Proposal for major revision of Getting Started Guide

Insert the macros material intact as a chapter into the Writer Guide or other guides, based upon my assumption that most users do not read GS in the first place.

Here is my proposal for the new table of contents:

Chapter 1 Introducing OpenOffice.org
What is OpenOffice.org?
The advantages of OpenOffice.org
Minimum requirements
How to get the software
How to install the software
Extensions and add-ons
How to get help
Starting OpenOffice.org
Parts of the main window
What are all these things called?
Starting a new document
Using a template to create a document
Opening an existing document
Saving a document
Renaming and deleting files
Using the Open and Save As dialogs
Using the Navigator
Undoing and redoing changes
Creating hyperlinks
Closing a document
Closing OpenOffice.org
Accessibility features
Using OOo without a mouse
Using OpenOffice.org on a Mac

Chapter 2 Using Styles and Templates
What are styles and templates? Why use them?
Examples of style use
Applying styles
Managing styles: create, modify
Creating a template
Editing a template
Setting a default template

Chapter 3 Getting Started with Writer
What is Writer?
The Writer interface
Changing document views
Moving quickly through a document
Working with documents
Working with text
Formatting text
Formatting pages
Adding comments to a document
Creating a table of contents
Creating indexes and bibliographies
Working with graphics
Printing
Using mail merge
Tracking changes to a document
Using fields
Linking to another part of a document
Using master documents
Creating fill-in forms

Chapter 4 Getting Started with Calc
What is Calc?
Spreadsheets, sheets and cells
Parts of the main Calc window
Opening and saving CSV files
Navigating within spreadsheets
Selecting items in a sheet or spreadsheet
Working with columns and rows
Working with sheets
Viewing Calc
Entering data using the keyboard
Speeding up data entry
Sharing content between sheets
Validating cell contents
Editing data
Formatting data
Autoformatting cells and sheets
Formatting spreadsheets using themes
Using conditional formatting
Hiding and showing data
Sorting records
Printing

Chapter 5 Getting Started with Impress
What is Impress?
Starting Impress
Parts of the main Impress window
Workspace views
Creating a new presentation
Formatting a presentation
Adding and formatting text
Adding pictures, tables, charts and media
Working with slide masters and styles
Adding comments to a presentation
Setting up the slide show
Running the slide show

Chapter 6 Getting Started with Draw
What is Draw?
The Draw workspace
Choosing and defining colors
Positioning objects with snap functions
Positioning objects with guiding lines
The basic drawing shapes
Drawing geometric shapes
Selection modes
Selecting objects
Moving and dynamically adjusting an object’s size
Editing objects
Using styles
Special effects
Combining multiple objects
Aids for positioning objects
Inserting and editing pictures
Working with 3D objects
Exporting graphics
Adding comments to a drawing

Chapter 7 Printing, Exporting, and E‑mailing
Introduction
Quick printing
Controlling printing
Exporting to PDF
Exporting to other formats
E-mailing documents
Digital signing of documents
Removing personal data

Chapter 8 Graphics, the Gallery, and Fontwork
Introduction
Adding images to a document
Modifying and positioning graphics
Managing the OpenOffice.org Gallery
Creating an image map
Using OOo’s drawing tools
Using Fontwork

Chapter 9 Setting up and Customizing OpenOffice.org
Introduction
Choosing options for all of OOo
Choosing options for loading and saving documents
Choosing language settings
Choosing Internet options
Controlling OOo’s AutoCorrect functions
Customizing menu content
Customizing toolbars
Assigning shortcut keys
Assigning macros to events
Adding functionality with extensions

Appendix Open Source, Open Standards, OpenDocument
Introduction
A short history of OpenOffice.org
The OpenOffice.org community
How is OpenOffice.org licensed?
What is “open source”?
What are “open standards”?
What is OpenDocument?
Frequently asked questions
File formats OOo can open
File formats OOo can save to
Exporting to other formats

Index

Good idea. Writer Guide. (Calc Guide already has its own chapter on
macros in spreadsheets.)

I am also working on a proposal for changes to the Writer Guide and will
include the Macros chapter somewhere in that proposal.

--Jean

Based on my experience as a K-12 teacher a decade ago, I know that kids do not bother to read texts, even if assigned as homework. So, users will do as much as they can on their own before consulting the online help or user guides.

One reason for low book sales is that much fewer users will bother to read books nowadays.

Gary

Hi Jean,

The references to "OpenOffice.org" should obviously be "LibreOffice.org", right?

I would suggest that macros should be covered in a totally independent
volume, not simply as a chapter in the Writer guide.

I also feel that Base should stay covered in the Getting Started
guide, even though it is certainly much less used than the other apps.
It *is* part of the suite, it does actually have enormous potential,
and should certainly be brought to the attention of new users.

On the other hand, it might be interesting to have an appendix on
integrating e-mail into LibreOffice, using one of the various great OS
e-mail clients on the market.

Hi,

I would suggest that macros should be covered in a totally independent
volume, not simply as a chapter in the Writer guide.

More precisely, macros need to get coverage in the Getting Started
guide and other guides, but deserve a dedicated guide on the subject
going into the subject in full detail.

Hi Jean,

The references to "OpenOffice.org" should obviously be "LibreOffice.org", right?

Yup. The perils of copy and paste. :slight_smile:

I would suggest that macros should be covered in a totally independent
volume, not simply as a chapter in the Writer guide.

Well, Andrew Pitonyak has written "OOo Macros Explained" and is, I
believe, working on an update to that book, probably with a more generic
title. Disclosure: I was one of the technical editors for that book.

I also feel that Base should stay covered in the Getting Started
guide, even though it is certainly much less used than the other apps.
It *is* part of the suite, it does actually have enormous potential,
and should certainly be brought to the attention of new users.

Not necessarily at the level of detail of the current chapter, which is
excellent but far more tutorial than the rest of the book.

On the other hand, it might be interesting to have an appendix on
integrating e-mail into LibreOffice, using one of the various great OS
e-mail clients on the market.

Hmmm, yes, that is something many people want to do, isn't it? I never
think of that, since I would never use a word processor to write email,
though I know others do.

--Jean

As time permits I am working through an updated revision. With this entire OOo / LO thing, I think that I need to ask the artist to modify the cover art.... will wait until thing settle out to see what happens with the OOo name, Apache, and LO.

Riding the fence on what to do with this thing when I am done and how much extra stuff to add.

Hi :slight_smile:

Andrew, ODFauthors might be able to help with advice.

I think the eventual aim here is to reduce the amount of branding in
documentation so that most of the books can be quickly re-branded and thus be
used for both OOo and LO. Of course LibreOffice has more functionality so it's
likely to be easier to write the 1st version for LO. Then just delete some
sections, swap covers and maybe screen-shots to re-release for OOo.

Judging from recent questions in the Users List a macro's guide would be very
much appreciated soon. Apache are likely to have OpenOffice as an "Incubator
Project" for quite a long time while preparing it to be a proper Apache
project.

Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

Hi again :slight_smile:

I think Cover Art is something the Design Team here could do or are doing. It
might be worth asking them.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

HI :slight_smile:
I think Thunderbird rather than Evolution. Or even Claws! I have been
struggling with Evolution at work for last couple of weeks. Admittedly i
haven't been able to focus on it. The Evo mailing lists have a few mentions
that Thunderbird and even Claws would have been much easier to get working with
an MS Exchange Server. There has just been a new release of Evo but they need
more devs to iron out bugs and stuff i think. We might need to see if we can
push some of the new LO devs into helping at Evo. Their documentation makes
LO's look very solid and well finished (including the Base Guide!). I really
hope Thunderbird is better! Otherwise it might be worth ignoring the email side
of things!

Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

Hi :slight_smile:
I definitely agree that it makes sense to have brief coverage of relevant issues
in a guide even tho there is separate guide dedicated to the issues.

With macros there are likely to be issues that are fairly unique to each app.
Some things that people are likely to want to do in Calc are (hopefully) much
less relevant to Writer. How brief to keep that sort of thing is a tough
choice. Perhaps the introductory few paragraphs could be fairly similar in all
guides?

With Base documentation it might be great to copy that to the specifically Base
area and then cut the stuff that is in the Getting Started Guide?

As for email clients then i think we might need a disclaimer saying that they
are separate projects and then try to avoid corporate scenarios where they have
an MS Exchange Server. Perhaps just cover the simplest scenarios.

I think i am just re-stating what other people have said but it makes sense to
me and sounds like a good direction imo.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

Tom, this is also being discussed at ODFAuthors; Andrew is one of our
"macro gurus" and wrote "Getting Started with Macros" and the macro
chapter in the Calc Guide amongst other things -- including some helpful
macros for us.

In this case I can't see doing two editions of the book, unless LibO in
fact does have macro functionalities that OOo doesn't have. But that, of
course, is up to Andrew, the author.

Have you seen his website and his book? They are good resources for
people who want serious info on macros. (Shameless plug for Andrew)

http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
http://www.pitonyak.org/book/

--Jean

Hi Jean,

Have you seen his website and his book? They are good resources for
people who want serious info on macros. (Shameless plug for Andrew)

http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
http://www.pitonyak.org/book/

Just as a side remark, and hijacking this thread somewhat, it has always
amazed me how fragmented the market for books on OOo, and now LibO, has
been. From just the references I know of :

English language books : editors I have seen range from Lulu (individual
authoring), Sam's, the "for Dummies" series, probably a few others of
which I've not heard.

French language : a plethora of small publishing houses by different
authors, mostly OOo/LibO module-centric, e.g. Eyrolles is perhaps the
most well-known publisher. They also produce the excellent book on Macro
programming by Laurent Godard and Bernard Marcelly (in French only alas).

German language : books by Thomas Krumbein, covering each module of the
suite. There are others I have seen on my travels to Germany.

In my experience, it is fairly rare to see one editor publish in
multiple languages, the exception possibly being the "for Dummies" book.

I am at a loss to understand why this might be, after all, there are a
fair number of talented technical translators out there, but I suppose
that translation costs inevitably eat into editors' margins.

Alex

Hi Gary

Some schools do operate on a set programme, for example, at my primary school, although I teach French Second Language, I am in charge of teaching Word (Writer) basics to grades 4-5; PowerPoint (Impress) to grades 6,7 and until a couple years ago, our previous grade 7 teacher was in charge of teaching Excel (Calc) to grades 8 and advanced macros in preparation to high school. The "Getting Started Guide" would be a great addition to any Library collection for student referral/reference.

In my experience, there is still a small segment of the student population that do read manuals and they usually pass on their knowledge to others in their class.

I have thus far taught for 18 years as Math, Science and Technology consultant (primary and secondary schools); classroom teacher; computer classroom specialist and French Second Language specialist at various times during these years. I am presently off on disability for crushed spine and complications but hope to get back to class soon.

Cheers

Marc

I also think that Base should be covered, even if the information is sparse to start off with. The suite's modules should be covered. If they appear in the guide, then some of us will try it out or (in my case) present it to our students. I also realize that there are few who use the module which makes it hard to cover it, but if it can be covered, it would be nice.

Cheers

Marc

Hi Alex

Being new to the project (I have only been involved with LibreOffice and was not at OOo), from what I see, and, I'm sure that I am stating the obvious, it just looks like it is mostly for the lack of help. There are a few of the "front line" contributors outside of the dev team, and not enough of the (what I would call) "second line contributors" whose main task is to translate documentation into various languages. There are just too few people contributing. Plus, the front line contributors also take care of too many peripheral tasks that distract from their main contribution areas.

Cheers

Marc

I thought Alex was talking about commercial publishers (though he used
the term "editors"), who have their own criteria for deciding what might
sell enough to cover their costs and make a profit.

--Jean

Hi Jean,

I thought Alex was talking about commercial publishers (though he used
the term "editors"), who have their own criteria for deciding what might
sell enough to cover their costs and make a profit.

Indeed, publishing houses, as one might traditionally have considered
them before individual or small group publishing platforms became available.

Alex

Yes, sorry for the misunderstanding.

Cheers

Marc