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Works for me.
How shall we all get started with this?
Charles.
Sounds like an excellent idea to me !...
Henri
Maybe, after this coming holiday, I will look into ordering one of the Word or MSO laminated "quick study guides" from BarChart, Inc. http://www.barcharts.com/ They did a great job with the Medical and Mathematics guides I bought back in 2000-2002. I bought the Windows 98 guides for my wife, and they were good for her. So It would be interesting to see what the "professional" guide making company does for Word or MSO.
I would love to find a Word study guide sheet - download for free - but I have not seen any. I have not really looked for any either, much.
To be honest, if we have some guides to look at, then we may have some ideas on what might be useful to have in a quick study guide or quick reference guide.
Well, after the current holiday, I will look more into this topic. Maybe I will be able to start something in December.
I have been using LO since 3.3.0 and do not know a tenth of what others know after using it for 6 months or less.
I just use what I need to use and do not have time to experiment with much else. One day, I will have to sit down with a tablet and read all of the guides. Right now, my only "real reading" is for pure pleasure and to reduce stress so I can reduce the chance for a 4th stroke. Well, I just got new glasses, so I may think about scheduling time after the holidays to start some "serious reading" of guides and manuals.
Webmaster...
That would be greatly appreciated.
I'm sure many on this list would discover new features/functions (or
easier ways to do them) and I and other newbies would be grateful for
a quick guide to Writer and even Calc down the road.
How can we all help you?
Perhaps, if we could share the functions we use most often in Libre
Writer and how we do them we could all help contribute to the quick
start guide or short FAQ?
Right now, I'd appreciate it if anyone can please share how to do the
following in Writer?
1. Suppress header on the first page of a text document
2. Keep a dotted line across a page without it automatically becoming
a solid line
3. Change line spacing - context menu - where’s that?
4. Suppressing hyperlinks
5. Indents - where and how to change
6. Turn on/off Fast Save - so document doesn't leave personal info in a document
7. Turn on/off the Track Changes tool
8. Strike-through a word or sentence - context menu again?
9. Eliminating hard returns
10. Print file list of file names in a sub-directory
Then, we could add these 10 items to the Libre Writer Quick Start Guide!!
Thanks so much,
Charles.
Charles,
Where do you want the answers to be sent to?
Right now, I'd appreciate it if anyone can please share how to do the following in Writer?
1. Suppress header on the first page of a text document
Use different page styles for the first and subsequent pages. Set the header only for the subsequent pages (or use an empty header on the first page). Either insert a manual page break after the first page or set the subsequent page style as the "next style" for the first page style. The existing "First Page" and "Default" page styles will do this for you automatically.
2. Keep a dotted line across a page without it automatically becoming a solid line
Either disable the facility at Tools | AutoCorrect Options... | Options | Apply Border or - more easily - just use Edit | Undo (or Ctrl+Z) immediately the unwanted correction occurs.
3. Change line spacing - context menu - where's that?
Paragraph... | Indents & Spacing | Line spacing or Edit Paragraph Style... | Indents & Spacing | Line spacing, as appropriate.
4. Suppressing hyperlinks
Disable at Tools | AutoCorrect Options... | Options | URL Recognition or use Edit | Undo (or Ctrl+Z) as above. Or right-click | Remove Hyperlink.
5. Indents - where and how to change
Paragraph... | Indents & Spacing | Indent or Edit Paragraph Style...
Indents & Spacing | Indent.
6. Turn on/off Fast Save - so document doesn't leave personal info in a document
See Tools | Options... | Load/Save | General and File | Properties...
General.
7. Turn on/off the Track Changes tool
Edit | Changes > | Record.
8. Strike-through a word or sentence - context menu again?
Character... | Font Effects | Strikethrough or Edit Paragraph Style... | Font Effects | Strikethrough.
9. Eliminating hard returns
Depends on exactly what you want to do. Use "$" in regular expressions in Find & Replace.
10. Print file list of file names in a sub-directory
Ask your operating system.
11. (The question you didn't ask) Where do I find the answers to these questions?
Download the Writer Guide or study the embedded help system. Or both.
I trust this helps.
Brian Barker
I am not the best person to create a final chart/guide/sheet. Due to the 3 strokes, my communication skills were affected so I do not have an easy time trying to get the correct/proper wording out - halk the times I need to do so.
I will look into what is being done and see what can be done to make one for LO. I will see about an outline of what is to be gathered and some basic ideas of what needs to be included. BUT, I do not want to be the guy to do the work all by his lonesome. I have too many projects in the past where I started with a group and ended up doing the work for the bosses all by myself. I may be able to do something I would like to see, but I am really eclectic about some things.
Also, it will be a few weeks before I can devote any real time to such a project. I have a lot of things going on that needs to be done "yesterday" on my to-do list. When they are caught up and such, I will look into the project.
As I stated, I will look into buying a laminated guide in a week or two and see what that company does. I will be weeks before I get the sheet on my hands. If there are any GOOD freely downloadable guides/sheets out there, please forward their URLs to me at my "webmaster@libreoffice-na.us" address. That way I will have those emails outside my LO list folders and easily dealt with.
These questions raise an interesting design decision made by LibO.
When it comes to Autocorrect, I've noticed that, by default, LibO enables all of the Autocorrect options. LibO naturally assumes that, if I type a "(c)", what I REALLY want is a copyright symbol. It seems to me that is the same faulty assumption that has made people so frustrated with MS Word; the software publisher decide what people want and sets the defaults accordingly.
Every time I load a fresh install of LibO, the first thing I have to do is go into Autocorrect and disable nearly all of the options. I think it would make more sense for the default install to have Autocorrect disabled and allow the user to enable it as desired.
Virgil
Hi 
How about someone creating a page on the official wiki? Then anyone can add to it? Charles have you done a wiki-page before? If not i might be able to start a new page for it but only in a few days time, not right-away. It's not hugely tough to figure out tbh and you can give it a go because i might well be able to fix it without losing data or work if you are not completely happy with the 1st attempt.
I've lost track of what people are thinking of.
* If it's quick little things, along the lines of Ctrl P for printing in MSO and something else in LO (and something else again in LO on Macs). Errr, i think that's a bad example because it's about the same in all.
* If it's larger things, such as little paragraphs or even entire pages then i have a feeling it might be possible to get rough drafts that are already done. The docs team seem to have access to something for each new branch as it arrives that they then make slightly more people-friendly.
Regards from
Tom
Hi
Wow! If there was some way of saving the User Profile of a perfect set-up and then uploading that to the Extensions website then it might help a lot of people get idealised set-ups quite quickly. There was something about using an xcu file so that all users of a Windows machine would start with the same basic set-up but despite people trying to help me with it i never got around to implementing it.
Regards from
Tom
I think this is what is known as a catch 22. With the number of people using LO, different people have different lists of options that they want to use. It is impossible to please everyone at the same time.
For the die-hard, there may be a solution found in the autocorr folder. Search for share/autocorr to find it. This folder contains dat files with the language indicated in the name of the file. They contain all the settings of AutoCorrect. It seems that you could save this file and put it in this same autocorr folder.
--Dan
In the end, having a "quick study guide" or "cheat sheet" listed on one of the Wiki pages will be needed. If I was to create one or be part of a project that does it as a group, I would insist that it be linked there for anyone to get freely and easily.
The Wiki pages are easy for a list or table of things, but for a document that looks like a "normal" reference guide[s] I have seen it does not work well to deal with that type of formatting.
YES, we could use a place for people to list all of the "quick reference" or quick explanation on how to do things in LO. I would love to see someone compile a list of shortcuts and menu options to setup and do various tasks that beginning users would want to know.
As I said before, I do not use much of the potential abilities of any of the modules of LO. I just use what I need and learn what I do not know but need to do. I no longer spend hours and hours learning all of the ins and outs of a package like I use to do in the 90's and early 00's.
We will need to have "screen clips" of all of the menu options and such that would help the users. Not all of the Tools>Options sub-menus will be needed to be used by a beginner to Writer or Calc. I would start with all the things I think new users would need to know for Writer and general setup. Then a separate quick guide/sheet for Calc can be done. I have not see any single laminated guide for the entire MSO. They are divided up into the different modules [Word, Excel, etc.]. That is what we should do as well.
I think a 3 double-sided laminated panels are the normal size of these quick guides, of so I have seen in the past. Having 6 letter size pages of columns and text blocks organized into different categories can be hard to do, or easy to do, depending on the person and what he/she has to work with. If I had a list of all the needed things to be placed on those panels, it would be a lot easier.
As I stated, it will be easier to see what a professional company has on their Word 2010 guide and then start gathering the needed items for a Writer guide. I like to see a lot of screen-clips to show new users where all of the option are that they might want to use. Then add the shortcuts and brief descriptions on how to do some of the things they might want to do.
I save my setup file/folder [Ubuntu] and a list of the add ons that I normally use, in a folder to be used to setup any other LO install. I know that the Ubuntu setup files/folders do not work on a Windows system, but it is a good practice to have a backup of all of the profile/files/extensions you have if you need to "kill" a corrupt one. But with all of the extensions/templates/etc. file in one folder, then I can copy them onto a thumb drive with the Windows install files for LO and have everything needed to give any machine the same "stuff" as you use on your main system. I add to that all of the fonts I have installed in my ".fonts" folder as well so I will not be missing any needed fonts when editing documents on my laptops [XP and the Vista/Ubuntu dual booting laptops] that were created on my Ubuntu desktop.
I never like to edit a setup file directly instead of modifying the package through the options/preferences editing system within the package itself. One can get into a lot of trouble if they make a "stupid" error in their editing.
Hi
Oh, i thought the user-profile could be copied around from any platform to any other platform quite happily. I think that way it's probably best to copy the user-profile before doing a reinstall or an upgrade or even before the initial install.
My problem with trying any of that is that i keep finding new settings or configurations that i really like and then wish that everyone else had the same. Some turn out to be painful after-all even though a it seemed good for the first few days. So the problem is more about my lack of decisiveness and general wander-lust than a difficulty with the software.
Regards from
Tom
Hi
I have only just thought of using links or QR codes to point people to YouTube HowTos or proper documentation for things that might be a paragraph or more.
Regards from
Tom
Hi
+1
There do seem to be a few different distinct "camps". It might be good to have a single place that individuals that appear to fall into such a camp could be sign-posted to for them to pick-up the majority of settings that other such individuals also liked.
One camp is the minimalist camp with people such as the o.p. who would just prefer to switch off a lot of the fancy stuff we tend to assume "all" users want because it helps productivity. Such people turn off predictive-texting on mobiles and other such things. I'm sure all of us know plenty of examples of people in this camp and some of us live there for a while and revisit sometimes. Having one place that has a script and/or other things to help someone get back to basics easily might be really great. Lol, or it might be such a complete contradiction that they wouldn't trust it to really do the job!
I like almost all the default settings in LO now but do have a lot of fun trying out different things.
Regards from
Tom
I follow Brian's action and leave my answers here.
My answers are straight forward and no looking into the manual to show also what is needed. I am using LibO since a bit less then 6 month.
Right now, I'd appreciate it if anyone can please share how to do the
following in Writer?1. Suppress header on the first page of a text document
Use a diffrent page layout for first page.
2. Keep a dotted line across a page without it automatically becoming
a solid line
No idea
3. Change line spacing - context menu - where’s that?
Select the paragraph and right click into the paragraph and select the context menu for line spacing and see how I have to do the change
4. Suppressing hyperlinks
No idea
5. Indents - where and how to change
Either looking in style or Format menu or Tool menu and search for the the required menu item.
6. Turn on/off Fast Save - so document doesn't leave personal info in a document
No idea what is Fast Save really.
7. Turn on/off the Track Changes tool
Look into the Edit menu, but the in LibO is different
8. Strike-through a word or sentence - context menu again?
Select text, right click and search in context menu for a suitable item
9. Eliminating hard returns
I am using non printable characters being visible. thus delete the character
10. Print file list of file names in a sub-directory
No idea what this is.
I have concerns about the YouTube HowTos because sound recording is often not done very good and it takes to much time to watch the movies. Screen clippings and text is much faster to be used.
But think of the consequences. Remember that most users of any software use only a small subset of its capabilities. If automatic correction was hidden by default, many (most?) users would never know it existed. The fact that you can describe having to disable the parts you don't like shows that you have learned at least of the existence of the facility. I hope that's true of most users. The frustration may be evidence of didactic success!
Brian Barker