Getting Started Guide

Figure 87: Inserting a bookmark
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 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.
104 Getting Started with OpenOffice.org 3.3