#21676
Add A Custom Menu To a Microsoft Word Toolbar
In Microsoft Word, you can use menus and toolbars to control how you manage your documents. Menus display a list of commands. Most menus are located on the menu bar at the top of the Word window. Shortcut menus are available when you right-click text, objects, or other items. Toolbars can contain buttons with images, menus, or a combination of both. By default, the Standard and Formatting toolbars are docked side by side below the menu bar. You can also add a custom menu to your toolbar.
#29302
Adventures with OpenOffice and XML
In addition to being open source, saving as XML makes OpenOffice truly open. Aside from being open source, XML's self-documenting nature allows us to dive into the document format without having to dive into C++. And more significantly, XML allows us to use simple, free tools to manipulate the documents themselves. In this article we will examine the structure of the format.
Sergeant, Matt. XML.com (2001). Articles>Software>Word Processing>OpenOffice
#28153
Automating Production with WebWorks AutoMap
WebWorks AutoMap is an extremely useful tool for performing unattended documentation builds. Out of the box, AutoMap can generate reasonable documents. By adding the power of scripting, the results can be amazing.
Bate, Simon. Carolina Communique (2006). Articles>Documentation>Software>Word Processing
#23772
The Best Word Processor for Mac OS X 
I would like input on the best WP for X, the best for the buck. I don't need a whole office package, just WP.
MacWorld (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Macintosh
#23465
The Blind Leading the Enlightened
Having read, with interest, the recent articles about the virtues (or otherwise) of Microsoft Word as a tool for producing technical documents we feel the real issue is not how to create technical documents using Microsoft Word, but rather what tool best suits the task. We suggest that the selection of the most appropriate tool be instigated by those enlightened people -- the Technical Publications people -- and not the business managers with little knowledge of the specialist needs of Technical Publications.
Munro, Christine. TC-FORUM (1998). Articles>Word Processing>Software
#26113
Breaking the Word Processor Curve
When you first switch to Writer, this claim that Writer beats Word may seem hard to swallow. And no wonder; you're too busy learning the new menus to get beyond the fact that everything's only half-familiar. And if you're an unsophisticated user who has yet to learn (to steal the title of Robin Williams' book) that the PC is not a typewriter, you might never notice. However, if you're an advanced user for whom style, structured text and long documents are all part of word processing, then the claim soon becomes self-evident.
Byfield, Bruce. Linux Journal (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#27214
Cleaning Up Text Pasted from the Web
The ease of copying and pasting text from Web sites and email greatly simplifies many tasks in Word, but problems often arise in making the pasted text conform to the style of the document into which it is pasted. One of the most common chores is getting rid of excess line breaks, which cause the text to wrap short of the right margin. There are several ways to work around this problem.
Barnhill, Suzanne and Dave Rado. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#26105
Comparison of Ways to do Things using Microsoft Word and OOoWriter
Experienced users of Microsoft Word may take awhile to discover how to do common tasks in OOWriter, because some of the menus and the terminology are a bit different; in a few cases no direct equivalent method is available. This series of pages summarizes my research and experiments with OOoWriter 1.1 on Windows ME. You may find some differences if you're using another operating system or version of OpenOffice.
OpenOffice.org (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#26106
Converting Documents from Microsoft Word to OOoWriter
I'm happy to report that OpenOffice.org 1.1.0 does a very good job of converting Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP files to OOo files -- much better than the previous releases I tested. Most of the problems I had noticed with conversions done by OOo1.0.2 did not appear when I converted the same Word files using OOo1.1.0. Some conversion problems remain. Most of these are probably due to OOoWriter not having any counterpart to some features of Word.
OpenOffice.org (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#27200
This article tells you how to create a template to produce a software manual.
McGhie, John. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#26110
Creating and Using Master Documents in OOoWriter 1.1
This page is an excerpt from Taming OpenOffice.org Writer (no longer available). A variation of this material is in OpenOffice.org Writer: The Free Alternative to Microsoft Word. Yes, master documents do work in OpenOffice.org Writer. However, you need to have a very disciplined approach to make sure they work correctly and reliably.
OpenOffice.org (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#26107
Creating Cross-References Between Documents
I've now discovered that you can indeed do cross-references between documents, if they are both subdocuments of a master document. The method is obscure, and the help file (although giving a clue) wasn't much help.
OpenOffice.org (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#13723
Editing Macros for Word and WordPerfect
Useful resources on a variety of relevant topics, including a collection of macros for Microsoft Word and links to a selection of Word resources.
#26117
This section will show you how to insert text, symbols, and special characters; select characters, words, and paragraphs; and copy and paste text. This section also covers methods of automatic text entry, including AutoCorrect and AutoText.
Glenn, Walter. O'Reilly and Associates (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#21677
Extending an Existing Word Template
In certain situations, you might want to extend an existing Word template, and add on new styles. Rather than create a RFP template from scratch, we modify the existing one—retaining all the styles and formatting that we want—and adding new styles where required.
#27204
Finding and Replacing Characters Using Wildcards
Wildcards are like the blank pieces in Scrabble, or like the Jokers you can use in some card games to stand in for any card.
Mayor, Graham. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#27203
Finding and Replacing Non-Printing Characters (such as Paragraph Marks) and Text Formatting
How to find text that has particular formatting and replace it with different text, but without changing the formatting.
Rado, Dave. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#21678
Five Steps to Update Word Templates
You can customize the templates that come with Word in a few easy steps. In this exercise, we will change the Memo template's font type and size.
#27234
Floating Objects in Word 2000 Table Cells are Vertically Aligned Wrongly
Whenever I insert a graphical object (picture, drawing object, etc.) into a Word 2000 table cell I lose the vertical formatting. The text is always aligned at the top of the cell, instead of being centered or at the bottom of the cell. Why, and what can I do about it?
Meister, Cindy. Word MVP Site, The (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#30364
These are some formatting/word processing tips for Microsoft Word.
Leigh, Heather. Crazy for Words (2007). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#26115
Getting the Most from OpenOffice.org Writer Fields
Fields are extremely useful features of Writer. This article describes how to use fields to solve common business and technical writing problems.
Weber, Jean Hollis. NewsForge (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#27190
How Can I Insert Special Characters, Such as Dingbats and Accented Letters, in My Document?
Many Word users don't realize how easy it is to insert special characters. There are at least four ways to do it: through the Symbol dialog, using shortcut keys, automatically with AutoCorrect, or by direct keypad entry.
Barnhill, Suzanne. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#27207
How Can I Recover a Corrupt Document or Template – and Why Did It Become Corrupt?
Saving when resources are low can cause corruptions. If you notice Word start to slow down noticeably it's always best to quit and restart Word immediately; to close any other applications that are open; and to clear the clipboard, by selecting any character and copying it.
Rado, Dave and John McGhie. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#19140
How Do People Really Use Text Editors?
Keystroke statistics were collected on editing systems while people performed their normal work. Knowledge workers used an experimental editor, and secretaries used a word processor. Results show a consistent picture of free use patterns in both settings. Of the total number of keystrokes, text entry accounted for approximately 1/2, cursor movement for about 1/4, deletion for about 1/8, and all other functions for the remaining 1/8. Analysis of keystroke transitions and editing states is also presented. Implications for past research, editor design, keyboard layout, and benchmark tests are discussed.
Whiteside, John, Norman Archer, Dennis Wixon and Michael Good. ACM SIGCHI (1982). Articles>Usability>Software>Word Processing
#26109
How to Change All Font Sizes in a Document at Once
Many people want a facility in OOo to enlarge or reduce the size of all fonts in a document at once, preferably by clicking on an icon. Although I do not know any way to do that, I have found a workaround that provides a similar result. It takes a bit of setting up but otherwise works quickly and easily.
OpenOffice.org (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
