Editing Default Styles and Using Templates

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Both OpenOffice.org and NeoOffice save styles in individual documents, and any modification of them (or the default document style) is only saved in the document that is active when editing the styles. This is highly impractical for those who want to develop their own consistent look and feel.

The following instructions apply equally to NeoOffice and OpenOffice.org

Contents

Setting the Default Style, Layout and Styles Available in New Documents

To install a standard style for every new document, you should create and save a template for each component of NeoOffice (NeoWriter, NeoCalc and NeoImpress) that you intend to use.

These templates should contain all of the defaults that you want, such as:

  • Default fonts
  • Margins
  • Page sizes/orientations
  • Styles
  • Languages
  • Any required metadata (File -> Properties)
  • etc.

You can easily build a template by opening a new document and setting all the defaults you want.

For default fonts, be sure to set the font in the Default style (open the Stylist—choose Styles and Formatting from the Format menu, or use the toolbar button—then right-click "Default" in the list of styles and choose Modify… from the context menu), from which nearly all other styles are derived.

See this post on trinity for a set-by-step explanation for Calc.

Saving the Template

You should then save it via the File -> Templates -> Save dialogue. It should now be located in this folder: ~/Library/Preferences/NeoOffice-2.x/user/template/
(for NeoOffice 1.2.2, ~/Library/Preferences/NeoOffice-1.x/user/template/)
or the equivalent folder for OpenOffice.org, usually ~/Library/Preferences/OpenOffice.org1.1.2/user/template/

Setting a Template as the Default Template for a Component

Once you have saved your template do the following:

  • Go to File -> Templates -> Organize
  • Open a folder in the left part of the window if you need to, and select the template
  • Right-click or control-click or use the 'Commands' button and select 'use as default template'

Using Templates in Other Locations

You can also use files located in other folders or drives if you select File -> Templates -> Organize and use the 'File' button. This enables you to share templates stored on a central server.

The advantage of using templates in NeoOffice and OpenOffice.org is that you will be notified when a template that you have based a document on has been changed. You will be asked if you want to update the document to the new template. If you approve, the new settings will be applied immediately.

Note: if you do not update a document based on a changed template, the link between the document and template will be broken and you will never be asked again.

Also note that NeoOffice will not ask you to save templates after editing any document, so you do not run the risk of changing your default templates as with Microsoft Word. You must deliberately edit a template to update it.

Using Microsoft Office Templates

Lorinda provides this tip for using Microsoft Office templates with NeoOffice.

Resources for Styles, Templates, and Clipart

The following are a collection of sources to help you use styles, clipart, and templates in NeoOffice and OpenOffice.org, including links to collections of templates and clipart.

Documentation and tips on using styles

Sources of document templates

Sources of clipart

Please see the Using Clipart article for information about obtaining and using clipart with NeoOffice.

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