How to edit a PDF easily

[Jimmy B]

Hi there
I am new to joining this forum and thanks for letting me join. I have downloaded openoffice 4.1.3 and downloaded the oracle PDF extension.
It all downloaded fine. When I open the PDF in openoffice and try to select the words I need to edit it wont let me, it only has this cursor that looks like a 4 pointed arrow (if you know what I mean) and I cant select or high light the words. There are a lot of symbols and stuff ive clicked on to try high light words or get a cursor but nothing works
Hope someone can help?

BTW im not very good with computers so if its a basic fix let me know.

Thank you

[RusselB]

A PDF file is not designed for editing.
Apparently there are two versions of the extension. Are you sure you got the right one?
Even if you did, I note that the 4.x compatibility ratio (as submitted by users) is 43% YES to 57% NO.
That means that most of the users that have submitted ratings believe that it should not be considered compatible with Open Office 4.x
I also noted that the author states

Best results with 100% layout accuracy can be achieved with the "PDF/ODF hybrid file" format, which this extension also enables. A hybrid PDF/ODF file is a PDF file that contains an embedded ODF source file. Hybrid PDF/ODF files will be opened in OpenOffice.org as an ODF file without any layout changes.

It sounds like your PDF is being recognized as a collage of pictures, rather than as an editable document.

Where did the PDF come from? If it was someone you know, ask them for a version that is not in PDF format, preference given to a file in Open Document format (.odt for Writer).

[tmcdanel]

Don't get stuck on one solution.
http://lifehacker.com/5842130/the-best- ... or-windows

PDFEscape is free.

I should add that PDFs can fool you. Sometimes when you see text, it is actually a graphic. For example, if you scan a text printout, unless you use special OCR software, the scanner simply takes a picture of the text. If you set the scan software to save it as a PDF you have a simple graphic picture of the text that can only be edited with a graphic editor, like Photoshop. Generally you can know because a good PDF reader will allow you to highlight actual text and copy it from the file to the clipboard. But a graphic of text will only let you drag the picture around.

[patjm]

Two questions including one about the PDF. I am a new user. I just downloaded Apache Open Office today and I'm still having trouble, including with a PDF attachment that was emailed to me from a reliable source. Do I have to get into Open Office to open every word document? When I opened the PDF using Open Office, it showed up as garble.

I also tried to create a new text document using Open Office. I saved it with a .doc extension, but it keeps opening (by default) in Microsoft Word, which has expired, so I can't do anything with the text. Can I uninstall MS Word? How do I make Open Office the default program? Thank you.

[RusselB]

Open Office is not a PDF reader. There is an extension that, in theory, will allow you to open a PDF and make minor changes.
Adobe Acrobat is a free, dedicated PDF reader, and, depending on the PDF file, may allow some things to be changed. Eg: The PDF file for a Canadian Passport.

[Tutorial]Setting the Default program for MS formats

[patjm]

Thanks, Russell. Yes, I know Adobe Acrobat does not allow one to edit copy. I tried PDFEscape, but it didn't allow me to copy anything either. PDFEscape is free, but it's only for a trial period. I was able to find a word document on the internet that contained the information in the PDF and copied it into OpenOffice. Through trial and error, I also answered the second part of my question. I have to go into OpenOffice first and click on OPEN in order to open a word document without Microsoft. However, that step could be time-consuming for all the hundreds of other word documents I have stored on my PC. If anyone else has a shortcut that works, please let me know. Thank you.

[RoryOF]

Set File Associations on your computer to tell Windows that OpenOffice should open all .doc files.

[thomasjk]

Go to Programs & Features and right click on the AOO installation and select Repair. You will be prompted to set the defaults so the AOO will open MS Office documents during this process.

[patjm]

Hi Tom K,

It finally worked. I went into control panel and then programs and features and made OpenOffice the default. For awhile, I still needed to go into OpenOffice to open a word document. Another friend of mine gave me the key piece of advice:
uninstall Microsoft Office. Now I don't have any trouble opening word documents. One small glitch is how to get OpenOffice to create a new word document as .doc and not in .txt. It defaults to .odt, which I doubt anybody ever uses.

[Zizi64]

One small glitch is how to get OpenOffice to create a new word document as .doc and not in .txt. It defaults to .odt, which I doubt anybody ever uses.

The XML based ODF fileformats (.odt for text documents) are International Standards, but the binary, old fashioned .doc format never was and never will be standardized, and it has many many versions, and subversions. Wich version of the .doc format you want to save your document?

Always use the ODF fileformats if you want to use effectively your AOO or LO software.

Otherwise the newest MS Office versions can open the ODF files, (but the older can not). If you always need to save into the old MS formats, it is better to buy an MSO software.
The LibreOffice (LO) can save the new MS format (docx; OOXML Strict), but the MS not support the Strict version of (its own) OOXL format (but it can handle only the Transitional version of the Standard)!

[patjm]

Hi Zizi,

I noticed you are in Hungary, but I have always used MS Office and word documents (.doc) since I began using computers for my work (journalism) more than 20 years ago in the U.S. I always thought MS Word was the only standard in the U.S. Decades ago, we might have used .txt, but certainly not .odt. I have to format documents in .doc or .docx if I want to get my work published. Even when I apply for jobs online, we are requested to send resumes or attachments in .doc format.
I have heard of Libre Office and might check it out. Thank you.

[RoryOF]

MS Office versions can now support .odt (and similar) formats, using MS's warped implementation of .odt. Any reputable organisation should never request resumes in any editable format - PDF format or nothing.

[Villeroy]

Word was the only standard in the U.S. Decades ago,

A standard is not what everybody uses. A standard needs to be publicly documented so everybody can implement his own product based on that standard. Microsoft always spent a lot of time and money to ensure that only MS products can handle MS documents, MS protocols, MS interfaces, MS internal and unpublished pseudo-standards. Open Document Format (ODF) is a fully documented industry standard since 2005. Instead of supporting that standard, they invented their own "standard", named it "Office Open XML" (notice the "Open Office" in the name!), bribed it through the international standardisation boards and made sure that his monster of a "standard" exists in two versions, the published one and the partially secret one which is used by their office software..

[Zizi64]

A standard is not what everybody uses.

+1

I always thought MS Word was the only standard in the U.S.

The fileformat description of the various .doc versions never was published (until the last few years), therefore the fileformat is not an ISO Standard.

but I have always used MS Office and word documents (.doc) since I began using computers for my work (journalism) more than 20 years ago in the U.S.

Yes, first time I used the Word 6.0 version with the Windows 3.1 since the early/mid '90-s. But when I noticed that the StarOffice 5.2. became free software, and then the first OpenOffice.org was published and I immediately changed to the open source office suite/s/.