Change document orientation: portrait, landscape. Change paper size.

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In order to change the document orientation and paper size, click on the ‘Format’ button from the main menu bar. Click on ‘Page…’ button from the resulting drop-down. This gives the ‘Page Style’ dialog box. In this dialog box, under the ‘Page’ tab, the ‘Paper Format’ options can be selected to make changes to the paper size and worksheet orientation.

Change margins of entire document, top, bottom, left, right.

In order to change the document margins, click on the ‘Format’ button from the main menu bar. Click on ‘Page…’ button from the resulting drop-down. This gives the ‘Page Style’ dialog box. Under the ‘Page’ tab, you can make the appropriate changes to the ‘Margins’ in order to change the top, bottom, left, and right margins of a document.

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Insert an object (picture, image, chart, drawn object) to a specified location in a document.

To insert an object like an image or a chart to a specific location in a document, first of all bring the text pointer to that location by clicking at that location once. Now click on ‘Insert’ from the main menu bar. This gives us a drop-down menu. In this drop-down, we have a number of options.
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To insert an image, click on ‘Image’ from the drop-down. This will open the ‘Insert Image’ dialog box. Go to the location of the required image from this dialog and select the image and then click on ‘Open’. This will insert the image to the specified location in the document.

Similarly, to insert a chart, click on ‘Object’ and from the resulting menu, click on ‘Chart’. This will insert a chart to the document. In the same way, we can insert some predefined shapes to the document by clicking on ‘Shapes’ from the drop-down and then choosing the required shape from the resulting menu.

Select an object.

To select an image, just click once on the image and the image will get surrounded by eight different green coloured small squares. This is how we select an image.

To select a chart, double-click on the chart. The chart will get surrounded by a thick grey coloured border. This is how we select a chart.

Copy, move an object within a document, between open documents.

To copy an object within a document or between open documents, first of all select the object. Then right-click on the object and from the resulting menu click on ‘Copy’. Now go to the location where you want to copy this object to and right-click once and from the resulting menu click on ‘Paste’. This will copy the object to the new location which can be in the same document or a different one.

To move an image within a document or between open documents, first of all select the image. Then right-click on the image and from the resulting menu click on ‘Cut’. Now go to the location where you want to move this image to and right-click once and from the resulting menu click on ‘Paste’. This will move the image to the new location which can be in the same document or a different one.

To move a chart, first of all select the chart. Now place the mouse pointer anywhere on the grey border of the chart other than the eight square pointers which are darker than the rest of the border. Simply click and drag the mouse pointer to the location where you want to place the chart and the chart will be moved to the new location.

Resize, delete an object.

To resize an object, click once on the object so that the object gets surrounded by eight small green squares on its border. Now Place the mouse pointer on any of these squares and click and drag in order to increase or decrease the size of the object.

To delete an object, click once on the object so that the object gets surrounded by eight small green squares on its border. Then press the ‘delete’ button from the keyboard and this will delete the object from the document.

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Modify column width, row height.

To modify column width or row height, click once on any one of the cells of the concerned column or row. After this, click on ‘Table’ from the main menu bar and from the resulting drop-down click on ‘Autofit’. From the resulting menu, click on ‘Column Width’ or ‘Row Height’.
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This will open the ‘Column Width’ or ‘Row Height’ dialog box where the width or height of the column or the row can be set. After giving the appropriate value, click on ‘OK’. This will change the height or width of the row or column accordingly.

Modify cell border line style, width, and colour.

To modify the cell border line style, width or colour, click on ‘Table’ from the main menu bar, and from the resulting menu, click on ‘Table Properties’. This will open the ‘Table Format’ dialog box.

In this dialog box, under the ‘Borders’ tab, we have the different ‘Line’ options like ‘Style’, ‘Width’ and ‘Color’. The appropriate formatting options can be selected from here. After making all the selections, click on ‘OK’. The cell border line formatting will get changed accordingly.

Add shading/background colour to cells.

To add shading/background colour to cells, click on ‘Table’ from the main menu bar, and from the resulting menu, click on ‘Table Properties’. This will open the ‘Table Format’ dialog box.

In this dialog box, under the ‘Background’ tab, we have the different options like ‘As’ and ‘For’. Under ‘As’, select ‘Color’ or ‘Graphic’ as per the requirement and under ‘For’, select ‘Cell’ for adding the background to cells. After this, select the appropriate colour from the options displayed in the dialog. After making all the selections, click on ‘OK’. The background colour will get added to the cells.

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Create a table ready for data insertion.

In LibreOffice Writer, we can insert a table into the document. To insert a table, click on ‘Table’ from the main menu bar and from the resulting drop-down menu, click on ‘Insert Table’. This will open the ‘Insert Table’ dialog box.
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After this, click on the ‘Character Styles’ icon to display the different character styles available in LibreOffice Writer in a list format. This icon has been highlighted in the below given illustration. Now we have a list of all the different character styles available. Double-click on the required character style from this list and this will apply this style to the selected text in the document.

In this dialog, we can select the name of the table under ‘Name’ and the number of the rows and columns under ‘Rows’ and ‘Columns’. We can also select some other features using the ‘Options’ area. The ‘Heading’ checkbox will add a heading row to the table. Similarly the ‘Border’ checkbox will add border to the table.

We can also select a table format by clicking on the ‘AutoFormat’ button. This will open the ‘AutoFormat’ dialog box.

The appropriate format can be chosen from this dialog from the ‘Format’ drop-down list. After selecting the format, click on ‘OK’. This will return the control to the ‘Insert Table’ dialog. Click on ‘Insert’ and the table will get inserted into the document.

Insert, edit data in a table.

To insert data in a table, click once inside the cell in which the data needs to be entered. This will give a blinking text pointer inside the cell. Now simply enter the required data using the keyboard.

To edit the data in a table, click once inside the cell whose data needs to be edited. Now delete the already present value using the ‘delete’ button from the keyboard and then enter the new value. This is how we can edit the table data.

Select rows, columns, cells, entire table.

To select a row or a column, click once on any one of the cells from that particular row or column. The table formatting toolbar menu will get displayed at the bottom of the document. From this menu, the row select, column select, or the table select icons can be selected to select a row, a column or the whole table respectively. These icons have been highlighted in the below given illustration.

Insert, delete, rows and columns.

To insert a row or a column, click once on any one of the cells from the column to whose right the new column needs to be inserted or from the row below which the new row needs to be inserted. The table formatting toolbar menu will get displayed at the bottom of the document. From this menu, the insert row or the insert column icons can be selected to insert a row or a column respectively. These icons have been highlighted in the illustration.

To delete a row or a column, click once on any one of the cells from that particular row or column. The table formatting toolbar menu will get displayed at the bottom of the document. From this menu, the delete row, delete column, or the delete table icons can be selected to delete a row, a column or the whole table respectively. These icons have been highlighted in the illustration.

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Apply an existing character style to selected text.

A character style is a template which is used to define the styling for a character in LibreOffice Writer. A character style can be applied to a character and the character will take up the styling properties defined by that character style.

To apply an existing character style to selected text, first of all select the text to which the character style needs to be applied and then click on ‘Format’ from the main menu bar and from the resulting drop-down menu, click on ‘Styles and Formatting’. This will open the ‘Styles and Formatting’ toolbar menu at the right side of the document.
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After this, click on the ‘Character Styles’ icon to display the different character styles available in LibreOffice Writer in a list format. This icon has been highlighted in the below given illustration. Now we have a list of all the different character styles available. Double-click on the required character style from this list and this will apply this style to the selected text in the document.


Apply an existing paragraph style to one or more paragraphs.

A character style is a template which is used to define the styling for a character in LibreOffice Writer. A character style can be applied to a character and the character will take up the styling properties defined by that character style.

To apply an existing paragraph style to one or more paragraphs, first of all select the paragraphs to which the paragraph style needs to be applied and then click on ‘Format’ from the main menu bar and from the resulting drop-down menu, click on ‘Styles and Formatting’. This will open the ‘Styles and Formatting’ toolbar menu at the right side of the document.

After this, click on the ‘Paragraph Styles’ icon to display the different paragraph styles available in Writer in a list format. This icon has been highlighted in the below given illustration. Now we have a list of all the different paragraph styles available. Double-click on the required paragraph style from this list and this will apply this style to the selected paragraphs in the document.

Use copy format tool.

The copy format tool copies the formatting of a piece of text and applies this formatting to some other text body. To use the copy format tool, first of all select the piece of text whose formatting needs to be copied. After this, click on the ‘Clone Formatting’ icon from the tool bar at the top of the document. This icon has been highlighted in the illustration.

On clicking this icon, the mouse pointer will change into a tilted paint can. Take this pointer to the text body to which the copied formatting needs to be applied and simply click once on that text. The formatting of that text piece will change to the one which was copied using the ‘Clone Formatting’ icon.

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Add, remove bullets, numbers in a single level list. Switch between different standard bullet and number styles in a single level list.

To add bullets or numbers in a single level list, we need to use the same ‘Paragraph’ dialog box which we have been using in the previous sections. In this dialog box, under the ‘Outline & Numbering’ tab, we have two fields for ‘Outline’ and ‘Numbering’.
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As we are using a single level list here, under ‘Outline’ select the ‘Outline level:’ as ‘Level 1’. After this, under ‘Numbering’, we have a ‘Numbering style:’ drop-down list. Select the required ‘List’ or ‘Numbering’ style from this drop-down list to choose the different bullet or number styles respectively.

This is how we can add bullets and numbers in a single level list.

To remove the bullets and numbers, simply select the ‘Numbering style:’ as ‘None’. This will remove the bullets and numbers from the document.

To switch between different bullet and number styles, click on ‘Format’ from the main menu bar and from the resulting menu, click on ‘Bullets and Numbering’. This will open the ‘Bullets and Numbering’ dialog box.

In this dialog box, under the ‘Bullets’ and ‘Numbering Type’ tabs, we have lists of different bullet and numbering styles. The required style can be chosen from these lists and after making all the changes, click on ‘OK’. This will save the changes to the document.

This is how we can switch between different standard bullet and number styles.

Add a box border and shading/background colour to a paragraph.

To add a box border to a paragraph, we need to use the same ‘Paragraph’ dialog box which we have been using in the previous sections. In this dialog box, under the ‘Borders’ tab, we have a ‘Line Arrangement’ field. In this field, we have 5 options for surrounding the paragraph with some kind of lines or boxes. Choose the second option among these and click on ‘OK’. This will add a complete box border to the paragraph.

To add a background colour, in the same ‘Paragraph’ dialog box, under the ‘Area’ tab, we have a ‘Fill’ drop-down list. Choose the required type of background from this list. Then choose the appropriate options for the style chosen and then click on ‘OK’. This will add the background to the paragraph.

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Recognize good practice in paragraph spacing: apply spacing between paragraphs rather than use the Return key.

When creating new paragraphs, it is always advisable to apply appropriate spacing between paragraphs instead of using the return key. This is because when we use the return key more than once to provide spacing between paragraphs, we create additional characters in the document which affect the overall formatting and the size of the document.
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But if we apply spacing between paragraphs, then we can get the appropriate distance between two different paragraphs without having to use the return key more than once and thus without creating the extra characters.

Apply spacing above, below paragraphs. Apply single, 1.5 lines, double line spacing within paragraphs.

To apply spacing between two paragraphs, we need to use the same ‘Paragraph’ dialog box which we have been using in the previous sections. In this dialog box, under the ‘Indents & Spacing’ tab, we have two fields for ‘Spacing’ and ‘Line Spacing’.

In the ‘Spacing’ field, we have two options, ‘Above paragraph:’ and ‘Below paragraph:’, and these can be used to apply spacing above and below paragraphs respectively.

In the ‘Line Spacing’ field, we have a drop-down list which lists the different types of line spacing. We can select the different types of line spacing like single, double and 1.5 lines from this list.

After making all the changes, click on ‘OK’. This will make the changes effective in the document.

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Recognize good practice in aligning text: use align, indent, and tab tools rather than inserting spaces.

While aligning text in a document, it is always advisable to use the different alignment and indentation tools instead of inserting spaces into the document. This is because when we insert spaces into a document, we actually create a character in the document, which is just an empty space. These space characters are actually useless but they do occupy some disk space which makes the document size large without providing any value to the user.
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Also, when we make any edits to the document at a later stage, the empty space characters too will get affected and will affect the overall formatting of the document. But if we use the different indentation and alignment tools, no such space characters will get created and the document will be a lot cleaner and will also not occupy any extra disk space.

Align text left, centre, right, justified.

To align text in different ways in LibreOffice Writer, click on ‘Format’ from the main menu bar and from the resulting drop-down menu, click on ‘Paragraph’. This will open the ‘Paragraph’ dialog box.

In this dialog box, under the ‘Alignment’ tab, we have the ‘Options’ area. Here we have a list of all the alignment types in the form of radio buttons. Select the appropriate alignment from this list and then click on ‘OK’. This will align the document in the chosen style.

Indent paragraphs: left, right, first line.

In the same ‘Paragraph’ dialog box, under the ‘Indents & Spacing’ tab, we have the ‘Indent’ field. In this field, we have certain options for providing the appropriate indentation to the paragraphs. To provide indentation only for the first line, make changes to the ‘First line:’ option. To provide left and right indentations, use the ‘After text:’ and ‘Before text:’ options respectively. This is how we can provide appropriate indentation to paragraphs.

Set, remove and use tabs: left, centre, right, decimal.

In the same ‘Paragraph’ dialog box, under the ‘Tabs’ tab, we have the ‘Type’ and ‘Position’ fields. From the ‘Type’ field, we can select the appropriate tab type which is required. The available options are ‘Left’, ‘Right’, ‘Centered’ and ‘Decimal’. From the ‘Position’ field, we can select the position for this tab.

After selecting both the type and the position, click on ‘New’. This saves the tab and the tab gets stored and becomes visible in the list given below the ‘Position’ option. Finally click on ‘OK’ to make these changes effective in the document.

To remove a tab, simply select the tab which needs to be removed from the list given below the ‘Position’ option and then click on ‘Delete’. This will remove the selected tab.

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Create, merge paragraph(s).

Paragraphs are very important for the formatting of any document. Paragraphs create proper divisions among the different parts of text and make it look more presentable. In order to create a paragraph, simply insert a line break in the text at the point where you want to divide the text into two paragraphs. The insertion of a line break will be discussed in the next section.
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To merge two paragraphs, simply remove the line break between the paragraphs and the paragraphs will get merged together.

A simpler way to create a paragraph or to insert a line break is to simply hit the ‘enter’ button from your keyboard at the point where the line break needs to be inserted. This will divide the text into two paragraphs.

Similarly, to remove the line break and to merge two paragraphs, simply hit the ‘backspace’ button from your keyboard after taking the text pointer to the start of the second paragraph. This will merge the two paragraphs together.

Insert, remove soft carriage return (line break).

To insert a line break into a document, take the text pointer to the point where the line break needs to be inserted. Then click on ‘Insert’ from the main menu bar and from the resulting drop-down menu, click on ‘Manual Break’. This will open the ‘Insert Break’ dialog box.

In this dialog box, select the ‘Line break’ radio button and then click on ‘OK’. This will insert a line break into the document.

We have already seen how to remove a line break in the last section.

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