[Solved] How do I edit text in doc created in OpenOffice

[AnnieGee]

3.4.0 OpenOffice Mac Snow Leopard 10.6.8
I need to edit the document I wrote. I used the ? in the program. I was led to use the, Form Navigator to choose and open, Design Mode. A thumbnail of the F.N. was shown.
There isn't an icon like that in the tool bar. There is, however and icon for, Navigator (F5) and the, Design Mode is not listed therein.
Please direct me as to how to edit this piece. I surely don't want to type it again.
This was the first document I wrote in OpenOffice.
Thank you.
Anne

[thomasjk]

What type of document is it? Does it say read-only? Most documents can be edited with out doing anything special.

[RoryOF]

Also, when you named the document using /File /Save As, did you have "automatic file name extension" turned on? This checkbox should usually be selected.

[AnnieGee]

I am still trying to figure it all out. There is no option that I could see for ' automatic file name extension' in 'save as'. So what I did was send the unedited copy to my email, edit it there and copied and pasted it to a new doc in Open Office. Then I sent that one out. No one could read it cause it was in Japanese, is what they told me, but maybe it was just gibberish because they have a pc and I have a Mac. I thought that OpenOffice would take care of that problem. I must be missing something in the settings.
I copied that letter and pasted it to a new Word doc, I also have Word for Macs, sent if off and it was received legible that time.
Just seems kinda silly to be copying and pasting to all that different software just to send out my Secretary minutes.

[thomasjk]

Can you attach a copy of your file here. See How to Attach a File

Note the Check Box for "Automatic file name extension"

[AnnieGee]

I'm sorry, Thomasjk but I can't seem to follow the instructions - How to Attach a File-.

I found - The Automatic file name extension - and that was turned on.

I'm afraid this OpenOffice is not for beginners.

Anne

[kingfisher]

When you open a document you should be able to edit it in the same way you created it in the first place. Does the document contain anything other than simple text, such as tables or graphics?

You can attach a document quite simply when you make a post. First, use the 'postreply' button at the bottom left of the forum page (snapshot attached), not 'Quick Reply'.

post1.jpeg (5.46 KiB) Viewed 7844 times

Below the text area where you type your post, there are two tabs. The second is labelled 'Upload attachment' (snapshot attached). Click on that tab.

You get the file name by typing it in or (much more easily) by pressing the button marked 'Browse...'. Once you have the file name entered, press the button labelled 'Add the file' (snapshot) attached.

[TheGurkha]

I'm afraid this OpenOffice is not for beginners.

Have you used other word processors before? It's the same process. You edit your file, and then name and save it with the appropriate extension. If you saved it as a .odt which is the normal OpenOffice file format, then the others will need to use OpenOffice to open it. If you want to save it so that users of Word can use it, then save it as a .doc file. If the people who you want to read it don't need to edit it, only to read it, then save it as a PDF, which anyone can open with a PDF reader.

[AnnieGee]

TheGurkha,
Thanks for your reply. I can't edit the file. That's the problem. I did some Rube Goldberg finagling and got the document saved as a pdf file. Don't know how I accomplished that as the drop down menu for, 'save as' does not give that option. I am given three (.doc) options and only three and no pdf offering at all.
MS Word 97/2000/xp(.doc)
MS Word 95(.doc)
MS Word 6.0(.doc)
If I try to save to any of those, I get the message, "This document may contain formatting or content that cannot be saved in the Microsoft MSWord (mentioned above), format. Do you want to save the document in this format anyway?"
'Use the latest ODF file format and be sure all formatting and content is saved correctly."
Anne

[RoryOF]

A pdf file is not intended to be edited; although it can be created by OpenOffice (/File /Export as PDF) in normal circumstances it cannot be opened by OpenOffice.

Normally, one opens OpenOffice, then either selects Text Document from the splash screen or /File / New : Writer document; in either case a blank Writer document opens. One can then start to enter text. Sooner preferably, rather than later, one needs to name the document, which one does by /File /Save As. On this window one can enter a name for the document, say "Minutes July". One can also choose the format to save in, by selecting from the dropdown selector. The default format is OpenOffice's native format .odt), but further down the dropdown are three .doc formats, which you may require so that others can see and edit the file. Of these, the best selection is MS Word 97/2000/XP (.doc). If any non OpenOffice format is selected a warning about possible formatting loss pops up; in general you can ignore this at present. Also on the Save As window should be a checkbox for "automatic file name extension" ; you should make sure that this is selected, as it will add the correct extension to the filename (in this case "Minutes July.doc").

You can continue to add to your document, saving it whenever you see fit (/File /Save). Note I am giving you instructions using the menus, as these are clearly specified by their names; there are icons to the same effect, but trying to describe these is a more complex task which you can explore later when we get the problems sorted.

Having finished your document, you should (good discipline) save it (/File /Save) and exit OpenOffice (/File /Exit). If it happens that you haven't saved the last changes, /File /Exit will prompt you to save. If you don't, you lose the changes you have made and they are lost.

Now, somewhere on your computer is your file "Minutes July.doc". Later in the day, you realise that you need to edit that file - perhapds your mode of expression of one item was not felicitous. How do you do this? You open OpenOffice, and from the Splash screen menus you choose /File /Open and select the file you wish to edit; you can also choose the Open button (bottom of first column of icons), which if you press on Open will open a directory, but if you press on the black triangle will list the last ten files edited. From one of these options you can select the file to edit, and you carry on altering that as you wish. Saving and closing down are now as above.

I hope these detailed instructions are of some use. Remember that .pdf files are not intended to be edited, so keep your file in .doc or in .odt format. It is OK to distribute files as .pdf, certainly, but you must always have the .odt or .doc format file in case you need to enter alterations.

Edit: I should add a warning. When you close a file, do not rush to shut down your laptop or computer. Give it a few seconds to finish its tasks, which carry on in the background. If you rush it, your file may not be properly written to disk and be lost. Close the file and exit OpenOffice. Collect your papers and pens, put them in your bag. Now turn off computer. The few extra seconds doing things in this order takes will be a lot less than having to rewrite a lost file from scratch!

[AnnieGee]

RoryOF, Thank you for your help. Thank you ALL for your help. I do believe this old gal is getting the hang of it.
I successfully wrote, edited and sent the document.
Anne