Mastering Intermediate Features in LibreOffice Writer

In the previous post, we covered the basics of LibreOffice Writer—creating your first document, basic formatting, and inserting images and tables. Now that you’re familiar with the essentials, it’s time to dive deeper into some of the more advanced features that will help you create professional, organised documents.

In this post, we’ll cover how to use templates, insert footnotes and endnotes, manage headers and footers, create tables of contents, and much more.

Step 1: Working with Templates

Templates are a huge time-saver, especially when you need consistency across multiple documents. LibreOffice Writer offers a variety of built-in templates, and you can create your own for even more customisation.

Using Built-In Templates

1. Access Templates:
   • Click File > New > Templates.
   • The template manager will open, showing you categories like Business Correspondence, Personal Correspondence, and more.
2. Apply a Template:
   • Click on the template that suits your needs (e.g., Modern Resume).
   • LibreOffice will open a new document based on the selected template. Customise it with your own content.

Creating Your Own Template

1. Design Your Document:
   • Create a new document and format it as needed (e.g., with your company logo, custom headers/footers, specific styles).
2. Save as Template:
   • Once you’re happy with the layout, go to File > Templates > Save As Template.
   • Name your template, categorize it (e.g., Business), and click Save.
3. Using Your Custom Template:
   • The next time you need a document based on this layout, simply open the Template Manager and select your custom template.

Step 2: Inserting Footnotes and Endnotes

Footnotes and endnotes are useful for adding additional information or citations without interrupting the flow of your document. Here’s how to insert them:

Inserting a Footnote

1. Place Your Cursor:
   • Click where you want the footnote number to appear in the text.
2. Insert the Footnote:
   • Go to Insert > Footnote and Endnote > Footnote.
   • Writer will automatically insert a superscript number at the cursor’s location and create a footnote at the bottom of the page.
3. Type Your Footnote:
   • Enter the footnote text in the new space created at the bottom of the page.

Inserting an Endnote

1. Follow the same steps as for footnotes, but select Endnote from the Insert menu.
2. Endnotes will appear at the end of the document instead of at the bottom of each page.

Step 3: Working with Headers and Footers

Headers and footers help to add consistent information across the top and bottom of your pages, like document titles, dates, or page numbers.

Adding a Header

1. Insert Header:
   • Go to Insert > Header and Footer > Header > Default Style.
   • A blank header section will appear at the top of each page.
2. Customise Your Header:
   • You can add text, images (such as a logo), and even automatic fields like the date or filename.
   • To add a date, click Insert > Field > Date.
   • You can align text left, right, or centre, or use tab stops for more control.

Adding a Footer

1. Follow the same steps for adding a header, but select Footer instead.
2. Common uses for footers include page numbers, which you can add by clicking Insert > Field > Page Number.

Different Headers/Footers for Different Pages

1. Apply Page Styles:
   • If you want to use different headers or footers on specific pages (e.g., no header on the first page), you’ll need to use Page Styles.
   • Go to Format > Page Style, and in the Organiser tab, select Next Style to change the header/footer after the first page.

Step 4: Creating a Table of Contents

A Table of Contents (TOC) is essential for long documents like reports or books. LibreOffice Writer makes it easy to generate a TOC based on the headings in your document.

Step-by-Step: Creating a TOC

1. Apply Heading Styles:
   • To create a TOC, your document needs to use consistent heading styles (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2).
   • Select the headings in your document, then apply a heading style by going to Styles > Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.
2. Insert the Table of Contents:
   • Place your cursor where you want the TOC to appear (typically at the beginning of the document).
   • Go to Insert > Table of Contents and Index > Table of Contents.
3. Customise the TOC:
   • In the Insert Index/Table dialog, you can customise the title and structure of your TOC.
   • You can also choose to display page numbers and determine how many heading levels should appear.
4. Update the TOC:
   • As you make changes to your document, the TOC won’t automatically update. To refresh it, right-click the TOC and select Update Index.

Step 5: Managing Section Breaks and Page Breaks

Section and page breaks help you control the layout of your document, especially when you need different formatting on different pages.

Inserting a Page Break

1. Position Your Cursor:
   • Place your cursor where you want the new page to begin.
2. Insert the Break:
   • Go to Insert > Page Break.

Inserting a Section Break

1. Section breaks allow you to apply different formatting within the same document (e.g., changing from portrait to landscape).
2. Go to Insert > Section and customise the options in the dialog box.

Step 6: Using Fields for Automation

Fields in LibreOffice Writer allow you to insert dynamic data that updates automatically, such as dates, times, file names, or page numbers.

Inserting a Field

1. Place Your Cursor:
   • Click where you want the field to appear.
2. Insert the Field:
   • Go to Insert > Field > Select the type of field you need, such as Date, Page Number, or File Name.

Updating Fields

• Fields are updated automatically when you save or print the document. To manually update fields, press F9 or go to Tools > Update > Fields.

Step 7: Document Review: Comments and Track Changes

When working on collaborative projects, comments and track changes are useful for reviewing documents.

Adding Comments

1. Highlight Text:
   • Select the text you want to comment on.
2. Insert a Comment:
   • Go to Insert > Comment. A comment box will appear in the sidebar where you can type your notes.

Tracking Changes

1. Enable Track Changes:
   • Go to Edit > Track Changes > Record to enable tracking.
   • All changes made will now be highlighted, and deletions will be marked with a strikethrough.
2. Accept or Reject Changes:
   • Go to Edit > Track Changes > Manage to view all changes. You can accept or reject each change individually or all at once.

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve explored some of the intermediate features of LibreOffice Writer, you’re equipped to create professional and organised documents with advanced formatting. These tools will allow you to work more efficiently, especially on long or complex documents.

In the next post, we’ll dive into advanced Writer techniques, such as working with master documents, using macros for automation, and designing custom styles for large projects.