Getting Started Guide 7.3

Chapter 4,
Getting Started with Writer
Word processing with LibreOfficeCopyrightThis document is Copyright © 2022 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors arelisted below. You may distribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU General
Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative
Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.
All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors
To this edition
Jean Hollis Weber

Kees Kriek

To previous editions
Jean Hollis Weber
Dave Barton
Paul Figueiredo

Steve Fanning
Jorge Rodríguez
Cathy Crumbley

Kees Kriek
Rafael Lima
Amanda Labby

Feedback
Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team’s
mailing list: documentation@global.libreoffice.org

Note
Everything you send to a mailing list, including your email address and any otherpersonal information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot
be deleted.

Publication date and software version
Published February 2022. Based on LibreOffice 7.3 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.

Using LibreOffice on macOS
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows andLinux. The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this document.
For a detailed list, see the application Help.
Windows or LinuxmacOS equivalent

EffectTools > Options
menu selection

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control+click or right-click
depending on computer setup

Open a context menu

Ctrl (Control)⌘ (Command)

Used with other keys

Alt

⌥ (Option) or Alt, dependingon keyboard

Used with other keys

F11

⌘+T

Open Styles deck in Sidebar

Documentation for LibreOffice is available at https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/Contents
Copyright............................................................................................................................2
Contributors.............................................................................................................................. 2
Feedback.................................................................................................................................. 2
Publication date and software version.......................................................................................2
Using LibreOffice on macOS.....................................................................................................2

What is Writer?..................................................................................................................6
The Writer interface...........................................................................................................6
Status bar.................................................................................................................................. 7
Sidebar..................................................................................................................................... 9
Properties deck.................................................................................................................... 9
Styles deck......................................................................................................................... 10
Gallery deck....................................................................................................................... 10
Navigator deck................................................................................................................... 10
Page deck.......................................................................................................................... 10
Style Inspector deck........................................................................................................... 11

Changing document views.............................................................................................11
Working with documents................................................................................................11
Saving as a Microsoft Word file...............................................................................................11
Exchanging documents with users of Apple Pages.................................................................12
Moving quickly through a document........................................................................................12
Using the Navigator............................................................................................................ 12
Using the Go to Page dialog...............................................................................................13

Working with text.............................................................................................................13
Selecting items that are not consecutive.................................................................................13
Selecting a vertical block of text..............................................................................................14
Cutting, copying, and moving text...........................................................................................15
Pasting text............................................................................................................................. 15
Finding and replacing text and formatting...............................................................................15
Using the Find toolbar........................................................................................................ 15
Using the Find and Replace dialog.....................................................................................16
Inserting special characters.....................................................................................................17
Inserting non-breaking spaces and hyphens...........................................................................18
Inserting en and em dashes....................................................................................................18
Checking spelling and grammar..............................................................................................19
Checking spelling and grammar automatically...................................................................19
Using the Spelling dialog....................................................................................................19
Checking grammar............................................................................................................. 20
Using synonyms and the thesaurus........................................................................................21
Using AutoCorrect................................................................................................................... 21
Using Word Completion.......................................................................................................... 22
Using AutoText........................................................................................................................ 22
Changing the case of selected text.........................................................................................23

Formatting text................................................................................................................24
Using styles is highly recommended.......................................................................................24
Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer | 3

Formatting paragraphs using styles........................................................................................24
Formatting paragraphs directly................................................................................................24
Removing direct formatting.................................................................................................25
Formatting characters using styles..........................................................................................25
Formatting characters directly.................................................................................................25
Formatting tables.................................................................................................................... 26
Autoformatting......................................................................................................................... 26
Creating lists with styles.......................................................................................................... 26
Creating unordered (bulleted) and ordered (numbered) lists..............................................26
Creating nested lists using styles.......................................................................................27
Creating lists with direct formatting.........................................................................................27
Creating unordered and ordered lists.................................................................................27
Creating nested lists...........................................................................................................28
Setting tab stops and indents..................................................................................................28
Changing the default tab stop interval.....................................................................................28
Changing measurement units for tab stops and rulers............................................................29
Hyphenating words................................................................................................................. 29
Automatic hyphenation using styles...................................................................................29
Setting hyphenation with Writing Aids.................................................................................30
Manual hyphenation...........................................................................................................30

Formatting pages............................................................................................................31
Creating headers and footers..................................................................................................31
Inserting a header or footer................................................................................................31
Displaying different headers on right and left pages...........................................................32
Determining header and footer appearance.......................................................................32
Inserting document title in headers and footers..................................................................33
Numbering pages.................................................................................................................... 33
Displaying the page number...............................................................................................33
Including the total number of pages....................................................................................33
Restarting page numbering................................................................................................33
Line numbering....................................................................................................................... 34
Changing page margins..........................................................................................................34
Choosing a page background.................................................................................................35
Adding a custom watermark to the page background.............................................................35
Defining a different first page for a document..........................................................................36

Adding comments to a document.................................................................................36
Formatting comments.............................................................................................................36
Navigating through comments.................................................................................................37
Printing comments..................................................................................................................37

Using built-in language tools.........................................................................................37
Options for applying languages...............................................................................................37
Using styles........................................................................................................................ 38
Using direct formatting.......................................................................................................38
Preventing text from being checked for spelling......................................................................38
Obtaining resources for additional languages.........................................................................38

Creating a table of contents...........................................................................................38
Creating indexes and bibliographies............................................................................39
4 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer

Using footnotes and endnotes.......................................................................................39
Inserting material from other documents.....................................................................40
Working with images (graphics)....................................................................................40
Working with tables.........................................................................................................40
Printing and exporting to PDF or EPUB........................................................................40
Using mail merge.............................................................................................................41
Tracking changes to a document..................................................................................41
Using fields......................................................................................................................42
Linking and cross-referencing within a document......................................................42
Using hyperlinks...................................................................................................................... 42
Creating and using cross-references.......................................................................................42
Using bookmarks.................................................................................................................... 43

Using master documents...............................................................................................44
Creating fill-in forms.......................................................................................................44

Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer | 5

What is Writer?
Writer is the word processor component of LibreOffice. In addition to the usual features of a word
processor (spelling check, thesaurus, hyphenation, autocorrect, find and replace, automatic
generation of tables of contents and indexes, mail merge, and others), Writer provides theseimportant features, which are covered in detail in the Writer Guide:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Templates and styles (see Chapter 3)
Page layout methods, including styles, frames, columns, and tables
Automated tables of contents and indexes
Embedding or linking of images, equations, spreadsheets, and other objects
Built-in drawing tools
Master documents, to group a collection of documents into a single document
Change tracking during revisions
Lists
Tables of data
Database integration, including a bibliography database
Mail merge
Export to PDF and EPUB (see Chapter 10)
Document digital signatures
Form design and filling
And many more

The Writer interface
The main Writer workspace is shown in Figure 1. The default menus and toolbars are describedin Chapter 1, Introducing LibreOffice. Some other features of the Writer interface are covered inthis chapter. Other user interface variants are described in Chapter 14, Customizing LibreOffice.

Figure 1: The main Writer workspace
6 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterStatus bar
The Writer Status bar provides information about the document and convenient ways to change
some document features quickly.

Figure 2: Writer Status bar, left end

Figure 3: Writer Status bar, right end
Document changes status
The icon changes color to indicate whether the document has no unsaved changes or it
has been edited and the changes have not been saved. When there are unsaved changes,
you can click on this icon to save the document.
Page number
Shows the sequence number of the current page, and the total number of pages in the
document, and the current page number (if different from the sequence number). For
example, if you restarted page numbering at 1 on the third page, its page number is 1 andits sequence number is 3.
If any bookmarks have been defined in the document, a right-click on this field pops up alist of bookmarks; click on one to go to that location.
To jump to a specific page in the document, click on this field. A small Go to Page dialog
pops up. Type the required page number and click OK or press Enter.
Word and character count
The word and character counts of the document are kept up to date as you edit. When text
is selected, the word and character counts for the selection will appear here.
The character count includes spaces. To display the character count excluding spaces,
click on the word count in the Status bar, or choose Tools > Word Count.
You can also see the number of words and characters (and other information including thenumber of pages, tables, and graphics) in the entire document in File > Properties,
Statistics tab.
Page styleShows the style of the current page. To select a different page style, right-click on this field.
A list of page styles pops up; click on one to select it. To edit the attributes of the current
page style, left-click on this field. The Page Style dialog opens.

CautionChanging the page style here may affect the styles of subsequent pages, depending
on how the page styles are set up. See the Writer Guide for details.

The Writer interface | 7

Text language
Shows the language and localization at the cursor position, or for the selected text, that isused for checking spelling, grammar, hyphenation, and the thesaurus.
Click to open a menu where you can choose another language or localization for theselected text or for the paragraph where the cursor is located. You can also choose None
(Do not check spelling) to exclude the text from a spelling check or choose More to open
the Character dialog. Any directly formatted language settings can be reset to the default
language from this menu.
Insert mode
Click to change to Overwrite mode; click again to return to Insert mode. In Insert mode, any
text after the cursor position moves forward to make room for the text you type; inOverwrite mode, text after the cursor position is replaced by the text you type. This feature
is disabled when in Record Changes mode.
Selection mode
Click to cycle between the selection modes; right-click to select the required mode from acontext menu. The icon does not change, but when you hover the mouse pointer over thisfield, a tooltip indicates which mode is active.
Mode

EffectStandard selection

Click in the text where you want to position the cursor anddrag to where you want the selection to end. Any previous
selection is deselected.

Extending selection (F8)Clicking in the text extends or crops the current selection.

Adding selection (Shift+F8)

A new, separate selection is added to an existing selection.
The result is a multiple selection.

Block selection(Alt+Shift+F8)

A block of text can be selected.

On Windows systems, you can hold down the Alt key while dragging to select a block oftext. You do not need to enter the block selection mode.
Digital signature
If the document has been digitally signed, an icon is displayed here; otherwise, it is blank.
To sign the document, or to view the certificate, click the area or icon. See Chapter 10,
Printing, Exporting, Emailing, for more information.
Section or object information
When the cursor is on a section, heading, or list item, or when an object (such as a picture
or table) is selected, information about that item appears in this field. Clicking in this area
opens a relevant dialog. For details, consult the Help or the Writer Guide.
View layout
Click an icon to change between single page, multiple pages, and book layout views(Figure 4). You can edit the document in any view. Zoom settings interact with the selectedview layout and the window width to determine how many pages are visible in the window.
Zoom
To change the view magnification, drag the Zoom slider, or click on the + and – signs, orright-click on the zoom level percent (Zoom factor) to pop up a menu of magnification
values from which to choose, or click on the zoom level percent to pop up the Zoom & View
Layout dialog where you can specify other magnification values.

8 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterFigure 4: View layouts: single page, multiple pages, book

Sidebar
The Sidebar is normally open by default on the right side of the Writer window. If necessary,
select View > Sidebar on the Menu bar, or press Ctrl+F5, to display it. An example is shown in
Chapter 1, Introducing LibreOffice.
The Writer Sidebar contains six decks by default: Properties, Styles, Gallery, Navigator, Page,
and Style Inspector. Each deck has a corresponding icon on the Tab bar on the right of the
Sidebar, allowing you to switch between them. The decks are described below.
Each deck consists of a title bar and one or more content panels. Some panels contain a small
More Options button, which opens a dialog to give greater choice of editing controls. When adialog is open, the document is locked for editing until the dialog is closed.

Properties deck
Contains tools for direct formatting of content.
When text is selected, these panels appear:– Style: Apply a paragraph style at the cursor position. Create or update a style.
– Character: Modify text by the font type, size, color, weight, style, and spacing.
– Paragraph: Modify the paragraph by alignment, lists or bullets, background color,
indent, and spacing.
– Table: If the cursor is in a table, this panel also appears. You can insert, select, deleterows and columns; split/merge cells; set row height and column width; others.
When a graphic or image is selected, these panels appear:– Area: Modify the image background fill and transparency. Further colors, gradients,
hatching, patterns, and bitmap selection and importing are available in More Options.
– Wrap: Modify wrap and spacing where these are available.
– Image: Modify the image brightness, contrast, color mode, and transparency.
– Position and Size: Modify width, height, rotation, and flip attributes.
When a drawing object is selected, these panels appear:– Area: Modify fill and transparency.
– Wrap: Modify wrap and spacing where these are available.
– Position and Size: Modify width, height, rotation, and flip attributes.
– Effect: Add and adjust a Glow or Soft Edge effect to the object.
– Line: Modify style, width, color, and transparency.
When a frame is selected, then the Area and Wrap panels appear.
The Writer interface | 9

When a video or audio clip is selected, these panels appear:– Media Playback: Control for play, pause, stop, seek, loop, and volume.
– Position and Size: Modify width and height.

Styles deck
Manages the styles used in the document. This includes applying existing styles, modifying them,or creating new ones. See Chapter 3, Styles and Formatting, for more information.

Gallery deck
Contains images and diagrams included in the Gallery themes. The Gallery has two sections.
The first lists the themes by name (Arrows, Bullets, Diagrams, etc.) and the second displays theimages in the selected category. Select the New button to create new categories. To insert animage into a file, or add a new image to the new category, drag and drop the selected image.
See Chapter 11, Images and Graphics, for more information.

Navigator deck
Makes it easy to navigate to specific types of content and to reorganize contents based on
categories, such as headings, tables, frames, images, and so on. See page 12 for more
information.

Page deck
Modifies the page style to change the most commonly used page properties. It has four panels:•

Format modifies the size, width, height, orientation, and page margins.

•

Styles modifies the numbering scheme, background, page layout (specifies whether thepage style should apply to odd or even pages or to both), and columns.

•

Header and Footer activate/deactivate and modify the respective margins, spacing, andcontent.

CautionBe aware that by changing the options on the Page deck, you will change the pagestyle in use, modifying not only the current page but all pages in the document using
the same page style.

Style Inspector deck
Displays all the attributes of paragraph styles, character styles, and manual (direct) formatting for
selected text. For more information, see Chapter 7, Working with Styles, in the Writer Guide.

Changing document views
Writer has three ways to view a document: Normal, Web, and Full Screen. To change the view,go to the View menu and select the desired view.
Normal view
Normal view is the default view in Writer. It shows how the document will look when you
print it or create a PDF. In this view, you can hide or show the headers and footers and thegap between pages by choosing View > Show Whitespace on the Menu bar. This works
only when single-page view is activated in the Status Bar. Hiding whitespace also works inFull Screen view.

10 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterWeb view
Web view shows how the document will look if viewed in a Web browser; this is usefulwhen you create HTML documents. In Web view, you can use only the Zoom slider; theView Layout buttons on the Status Bar are disabled, and most of the choices on the Zoom
& View Layout dialog are not available. There is no visual indication of page boundaries.
Full Screen view
In Full Screen view, no toolbars or sidebar are displayed; the document takes up the fullarea available, using the zoom and layout settings previously selected. To exit Full Screen
view and return to the previous view, press the Esc key or click the Full Screen button on
the floating toolbar in the top left-hand corner. You can also use Ctrl+Shift+J to toggle
between Full Screen and the previous views.

Working with documents
Chapter 1, Introducing LibreOffice, includes instructions on creating new documents, opening
existing documents, saving documents, accessing remote servers, and password-protecting
documents. Chapter 3, Styles and Templates, covers how to create a document from a template.
By default, LibreOffice creates and saves files in the OpenDocument format (ODF). Writer
documents have the extension .ODT.

Tip
Whenever it is possible to choose the document file format, you should choose towork with the default ODF format. This reduces the likelihood of errors andcompatibility issues.

Saving as a Microsoft Word file
You may need to open, edit, and save documents in Microsoft Word formats. You can also create
and edit .ODT files and then save them as .DOCX or .DOC files. To do this:1) Important—First save your document in the file format used by LibreOffice Writer (.ODT).
If you do not, any changes you made since the last time you saved will appear only in theMicrosoft Word version of the document. Also, saving in ODF format enables you to resave or modify the document if the recipient of your document experiences trouble with
the Microsoft format.
2) Then choose File > Save As.
3) On the Save As dialog, in the File type drop-down menu, select the type of Word format
you need. You may also choose to change the file name.
4) Click Save.
This creates a separate document with a different file extension (such as .DOCX). From this point
on, all changes you make to the document will occur only in the new document. If you want to go
back to working with the .ODT version of your document, you must open it again.

Tip
To have Writer save documents by default in a Microsoft Word file format, go toTools > Options > Load/Save > General. In the section named Default File Format
and ODF Settings, under Document type, select Text document, then under Always
save as, select your preferred file format.

Working with documents | 11

Exchanging documents with users of Apple Pages
Although Writer can open and edit files in Apple Pages format (*.pages), it cannot save in thatformat or export to that format. Apple Pages cannot open files in OpenDocument format, so if you
need to share files with users of Pages, save your .odt file in a compatible format, such as.rtf or .docx. If you attempt to save an edited .pages file, the Save As dialog opens.
Pages users can also export (not save) a copy of a Pages document in a format compatible with
Writer, such as .docx or .rtf, which Writer can then open, edit, and save to.

Moving quickly through a document
Using the Navigator
The Navigator provides several convenient ways to move around a document and find items in it.
It lists the headings, tables, text frames, graphics, bookmarks, and other objects in the document.
•

When a category is showing the list of objects in it, double-click on an object to jump
directly to that object’s location in the document.

•

In the top left of the Navigator is a Navigate By drop-down list. You can pick a type ofobject (such as a bookmark, table, or index entry) and then use the Previous (^) and
Next (v) buttons to jump from one to the next (Figure 5).

•

On the top right of the Navigator is a Go to Page field, which you can use to jump directly
to a specific page.

For more uses of the Navigator in Writer, see Chapter 1 of the Writer Guide.

Figure 5: Navigate By list on Navigator

Using the Go to Page dialog
To jump to a specific page in the document:•

Use the Go to Page field on the top right of the Navigator (see above).

•

Use the Go to Page dialog (Figure 6), which shows the current page number and thenumber of pages in the document. Type the number of the destination page in the text
box and click OK. To open this dialog, do any of the following:– Click on the page number field in the Status bar.

12 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer– Choose Edit > Go to Page on the Menu bar.
– Press Ctrl+G on the keyboard.

Figure 6: Go to Page dialog

Working with text
Selecting, copying, pasting, or moving text in Writer is similar to working with text in otherprograms. LibreOffice also has some convenient ways to select items that are not next to eachother, select a vertical block of text, and paste unformatted text.

Selecting items that are not consecutive
To select non-consecutive items (as shown in Figure 7) using the mouse:
1) Select the first piece of text.
2) Hold down the Ctrl key and use the mouse to select the next piece of text.
3) Repeat as often as needed.
To select non-consecutive items using the keyboard:
1) Select the first piece of text.
2) Press Shift+F8. This puts Writer in “Adding selection” mode.
3) Use the arrow keys to move to the start of the next piece of text to be selected. Holddown the Shift key and select the next piece of text.
4) Repeat as often as required.
Now you can work with the selected text (copy it, delete it, change the style, and so on).
Press Esc to exit from this mode.

Figure 7: Selecting items that are not next to each otherFor more information about keyboard selection of text, see the topic “Navigating and selectingwith the keyboard” in LibreOffice Help (F1).

Working with text | 13

Selecting a vertical block of text
You can select a vertical block or “column” of text that is separated by spaces or tabs (as you
might see in text pasted from e-mails, program listings, or other sources), using Block selection
mode. To change to Block selection mode, use Edit > Selection Mode > Block Area, or press
Alt+Shift+F8, or right-click on the Selection icon on the Status bar and select Block selection in
the pop-up menu.

Figure 8: Selection icon
Now highlight the selection, using mouse or keyboard, as shown below.

Figure 9: Selecting a vertical block of text

Cutting, copying, and moving text
Cutting and copying text in Writer is similar to cutting and copying text in other applications. You
can use the mouse or the keyboard. You can copy or move text within a document, or between
documents, by dragging or by using menu selections, toolbar buttons, or keyboard shortcuts. You
can also copy text from other sources such as Web pages and paste it into a Writer document.
To move (drag and drop) selected text using the mouse, drag it to the new location and release it.
To copy selected text, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging. The text retains the formatting it had
before dragging.
To move (cut and paste) selected text, use Ctrl+X to cut the text, insert the cursor at the paste-in
point and use Ctrl+V to paste. Alternatively, use the Copy / Paste buttons on the Standard
toolbar, or the options under Edit on the Menu bar.

Pasting text
When you paste text, the result depends on the source of the text and how you paste it. If you
click on the Paste button on the Standard toolbar or use Ctrl+V, any formatting the text has (suchas bold or italics) is retained. Text pasted from websites and other sources may also be placed
into frames or tables. If you do not like the results, click the Undo button or press Ctrl+Z.
To make the pasted text inherit the paragraph style at the insertion point, do any of the following:•

Choose Edit > Paste Special.

•

Click the arrow on the Paste button on the Standard toolbar.

•

Double-click the Paste button without releasing the left mouse button.

•

Press Ctrl+Shift+V.

Then select Paste Unformatted Text or Unformatted text in the resulting menu. Unformatted
text can also be pasted directly by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V on the keyboard.

14 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterFinding and replacing text and formatting
Writer has two ways to find text and formatting within a document: the Find toolbar for fast
searching and the Find and Replace dialog. In the dialog, you can:•Find and replace words and phrases•

Use wildcards and regular expressions to fine-tune a search•

Find and replace specific attributes or formatting•

Find and replace paragraph styles

Using the Find toolbar
By default, the Find toolbar is docked at the bottom of the LibreOffice window (just above theStatus bar) as shown in Figure 10, but you can float it or dock it in another location. If the Find
toolbar is not visible, you can display it by choosing View > Toolbars > Find on the Menu bar,
selecting Edit > Find on the Menu bar, or by pressing Ctrl+F. For more information on floating
and docking toolbars, see Chapter 1, Introducing LibreOffice.

Figure 10: Docked position of Find toolbar
To use the Find toolbar, click in the box and type your search text, then press Enter to find thenext occurrence of that term. Click the Find Next or Find Previous (arrow) buttons as needed.
Click the Find All button to select all instances of the search term within the document. SelectMatch Case to find only the instances that also match the case (capitalization). To open the Find
and Replace dialog, click the icon to the right of Match Case.
To close the Find toolbar, click the X button on the left, or press Esc on the keyboard when the
cursor is in the search box.

Using the Find and Replace dialog
To display the Find & Replace dialog (Figure 11), use any of the following methods:•

Press Ctrl+H on the keyboard.

•

Choose Edit > Find and Replace on the Menu bar.

•

Click the Find and Replace icon on the Find toolbar.

When the Find and Replace dialog is open, optionally click Other options to expand it.
1) Type the text you want to find in the Find box.
2) To replace the text with different text, type the new text in the Replace box.
3) You can select various options such as matching the case or matching whole words only.
The other options include searching only in selected text, searching from the current
cursor position backwards toward the beginning of the file, searching for similar words,
searching in comments, and using regular expressions (wildcards). The exact options
may vary with your language settings (Tools > Options > Language Settings >Languages).
4) When you have set up the search, click Find Next. To replace the found text, click
Replace. If you click Find All, LibreOffice selects all instances of the search text in the
document. Similarly, if you click Replace All, LibreOffice replaces all matches, without
stopping for you to accept each instance.
Working with text | 15

Caution
Use Replace All with caution; otherwise, you may end up with mistakes that you
won’t be able to undo later if you save and close the file. (Ctrl+Z works only before
the file is saved.) A mistake with Replace All might require a manual, word-by-word,
search to fix.

Tip
Regular expressions offer powerful ways to search and replace text. For example,
they can find all instances where any number is followed by specific letters.
However, they can be challenging to understand. Refer to the Help files for guidance.
For more information on using Find and Replace, see the Writer Guide.

Figure 11: Expanded Find & Replace dialog

Inserting special characters
A special character is one not found on a standard user’s keyboard. For example, © ¾ æ ç ñ ö ø¢ are all special characters not available on an English keyboard.
To insert one or more special characters, place the cursor where you want the character toappear. Then do one of the following:•

Click the Special Character icon on the Standard toolbar to open a list of favorite andrecently used characters and click on the one you wish to insert (Figure 12). You can also
open the Special Characters dialog (Figure 13) by clicking the More Characters button.

16 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterFigure 12: Insert Special Characters
icon oin the standard toolbar•

Choose Insert > Special Character on the Menu bar, to open the Special Characters
dialog (Figure 13). Double-click the characters (from any font or mixture of fonts) you
wish to insert, in order, then click Insert.

Figure 13: The Special Characters dialog
The Special Characters dialog (Figure 13) includes areas to select Recent Characters andFavorite Characters. To add a new character to the Favorite Characters list, click on a characterand click the Add to Favorites button.

Tip
Different fonts have their own distinct special characters. If you do not find aparticular special character, try changing the Font selection.

Working with text | 17

Inserting non-breaking spaces and hyphens
Non-breaking spaces
To prevent two words from being separated at the end of a line, press Ctrl+Shift when you
type the space between the two words. This inserts a non-breaking space. You can alsouse Insert > Formatting Mark > Insert non-breaking space on the Menu bar.
Non-breaking hyphens
In cases where you do not want the hyphen to appear at the end of a line, for example in a
number such as 123-4567, you can press Shift+Ctrl+minus sign or use Insert > Formatting
Mark > Insert non-breaking hyphen.

Inserting en and em dashes
To enter en and em dashes as you type, you can use Replace dashes on the Options tab in the
AutoCorrect dialog (Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options). This option replaces one or
two hyphens, under certain conditions, with the corresponding dash. See the Help or the Writer
Guide for more details and other methods of inserting dashes.
–

An en-dash is a dash the width of the letter “n” in the font you are using. Type at least one
character, a space, a hyphen, another space, and at least one more letter. The hyphen will
be replaced by an en-dash.

— An em-dash is a dash the width of the letter “m” in the font you are using. Type at least one
character, two hyphens, and at least one more character. The two hyphens will be replacedby an em-dash. Exception: if the characters are numbers, as in a date or time range, the two
hyphens are replaced by an en-dash.

Checking spelling and grammar
By default, four dictionaries are installed for each language, if they are available for that
language: a spelling checker, a grammar checker, a hyphenation dictionary, and a thesaurus.
The spelling checker determines if each word in the document is in the installed dictionary. The
grammar checker works in combination with the spelling checker. You can choose to checkspelling and grammar automatically as you type, or at any other time, or both.

Checking spelling and grammar automatically
When Automatic Spell Checking is selected in the Tools menu, Standard toolbar, or Options
dialog, each word is checked as it is typed and a wavy red line appears under any unrecognizedwords. If Check grammar as you type has also been enabled, errors are marked with a wavy
blue underline. See “Checking grammar” on page 20.
At any time, you can right-click on an unrecognized word to open a context menu (Figure 14),
where you can choose one of the suggested words to replace it. When the word is corrected, theline disappears. If the word is correct but not in the dictionary, you can chose Add to dictionary.
If the list does not contain the word you want, click Spelling to open the Spelling dialog (Figure
15).

18 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterFigure 14: Spelling context menu

Using the Spelling dialog
In addition to automatic checking, or in place of it, you can perform a combined spelling andgrammar check on the document (or a text selection). Click the Check Spelling button on theStandard toolbar, or choose Tools > Spelling, or press F7 on the keyboard. This checks the
document or selection and opens the Spelling dialog if any unrecognized words are found. To
also identify potential grammar problems, select the Check grammar checkbox.

Figure 15: Spelling dialog
Here are some more features of the spelling checker:
Text language
The language to be used for checking spelling can be selected in this drop-down list.
Add a word to the dictionary
Add a word to the dictionary by clicking Add to Dictionary in the Spelling dialog or in thecontext menu. The word will be added to the Standard dictionary, unless you have created

Working with text | 19

another dictionary in the same language. If you have created a new dictionary, you will begiven a choice of dictionaries to add the word to.
Choose text for spell checking
Choose whether to check uppercase words or words that contain numbers, by clicking the
Options button on the Spelling dialog to open a dialog similar to the one in Tools >Options > Language Settings > Writing Aids, described in Chapter 2.
Manage custom dictionaries
Create, edit, or delete dictionaries and edit words in the dictionary in the same Options
dialog.
Specify language for specific paragraphs
Set paragraphs to be checked in a language (different from the rest of the document) using
several methods—for example, by clicking on the Text Language field on the Status Bar orby creating paragraph styles for specific languages. See “Using built-in language tools” onpage 36 or refer to the Writer Guide for more information.
See the Writer Guide for more information about the spelling and grammar checking options.

Checking grammar
If any grammar errors are detected, they are shown underlined by a wavy blue line. Right-click on
this line to open a context menu.
The first entry in the context menu describes the suspected broken grammatical rule.

Figure 16: Context menu for grammar errors
The second menu item may be Explanations, which opens your browser to a web page offering
more information about the error. Next may be the suggested correction. Clicking this changes
the text to the suggestion.
In the third section of the context menu, you can choose to ignore the indicated error, or open theSpelling dialog (Figure 15). In the final section of the menu, you can set the language for theselection or the paragraph.
You can select additional grammar checking rules through Tools > Options > Language
Settings > English Sentence Checking, or through Tools > Extension Manager > English
spelling dictionaries > Options. See Chapter 2, Setting up LibreOffice, for details.

Using synonyms and the thesaurus
To access a short list of synonyms, right-click on a word and point to Synonyms in the context
menu. A submenu of alternative words and phrases is displayed. Click on a word or phrase in thesubmenu to have it replace the highlighted word or phrase in the document.
The thesaurus gives a more extensive list of alternative words and phrases. To use thethesaurus, click on Thesaurus in the Synonyms submenu. If the current language does nothave a thesaurus installed, this feature is disabled.
20 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer

Using AutoCorrect
Writer’s AutoCorrect function has a long list of common misspellings and typing errors, which itcorrects automatically. It also includes codes for inserting special characters, emoji, and othersymbols.
AutoCorrect is turned on by default. You may wish to disable some of its features, modify others,or turn it off completely. To turn AutoCorrect off, uncheck Tools > AutoCorrect > While Typing.
You can add your own corrections or special characters or change those supplied with
LibreOffice. Choose Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options to open the AutoCorrect
dialog. On the Replace tab, you can define which strings of text are corrected and how. In mostcases, the defaults are fine.
To stop Writer replacing a specific spelling, go to the Replace tab, highlight the word pair, andclick Delete. To add a new spelling to the list, type it into the Replace and With boxes on the
Replace tab, and click New.
See the different tabs of the dialog for the other options available to fine-tune AutoCorrect.

Tip
LibreOffice has an extensive list of special characters accessible with AutoCorrect.
For example, type :smiling: and AutoCorrect will replace it with ☺. Or, (c) will bechanged to ©. You can add your own special characters.

Using Word Completion
If Word Completion is enabled, Writer tries to guess which word you are typing and offers tocomplete the word for you. To accept the suggestion, press Enter. Otherwise, continue typing.
To turn off Word Completion, select Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options and deselectEnable word completion on the Word Completion tab.
Options for customizing word completion from the AutoCorrect dialog include:•

Add (append) a space automatically after an accepted word.

•

Show the suggested word as a tip (hovering over the word) rather than completing thetext as you type.

•As you add words when working on documents, you can either save them for later use inother documents or select the option to remove them from the list when closing
documents.

•

Change the maximum number of words remembered for word completion and the lengthof the smallest words to be remembered.

•

Delete specific entries from the word completion list.

•

Change the key that accepts a suggested entry—the options are right arrow, End key,
Return (Enter), Space bar, and Tab.

Note
Automatic word completion only occurs after you type a word for the second time ina document.

Working with text | 21

Using AutoText
Use AutoText to store text, tables, fields, and other items for reuse and assign them to a key
combination for easy retrieval. For example, rather than typing “Senior Management” every time
you use that phrase, you can set up an AutoText entry to insert those words when you type “sm”
and press F3.
To store some text as AutoText:
1) Type the text into your document, then select the text.
2) Choose Tools > AutoText on the Menu bar (or press Ctrl+F3).
3) In the AutoText dialog (Figure 17), type a name for the AutoText in the Name box. Writer
will suggest a one-letter shortcut, which you can change.
4) Choose the category for the AutoText entry, for example My AutoText.
5) Click the AutoText button at the bottom of the dialog and select in the menu either New,to have the AutoText retain specific formatting, no matter where it is inserted, or New(text only), to have the AutoText take on the existing formatting around the insertion
point.
6) Click Close to return to your document.
To insert AutoText, type the shortcut and press F3.

Tip
If the only option under the AutoText button is Import, either you have not entered aname for your AutoText or there is no text selected in the document.

Figure 17: Creating an AutoText entry
AutoText is especially powerful when assigned to fields. See Chapter 17, Fields, in the Writer
Guide for more information.

22 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterChanging the case of selected text
To quickly change the case of text, select it, choose Format > Text on the Menu bar, and thenchoose one of the items on the submenu. The most common are:•

UPPERCASE, where all letters are capitalized.

•

lowercase, where no words (except proper nouns) are capitalized.

•

Sentence case, where only the first word is capitalized (together with any proper nouns).

•

Capitalize Every Word, where every word is capitalized.

•

Small capitals, which capitalizes all letters in a reduced font size.

Writer does not have an automated way to do Title Case, where all words are capitalized except
for certain subsets defined by rules that are not universally standardized. However, you can use
Capitalize Every Word and then restore those words that you do not want capitalized.

Formatting text
You can format text in two ways. See Chapter 4, Formatting Text, in the Writer Guide for details.
Direct (or Manual) formatting
Applies formatting directly to specific paragraphs, characters, pages, frames, lists, ortables. For example, you can select a word, then click on a button on the Formatting
toolbar to format the text as bold or italics.
StylesBundles formatting options. For example, a paragraph style defines numerous settings for
options such as font type and size, whether paragraphs should be indented, the space
between lines, how paragraphs should be aligned on the page, and many others.

Using styles is highly recommended
Writer is a style-based program. Because styles apply whole groups of formats at the same time,
you can easily format a document consistently and change the formatting of an entire documentwith minimal effort. In addition, LibreOffice uses styles for many processes, even if you are notaware of them. For example, Writer relies on heading styles (or other styles you specify) when itcompiles a table of contents.
Writer defines six types of styles: paragraph, character, frame, page, list, and table. See Chapter
3, Styles and Templates, in this book and also refer to the Writer Guide.

Formatting paragraphs using styles
Styles can be applied to paragraphs in several ways:•

Styles drop-down selection list at the left end of the Formatting toolbar•

Styles deck of the Sidebar•

Styles menu on the Menu bar (limited to common styles)•

Keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+5 (paragraph styles Heading 1 to Heading 5)You can also open a Formatting (Styles) toolbar using View > Toolbars > Formatting (Styles);see Figure 18.

Figure 18: Formatting (Styles) toolbar

Formatting text | 23

Formatting paragraphs directly
You can manually apply many direct formats to paragraphs using the buttons on the Formatting
toolbar and by using the Paragraph panel of the Sidebar’s Properties deck. Not all buttons arevisible in a standard installation, but you can customize the toolbar to include those you use
regularly. These buttons and formats include:•

Set Paragraph Style•

Toggle Unordered List (with a palette of bullet styles)•

Toggle Ordered List (with a palette of numbering styles)•

Align Left, Align Center, Align Right, Justified•

Align Top, Center Vertically, Align Bottom•

Line Spacing (choose from 1, 1.15, 1.5, 2, or custom spacing)•

Increase Paragraph Spacing, Decrease Paragraph Spacing•

Increase Indent, Decrease Indent, Hanging Indent•

Paragraph (to open the Paragraph dialog)•

Set Line Spacing

Note
Direct formatting (also called manual formatting) overrides styles. This means thatwhen a new style is applied, direct formatting is not removed and still determines thedisplayed format.

Removing direct formatting
To remove direct formatting, select the text and choose Format > Clear Direct Formatting on
the Menu bar, or right-click and choose Clear Direct Formatting in the context menu, or press
Ctrl+M on the keyboard, or select the Clear Direct Formatting icon on the Formatting toolbar.

Note
When clearing direct formatting, the text formatting will return to the applied
paragraph and character style and not the default paragraph style or default
character style (unless these styles are actually applied to the text).

Formatting characters using styles
To apply a character style, highlight the characters or words and apply the selected characterstyle from the Character Styles tab of the Styles deck on the Sidebar, in the Styles menu on the
Menu bar (limited), or from the right-click context menu (limited).

Formatting characters directly
It is recommended that you use styles to format characters as much as possible rather thanformatting characters directly, as described in this section.
You can directly apply many formats to characters using the buttons on the Formatting toolbar
and by using the Character panel of the Sidebar’s Properties deck. Not all buttons are visible in astandard installation, but you can customize the toolbar to include those you use regularly. Thesebuttons and formats include:•

Font Name, Font Size•

Bold, Italic, Underline, Overline, Strikethrough, Outline Font Effect, Shadow•

Superscript, Subscript

24 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer•

Uppercase, Lowercase•

Increase Font Size, Decrease Font Size•

Font Color (with a palette of colors)•

Background Color (with a palette of colors)•

Character Highlighting Color (with a palette of colors)

Note
Just as direct paragraph formatting overrides the current paragraph style, applying
direct character formatting to characters overrides the current character styleformatting.

Formatting tables
Tables in a Writer document share the same sets of formatting elements as spreadsheets in
LibreOffice Calc.
To apply table styles, click in the table to be formatted and double-click on a style listed in the
Table Styles tab of the Sidebar’s Styles deck. Alternatively, click in the table to be formatted,
choose Table > AutoFormat Styles on the Menu bar and select a style from the dialog that
opens. For more information, refer to Chapter 13, Tables of Data, in the Writer Guide.

Autoformatting
You can set Writer to format or correct parts of a document automatically as you type, according
to the choices made on the Options and Localized Options tabs of the AutoCorrect dialog (Tools> AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options).
Autoformatting on the Options tab includes URL recognition, bulleted and numbered lists,
capitalizing the first letter of every sentence, and correcting two initial capitals on words.
A bulleted (unordered) list is created when you type a hyphen (-), star (*), or plus sign (+),
followed by a space or tab at the beginning of a paragraph. A numbered (ordered) list is created
when you type a number followed by a period (.), followed by a space or tab at the beginning of aparagraph.
The Localized Options tab controls the formatting of quotation marks and apostrophes (whichlook like a closing single quote). Most fonts include curly quotation marks (also known as “smart
quotes”), but for some purposes (such as marking minutes and seconds of latitude and longitude)
you may wish to format them as straight quotes.
Straight quotes

Smart quotes

'' ""

‘’ “”

Tip
If you notice unexpected formatting changes occurring in your document, this is thefirst place to look for the cause. In most cases Edit > Undo (Ctrl+Z) fixes the issue.

Creating lists with styles
For more about creating lists using styles, see Chapter 12, Lists: Tips and Tricks, in the Writer
Guide.

Formatting text | 25

Creating unordered (bulleted) and ordered (numbered) lists
Whenever possible, use paragraph styles for creating unordered (bulleted) and ordered(numbered) lists. Writer comes with two sets of paragraph styles for this purpose. However, thesestyles do not include options for settings such as the type of bullet or position of numbers. Thosesettings come from list styles, which are a different type of style than paragraph styles. It is
recommended to use them together in these ways:•

Use paragraph styles List 1, List 2, List 3, and so on for creating unordered lists. Thesestyles use Bullet list styles.

•

Use paragraph styles Numbering 1, Numbering 2, Numbering 3, etc, for creating orderedlists. These styles use the list styles called Numbering 1, Numbering 2, etc.

To assign a list style to one of these paragraph styles, go to the Styles deck in the Sidebar, rightclick on the paragraph style you want to use, then choose Modify. On the Outline & List tab on
the Paragraph Style dialog, in the List style drop-down list, choose the appropriate list style(Figure 19).
Paragraph styles such as List 1 Start and List 1 End enable you to adjust specific properties(such as the space between paragraphs) for items at the beginning or end of the list.

Note
List styles are not meant to be used on their own. Rather, they are designed to be
attached to paragraph styles.

Figure 19: Assigning a list style to a paragraph styleCreating nested lists using styles
With paragraph styles, you can easily create nested lists, in which list items have sub-items
under them, as in an outline. This requires specifying the settings for the additional levels. To dothis, right-click on the list style (not the paragraph style) on the Styles deck in the Sidebar, selectModify, and specify how each level will be labeled, using the Customize tab. Also specify the
position and spacing for each level on the Position tab. Refer to the Writer Guide for details.

26 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterOnce you have set up nested lists, you can readily change the hierarchy of an item. To demote
an item one level, position the cursor at the beginning of the line (after the bullet or number) andpress the Tab key. To promote an item one level, press Shift+Tab.

Creating lists with direct formatting
Creating unordered and ordered lists
Bullets and numbers can be manually applied in three ways:•

Use AutoCorrect to autoformat text, as described above•

Use the Toggle Unordered List and Toggle Ordered List buttons on the Formatting
toolbar•Use the Paragraph panel of the Sidebar’s Properties deck

Bullets and numbering can be applied to already selected text or they can be applied as you
type.

Tip
Bullets and numbering applied in these ways cannot be removed with Format >Clear Direct Formatting on the Menu bar, or with the Clear Direct Formatting iconon the Formatting toolbar, or by using Ctrl+M. Rather, they are turned off or removed
from selected text by toggling the relevant buttons on the Formatting toolbar, or on
the Sidebar’s Properties deck.

Creating nested lists
Use the buttons on the Bullets and Numbering toolbar to move items up or down the list, create
sub-items, change the style of bullets, and access the Bullets and Numbering dialog, whichcontains more detailed controls. Use View > Toolbars > Bullets and Numbering to see thetoolbar.

Tip
If numbering or bullets are being applied automatically in a way that youdo not want,
you can disable them by going to Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options anddeselecting Bulleted and Numbered List on the Options tab.
The Toggle Unordered List and Toggle Ordered List buttons on the Sidebar’s Properties deckcan also be used to create nested lists. Click the down arrow next to the relevant button, thenclick More Bullets/Numbering to access the Bullets and Numbering dialog. However, theSidebar does not include tools for promoting and demoting items in the list, as found on the
Bullets and Numbering toolbar.

Setting tab stops and indents
The horizontal ruler shows the tab stops. Any tab stops that you have defined will overwrite thedefault tab stops. Tab settings affect indentation of full paragraphs (using the Increase Indentand Decrease Indent buttons on the Formatting toolbar) as well as indentation of parts of aparagraph (by pressing the Tab key on the keyboard).
Using the default tab spacing can cause formatting problems if you share documents with otherpeople. If you use the default tab spacing and then send the document to someone else who haschosen a different default tab spacing, tabbed material will change to use the other person’s
settings. Instead of using the defaults, define your own tab settings, as described in this section.

Formatting text | 27

To define indents and tab settings for one or more selected paragraphs, right-click and choose
Paragraph > Paragraph. On the Paragraph dialog, go to the Tabs tab.
A better strategy is to define tabs for the paragraph style. This is done on the Tabs tab of theParagraph Style dialog.

Tip
Using tabs to space out material on a page is not recommended. Depending on what
you are trying to accomplish, a table or frame might be a better choice.

Changing the default tab stop interval
CautionAny changes to the default tab setting will affect the existing default tab stops in any
document you open afterward, as well as tab stops you insert after making the change.
To set the spacing of default tab stop intervals, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Writer >General.

Figure 20: Selecting a default tab stop interval

Changing measurement units for tab stops and rulers
Change the measurement unit for rulers in the current document by right-clicking on the ruler toopen a list of units. Click on one of them to change the ruler to that unit. The selected setting
applies only to that ruler.

Figure 21: Changing the measurement unit for a ruler

Hyphenating words
You can hyphenate words at the end of a line in two ways: let Writer do it automatically (using
styles and its hyphenation dictionaries), or insert soft hyphens manually where needed. Or, you
can choose to not hyphenate at all.

Automatic hyphenation using styles
To turn automatic hyphenation of words on or off:
1) On the Styles deck on the Sidebar, go to Paragraph Styles, right-click on Default
Paragraph Style (or another style you want to use) and select Modify.
28 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer

2) On the Paragraph Style dialog (Figure 22), go to the Text Flow tab.
3) Under Hyphenation, select or deselect Automatically. When automatic hyphenation is
on, you can also set the criteria for when it should occur. Click OK to save.

Note
Turning on hyphenation for the Default Style paragraph style affects all otherparagraph styles that are based on Default Style. You can individually change otherstyles so that hyphenation is not active; for example, you might not want headings tobe hyphenated.
Any styles not based on Default Style are not affected. See Chapter 3, Styles andTemplates, for more about styles based on styles other than Default Style.

Figure 22: Turning on automatic hyphenation in a paragraph style

Setting hyphenation with Writing Aids
You can also set hyphenation options through Tools > Options > Language Settings > Writing
Aids. These choices apply when there is no specific setting in a paragraph style.
In Options, near the bottom of the dialog, scroll down to find the hyphenation settings.

Figure 23: Setting hyphenation options
To change the minimum number of characters for hyphenation, or the minimum number ofcharacters before or after a line break, select the item, and then click the Edit button in the
Options section.

Note
Hyphenation options set in Writing Aids are effective only if hyphenation is turned on
through paragraph styles.

Manual hyphenation
Manually hyphenate words when you want only a specific word hyphenated at the end of a line.
Do not use a normal hyphen, which will remain visible even if the word is no longer at the end ofFormatting text | 29

a line when you add or delete text, or change margins or font size. Instead, use a soft hyphen,which is visible only when required.
To insert a soft hyphen inside a word, click where you want the hyphen to appear (when needed)and press Ctrl+hyphen or use Insert > Formatting Mark > Insert soft Hyphen. When the word
is at the end of the line it will be hyphenated at this position, even if automatic hyphenation forthis paragraph is switched off.

Formatting pages
Every page in Writer is based on a page style. Page styles define basic layout, including pagesize, margins, headers and footers, borders, backgrounds, and so on. Changes to these settings
automatically change the page style. This means that, in contrast to paragraph styles, thesesettings cannot be used to directly format individual pages.
As with other styles, Writer comes with a number of page styles. You can modify these styles orcreate new ones. The Default Style page style is used when no other page style has been
specified.
In addition to page styles, several features enable you to further control page layouts, includingcolumns, frames, tables, and sections. For more information, see Chapter 5, Formatting Pages:
Basics, and Chapter 6, Formatting Pages: Advanced, in the Writer Guide.

Tip
Page layout is usually easier if you show text, object, table, and section boundaries inTools > Options > LibreOffice > Application Colors, and paragraph ends, tabs,
breaks, and other items in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Writer > Formatting Aids.

Creating headers and footers
A header is an area that appears at the top of a page above the margin. A footer appears at thebottom of the page below the margin. Information such as a page number is placed in the header
or footer of a page style. That information is then displayed on every page with the same pagestyle (unless the page style specifies separate settings for the first page or for left and rightpages).

Inserting a header or footer
You can insert a header in several ways. Here is the easiest:•

Click above the top margin (or below the bottom margin) to make the Header or Footer
marker appear (Figure 24), and then click on the + sign.

Figure 24: Header marker at top of text area
After a header/footer has been created, a down-arrow appears on the marker. Click on this arrow
to drop down a menu of choices for working with the header (Figure 25).
Alternatively, you can choose Insert > Header and Footer > Header > Default Page Style (orsome other page style, if not Default Page Style).
30 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterFigure 25: Header menu

Displaying different headers on right and left pages
Page styles can be set up to have the facing left and right pages mirrored or only right (firstpages of chapters are often defined to be right-page only) or only left. When you insert a header
on a page style set up for mirrored pages or right-and-left pages, you can have the contents of
the header be the same on all pages or be different on the right and left pages. For example, you
can put the page number on the left-hand edge of the left pages and on the right-hand edge ofthe right pages, put the document title on the right-hand page only, or make other changes.

Determining header and footer appearance
To format a header (use similar settings for a footer), you can either click on Format Header inthe menu shown in Figure 25 or go to Format > Page Style, Header tab. Both methods take you
to the same tab on the Page Style dialog.
Here you can specify if headings on the left and right pages should be the same or different. You
can also specify whether the first page will have no header or a different header than otherpages.
In this dialog, you can also turn the header on or off, set the margins, and set the spacing
between the header and document text.

Figure 26: Page Style dialog, Header tab

Formatting pages | 31

Inserting document title in headers and footers
Information such as a document title is often put into the header or footer. These items are best
added as fields. That way, if something (such as the name) changes, the headers and footers are
updated automatically. Here is one common way to use fields to insert the document title into theheader:1) Choose File > Properties. On the Description tab, type a title for your document, andclick the OK button.
2) Place the cursor in the header area at the top of the page.
3) Choose Insert > Field > Title. The title may appear on a gray background. The
background does not show when printed and can be turned off in Tools > Options >LibreOffice > Application Colors.
For more about headers, footers, and fields, see the Writer Guide.

Numbering pages
Displaying the page number
To display page numbers automatically:
1) Insert a header or footer as described in “Creating headers and footers” on page 30.
2) Place the cursor in the header or footer where you want the page number to appear andchoose Insert > Page Number.
3) Change the alignment of the number if you wish (left, right, or center).

Including the total number of pages
To include the total number of pages (as in “page 1 of 12”):1) Type the word “page” and a space, then insert the page number as above.
2) Press the space bar once, type the word “of” and a space, then choose Insert > Field >Page Count.

Note
The Page Count field inserts the total number of pages in the document, as shownon the Statistics tab of the document’s Properties dialog (File > Properties). If you
restart page numbering anywhere in the document, then the total page count may
not be what you want. See the Writer Guide for more information.

Restarting page numbering
Often you will want to restart the page numbering at 1, for example on the page following a title
page or a table of contents. In addition, many documents have the “front matter” (such as thetable of contents) numbered with Roman numerals and the main body of the document
numbered in Arabic numerals, starting with 1. To restart page numbering:
Place the cursor in the first paragraph of the new page.
1) Choose Format > Paragraph.
2) On the Text Flow tab of the Paragraph dialog (Figure 22 on page 29), select Insert in the
Breaks area, and then select With page style and specify the page style to use.
3) Specify the page number to start from, and then click OK.

32 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer

TipThis is also useful for numbering the first page of a document with a page number
greater than 1.

Line numberingLine numbers in the margin are often used in legal documents, poetry, and lists of programmingcode. Writer can insert line numbers in an entire document or for selected paragraphs. Line
numbers are included when you print the document.
You can choose how many lines are numbered (for example, every line or every tenth line), thenumbering type, and whether numbers restart on each page.
To add line numbers to a document, choose Tools > Line Numbering and select the Show
numbering option in the top left corner of the Line Numbering dialog. Then select any options
you want and click OK.
You can also create a paragraph style that includes line numbering, and apply it to theparagraphs that you want to add line numbers to. For example, to number the lines of example
code in a document, you will probably want to use a font or indentation that is different fromnormal text.

Changing page margins
You can change page margins in three ways:•

Using the page rulers—quick and easy, but does not allow fine control.

•

Using the Page Style dialog—you can specify margins with precision of up to two decimal
places.

•Using the Page deck of the Sidebar.

CautionWhen you change the margins, the page style is also changed and the changed
margins apply to all pages using that style.
To change margins using the rulers:
1) The gray sections of the rulers are the margins. Put the mouse cursor over the line
between the gray and white sections. The pointer turns into a double-headed arrow anddisplays the current setting in a tool-tip.
2) Hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse to move the margin.

Caution
The two small gray triangles on the ruler are used for indenting paragraphs. The
double-headed arrows shown in Figure 27 are mouse pointers shown in the correct
position for moving the margin markers. Because the triangles and arrows are often
in the same place, when changing page margins you need to be careful to move thearrows, not the gray triangles.

Formatting pages | 33

Figure 27: Moving the margins
To change margins using the Page Style dialog:
1) Right-click anywhere in the text area on the page and select Page Style in the context
menu.
2) On the Page tab of the dialog, type the required distances in the boxes in the Margins
area.
To change margins using the Page deck of the Sidebar:
1) On the Sidebar, open the Page deck.
2) On the Format panel, use the Margins drop-down list to select the desired margins fromthe defaults provided. Click the More Options button to open the Page Style dialog
where you can enter exact margin distances.

Choosing a page backgroundYou can apply backgrounds to many elements in Writer, including pages. On the Area tab of the
Page Style dialog, choose a background type (color, gradient, bitmap, pattern, or hatch). On the
Page tab of the dialog, you can choose whether the background covers only the text area (thearea inside the margins) or the entire page. For more about backgrounds, see Chapter 6,
Formatting Pages: Advanced in the Writer Guide.

Adding a custom watermark to the page backgroundTo add a watermark to a page background:
1) Choose Format > Watermark.
2) In the Watermark dialog (Figure 28), type the text and select the font, angle, transparency
and color of the watermark. Then click OK.

Note
The watermark will automatically become part of the page style where it is inserted
and all other pages of the same style will have the watermark. Pages with different or
no watermarks need different Page Styles for those pages.

34 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterFigure 28: The Watermark dialog

Defining a different first page for a document
Many documents, such as letters and memos, have a first page that is different from the otherpages in the document. For example, the first page of a letterhead typically has a different
header, or the first page of a report might have no header or footer, while the other pages do.
You can do this in several ways, as described in Chapter 5, Formatting Pages, in the Writer
Guide:•

Use the Default (or any other) page style for your document. Deselect the Same content
on first page option on the Header/Footer tabs in the Page Style dialog, and then add
different headers/footers to the first page and to the other pages of the document.

•

Use different page styles for the first page and for the following pages. Set the Next Page
attribute for the first page so the next page automatically becomes the style for following
pages.

•

Add a title page at the beginning of the document. Writer provides a fast and convenient
way to add one or more title pages to a document and optionally to restart the page
number at 1 for the body of the document, using Format > Title Page on the Menu bar.

Adding comments to a document
Authors and reviewers often use comments to exchange ideas, ask for suggestions, or markitems needing attention.
You can connect a comment to multiple paragraphs or a single point. To insert a comment, selectthe text, or place the cursor in the place the comment refers to, and choose Insert > Commenton the menu bar, click the Insert Comment icon on the Standard toolbar, or press Ctrl+Alt+C.
The anchor point of the comment is connected by a dotted line to a box on the right-hand side of
the page where you can type the text of the comment. A Comments button is also added to theright of the horizontal ruler at the top of the page; you can click this button to toggle the display ofthe comments.

Formatting comments
At the bottom of the comment, Writer automatically adds the author’s name and a time stamp
indicating when the comment was created. If more than one person edits the document, eachauthor is automatically allocated a different background color. Figure 29 shows an example oftext with comments from two different authors.

Adding comments to a document | 35

Figure 29: Example of comments
Choose Tools > Options > LibreOffice > User Data to provide the name you want to appear in
the Author field of comments.
Right-click on a comment to open a context menu where you can delete the current comment, all
the comments from the same author, or all the comments in the document. On this menu, you
can also reply to a comment, open a dialog to apply some basic formatting to the text, and markcomments as Resolved. These options are also available on a drop-down menu accessed byclicking the down arrow icon at the bottom right of the comment.

Navigating through comments
To navigate from one comment to another, open the sidebar Navigator, expand the Comments
section, and click on the comment text to move the cursor to the anchor point of the comment in
the document. Click the comment directly to edit it and right-click on the comment to delete it.
You can also navigate through the comments using the keyboard. Use Ctrl+Alt+Page Down tomove to the next comment and Ctrl+Alt+Page Up to move to the previous comment.

Printing comments
When a document contains comments, the print dialog has an option for comments to be printed
next to the text in the right margin, as they appear on the screen. In that case, the text on eachpage is scaled down to make space for the comments. The Print dialog also has options for
placing comments at the end of the page or at the end of the document, or for printing only thecomments.

Using built-in language tools
Writer provides some tools that make work easier if you use more than one language in the same
document or if you write documents in various languages. Changing the language for specifictext enables you to use the correct dictionaries and rules to check spelling, grammar, andhyphenation. It also applies the localized versions of AutoCorrect replacement options and uses
the appropriate thesaurus.

Options for applying languages
Tip
The language used at the location of the cursor is shown in the Status bar, next tothe page style in use.

36 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer

Using styles
Languages can be set on the Font tab of the Paragraph Style dialog or the Character Style
dialog. See the Writer Guide for information on how to manage the language settings of a style.

CautionBe careful when changing a language in character or paragraph styles, as this willchange the language for all characters or paragraphs using that style. It may be
useful to include the language in the name of the style.
Languages set with direct formatting will override languages set using styles.

Using direct formatting
The language of a whole document can be set by using Tools > Options > Language Settings> Languages. In the Default Languages for Documents section, you can choose the language
for all the text that is not explicitly marked as a different language.
Set the language for the whole document, for individual paragraphs, or even for individual words
and characters, in Tools > Language on the Menu bar, and select For Selection, For
Paragraph or For All Text. If the required language is not available in the submenu, click More.
The Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages menu opens, where you can selectthe language as described above.
Alternatively, you can set the language for individual paragraphs and characters by selecting text
or putting the cursor in a paragraph and changing the language on the Status bar. There is also
an option More, in case the text is not directly available.

Note
Although these methods are a type of direct formatting, they cannot be cleared byusing Format > Clear Direct Formatting on the Menu bar, clicking the Clear Direct
Formatting icon on the Formatting toolbar, selecting Clear Direct Formatting in thecontext menu, or using Ctrl+M.

Preventing text from being checked for spelling
You can set the language for a paragraph or a group of characters as None (Do not checkspelling) using any of the methods described above. This option is especially useful for text suchas web addresses or programming language snippets that you do not want to check for spelling.

Obtaining resources for additional languages
The spelling checker works only for those languages in the Spelling dialog list that have a
dictionary installed. You can install additional dictionaries using Tools > Language > Writing
Aids > More Dictionaries Online.

Creating a table of contents
Writer can generate a table of contents from the headings in your document. Before you start,
make sure that the headings are styled consistently. For example, you can use the Heading 1style for chapter titles and the Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles for chapter subheadings.
Although tables of contents can be customized extensively in Writer, often the default settings are
all you need. Creating a quick table of contents is simple:
1) When you create your document, use the following paragraph styles for hierarchicalheading levels (such as chapter and section headings): Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading
3, and so on. These headings are what will appear in your table of contents.
Creating a table of contents | 37

2) Place the cursor where you want the table of contents to appear.
3) Choose Insert > Table of Contents and Index > Table of Contents, Index or
Bibliography.
4) Change nothing in the Table of Contents, Index, or Bibliography dialog (unless you want
to change the number of levels shown). Click OK.
If you add or delete text (so that headings move to different pages) or you add, delete, or change
headings, you need to update the table of contents. To do this, right-click anywhere within thetable of contents and choose Update index in the context menu.
You can define your own heading styles and set them up in Tools > Chapter Numbering. You
can also include other paragraph styles in the table of contents by assigning outline levels to
those styles on the Outline & Numbering tab of the paragraph style dialog.
You can customize an existing table of contents at any time. Right-click anywhere in it andchoose Edit Index in the context menu. Chapter 15, Tables of Contents, Indexes, Bibliographies,
in the Writer Guide describes in detail all the customization options you can choose.

Creating indexes and bibliographies
Indexes and bibliographies work in a similar way to tables of contents. In addition to alphabeticalindexes, other types of index supplied with Writer include those for illustrations, tables, andobjects.
You can also create a user-defined index. For example, you might want an index containing only
the scientific names of species mentioned in the text, and a separate index containing only thecommon names of species.
Before creating an index, you first need to create index entries in your Writer document. Chapter
15, Tables of Contents, Indexes, Bibliographies, in the Writer Guide describes how to do this.

Using footnotes and endnotes
Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced. Endnotes arecollected at the end of a document.
To work effectively with footnotes and endnotes, you need to:•Insert footnotes and define their format.
To insert a footnote or an endnote, put the cursor where you want the footnote or endnote
marker to appear. Then select Insert > Footnote and Endnote on the Menu bar andchoose Footnote or Endnote, or click the Insert Footnote or Insert Endnote button on
the Standard toolbar.
A footnote or endnote marker is inserted in the text and, depending on your choice, thecursor is relocated either to the footnote area at the bottom of the page or to the endnotearea at the end of the document. Type the footnote or endnote content in this area.
To format the footnotes themselves, click Tools > Footnotes and Endnotes. On the
Settings of Footnotes and Endnotes dialog, choose settings as required.
See Chapter 3, Working with Text: Advanced, in the Writer Guide for more details.

•

Define the location of footnotes on the page, and the color and line styles for separatorlines, if the defaults do not meet your needs. These are found on the Footnote tab of the
Page Style dialog; see Chapter 5, Formatting Pages: Basics, in the Writer Guide.

38 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer

Inserting material from other documents
You may wish to reuse material from other files in the document you are writing. For example,
you might be writing a set of instructions that include some common paragraphs. You could, ofcourse, retype or copy and paste the common paragraphs into each document. However, if thecommon paragraphs are edited, you may need to update that information in every document
where it occurs.
Writer provides some tools for making these tasks easier:•

The Section dialog, described in Chapter 6, Formatting Pages: Advanced, in the Writer
Guide.

•

Two items in the Navigator’s drag modes: Insert as Link and Insert as Copy. See Chapter
3, Working with Text: Advanced, in the Writer Guide.

Working with images (graphics)
Images in Writer are of these basic types:•

Image files, including photos, drawings, and scanned images•

Diagrams created using LibreOffice’s drawing tools•

Artwork created using clip art or Fontwork•

Charts created using LibreOffice’s Chart facility

See Chapter 11, Images and Graphics, in this book and Chapter 11 in the Writer Guide.

Working with tables
Tables are a useful way to organize and present large amounts of information. A well-designed
table can often help readers understand better what you are saying. In addition to using tables fortext or numbers, you could put other objects, such as pictures, in cells. Writer’s tables can often
be used as an alternative to spreadsheets, and they provide limited spreadsheet functions.
To directly insert a table with the default properties, click the Insert Table icon on the Standard
toolbar. On the drop-down graphic, choose the size of the table.
To insert a new table using the Insert Table dialog, where you can specify the properties for thetable, position the cursor where you want the table to appear, then use any of the following
methods to open the dialog:•

Choose Table > Insert Table on the Menu bar.

•Press Ctrl+F12.

•

On the Standard toolbar, click the Insert Table icon and select More Options at thebottom of the drop-down graphic.

Writer provides many methods to format tables and the contents of cells. Refer to Chapter 13,
Tables of Data, in the Writer Guide.

Printing and exporting to PDF or EPUB
See Chapter 10, Printing, Exporting, Emailing, and Signing Documents, in this book and Chapter
7 in the Writer Guide for details on:•

Previewing pages before printing, selecting print options, printing in black and white on acolor printer, printing brochures, and other printing features.

Printing and exporting to PDF or EPUB | 39

•Exporting a Writer document to PDF (Portable Document Format) or EPUB (a popular
ebook format).

Using mail merge
Writer provides very useful features to create and print:•

Multiple copies of a document to send to a list of different recipients (form letters)•

Mailing labels•

Envelopes

All these features use data from a registered data source (a spreadsheet or database containing
name and address records or other information). Chapter 14 in the Writer Guide describes themerge processes.

Tracking changes to a document
You can use several methods to keep track of changes made to a document. Details are in
Chapter 3, Working with Text: Advanced, in the Writer Guide.
Method 1 (Recommended)
Use Writer’s change marks (often called “redlines” or “revision marks”) to show added or deletedmaterial or changed formatting. Comments can be recorded to explain the changes; these arehandled a bit differently from the comments discussed in “Adding comments to a document” onpage 35.
1) Open the document and choose Edit > Track Changes > Record before starting to edit.
2) Later, you or another person can review and accept or reject each change. Choose Edit
> Track Changes > Show. Right-click on an individual change and choose Accept
Change or Reject Change in the context menu, or choose Edit > Track Changes >Manage to view the list of changes and accept or reject them. You can also use the icons
on the Track Changes toolbar.
Method 2
Make your changes to a copy of the document (stored in a different folder, or under a different
name, or both), then use Writer to combine the two files and show the differences. Choose Edit >Track Changes > Compare Document or Edit > Track Changes > Merge Document.
Method 3
Save versions that are stored as part of the original file. However, this method can cause
problems with documents of non-trivial size or complexity, especially if you save a lot of versions.

Note
Writer 7.3 includes improvements in change tracking, including marking of moved
text (paragraphs, sentences, and list elements), change of paragraph style, insertionand deletion of empty table rows, and others. However, not all changes arerecorded. For example, changing a tab stop from align left to align right, andchanges in formulas (equations) or linked graphics are not recorded.

Tip
In addition to the Edit > Track Changes menu, Writer provides the same commandson the Track Changes toolbar (View > Toolbars > Track Changes).

40 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with WriterCaution
A document with track changes activated but with the changes not shown carries aninvisible history of document editing that the current user may not be aware of.
Contents deleted or modified can be recovered. While this is a feature, it is also a
potential privacy risk.

Using fields
Fields are extremely useful features of Writer. You can use them for data that changes (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-referencing (see below);
automatic numbering of figures, tables, headings, and other elements; and a wide range of otherfunctions. See Chapter 17, Fields, in the Writer Guide for details.

Linking and cross-referencing within a document
If you manually type in cross-references to other parts of a document, those references caneasily get out of date if you reorganize the order of topics, add or remove material, or reword aheading. Writer provides two ways to ensure that your references are up to date: hyperlinks andcross-references.
Both methods insert links to other parts of the same document or to an external source, taking
you directly to the cross-referenced item. However, they have major differences:•

The text in a hyperlink does not automatically update if you change the text of the linked
item (although you can change it manually), but changed text does automatically updatein a cross-reference.

•

When using a hyperlink, you do not have a choice about the type of content linked to(such as text or page number), but when using a cross-reference, you have several
choices, including bookmarks.

•

To hyperlink to an object such as a graphic, and have the hyperlink show useful text suchas Figure 6, you need to give such an object a useful name (instead of a default namelike Graphics6), or use the Hyperlink dialog to modify the visible text. In contrast, crossreferences to figures with captions can automatically show useful text, and you have a
choice of several variations of the name.

•

If you save a Writer document to HTML, hyperlinks remain active but cross-references donot. Both remain active when the document is exported to PDF.

Using hyperlinks
See Chapter 12, Creating HTML Files, for details on creating hyperlinks within a document and toother documents and websites.

Creating and using cross-references
The Cross-references tab of the Fields dialog lists some items, such as headings, bookmarks,
figures, tables, or numbered items such as steps in a procedure. You can also create your own
reference items; see Chapter 17, Fields, in the Writer Guide.
To insert a cross-reference:
1) In the document, place the cursor where you want the cross-reference to appear.

Linking and cross-referencing within a document | 41

2) If the Fields dialog is not open, click Insert > Cross-reference. On the Cross-referencestab (Figure 30), in the Type list, select the type of item to be referenced (for example,
Headings or Figure).
3) Click on the required item in the Selection list, which shows all the items of the selected
type. You can type some characters in the top box under Selection to filter the list in theselection box.

Figure 30: The Cross-references tab of the Fields dialog
4) In the Insert reference to list, select the option needed. The options determine the text
inserted for the hyperlink and how it is formatted. The list varies according to the Typechosen. The most commonly used options are Reference (to insert the full text of aheading or caption), Category and Number (to insert a figure number preceded by theword Figure or Table, but without the caption text), Numbering (to insert only the figure ortable number, without the word Figure or Table), or Page (to insert the number of thepage the referenced text is on).
5) Click Insert.
You can leave this dialog open while you insert many cross-references.

Using bookmarks
You can use bookmarks to rapidly navigate or link to specific locations in a document. They arelisted in the Navigator and can be accessed directly from there with a single mouse click. You cancross-reference to bookmarks and create hyperlinks to bookmarks, as described above.
To create a bookmark:1) Select the text you want to bookmark. Click Insert > Bookmark.
2) On the Insert Bookmark dialog, the larger box lists any previously defined bookmarks.
Type a name for this new bookmark in the top box, and then click Insert.

42 | Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer

Using master documents
A master document joins separate text documents into one larger document, and unifies theformatting, table of contents, bibliography, index, and other tables or lists. Master documents are
typically used for producing long documents such as a book, thesis, or long report. They areespecially handy when different people are writing different sections of a document, eliminating
the need to continually share the full document. For details on using master documents, see
Chapter 16 in the Writer Guide.

Creating fill-in forms
In a standard text document, such as a report, any text can be edited. By contrast, a form has
sections that are not to be edited, and other sections that are designed for the reader to fill in
information. For example, a questionnaire has an introduction and questions (which do notchange) 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 sentout to a group of people who fill it in and return it.

•

To enter information directly into a database or data source. 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 organize information fields in a form, including check boxes, option
buttons, text boxes, pull-down lists, and spinners. Two toolbars are used to create forms: Form
Controls and Form Design. See Chapter 18, Forms, in the Writer Guide for more information.

Creating fill-in forms | 43