OpenOffice.org OpenOffice - 3.0 Quick Start Guide download pdf (Page 122)

Using master documents

Master documents are typically used for producing long documents

such as a book, a thesis, or a long report; or when different people are

writing different chapters or other parts of the full document, so you

don’t need to share files. A master document joins separate text

documents into one larger document, and unifies the formatting, table

of contents (ToC), bibliography, index, and other tables or lists.

Yes, master documents do work in Writer. However, until you become

familiar with them, you may think that master documents are

unreliable or difficult to use. See Chapter 13 (Working with Master

Documents) in the

Writer Guide

Creating fill-in forms

A standard text document displays information: a letter, report, or

brochure, for example. Typically the reader may edit everything or

nothing in any way. A form has sections that are not to be edited, and

other sections that are designed for the reader to make changes. For

example, a questionnaire has an introduction and questions (which do

not change) and spaces for the reader to enter answers.

Forms are used in three ways:

• To create a simple document for the recipient to complete, such

as a questionnaire sent out to a group of people who fill it in and

return it.

• To link into a database or data source and allow the user to enter

information. Someone taking orders might enter the information

for each order into a database using a form.

• To view information held in a database or data source. A librarian

might call up information about books.

Writer offers several ways to fill information into a form, including

check boxes, option buttons, text boxes, pull-down lists and spinners.

See Chapter 15 (Using Forms in Writer) in the

Writer Guide

Using fields

Fields are extremely useful features of Writer. They are used for data

that changes in a document (such as the current date or the total

number of pages) and for inserting document properties such as name,

author, and date of last update. Fields are the basis of cross-

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OpenOffice.org OpenOffice - 3.0 Quick Start Guide Page 122