Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Here are some links to the official documentation, including old version:

• The Apache OpenOffice Documentation Project

Apache OpenOffice 4.1

• Taming Apache OpenOffice 4.1: Getting Started

OpenOffice.org 3.x and Apache OpenOffice 3.4

• Getting Started with OpenOffice.org 3
• Text Documents with OpenOffice.org 3.x Writer
• Spreadsheets with OpenOffice.org 3.x Calc
• Presentations with OpenOffice.org 3.x Impress
• OpenOffice.org 3.x Draw Guide
• Using OpenOffice.org Math
• User Guides chapter by chapter in PDF

OpenOffice.org 2.x

• Getting Started Guide
• Writer Guide
• Calc Guide
• Impress Guide
• Draw Guide
• Base Guide
• Migration Guide

Edit: Added Apache OpenOffice 4.1 link -- MrProgrammer, forum moderator, 2022-07-13

AOO 4.0 user guide is being drafted here.

If someone want to help on the process, contact us on the the documentation mailing list at doc@openoffice.apache.org

Though not "official documentation" I'd like to mention a relatively recent book (March 2016) on desktop publishing I stumbled across - Designing with LibreOffice. While essentially on that subject it seems a good general introduction to using styles and templates and so on. The book was written for LibreOffice but the author states it is also applicable to Apache OpenOffice and NeoOffice. http://designingwithlibreoffice.com It is free to download but a donation would make the author happy and that helps the world go round. If you want a hardcopy book you can purchase that - details at the website.

The author is interviewed here: http://designingwithlibreoffice.com/interview and gives some good general background information on the development of OpenOffice and its DTP capabilities.

Yes; a shorter introduction to Writer is at
Writer for students (several languages)

I find the following Writer documentation useful:

Writer FAQ,

Writer Tutorials and

the up to date AOO Writer for Students which is good for non-students too.

All AOO Writer, Calc, Draw, Impress, Math and Base User Guides for v3.3 are in one place here: OpenOffice.org 3.3 User Guides (PDF). There are no AOO guides for later versions.

I cannot use Calc without accessing Calc Functions listed by category as it gives examples of each function's use.