Digial Documentation (Advanced)

Digital Documentation (Advanced) using LibreOffice Writer 

Chapter 1: Introduction to Style

A style is a collection of formats which is used to change the appearance of specific text, pages, frames and other elements in document.

Definition: A style is a set of formats which you want to apply to the document in the term of formatting. Style helps to improve consistency in the document

Advantages of Style in Digital Document

• Provides consistency throughout the document

• Saves time and increases efficiency

• Allows for easy modifications

• Increase accessibility for readers.

LibreOffice Writer provides six different types of Style

1. Page Style – The page style contains the following elements: background, borders, header and footer placement, page size, and margin.

2. Paragraph Style – The paragraph style contains: line spacing, tab stops, borders and text alignment.

3. Character Style – This style used to work on blocks of letters instead of complete paragraphs. Character Style include text color, text size, highlighting text, or bold and italic formats.

4. Frame Style – Frames are like containers which help to hold text, graphics and lists in a document. Frame Style includes formatting of the frame like size of the picture, position of the text around the picture, border of the text, page background, text background, watermark etc.  

5. List Style – List style uses numbered and bullets.

6. Table Style – Table styles allow formatting options for tables, such as borders, text inside the table, border color, and table format. 

How to apply Styles and Formatting window

Writer provides many different options to open style and formatting windows in LibreOffice-

1. Step 1: Press F11 function key to open the style and formatting windows or Click on Format > Styles and Formatting

2. Step 2: The style window will be open

3. Step 3: Select text area where you want to apply style

4. Step 4: Double click on the style which you want to apply.

Apply Style using Fill Format mode

Fill Format useful tools to apply style quickly in the document which helps format window easy without going back to Style and Formatting windows every time.

Definition: Fill Format is a feature of LibreOffice Writer which helps to copy the formatting from one text to the another text. 

• Step 1: Open the Style and Formatting window

• Step 2: Select the text from where you want to copy the format.

• Step 3: Click on Fill Format window

• Step 4: Click on the location where you want to apply the Style and Formatting, the style will applied automatically.

 Creating New Style in Documents (Custom Style)

LibreOffice provide two different method to creating new custom style –

Creating New Style from a selection 

• Step 1: Open Style and Formatting window

• Step 2: Click on Style which you want to create

• Step 3: Click on the text where you want to save the style

• Step 4: Click on New Style from the selection icon in the Style and Formatting window.

• Step 5: Give the name of the style and click on save.

Create New Style using drag and drop 

• A new style can be created by simply dragging and dropping a text selection into the style and formatting window. First open the formatting and style window. Select some text and drag and drop to the style and formatting window, after that give the name of new style.

Updating a Custom Style 

It will be better for you to use an updating style option to update the style rather than creating a New style. To modify the existing style then follow the blow steps – 

• Step 1: Select page/ paragraph to be modified

• Step 2: Format the selected portion

• Step 3: Click on Style menu and click on update

Load Styles (from a template or document)

You can copy style from the existing template or document. Once copied the style from the other document will be listed in the Style and Formatting window.  Follow the steps to Load the Style –

• Step 1: In the style menu click on Load Style.

• Step 2: Select the document which you want to Load on the document

• Step 3: Click OK to copy the style

Chapter 2: Working with Images

LibreOffice Writer allows you to work with images, shapes, charts and diagrams by using various tools. The image file can be inserted in a document using the following different ways. 

• Using Image dialog box

• Using Drag and Drop Option

• Using Cut, Copy and Paste option

• Inserting an image by linking

Using Image dialog box – Image dialog box is a general procedure to insert an image in a writer.

• Step 1: Click on Insert > Image from menu bar

• Step 2: Select image from dialog box

Using Drag and Drop Option – Using drag and drop you can insert images in the document.

• Step 1: Open a file browser window (Win+E) and select the image

• Step 2: Drag and Drop the image into the document

Using Cut, Copy and Paste option – Another way to insert an image in the document is by using copy and paste.

• Step 1: Select the target file

• Step 2: Copy the image using right click or using shortcut key Ctrl+C

• Step 3: Place the cursor on the location and use Ctrl+V to paste the image in the document.

Inserting an image by linking – If multiple copies of the same image you want to insert in the document then you can use image by linking. Image by linking is beneficial to save the link of the image instead of inserting the image in the document.

• Step 1: Click on Insert Image dialog box

• Step 2: Click on Link option

Modifying an Image

The Image toolbar is used to modify the Image in the Writer, Image toolbar is used to resize, crop, delete and rotate the image.

Using the Image toolbar

The Image toolbar automatically appears when an Image is inserted in the document or click on View > Toolbars > Image from the menu bar.

a. Image Filter in LibreOffice Writer – There are 11 different types of image filters available which you can use to Filter the Image (Improve the quality of Image).

• Invert – This Filter is used when the image is in gray scale and you want to improve brightness like inverted. 

• Smooth – Decrease the contrast of the image.

• Sharpen – Increases the contrast of Image.

• Remove Noise – Removes single pixels from the image.

• Solarisation – Solarisation is used to reverse the tone. Dark appears light and light appears dark.

• Aging – Simulates the effect of time on a picture.

• Posterise – Makes a picture appear like painting by reducing colors in the image.

• Charcoal Sketch – Changes image as charcoal sketch. 

• Relief – Adjusts light source to create shadow.

• Mosaic – Joins a group of pixels into a single area of one color.

b. Image Mode in Image toolbar – There are three Image modes which we can apply in Writer. a) Black and White b) Gray Scale c) Watermark

c. Flip Horizontal and Vertical in Image toolbar – You can flip the image Horizontally or Vertically.

d. Image Rotation in Image toolbar – Image rotation is used to rotate the image in a document.

e. Transparency in Image toolbar – Transparency is used to make the image transparent. 

f. Color in Image toolbar – You can adjust the color combination of the image including adjustment of brightness, contrast and gamma. 

Cropping Image in LibreOffice

Cropping tools are used when you want to cut unwanted areas of the image. To crop the image first select the image and right click on it and from the pop up menu select Picture and then click on Crop option. 

You can control the image parameters using following tools –

Keep Scale/ Keep Image Size 

The Keep Scale does not change the scale of the image it maintains the aspect ratio of the original image after cropping but in keep image size the cropping results either enlarge, reduce or distortion and the image size staying constant. 

For example, if you have an image of 40px and you have cropped 20px from the left using ‘keep scale’, then the image will become 20px; the remaining 20px will be removed. But if you crop 20px from the left using ‘keep image size’, then the image will stretch to fill the same width.

So, Keep Scale is best when you want to trim without affecting image proportions. Keep Image Size is useful when you want the image to stay the same size on the page, even after cropping.

Difference between Scaling and Resizing

Images can be resized to change their dimensions (size of the image) without affecting the contents. The contents will be stretched to the new dimensions when the image is scaled.

Drawing Objects

If you want to create flowchart or any shapes in your document, then LibreOffice Writer provides a Drawing Object feature in the document. To display the Drawing Toolbar in the Writer, click on View > Toolbars > Drawing.

Steps to Insert Drawing Object –

• Step 1: In the document where you want to insert object

• Step 2: In the Drawing toolbar select the tool

• Step 3: Click and drag to create a drawing object.

Resizing and Grouping objects

• Resizing – is a method in Writer which helps to reduce or enlarge the size of the image. The most popular way to resize the image is using sizing handles, these handles can be used to increase or decrease the size of the image.

• Grouping – LibreOffice Writer allows grouping methods to group multiple objects in a single object without affecting their size and position.

Positioning Image in the Text

Positioning Image can be used for text and other images or drawing objects in the document. In LibreOffice the positioning of an image is controlled by four settings. 

• Arrangement

• Anchoring

• Alignment

• Text Wrapping

Note : The above settings can be accessed by using three different ways – a) Format menu b) Context menu c) Using right click on the object.

Arrangement – Arrangement is used to arrange the position of an image, drawing object or text, if any image is overlapped or not arranged properly in writing in that condition you can take the help of arrangement. There are six different types of arrangement –  

• Bring to Front 

• Forward One 

• Back One 

• Send to Back 

• To Foreground 

• To Background

Note – First four settings can be applied on an image or drawing, but the last two are available for drawings only.

Anchoring – Anchoring allows an image to retain its position to a page, paragraph, character or frame.

Alignment – Allows the vertical or horizontal placement of the image with respect to its anchor.

Text Wrapping – Wrapping allows the placement of image in relation to text. 

Chapter 3: Advanced Features of Writer

Table of Contents (ToC)

The Index page (List of the page) of every book is known as table of contents, LibreOffice Writer has a facility to create a table of contents automatically. The table of contents takes entries or content from the headings of the document.

Hierarchy of Headings

Heading 1 through Heading 10 are the ten different heading types that LibreOffice Writer supports. This heading is helpful when creating a table of contents because its placement ensures that the correct heading styles Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 and so on are positioned correctly, which also ensures that your table of contents is created correctly. 

The elements for entries at that level are shown on the Structure line. On the Structure line, every button denotes a single element. –

• The E# button represents the chapter number.

• The E button represents the entry text.

• The T button represents a tab stop.

• The # button represents the page number.

• The LS button represents the start of a hyperlink. 

• The LE button represents the end of a hyperlink. 

Template in LibreOffice Writer

A template is just like a model which is used to create another document. templates reduce the workload and improve the work quality. 

Definition: A template is a preset layout that helps to create professional and/or formal documents easily

Creating a Template

You can create your own template for future use. Follow the steps given below to create and save a template in Writer.

• Step 1: Open the document

• Step 2: Select File > Templates > Save

• Step 3: Type the name of the new template

• Step 4: Click on Save button

Using In-built/Saved Templates

LibreOffice allows the user to use in-built templates, online templates as well as the template created and saved by us.

• Step 1: Open the new document in LibreOffice Writer

• Step 2: Select File > Templates > Manage Templates or use shortcut key Ctr+Shift+N

• Step 3: Select the desired template and click Open button

• Step 4: Make the desired changes and save the file

Using Online Templates

LibreOffice provides a wide range of online templates which can be downloaded from the Internet. Once these templates are downloaded and installed on the computer then they will appear in the Template window. To view the template in Write then follow File > Templates > Manage Templates.

Track Changes Feature

Track Change is a powerful tool of LibreOffice, which allows the user to monitor the changes made to a document from the other users, as well as user comments. Track Change make reviewing a document easier and modification is tracked and displayed. 

Definition: Track Changes helps you to keep track of other users’ edits and comments on a document. 

The various buttons present on the Track Changes toolbar – 

• View Track Changes – This button displays all the changes made in the document by different users.

• Record Track Changes – Any character added to the document will be displayed in a different color and any deletion done will be seen in strike-through style.

• Previous Track Changes/Next Track Changes– Click on these buttons to navigate between the changes made.

• Accept/Accept All Track Changes – Accept all the changes made to the document.

• Reject/Reject All Track Changes – Clicking Reject Track Changes or Reject All Track Changes button, respectively.

• Manage Track Changes – Which contains a detailed list of all changes made to the document along with the author’s name and date and time of modification.

• Insert Comment – This button is used to add a comment in a document.