Does anyone here use Open Office Writer?

Kristin · 05-07-2008, 02:18 AM

I hate this program, it's so persnickety. I'm working on the finishing touches for a short story I wrote so I can start submitting it to publications. My problem is the stupid header/footer feature. Word and Word Perfect have the "suppress header/footer" option, but I can't figure it out with Open Office to save my life. I need to suppress the header on the front page. As far as I've figured out, it can't be done without deleting the header entirely, or suppressing it for every page but the one I'm working on, etc. It sucks!

Help, pretty please?

Tin_Lizzie · 05-07-2008, 05:39 AM

I use Word 2003, but I think in theory they're all the same. If you go to "insert" and then "page numbers" there should be an option whether to show numbers on the first page. Click no or un-check the box or whatever. The header will magically disappear as well.

Kristin · 05-07-2008, 08:51 AM

It doesn't.

Even the option to insert page numbers is really weird and different from Microsoft's word processing programs. I hate this program so much! I have Word almost installed on my laptop, but in order to complete the installation I need the numbers off the back of the CD case. My husband has lost the CD case. Is there any way to bypass that?

Methadrine · 05-07-2008, 09:30 AM

Lots of good tutorials and tips/tricks *here* and some info on numbering pages *here* .

Tin_Lizzie · 05-07-2008, 09:33 AM

If MS Word was previously installed on another machine, the numbers will be in the registry. If not, then no, there is no way to get around it. Sorry.

Where are you submitting to? I only send my stories to markets that accept e-subs. Most will accept a story submission pasted directly into the e-mail as well as .doc/.rtf attachments. If you send it via e-mail, that saves trees and you can get around this problem by c&p.

Kristin · 05-07-2008, 03:46 PM

Thanks, guys! I'll see if my husband has the registration on his computer somewhere, but I think this was the one for only my laptop. If so, I'm screwed there. *sigh* I'll check out the tutorial sites too, thanks.

Tin_Lizzie, I'm subbing to Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, as well as a few other publications. I'm trying the well-known ones first. One at a time, of course, as they all seem to prefer. LOL I haven't checked out the submission guidelines for all of them yet, but I will. You make a good point about e-subbing. Maybe I'll sub to those first.

killer_asian_Dax · 05-07-2008, 04:30 PM

If at all possible, don't use it.

Kristin · 05-07-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killer_asian_Dax

If at all possible, don't use it.

Tell me about it. I'd love to burn the whole freaking program.

Wednesday Friday Addams · 05-07-2008, 04:48 PM

I have no problem using open office writer.. Best of all its free.

Kristin · 05-07-2008, 06:13 PM

Yeah, that's why my husband loves it. I was okay with it until the header problem. I guess it's not as bad as it could be. LOL My hubby is in San Francisco this week, but I'll have him help me - if I haven't figured it out from the tutorials.

Not just that though, but a bunch of other little problems have kept popping up over the past few months, driving me crazy slowly. Autocorrect not turning off when I've tried to disable it, tables or outlines creating themselves when I didn't want them, etc. Oh well.

Tin_Lizzie · 05-07-2008, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristin

Tin_Lizzie, I'm subbing to Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, as well as a few other publications. I'm trying the well-known ones first. One at a time, of course, as they all seem to prefer. LOL I haven't checked out the submission guidelines for all of them yet, but I will. You make a good point about e-subbing. Maybe I'll sub to those first.

If you're printing out the document and sending it via USPS, may I suggest the generous application of white-out? Used to work for me in the old days when I typed with an Olivetti.

Kristin · 05-07-2008, 09:58 PM

Heh. Funny thing I heard from one of my kids the other day when I told them I used to write with a typewriter in school: "What's a typewriter?"

Mother Of All Things Odd · 05-08-2008, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristin

I hate this program, it's so persnickety. I'm working on the finishing touches for a short story I wrote so I can start submitting it to publications. My problem is the stupid header/footer feature. Word and Word Perfect have the "suppress header/footer" option, but I can't figure it out with Open Office to save my life. I need to suppress the header on the front page. As far as I've figured out, it can't be done without deleting the header entirely, or suppressing it for every page but the one I'm working on, etc. It sucks!

Help, pretty please?

I'ld love to help but I just downloaded it myself and, well, I feel encouraged now that I know I'm not the only who's mind is being screwed with by this program.
The last time I had this many problems with a program I threw the whole computer out the window. Thank you for saving my computer by having the same problems.

Mother Of All Things Odd · 05-08-2008, 06:55 AM

Sorry mu puter burped. Have you tried going to the open office web site who's url we can not post? There is an instruction manual or something like that but I believe it is open office dot org

Kristin · 05-08-2008, 03:12 PM

LOL You crack me up! I'd love to throw my computer too but it would make my husband grumpy.

Thanks to Methadrine, who posted the link to the help forum, I finally figured it out last night. With Open Office, suppressing the header or footer on one page is a long and retarded process which is achieved with one mere click with MS Word or Word Perfect. But it is possible. I'll post the instructions below in case anyone needs to refer to them. I know I'll probably have to come back to this thread again to refresh my memory.

One thing that cracked me up while I was searching for the solution, were the programming geeks who would invariably get defensive and snap, "Why do you need to suppress the header on the first page anyway?" Any writer knows that you're supposed to have a header or footer with the author's name, title, and page number on every page BUT the title page. So someone would tell them that, and they'd harrumph, and grudgingly reveal the steps which which to do it. Anyway, here's how to suppress those pesky headers or footers on a certain page:

You need to assign a different page style to your first page. Then insert a page number field in the header or footer of the following page(s).

1. Assign a different page style to your first page
Make sure cursor is in first page.
Press F11 to open the stylist, click on the 4th icon from the left = "Page Styles"
Double-click on First Page

2. Place the cursor in your second page and see what page style shows in the Stylist - probably "Default"

3. Right-click "Default" and select Modify

4. Choose "Header" or "Footer" tab (wherever you want your page numbers) and Select Header or Footer on then click OK.

5. Go to the header or footer on that page, place the cursor inside it and insert the "Page Number" field (Insert > Fields > Page Number)

emeraldlonewoulf · 05-08-2008, 07:28 PM

I haven't had any problems with Open Office, the only issue I can see with it is that many editors won't accept the files, whereas they will from the Windows programs. If I write something, I tend to use MS Word now, so I don't have to switch the format.

Kristin · 05-08-2008, 07:48 PM

Yeah, that's a big problem that will need to be solved soon, in the event I have to submit stuff electronically.