Sams Teach Yourself StarOffice® 5 for Linux in 24 Hours

ContentsIndex

Hour 10: Using Tables, Indexes, and Other Special Features

Previous HourNext Hour

Sections in this Hour:

 

Numbering and Outlining


For many documents, both in business and in creative work, you need to create a structured outline or numbered list that you then expand or work from to create a larger document.

StarOffice provides line numbering, automatic bullets, and automatic outlines to help you structure a document without keeping track of all the numbers of letters as you go.

The sections that follow describe the easiest ways to use StarOffice to automate a structured document such as an outline, or to add line numbering or automatic bullets to your text.

Using Auto Numbering Outlines

Whenever you need to create an outline in StarOffice, you can turn on the outline feature to have StarOffice do the work for you.

Suppose you're writing an outline for a book. Before you start writing the outline, follow these steps:

1. Place your cursor where you want the outline to begin.

2. Choose Numbering/Bullets from the Format menu. The Numbering/Bullets dialog box opens.

3. Choose the Outline tab (see Figure 10.16).

4. Select which style of outline level markers you prefer by clicking on one of the boxes.

Figure 10.16
The Outline tab enables you to define how an automatic outline is to be structured.

5. Optionally, choose the Customize tab (see Figure 10.17). From this tab you can set up the format of each outline level exactly as you prefer. Spacing, numbering, bullet graphics, indent amount, and other settings can all be controlled separately for each outline level.

Figure 10.17
In the Customize tab of the Numbering/Bullets dialog box, you can set numbering and spacing options for each outline level.

6. Choose OK to close the Numbering/Bullets dialog box. The first outline number appears.

With the outline started, you can type the text of the first outline item and press Enter. Each time you press Enter, the next number in the outline appears.

Continue to enter outline items, following these two rules:

  • If the outline needs to be indented further (lower level in the outline), press the Tab key before you type the item.

  • If the item needs to be raised to a higher level in the outline, press Shift+Tab before typing the entry.

When you have entered all the outline items, press Enter on a blank line to indicate the end of the outline. The last outline number disappears.

Tip - The gray shading on the outline level numbers doesn't appear when you print the document. You can turn it off by deselecting Field Shadings from the View menu.

Using Bullets and Line Numbering

You can use bullets and numbering the same way that you use outlining in StarOffice:

1. From the Format menu, choose Numbering/Bullets.

2. Choose the Bullets or Numbering tab.

3. Select a style from the boxes shown.

4. Choose OK.

A bullet or number is shown at the beginning of the current line. When you type text and press Enter, the next number or another bullet appears (see Figure 10.18).

As with outlining, press Enter on a blank line to end the automatic addition of a bullet or line number.

When you need to use a bulleted list or numbered list, you can also add those features after you've entered the text.

Just select any block of text and then open the Numbering/Bullets dialog box. When you select the bullet or numbering option and choose OK, your selection is applied to all the selected lines.

Figure 10.18
Automatic bullets or numbering are available in many formats.

Tip - The Pictures tab in the dialog box is just like the Bullets tab, except that it uses small graphics as bullets. This is probably best used in Web pages that are to be viewed in color.


Sams Teach Yourself StarOffice® 5 for Linux in 24 Hours

ContentsIndex

Hour 10: Using Tables, Indexes, and Other Special Features

Previous HourNext Hour

Sections in this Hour: