star036.htmor="#DDDDDD">

Sams Teach ../style/blstrbkg.gifUP>® 5 for Linux™../style/dot.gifurs

Contents

../style/prev-on.gifTR>

H../style/dot.gif and Exporting StarOffice Documenstar040.htmP>

Previous HourNext Hour

star030.htmTD> star037.htmss="navigation">Importing and Exporting Presentations

star031.htmP class="navigation">Importing Other Word Processor Documents ../style/dot.gifclass="navigation">Exporting StarWriter Documents
 

Hour 5
Importing and Exporting StarOffice Documents

In this hour, you learn about how to import and export documents between StarOffice and other office software that you or your colleagues need to use.

It isn't likely that you'll be using exclusively StarOffice from now on, at least not for your boss and all your co-workers.

Fortunately, StarDivision thought the same thing and provided StarOffice with a strong list of file conversion filters. With these automatic filters, you can exchange files with many different word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation programs. They're not perfect, but in this hour, you learn how to make the best of what StarOffice provides.

Importing Word Documents


Some people think that the most-used import filter for any word processor is Microsoft Word. StarDivision came to the same conclusion and provided the strongest support for Word documents.

StarOffice supports Word 6.0/95 and Word 97 file formats very well, and it supports RTF format.

Using Microsoft Word 6.0/95 and Word 97 Files

The best input filter in StarOffice is for Word 6.0/95 and Word 97 files. When you use the Open file dialog box (see Figure 5.1), the familiar Microsoft Word icon is even used for any Word files stored on your Linux filesystem. Ironic, isn't it?

Figure 5.1
The familiar Word icon is used for any Word documents displayed in the Open file dialog box.

You can open a Word 6.0/95 or Word 97 document with the same steps that you use to open StarOffice documents, using the Open file dialog box. You can store Word documents on your StarOffice Desktop and double-click to start editing them.

Of course, when you save any Word document that you've been editing, you need to watch the file format to see that it's set correctly. If you open a Word document, edit the document, and use Save or Save As, by default StarOffice uses the Word 6.0/95 or Word 97 filter to save the document. You'll learn more about saving different file formats later in this hour.

Caution - A message often appears when you save in Word format to remind you that some features might not transfer to Word format, and therefore you might lose some information. If this is a concern, savestar060.htmnative StarOffice format as well.


Although the StarOffice filters for Word documents are good, be careful about assuming that everything converts from a StarOffice file saved as Word 97 to a native Windows copy of Word 97.

In particular, things such as macros, footnotes, headers, tables, and so on might not convert or might be formatted incorrectly in native Word 6.0/95 or Word 97.

Caution - It's a good idea to save a StarOffice-formatted document--or at least a backup of the Word-formatted document that you intend to pass on to a colleague--until you've heard from that person that the file can be opened and is correctly formatted.

Reviewing Styles in Imported Files

A favorite feature of Word is the paragraph styles that are used to assign font and spacing characteristics (among others) to one paragraph at a time. Hour 9, "Using Advanced Formatting Tools," covers StarOffice styles.

When you import a Word document, the styles from the Word document are added to the current StarOffice style list. You can see these in the Paragraph Styles window. (Press F11 or choose Stylist from the Format menu; see Figure 5.2.)

If you know your Word document well, you might be troubled that your paragraph styles aren't listed in the Paragraph Styles window. Take heart. Change the drop box at the bottom of the Paragraph Styles window from Automatic to All Styles--or better, to Applied Styles.

With Applied Styles selected, only the paragraph styles that were imported from your Word document are listed in the Paragraph Styles window. The characteristics of the paragraph style are imported intact.

Figure 5.2
When you import a Word document, you can review any styles added to the document by viewing the Paragraph Styles window.

You can review your imported styles from the Style Catalog dialog box using the following steps:

1. Choose Catalog from the Styles & Templates submenu under the Format menu. The Style Catalog dialog box appears. (See Figure 5.3.)

Figure 5.3
From the Style../style/blstrbkg.gifyou can edit the setting for any style.

2.

3. Select the style ../style/dot.gif to review.

4. Choose Modify. The Paragraph Style dialog box appears. (See Figure 5.4.)

Figure 5.4
The Paragraph Style dialog box describes everything about a selected pstar023.htm style.

5. Select any ../style/dot.gifee the settings for the imstar040.htme. The Font and Indents & ../style/next-on.gifare usually a good place to start. ../style/prev-off.gifIMG src="http://infobase.informit.com/infobase/content/0743100026/she../style/dot.gifot.gif" width="10" height="1">

Importing Other Spreadsheet Formats

Sams Teach Yourself StarOffice®../style/dot.gif 5 for Linux in 24 Hours

Contents

Hour 5: star033a.htmd Exporting StarOffice Documents

Previous HourNext Hour