Part B — Digital Documentation

What is a Table of Contents?

A Table of Contents (ToC) contains a list of topics and subtopics covered in a document along with their page numbers.

In LibreOffice Writer, ToC can be inserted automatically. The entries are taken from the headings and sub-headings of the document.

Before creating a Table of Contents, proper heading styles must be applied to the headings and sub-headings.

Heading Levels

Meaning of Heading Hierarchy

Applying Heading Styles

1. Open/create the document.
2. Open the Styles option from the right sidebar.
3. Select Paragraph Styles.
4. Select Headings.
5. Choose the required Heading 1 to Heading 10 style.
6. Repeat the process for other headings.

Requirement Before Creating ToC

Steps to Insert ToC

1. Open the document.
2. Apply proper heading styles to all headings and sub-headings.
3. Place the cursor at the position where the ToC is required. Usually, it is placed at the beginning of the document.
4. Select:
   Insert → Table of Contents and Index → Table of Contents, Index or Bibliography
5. The Table of Contents, Index and Bibliography dialog box appears.
6. The Type tab is selected by default.
7. Enter/change the title of the ToC if required.
8. Click OK.

Important Default Options

• Protected Against Manual Changes checkbox is selected by default.
• The ToC is generated from the headings and sub-headings of the entire document.
• The Outline checkbox is selected by default.
• Headings appear with their page numbers.
• ToC entries are hyperlinked.

After inserting a ToC, it can be customised according to the document requirement.

Opening Customisation Options

1. Right-click anywhere on the ToC.
2. Select Edit Index.
3. The Table of Contents, Index or Bibliography dialog box opens.

Five Important Tabs

The Type tab is active by default when the Table of Contents, Index or Bibliography dialog box is opened for inserting the ToC.

Important Point

If the checkbox is unchecked, the ToC contents can be changed directly on the document page like normal text.

The Entries tab contains options to set styles for various entries in the ToC.

The Styles tab contains options to apply the desired styles to the text of each level in the ToC.

Applying a Custom Paragraph Style

1. Select the required level from the Levels list box.
2. Select the required paragraph style from the Paragraph Styles list box.
3. Click OK to apply the selected paragraph style.
4. The assigned style appears in square brackets in the Levels list and is visible in the Preview pane.

Removing Applied Paragraph Style

Select the required level and click the Default button.

Columns Tab

The Columns tab contains options to set the number of columns in the ToC.

Background Tab

The Background tab contains options to change the background of the ToC.

If a document is edited after inserting the ToC, the ToC can be updated to reflect the changes.

Steps to Update ToC

1. Right-click anywhere in the ToC.
2. Select Update Index.
3. The changes are reflected in the ToC.

Steps

1. Right-click anywhere on the ToC.
2. Select Delete Index.

What is a Template?

Why Use Templates?

Templates are useful when the same content, formatting and appearance are required in multiple documents.

A template can contain:

• Text
• Graphics
• Styles
• Defined headings
• Text formats
• Page numbers
• Headers
• Footers

Examples

• Resume
• Chapter
• Project Report

All documents in Writer are based upon templates.

If no specific template is specified, Writer uses the default template for creating a blank document.

Steps

1. Open the document.
2. Select Properties from the File menu.
3. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. The associated template name is displayed there if the document was created using a template.

Steps

1. Open/create the document whose template is to be created.
2. Select: File → Templates → Save
3. The Save As Template dialog box appears.
4. Enter the name of the new template.
5. Select the category.
6. If required, select the Set as default template checkbox.
7. Click Save.

Opening Templates Dialog Box

Steps to Use a Saved Template

1. Open the Templates dialog box.
2. Select the desired template.
3. Click Open.
4. A new document opens with the same content, appearance and formatting effects as the template.
5. Make the required changes and save the document.

LibreOffice provides a wide range of online templates that can be downloaded from the Internet.

Basic Procedure

1. Open the Templates dialog box.
2. Click Browse Online Templates.
3. The online templates page opens in a browser.
4. Select the required template.
5. Download the template.

Steps

1. Open the Templates dialog box.
2. Click Import Templates.
3. The Select Category dialog box appears.
4. Select an existing category or create a new category.
5. Browse for the downloaded template.
6. Select the template file.
7. Click Open.
8. The selected template is added to the list.

Steps

1. Select: File → Templates → Manage Templates
2. Right-click the template that needs editing.
3. Select Edit.
4. Make the desired changes.
5. Save the template.

Writer provides a blank document as the default template. However, any template can be set as the default template.

Steps

1. Open the Templates dialog box.
2. Right-click the template to be made default.
3. Select Set as Default.

Templates can be organised by moving them between categories/folders within the Templates dialog.

What is Track Changes?

Instead of permanently changing the original document, Writer keeps a record of the changes made.

The original author can later accept or reject the recorded changes.

The feature also allows reviewers to add comments.

Displaying the Toolbar

Important Buttons

Purpose

Before sharing a document with reviewers, the original author should ensure that changes will be recorded.

Starting the Recording

Alternatively, click the Record button on the Track Changes toolbar.

Protecting Track Changes

The document can be protected with a password so that another user cannot disable Track Changes without entering the password.

Steps

1. Select: Edit → Track Changes → Protect
2. Enter the password.
3. Confirm the password.
4. Click OK.

Starting Track Changes

Select: Edit → Track Changes → Record

How Changes Appear?

• Added characters are displayed in a different colour.
• Deleted characters are displayed using strike-through style.
• A tooltip can display details about the change.

Change Details

The tooltip can provide information such as:

• Author
• Change made
• Date
• Time

Accepting a Change

The original author can accept a recorded change.

Rejecting a Change

The original author can reject a recorded change.

Important Options

Comments can be added while reviewing a document.

Steps

1. Place the cursor at the location where the comment is required.
2. Click Insert Comment on the Track Changes toolbar.
3. A comment box appears on the right side.
4. Type the comment.
5. Click elsewhere on the document.

Comments can be deleted individually, by author, or all together.

Available Options

• Delete current comment
• Delete all comments by a particular author
• Delete all comments

Writer allows comparison between an original document and an edited/reviewed document.

Steps

1. Open the edited document.
2. Select: Edit → Track Changes → Compare Documents
3. The Compare To dialog box appears.
4. Browse and select the original document.
5. The Manage Changes dialog box appears.
6. Accept or reject the desired changes.
7. Close the dialog box.
8. Save the edited document.