DRAFT

Scenario 3 (Start from scratch under ALV2 License), even being difficult gives the chance to do it on a different way than all previous documentation efforts: AOO is a highly integrated suite with lot of stuff in common on all apps so, if done right, starting from scratch can provide a flexible framework that will make document maintenance more easy.

This child page for "User Guides Revisited" is an attempt to think about this new structure for user documentation.

Basics plus examples

We can start from the very basic, highlighting common features between all apps. The very beginning for the user guides should talk about those common features and how handle them and only when the basis are set, provide examples for each app.

General description for UI elements

Menus
Toolbars
Dockers
...

Each entry with a sublevel on how to use and customize them. Once the generalities are provided, it's time for examples. Those examples need to go from the general to the particular: after all, the default Standard toolbar is almost the same on all AOO apps.

How everything works

A "theoretical" comparison between direct formatting and styles, and why styles are preferred.

A description of what templates are and why they are useful. Highlight the fact that on AOO makes extensive use of styles.

Quick examples of style and template definition on main AOO apps (Writer, Calc, Draw/Impress)

Now, to the detail

With that background, it is now possible to start with each app documentation. At this point it will be a lot easier to explain how styles work on Writer (the next style/linked with/etcetera property) or any other app.

Task oriented documentation

A common scenario implies working on several components at the same time. It is now the moment to explain how to transfer data from one app to the other (OLE, DDE links...), how to work with a chart on Calc or Writer, how to pick data from databases...

Advanced features

Graphite fonts
Master documents
Mail merge

BASE Features

Using Base with the embedded HSQLDB and as a front end to other RDB's

...

Anything else?

Proposed TOC

1. General concepts on Apache OpenOffice: a general introduction to the suite, talking about common points and not about particular apps. This first chapter must remain as general as possible in order to be used as reference on the rest of the document. 
   1. Apache OpenOffice user interface: Beside some sample screenshots there is no need to talk about specific toolbars/menus/... 
      1. main menus: comment similarities between different apps (8 menus have the same names...). Modifying/creating menus.
      2. contextual menus 
      3. Toolbars: normal and contextual toolbars, anchored and floating, how to anchor / modify / create new ones / saving toolbars on the profile or on a document... 
      4. Status bar: information provided, functions offered. Let the details for the corresponding chapters of each component. 
      5. Dockers: how to dock/undock/move/hide/show them, everything on a "neutral" fashion. Do not describe the dockers but how to move them. 
      6. Keyboard shortcuts: configuring them
   2. Formatting a document: general concepts about direct formatting vs. styles / how styles are managed / templates
   3. Autocorrect options: a general introduction followed by some notes about the differences between apps. 
   4. Supported file formats: file types, picture formats... 
   5. Extensions: the extension manager and the repository. Comment that dictionaries are installed as extensions... 
   6. General options: Setting the User data, memory used, paths, defining colours, picking a Java VM...  
2. "Cheat sheets": Short "howtos" to do common tasks, cross-referencing the corresponding chapters. 
   1. Writer: how to build numbered lists, how to number pages, how to make the first page unnumbered...
   2. Calc: ...
   3. ...
3. Writer Here we start with each app. This and the following chapters should take the first one as granted. 
   1. Knowing Writer: an introduction to direct formatting tools. Make clear that page do not support direct formatting but only the use of styles (Format → Page just edit the current page style) and point the reader to the page style section on the guide. 
      1. Editing text Tools for paragraph and character formatting. Indicate that language as direct formatting is a character property. Fist steps on numbered lists and bullets, indicating the use of the corresponding toolbar / alignment and indents on numbered lists. 
      2. Tables on Writer Insert / format them. 
      3. Inserting pictures and OLE objects Different options, embed vs. linked, supported formats
      4. Frames Manually insert frames, their properties: anchoring / wrap / positioning / number of columns / the "follow text flow" option / linked frames... 
      5. Sections What sections are/are not, columns, protect their content, link to other files... 
      6. Autotexts defining and using autotexts
   2. Styles on Writer Main characteristics for Writer styles: linked with, followed by...
      1. Paragraph and character styles Present them on the same section as they are quite similar. Insists on the use of styles to define the language for the text. Quick note on "breaks" option on text flow tab for paragraph styles, indicating that this will be considered on the page styles section. Same with "page register" option under indents and spacing tab
      2. Frame styles As almost everything about about frames was told on 2.a.iv, show what you cannot control with frame styles. 
      3. Page styles Configuring/creating page styles, heathers and footers different on left and right pages, sequences of page styles, associate an automated page break with a paragraph style, page register... 
      4. List styles How to define them and how to associate a list style with a paragraph style. 
   3. Fields, variables and cross references Defining and using fields. The Insert → Fields → Other dialogue. Warning about the wrong use of "corrections" for page numbers and similar problems. 
   4. Organizing and numbering chapters A hierarchy of styles using Tools → Outline numbering and how to number chapter there. Refers to the numbered list configuration when commenting how to tune the numbering (the dialogues are identical). Adding more styles to each outline level by editing the paragraph style. Numbering these additional styles with the use of numbered list styles
   5. Footnotes and endnotes Paragraph and character styles used for note anchors, etc. Indicate how to avoid endnotes ending on a new page with the use of sections. Changing from footnotes to endnotes and vice-versa. 
   6. The navigator Localizing and moving things around
   7. Table of contents and indexes Defining and modifying TOC and other indexes. 
   8. Master documents 
   9. Forms 
4. Calc: follow a similar structure than Writer (direct tools, then styles, then going for more detail)
5. Impress 
6. Draw 
7. Math 
   1. Using Math on other components: enforcing the idea that Math was not designed to be used standalone. 
   2. Math syntax elements operators, symbols...
   3. Cofiguring Math selecting fonts and spacing... 
   4. Defining new symbols 
   5. List of commands 
8. Base 
9. Advanced topics 
   1. Macros and UNO: StarBasic, python... 
   2. Graphite fonts extended font names...
10. Integrating components Talk about the interaction between components. More about OLE objects. 
    1. Mail merge 
    2. Bibliographic database 
    3. Inserting graphs 
    4. …