Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE DESKTOP 10 - GNOME 19-06-2006, Manual

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68 SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 GNOME User Guide
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TIP: For good information about migrating from other office suites to OpenOffice.org, refer to the
OpenOffice.org Migration Guide (http://documentation.openoffice.org/manuals/oooauthors2/
0600MG-MigrationGuide.pdf)
.
Converting Documents to the OpenOffice.org Format
OpenOffice.org can read, edit, and save documents in a number of formats. It is not necessary to
convert files from those formats to the OpenOffice.org format to use those files. However, if you
want to convert the files, you can do so. To convert a number of documents, such as when first
switching to OpenOffice.org, do the following:
1 Select File > Wizard > Document Converter .
2 Choose the file format from which to convert.
There are several StarOffice and Microsoft Office formats available.
3 Click Next .
4 Specify where OpenOffice.org should look for templates and documents to convert and in
which directory the converted files should be placed.
IMPORTANT: Documents from a Windows partition are usually in a subdirectory of
/
windows
.
5
Make sure that all other settings are appropriate, then click Next .
6 Review the summary of the actions to perform, then start the conversion by clicking Convert .
The amount of time needed for the conversion depends on the number of files and their
complexity. For most documents, conversion does not take very long.
Sharing Files with Users of Other Office Suites
OpenOffice.org is available for a number of operating systems. This makes it an excellent tool when
a group of users frequently need to share files and do not use the same system on their computers.
When sharing documents with others, you have several options.
If the recipient needs to be able to edit the file: Save the document in the format the other user
needs. For example, to save as a Microsoft Word file, click File > Save As , then select the Microsoft
Word file type for the version of Word the other user needs.
If the recipient only needs to read the document: Export the document to a PDF file with File >
Export as PDF . PDF files can be read on any platform using a viewer like Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you want to share a document for editing: Use one of the standard document formats. The
default formats comply with the OASIS standard XML format, making them compatible with a
number of applications. TXT and RTF formats, although limited in formatting, might be a good
option for text documents. CSV is useful for spreadsheets. OpenOffice.org might also offer your
recipient's preferred format, especially Microsoft formats.
If you want to e-mail a document as a PDF: Click File > Send > Document as PDF
Attachment .Your default e-mail program opens with the file attached.
If you want to e-mail a document to a Microsoft Word user: Click File > Send > Document as
MS-Doc Attachment . Your default e-mail program opens with the file attached.