After installation close both OpenOffice.org and the Quickstarter (the icon in the traybar), and start OpenOffice.org again.

Then set up the data like this, get it going.

Then click somewhere in the data, not a blank cell, and choose Data > Form. The data entry form will appear.

Remember to install extensions for OpenOffice.org

The flexibility of open source, and the handy Extensions system, lets the community write functionality for OpenOffice.org without having to make it part of the main program.

I love extensions. If you haven't looked at them, check them out. Installation is insanely easy, and I consider several of them essential:

• Import/Export to Zoho or Googledocs
• PDF Editor
• Pagination extension that lets you easily put no page number on the first page and page numbers on the 2nd and subsequent pages. (Here's my loopily excited blog about it.)
• You might also want to check out the Sun report writer extension -- very powerful but I haven't used it yet. Here's my blog on it.

Here's everything I've written about extensions--at least, everything I've written about extensions that I've categorized that way.

Here's the specific blog on how to install extensions.

Installing Extensions in OpenOffice.org

Installing extensions is pretty easy. Download the extension.

Then in OpenOffice.org, choose Tools > Extension Manager.

Select My Extensions and click Add.

 

Find the extension file you downloaded.

An installation process runs, and you’ll see Enabled next to the extension. For some extensions, you’ll need to restart OpenOffice.org.

To use it, look for a new menu, new menu items, new toolbars, or all three. Often there's a toolbar or menu called Add-On.

Updated the 10th: An Impress PDF presentation on OpenOffice.org 3.0 features

I created this presentation  for a client, about the 3.0 features in OpenOffice.org. I'm going to do a more detailed article but I thought I would post this since I've done it. Here's the solver.ods spreadsheet you can use to fiddle with.

I got pretty excited about some of them, especially the 3-up layout with lines already in there, and the far easier Impress handout printing.

And for those who like a good cross-reference, you don't need to create them first; you can just point to a heading in a list and select it, to make the cross-reference.

Also very exciting is the PDF editing, which does some very Adobe Acrobat type things. It's in an extension you can get here.

In the words of Douglas Adams, share and enjoy!

Is anyone writing extensions for OpenOffice.org envelopes?

We've got the extension library full of great stuff. Notably, lately, the fabulous pagination extension that makes "no page number on first page" so easy.

Envelopes are something else that I get a lot of questions on.

Is anyone out there working on making envelopes easier with a nice extension? I've been told that the approach to envelopes used in Corel WordPerfect is a good, simple approach.

If there's something out there already, or if anyone's going to write something, let me know when it's done and I'll shout it from the virtual rooftops!

 

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You want this extension for yourself and everyone you know who uses OpenOffice Writer: the easy "no page number on first page" option and much, much more.

Charles Brunet, thank you. The people who created the extension capability for OpenOffice.org, thank you.

I've been longing, for years, for a simple "no page number on first page" checkbox.  This is great. I'm only sorry I didn't see it til today.

Everybody, now, click here to get the extension. IT folks, get this extension now for all your users.

1. Download the extension.

2. In OpenOffice.org, choose Tools > Extension Manager, select My Extensions.

3. Click Add.

4. Find the downloaded extension file.

5. Restart OpenOffice.org.

6. In any Writer document, choose Insert Page Number.

7. You'll get this window with its many clear, useful options. The headers and footers are inserted automatically if you choose them, and you can choose the page number style. And, of course, there's the wonderful "no page number on first page" option.

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Sun Presentation Minimizer for OpenOffice or StarOffice

I came across this a few days ago on Lifehacker.

"Windows/Mac/Linux: With pictures, videos, and high-resolution fonts, slideshows can make up some pretty big files—fine if you've got a large enough thumb drive or CD-R, but what if you have to email them? Sun Presentation Manager, a free extension for OpenOffice, shrinks down files by compressing graphics, deleting hidden slides, and creating static versions of linked objects. It works similar to the PowerPoint-based PPTminimizer, but without the $40 fee and exclusive Office platform—you can use the extension on either OpenOffice files or imported PowerPoint projects. Sun Presentation Manager is a free download, and requires OpenOffice 2.3 or StarOffice 8 or later."

http://lifehacker.com/350774/shrink-powerpointopenoffice-slides-with-sun-presentation-minimizer

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Grammar checker addon for OpenOffice Writer

There isn't a built-in grammar checker. If you want to add one, here's a grammar checker extension, one of the many on the extensions page for OpenOffice.org.

Once you download it, choose Tools > Extension Manager to install it.

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Google Docs Extension for OpenOffice

There's a nice little extension for OpenOffice.org that lets you quickly upload your document to your googledocs account. Click here to get it.

Installing the extension gives you this toolbar, as well as a Google Docs menu.

 

Click it to get this window; just enter the appropriate information.

 

Your document will be automatically uploaded to your account in Google. It works pretty nicely.

Installation

Installing extensions is pretty easy. Download the extension. Then choose Tools > Extension Manager. Select My Extensions and click Add.

 

Find the extension file you downloaded, an installation process runs, and you’ll see Enabled next to the extension. For some extensions, you’ll need to restart. Look for a new menu, new menu items, new toolbars, or all three.

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Sun Report Builder Extension

Anyone who's worked with the OpenOffice.org Base report writer knows that it's....a first generation product. It works but it doesn't have huge features. So I’m particularly glad to see some work being done with reports, in the new Report Builder extension from Sun.

http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/    for all extensions

http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/reportdesign   for the Sun Report Builder

The Report Builder extension looks like it has a lot of powerful features, though not exactly easy to see how to use. I’ve spent a few hours with it and one thing that bugs me a bit is that the tab for selecting the data source for the report disappears if you click on something else first. Ease of use aside, though, it does have quite a feature set, including grouped records, sorting of records, different alignment of text fields, and calculations.

I'm going to have to spend a lot more time with this to really figure it out and give some procedures, but here's a short tour of the basics.

To use the Sun Report Writer extension, download and install it first. (Tools > Extension Manager). Then open the .odb database file for the database you want to create a report for. Choose Insert > Report, and you’ll see the report writer interface.

 

This is the tab that disappears too quickly. Select Table or another type of data, then select the actual source. Once you make that selection, the Add Field palette appears; use it to drag fields onto the appropriate section of the report.
   

Click the Sorting and Grouping icon on the toolbar to get this window where you have a lot of control over how the fields and the report behave.

 

When you’ve dragged fields onto the report, set options, inserted page numbers, and done other formatting, save the report. The report will show up in the Reports area of the main editing windows of the .odb database file.

 

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