Discovering the New Features of OpenOffice.org 3.0

By: Eric Geier
Monday, December 15, 2008 12:38:34 PM EST
URL: http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/6616/1/

Better Start Center, Native OS X, MS OOXML

Just after our how-to series on OpenOffice.org (OOo) wrapped up, OOo 3.0 was officially released--more specifically, on Oct 13, 2008. Most of the tips and tricks covered in the series, based on version 2.4, will still apply. Though there's a big jump in the version number, there's not a huge difference in the office suite. However, as you can guess, there have been some improvements. This tutorial will introduce you to some of the new features and functionality. Now let's get started!

Start center and new look and feel welcomes you to OOo

The changes made from OOo 2.4 to 3.0 aren't as all eye popping like from the changes Microsoft made from Office 2003 to Office 2007. OOo 3.0 still has the traditional file menus and toolbars--no Ribbon here. The open source developers madeover many toolbar icons to give them a more modern look. Plus when OOo is opened without a document, a start center (see Figure 1) is displayed instead of a blank application. This center makes the office suite a bit more user friendly and inviting. You can hit the buttons to start or open documents, manage templates, or browse Extensions.

Installs on Mac OS X (without X11)

Though you could install OOo on Mac OS X machines in the past, you could only do it with help from X11. This is an implementation of the X Window System, that makes it possible to run X11-based applications in Mac OS X. Starting with OOo 3.0, you can install the suite without this dependency.

MS Office 2007 documents can be opened

Don't celebrate yet; you can only open and view the new XML-based documents with OOo, not save any edits made to them. You can however, save these documents to the MS Office 97-2003 or OOo format, and then make changes as you wish. Just as with opening the Office 97-2003 documents, some items may not show correctly or convert well when opening the 2007 documents in OOo. During our tests, the new SmartArt, Charts, and Building Blocks in Office 2007 didn't convert well, or at all. We're happy to report, though, the headers and footers stayed in tack; which wasn't the case with OOo 2.4. It's out with the old and in with the new compatibility issues.

Here are a few techniques to keep in mind when working with both MS Office 2007 and OOo 3.0:

• Try to use only basic formatting and features, and especially stay away from the new or improved features Office 2007 offers, such as the SmartArt, Charts, and Building Blocks.
• Though not perfect, these new Office 2007 features convert much better in OOo when the Office 2007 document is first saved as a Office 97-2003 document using Word 2007, and then it is opened with OOo. Then you can directly make and save changes to the Office 97-2003 document.
• To edit Office 2007 documents not first converted to the 97-2003 format, you can click File > Save As and choose the old applicable MS or OOo format. Then you can make changes and save the document.
• Keep in mind, you can export Office 2007 documents in OOo to a PDF file. This is useful if you just need to make a few changes to the document--remember you can make edits, you just can't save them--and then can print or distribute/save it in PDF format.

Better Cropping, Notes, Multi-Page View

Cropping images in Draw and Impress works better

OOo used to only offer the cropping of images via a dialog box, by inputting measurements for how much to cut off from the top, bottom, left, and right. However, version 3.0 offers a less crude way of cropping in Draw and Impress. Like other office or photo applications, now you can "visually crop". As shown in Figure 2, after you click the Crop Picture icon from the toolbar, use the cursors on the edges of the image to crop it. It feels just like if you were to resize an image, but instead of shrinking, it cuts off portions of  the image. After you exit the cropping state, the picture edges will function for resizing purposes. If you find you bit off more than you can chew, just click the Crop Picture toolbar icon again to uncrop or adjust the cropping.

If you are a fan of the Crop dialog box, don't worry, its still available. To bring it up, right-click an image and choose Crop Picture. As with pervious versions of OOo, the dialog box (see Figure 3) sports a thumbnail of the image with cropping marks to help you see how it will look.

Improved notes and multi-page viewing in Writer

One of the biggest changes you'll notice in Writer 3.0 is how notes are handled. Inserting and viewing notes in Writer documents with previous versions of OOo was a bit crude. When you hit Insert > Note, you had to type the note into a dialog box, and then to save the author's initials with the insertion date and time, you had to hit a button. Plus it was a bit tricky to get a note to display by hovering over it. However, as you can see in Figure 4, the open source developers have now adopted a similar approach to notes as used by Microsoft.

If you have the urge to notate, move the cursor to the spot and click Insert > Note or hit Ctrl+Alt+N. Then pour your heart out into the note box on the right of the document. The author's name and the time of the insertion is recorded automatically. It's now that simple. If you find you need to make changes to the notations, simply click in the note box.

Writer now also sports new zooming settings and functionality. Instead of having to click View > Zoom and changing the zoom factor on a dialog box, you can now change it right from the Status bar on the bottom of Writer 3.0. You can use the slider to adjust the zoom percentage and the icons on the left to select the layout type, which is a new zooming attribute with the following types:

• Single page is what you're used to from pervious versions of Writer, where the pages are displayed in a single vertical line, never side by side.
• Automatic is where the amount of pages placed side-by-side are based upon the zoom factor; the more zoomed out, the more pages will appear on the screen.
• Columns is where the pages are placed side-by-side based upon the amount of columns you specify. The default is 2 columns with book mode on, as you can see in Figure 5. This default layout type provides a better picture of what the document looks and feels like a book format, with the first page acting as the front cover or title page and the left/right content pages paired next to each other.

The zooming settings can still be set from the dialog box, by clicking View > Zoom or double-clicking the zoom percentage number in status bar. This is actually the only spot where you can change the amount of columns for the column layout type and turn the book mode on or off.

Several Enhancements in Calc

Calc in OOo 3.0 now includes a Solver tool to perform what-if analysis, similar to what has been provided by Microsoft Excel. This addition may be especially useful for Mac OS X users, as Office 2008 for Mac discontinued the feature. Another great addition to Calc is Workbook Sharing. When enabled from the Share Document dialog box (by clicking Tools > Share Document), multiple users can open the file, add data, and make changes at the same time. Any conflicts in changes are resolved by the user before writing them to the workbook. The last notable change in Calc is the four-fold increase in the amount of supported columns; 256 to 1,024 columns. This may not affect most users, but those who deal with a mass amount of data will be thankful.

Full table support in Impress

In previous versions of Impress, real tables could not be inserted into presentations, rather a Calc worksheet could be inserted and modified. However, the OOo developers have added native table support for Impress 3.0. To add a table to your presentation, click Insert > Table and on the dialog box that pops up, input the desired amount of rows and columns. As you can see in Figure 6, the Table toolbar and the Table Design task pane will appear so you can modify and design the table.

OOo is free and open, give it a try!

As we discussed, there hasn't been a load of new features introduced in OpenOffice.org 3.0. However, the community still continues to support the office suite with improvements, and it is still comparable to Microsoft Office. If you haven't used OOo, give it a try; it's free!

Eric Geier is an author of many computing and networking books, including Home Networking All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (Wiley 2008) and 100 Things You Need to Know about Microsoft Windows Vista (Que 2007).