Operation Manual

Using master documents
Master documents are typically used for producing long documents such as a book, a thesis, or a
long report; or when different people are writing different chapters or other parts of the full
document, so you don’t need to share files. A master document joins separate text documents into
one larger document, and unifies the formatting, table of contents (TOC), bibliography, index, and
other tables or lists.
Yes, master documents do work in Writer. However, until you become familiar with them, you may
think that master documents are unreliable or difficult to use. See Chapter 13, Working with Master
Documents, in the Writer Guide.
Creating fill-in forms
A standard text document displays information: a letter, report, or brochure, for example. Typically
the reader may either edit everything or nothing in any way. A form has sections that are not to be
edited, and other sections that are designed for the reader to make changes. For example, a
questionnaire has an introduction and questions (which do not change) and spaces for the reader
to enter answers.
Forms are used in three ways:
• To create a simple document for the recipient to complete, such as a questionnaire sent out
to a group of people who fill it in and return it.
• To link into a database or data source and allow the user to enter information. Someone
taking orders might enter the information for each order into a database using a form.
• To view information held in a database or data source. A librarian might call up information
about books.
Writer offers several ways to fill information into a form, including check boxes, option buttons, text
boxes, pull-down lists and spinners. See Chapter 15, Using Forms in Writer, in the Writer Guide.
110 | Getting Started with LibreOffice 4.0