The KWord Users Manual

The KWord Users Manual

The KWord Users Manual

Mike McBride


Revision 1.02.00

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

KWord is a complete word-processing and simple desktop publishing program. It is part of the KOffice suite of utilities.

This manual describes KWord 1.3.


Table of Contents

1. Introduction
Introduction
What parts of this guide should I read?
2. Fundamentals
Starting KWord
An Introduction to Templates
The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates
3. Step by Step Tutorial
Tutorial: Choosing the initial template
Tutorial: Selecting a frame and entering text into that frame
Tutorial: Changing the size of a frame
Tutorial: Moving a frame on the page
Tutorial: Adding a new frame/Making text flow between two frames
Tutorial: Deleting a frame
Tutorial: Summary
4. The KWord Screen
Overview
Using Rulers
5. Detailed Guides: Document Storage and Printing
Beginning a New Document
Starting a new document from a template
Open an existing document
Saving a Document
The Save Command
The Save As.. Command
Retrieving a Saved Document
Using the dialog box
Printing A Document
6. Detailed Guides: Editing your Document
Selecting Text
Using The Mouse
Using The Keyboard
Using Multiple Views
Introduction
Creating a new view
Splitting the current view into two separate views.
Changing the split view orientation
Changing the size of views
Remove View
Close all views
Undo/Redo
Cut/Copy/Paste and the Clipboard
The Copy Command
The Cut Command
The Paste Command
Finding and Replacing Text
The Find Command
The Replace Command
Pattern Matching
Spell Checking
Automatically mark misspelled words
Finding related word (Thesaurus)
Autocorrection
Enable/Disable Autocorrection
Configuring Autocorrection Options
Manually applying autocorrection
Autocompletion
Using autocompletion
Configuring autocomplete
7. Detailed Guides: Document Layout
Formatting the Page
Formatting the Page (Text Oriented Document)
Formatting the Page (Page Layout Template)
Working with Frames
Framesets
Selecting a frame
Adding a Text Frame to a Document
Deleting a Frame From a Document
Moving an Existing Frame
Resizing an Existing Frame
Reconnecting Frames in a Frameset/Changing text flow..
Raise and Lower Frames
Page Breaks
Setting the Properties for a Frame
Using the frame settings dialogs
Using frame styles
Formatting Paragraphs
Indents and Spaces
Aligns
Borders
Bullets and Numbering
Tabulators
Shadows
Using Tab Stops
Setting Tab Stops
Moving Tab Stops
Removing Tab Stops
Tab filling
Formatting Characters
Changing Size, Font, Font Style, Text color and Background Colors
Changing Font Case
Text styles
Introduction to text styles
Changing the text style of text
Creating a text style
Deleting a text style
Editing a text style
Import a text style
Columns
Lists
Simple lists
Complex lists
Tables
Adding a new Table
Moving between cells in a table
Deleting a Table
Insert Row in Table
Insert Column in Table
Delete Row in Table
Delete Column in Table
Change column width
Join Cells in Table
Split Cells in Table
Ungroup a Table
Protecting a cell in a table.
Formating a Table
Using table styles
Headers/Footers
Introduction
Using headers and footers
Creating Templates, Saving a document as a template and Deleting Templates
Creating a new template
Removing a template
Removing a template group
8. Detailed Guides: More than just text
Entering Document information
Graphics
Insert Graphics
Changing the size of a picture
Move Pictures
Delete Graphics
Saving Graphic in separate file
Switching between inline and framed pictures
Horizontal Line
Table of Contents
Preparing the document
Creating the table of contents
Changing the look of the table of contents.
Document Variables
Date and Time
Page Numbering
Section Title
Other Variables
Custom Variables
Updating All Variable Values
Updating One Date or Time Variable Value
Expressions
Using expressions
Add, change and delete expression groups and expressions
Document Links
Insert a new document link
Opening a document link
Copy a document link
Changing a document link
Deleting a document link
Document Comments
Adding a comment to a document
Adding to or changing the comment in a document
Deleting a comment from a document
Hiding all comments in a document
Footnotes and Endnotes
Add a new footnote or endnote
Change reference of footnote
Delete a footnote or endnote
Change the look of footnotes
Change the placement of the footnotes
Change the appearance of endnote entries
Change the placement of the endnotes
KOffice Data
General instructions
Working with the inserted component
Inserting files
Document bookmarks
Creating a new bookmark
Jump to a previously created bookmark
Rename a bookmark
Delete a bookmark
Formulas
Add a formula
Moving a formula
Removing a formula
Editing a formula
9. Advanced Topics
Document Structure
Show and hide document structure window
Navigating the document structure window
Select a frameset from the document structure window
Edit a text frame using the document structure window
Edit a framesets properties using the document structure window
Delete frame or frameset using the document structure window
Chapter numbering
Mail Merge
Using an outside database (SQL) to create documents
Using an internal representation of tabular data to create documents
10. Migrating to KWord
11. How do I...
How do I get the pages numbers on the outsides of the pages and the title in the middle of the header (like a novel)?
How do I create a .pdf file?
How do I remove template categories from the open dialog.
12. The Menu Items/Tool Bars
Introduction to Menu Bars and Tool Bars
Hiding, Changing, and Moving Tool Bars
Hiding and Flattening Tool Bars
Moving Toolbars around
Changing the look of your toolbars
Basic Menu Bar
File Menu
Edit Menu
View Menu
Insert Menu
Format Menu
Frames Menu
Table Menu
Tools Menu
Settings Menu
Help Menu
Formatting ToolBar
File Toolbar
Insert Toolbar
Edit Toolbar
Paragraph Toolbar
Table ToolBar
Border Toolbar
Formula Toolbar
Selecting Colors from a Color dialog
Selecting files using the file dialog
13. KWord Options
Configure Shortcuts
Defining custom keyboard shortcuts
Configure Toolbars
Adding a button to a toolbar
Deleting a button from a toolbar
Moving a button on a toolbar
KWord Options
Configure KWord User Interface.
Configure document options
Configure Spelling.
Configure formula options
Configure miscellaneous options
14. Questions and Answers
15. Credits and Licenses
A. Installation
How to obtain KWord
Requirements
Compilation and Installation
B. KWord Command Line Options
C. Import/Export Filters
Introduction to Filters
Filters included in KWord
Abiword
AmiPro
Applix Word
Docbook
Hancom Word
HTML
LaTeX
Microsoft Word 97/2000
Microsoft Write
PalmDoc
Plain Text (ASCII Text)
Rich Text Format
Wireless Markup Language
WordPerfect
D. Key Bindings Summary
E. KWord Technical details
KWord file format
KWord 1.1 and earlier
KWord 1.2
Kword mimetype
Glossary
Chapter 1. Introduction

Introduction

Chapter 1. Introduction

Introduction

KWord, is a full featured WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Word-processor/Desktop Publishing Program.

KWord is part of the KOffice productivity suite for the K Desktop Environment. Other applications in KOffice include:

  • KSpread (A spreadsheet application.)

  • KPresenter (A presentation creator.)

  • Kontour (A vector drawing program.)

  • Kivio (A flowchart creator)

  • Krita (A raster drawing program.)

  • Kugar (A report generation tool.)

  • KChart (A chart and graph creator.)

  • and a simple integrated office desktop, to help organize your work.

All KOffice applications were designed from the beginning to take advantage of the features of KDE. Because of this, KWord (like all of KOffice), supports many advanced features you expect from todays desktop environment.

KWord is a word-processor which can work either as a traditional word processor, or as a simple but powerful desktop publishing application. This is possible because KWord is a frame oriented word processor, not a page oriented word processor (Microsoft® Word, Word Perfect and Applixware are all page oriented word processors).

Frame oriented word processors work by creating one or more frames per page. Each frame acts as a boundary (like a frame which surrounds a photograph), which limits the text to the boundaries of the frame. You can move and re-size boundaries to define exactly where on the page the text will be placed. As you re-size frames, the text is reworked to fit within these frames.


Button

You can easily connect one frame to the next. When you connect two frames, any text which does not fit within the first frame, flows easily and automatically into the next.


Button

In addition to text, you can include virtually anything inside a frame. A frame can contain a spreadsheet, pictures, a database form, or nearly any piece of data. Since each page can have any number of frames, documents can appear quite sophisticated while still remaining easy to edit.

KWord users also benefit from the auto wrap features of KWord. When you place one frame on top of part of another frame, the text from the lowest frame can be automatically wrapped around the newly created frame. This reformatting occurs in a WYSIWYG Graphical User Interface, and happens automatically while you edit.


Button

As a word-processor, KWord includes the most used options of many other word processors, while maintaining a simple interface. In addition to the features you expect from a modern word-processing package (text entry, bold face, italics, text alignment, text printing, etc.), KWord can:

  • Use predefined templates, to generate complex document layout with one click of the mouse. As a user, you can build your own templates, download templates from the web, or use the current document to create a new template.

  • KWord provides automatic numbering of lists and automatic bulleting of lists with any character or shape you want.

  • Define paragraph layout styles, frame layout styles and table layout styles, to shorten the editing time of your document, and ensure consistency throughout a long document.

  • Edit headers and footers for your documents. You can have different headers for even and odd pages, or the same headers throughout.

  • Search through your document for text. You can further refine your search by specifying font, format, font size and many other features of the text. By adding wild-cards to your search, the search and replace functions can become very powerful.

  • Footnotes. KWord has all the tools necessary to manage footnotes.

  • Tables. You can either use the table formatting capabilities of KWord, or you can import any spreadsheet from KSpread.

  • KWord has built in support for KParts. KParts allows you to insert any spreadsheet, picture, chart, graph, document, or any other data type from any KOffice application. You are free to edit that KPart using the tools designed for that task, without needing to start the application at all.

  • KWord can zoom in or out to make the editing of your documents easier on any computer, and with any font size.

  • KWord supports customizable tool bars and menus.

  • KWord has extensive internationalization support.

  • You can embed formulas directly into KWord using the integrated formula editor.

  • You can have KWord auto-correct many of the most common spelling and punctuation mistakes.

  • KWord can check the spelling of your document. KWord can automatically mark misspelled words as you type.

  • You can access an on-line thesaurus (English only) to find the exact word you are looking for.

  • KWord can automatically create a table of contents, and keep it up to date.

  • KWord has optional autocompletion for commonly used words.

  • KWord has support for document bookmarks, to easily navigate large documents..

  • KWord has support for internet hyperlinks and e-mail addresses.

  • KWord has the ability for proofreaders to make comments about portions of the text. These comments are stored in the KWord file, and can be changed or deleted easily.

  • KWord can merge data from an outside database to create mailinglists, form letters, invoices, etc.

  • KWord can load and save documents from other wordprocessing programs with an extensive list of filters.

  • KWord can create PDF files.

  • You can edit one document from multiple views. This allows you to have several windows open on one document . Edits in one window are immediately updated in the other window.

  • KWord can surround your frames with borders and you can set the background color of each frame separately if you want..

The best part about KWord, is the effort that has been placed to make KWord a productive tool for all your needs from the simplest letter, to the most complex document you might need to work on.

What parts of this guide should I read?

What parts of this guide should I read?

What parts of this guide should I read?

Anyone who has looked at the table of contents has surely come to the conclusion that reading this manual from cover to cover, is an unreasonable (and fortunately unnecessary) task.

This user guide is designed to be helpful to a wide variety of users, from the very experienced, to the novice user. Since different users will have different needs, each section of this manual is self-contained. The user is not expected to have read all of the previous sections of the manual to find the instructions useful.

To help determine what should read before starting to work with KWord, a suggested reading list for three levels of users is given below.

If each of these sections is read before staring to use KWord, using KWord will be easier.

Experience LevelPrevious ExperienceWhat you should read
NoviceNo previous computer experience
Fundamentals
Step by Step Tutorial
The KWord Screen
Document Storage and Printing
Editing Your Document
Introduction to Menu Bars and Tool Bars
The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates
IntermediateComfortable with other page based word processors (Microsoft®Word, Word Perfect or Applixware.)
Fundamentals
Step by Step Tutorial
The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates
Advanced UserComfortable with other frames based word processors (Frame Maker, etc.).
The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates

These sections will help with the basic information. As other specific questions or situations arise, the other sections of this manual can be used as a reference.

Obviously this will not cover everyones needs. Please use it as a guide to help determine which parts of the manual will be helpful to read before you begin using KWord.

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Chapter 2. Fundamentals

Fundamentals

Chapter 2. Fundamentals

This section of the documentation discusses starting KWord, introduces the user to templates and discusses an important difference between two major types of templates.

Starting KWord

KWord can be started one of four ways:

  1. You can select KWord through the system menus, under: K-Button->Office->KWord.

  2. If you are in a terminal program (Konsole, Xterm, etc.), you can type:

    $ kword &

    Or

    $ kword filename &

  3. Using Konqueror, you can click on your data file (KWord documents end in .kwd). This will automatically start KWord and begin editing the file.

  4. Using the KOffice Workspace.

An Introduction to Templates

An Introduction to Templates

An Introduction to Templates

OK, so the first question a new user may have is:

Why do I need to use a frames based word processor, when I am perfectly happy writing my letters on my current (page layout) word processor?

Well the good news is, adjusting to a frames based word processor is easy and once a template is selected, KWord can act just like a page layout word processor. There are templates available for simple correspondence and day to day use.

When a more complex document (newsletters, posters, etc.) needs to be created, you will not need to switch to a different application to generate these special documents. There are templates in KWord which will help generate newsletters or other more complicated documents.

What are templates and what can they do for the user?

A template can be thought of as an initial mold for a document.

When a user sits down to write a document, they already have an idea of what the final product will look like. If they are writing a letter to a business, a document with only one column, which goes all the way across the page, and from top to bottom of the page is appropriate. When a user sits down to author a newsletter for a local organization, however, they may want a large title across the top, and several columns for quick news articles.

With KWord, this predetermined notion of how the document should look is used to select a template. By using a template, a set of frames is created to approximate this final layout. For a business letter, a document with one large frame that covers the page from top to bottom and side to side would be selected. For a newsletter, however, a two or three column document is more appropriate. Once this template is selected, KWord will create the frames automatically.

What if the user decides to change the layout after a template is selected?

This is not a problem. If a document begins as a single column document and it is decided later that two columns is better, another column can be added. The purpose of templates is not to limit the ability to change the layout of a document, but rather to take some of the work load off the user whenever possible. Choosing the correct template when beginning a document will simplify the formatting (as opposed to always selecting the default template and making changes later). Choosing the wrong template will not limit the flexibility of the document later on.

The following section, consists of one more important topic which you should understand before we begin using KWord.

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The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates

The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates

The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates

It is vital that the difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates is clear in your mind.

Text Oriented

The Text Oriented templates are designed to act like page-oriented word processors. When you select a Text Oriented template, you will create a template with one or more frames. The first frame is distinctly tied to the paper size of your document. When you increase or decrease the paper size or change the margins, the frame size is automatically adjusted. You are not able to move this frame around on the page and you cannot delete this frame. If you need to adjust the size or position of this frame, you must adjust the margins. On top of the first frame, you can, of course, add additional frames. These frames can contain pictures, text or whatever you want. These new frames can be moved, re-sized and deleted to suit your needs. If you want it, KWord will even wrap the text from the first frame around any information in any subsequent frames.

Page Layout

These templates are designed for desktop publishing. When you select a template from this class, all of the frames are created equal. This is where the difference between Page Layout and Text Oriented template lies. None of the frames in a Page Layout template are tied to the page as tightly as the main frame in a Text Oriented template is. Each of the frames is independent of the page size, and can be moved or re-sized without changing margins, etc. Of course this also means that altering the margins or paper size of your document requires that you individually move/resize each frame.

Note

In addition to not having a main text frame, Page Layout documents can not use the automatic headers or footers (though these can be added in as frames). Additionally, footnotes must be managed by hand while in Page Layout Mode.

As you can see, the choice between Page Layout and Text Oriented templates is a choice between flexibility (Page Layout) and convenience (Text Oriented). You can create any document you like with either type of template.

If the concept of templates is still unclear, please follow along with the following tutorial. The first document you create will use a Page Layout template. This should help clarify exactly how templates function.

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Chapter 3. Step by Step Tutorial

Step by Step Tutorial

Chapter 3. Step by Step Tutorial

This section is a step by step walk through of the most important functions needed to understand how to create and manipulate a complex document. This tutorial will generate the start of a newsletter as an example document.

It is recommend that you go through the tutorial in order at least once if you are new to frame based word processors.

Tutorial: Choosing the initial template

Note

The steps to this tutorial are numbered from 1 to 22. Beneath each step, is text in italics. This text will explain what the previous step in the tutorial accomplished.

When you first start KWord (or start a new document after KWord is running), a dialog appears.


Screen shot

This dialog box is used to:

  1. Select the initial template for your new document

  2. Open a KWord Document saved to your hard drive or network.

  3. Start KWord without any document started.

Step 1: Click on the Page Layout tab.


Screen shot

This will list the Page Layout templates available on your system. For information on the differences between Page Layout and Text Oriented templates, see the section entitled The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout templates.

Step 2: Now select the Simple Layout icon by clicking once with the left button of your mouse.


Screen shot

This is the template we will use for the tutorial

Step 3: Now confirm your selection by clicking on OK


Screen shot

To complete your selection

KWord will open a new document with three frames. The frames are outlined on the white background, as gray boxes. Each box is a separate frame.

Tutorial: Selecting a frame and entering text into that frame

Tutorial: Selecting a frame and entering text into that frame

Tutorial: Selecting a frame and entering text into that frame

To begin entering text (or adding any sort of data for that matter) into a document, its important to let KWord know which frame to put the data in.

Note

In order to keep both editing and formatting of your document efficient and simple, the command executed with a mouse click changes depending on where in the KWord window the pointer is located.

When the pointer is located over toolbars, scrollbars, menu buttons or other areas outside the document, the pointer is an arrow. You should already be familiar with this type of pointer when using other KDE programs.

When inside the document, there are two separate pointers which alternate automatically based on how close to a frame edge the pointer is currently located.

When the mouse pointer is near the edge of a frame, the pointer will change into two intersecting lines with arrows on all four points. Clicking the left mouse button now will select the nearest frame.

As you move the pointer away from the edge of the frame, the pointer will change into the text entry pointer. Clicking the left mouse button at this time will tell KWord to insert text into this frame.

Step 4: Place the mouse pointer over the upper-left frame. Make sure you do not see the frame select pointer

Step 5: Click once with the left mouse button.


Screen shot

This tells KWord to insert text into this frame. A cursor appears in the upper left corner of the frame.

Step 6: Enter the following text into the keyboard: KWord Press Release.

This is some sample text for our newsletter.

Step 7: Select KWord Press Release by placing the mouse cursor on the right end of the text. Click once with the left mouse button and drag the mouse cursor to the left.. Selected text will be white text on dark background. When all the text has been selected, release the left mouse button.


Screen shot

This defines what text is going to be altered with Step 8.

Step 8: Click inside the text size drop down box. Change this number to 26.


Screen shot

This changes the size of the selected text to one more appropriate for a title.

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Tutorial: Changing the size of a frame

Tutorial: Changing the size of a frame

Tutorial: Changing the size of a frame

Now that we have entered some text, we can see that the frame should extend across the entire width of the page for a title. We need to change the size and shape of the frame.

Step 9: Place the mouse pointer over the frame border (you will notice the cursor changes to two intersecting lines with arrows), and click once with the left mouse button.

This will select this frame, so it can be re-shaped.

You will now notice the frame is outlined in black, with 8 dark squares on the outline. These squares are used for re-sizing the frame.

Step 10: Place the mouse pointer over the dark square in the lower right corner of the frame. Click with the left mouse button and hold it down. Drag the mouse up and to the right.


Screen shot

Notice how the frame changes shape. Adjust the size and shape of the frame until it looks similar to the example below:


Screen shot

When it does, release the mouse button.

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Tutorial: Moving a frame on the page

Tutorial: Moving a frame on the page

Tutorial: Moving a frame on the page

Now that we have created a title block, we will center it at the top of the page.

Step 11: Place the mouse pointer over the border of the frame (but not on any of the dark squares).

The pointer will now change to a 4 way arrow. This indicates KWord is ready to move the frame on the page.

Step 12: Click and hold with the left mouse button. Drag the mouse, and the frame will follow it. Position the frame in the center of the page near the top. When you are satisfied with its final location, release the mouse button.


Screen shot

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Tutorial: Adding a new frame/Making text flow between two frames

Tutorial: Adding a new frame/Making text flow between two frames

Tutorial: Adding a new frame/Making text flow between two frames

Now we will add a new text frame for our first story.

Step 13: Begin by selecting Insert->Text Frame


Screen shot

The pointer has changed to cross-hairs. You can draw your new text box with this cursor. Start by placing the pointer at one corner. Click and hold the left mouse button. Drag the mouse diagonally. An outline will appear which represents your new text frame. When you have a text frame of reasonable size, release the left mouse button.


Screen shot

It is not important if your text box does not resemble the example for the purposes of this tutorial.

When you release the left mouse button, a new dialog box appears.

This dialog box lists all the current frame sets. The default value is highlighted. By selecting the default value, you will create a new frame set (text will not flow from any other frame into this frame)

Notice that the default name for this frameset is Text Frameset 3

Step 14: For the purposes of this tutorial, the default value of Create new frameset with this frame is good. Simply select OK.


Screen shot

Now you can see your new frame has been created. It is called Text Frameset 3

Now we are going to create another small frame right next to this one.

Step 15: Select Insert->Text Frame


Screen shot

Again using the crosshair pointer, draw another small frame near the first one.


Screen shot

A dialog box will appear.

Step 16: Select Text Frameset 3 using your mouse.


Screen shot

Step 17: Select OK.


Screen shot

What you have just done, is connect this new textframe, to the last frame you created. To test this:

Step 18: Click once inside the new frame with the left mouse button.


Screen shot

Notice that your cursor immediately jumps to the frame to the left. That is because the left frame is the first frame in the current frameset.

Step 19: Begin typing. You will need to type quite a bit, but keep typing. When you run out of space in the text frame, you will see your new text is moved immediately into your new text frame.


Screen shot

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Tutorial: Deleting a frame

Tutorial: Deleting a frame

Tutorial: Deleting a frame

Now we will delete an unneeded frame. (Yes, we just created a new frame, but KWord will forgive an indecisive user.). We will delete the long text frame on the right side of the page.

Step 20: Place the mouse pointer over the frame border of the right hand text frame (Remember: watch for the pointer to change), and click with the left mouse button.


Screen shot

This selects the frame.

Step 21: Select Frames->Delete Frame


Screen shot

A small dialog box appears, checking you really intended to delete this frame.

Step 22: Select Delete.

This deletes the frame.

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Tutorial: Summary

Tutorial: Summary

Tutorial: Summary

Hopefully this tutorial has introduced you to the most basic tasks in KWord.

At this point, you have :

  • Added text to a frame.

  • Resized text.

  • Created, moved, resized and deleted frames.

The purpose of this tutorial was not to explore every aspect of KWord, but to introduce you to the bare essentials. Hopefully you understand the basic manipulation of frames. From this point, you can refer to the specific sections of the manual for help, tips and advanced features of KWord.

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Chapter 4. The KWord Screen

The KWord Screen

Chapter 4. The KWord Screen

Overview

KWord, like most GUI based programs, divides the screen up into several areas. Each area of the screen is used to perform a group of similar features. When you examine the KWord screen, it is divided into 5 major areas:

  1. The KDE Titlebar (which remains at the top of all programs run under KDE).

  2. The Menubar.

  3. an assortment of Toolbars.

  4. the Document Area, including the rulers and scroll bars.

  5. and the Statusbar.



The KDE Titlebar.

The KDE titlebar surrounds all applications run under KDE. For more information on the titlebar, please see the KDE User Guide.

The Menubar

The menubar provides access to all of KWord's functions and options. Each part of the KWord menubar is detailed in the section entitled: The Basic Menubar.

The Toolbars

The toolbars provide shortcuts to commonly used functions. KWord uses 8 toolbars, with similar functions grouped together.

Statusbar

The statusbar provides important information during the editing of your document. In the lower left corner, KWord gives you the current page number and the total number of pages. There will be helpful text shown in the statusbar whenever you hold the mouse over a menu item.

The statusbar can be toggled on and off. See the section on Configure KWord User Interface.

The Document Area.

The document area consists of:

  • Horizontal and Vertical Rulers - The rulers can be used to help you layout your document. For more information on rulers, see Using Rulers.

  • Scrollbars - The scrollbars are used to move through a KWord document quickly. The KWord scrollbars functions similar to all scrollbars in KDE or Windows®.

    The scrollbars can be toggled on and off. See the section on Configure KWord User Interface.

  • Tab Selector - This is used to select and place tab stops in your document for easy formatting. For more information on tab stops, see the section entitled Using Tab Stops.

  • Document View - This is the area of the screen which is used to enter text. It shows you the current status of your document, and allows you to adjust frames, select text, and cut and paste text.

Using Rulers

Using Rulers

Using Rulers

Along the top and left edges of the document area, are a horizontal and a vertical ruler.

These rulers measure from the top left edge of the page.

Each ruler has a bright area surrounded by a dark area. The bright area shows the size and location of the currently selected frame on that page. As you change frames, the bright area changes to reflect the new frame's settings.



The ruler can measure the page in 3 units of measure:

  1. Millimeters (mm)

  2. Points (pt)

  3. Inches (inch)

To change the units of the ruler, place the mouse cursor over one of the rulers (either one), and click with the right button on your mouse.

Select your choice from the sub-menu. You will notice both rulers change to the new unit of measure.

You may also notice two vertical arrows (one pointed up, the other pointed down), on the left side of the bright area of the horizontal ruler. These are used to adjust the margin of a paragraph. For more information, see the section entitled Formatting Paragraphs.

Finally, you may see some black marks, which are not part of the ruler. They may appear as L shaped, a Reverse-L, an Upside-down T, or an Upside-down T with a dot in it. These are location of tab stops. For more information see the section entitled Using Tab Stops.

Tip

To quickly format the page layout, you can right mouse click on either ruler. A small sub menu will appear. Simply select Page Layout, and the Page Layout Dialog box will appear.

Note

If you don't want the rulers in your document area, they can be switched off.

Simply select View->Show Rulers from the menubar. This will let you toggle the rulers on and off as you desire.

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Chapter 5. Detailed Guides: Document Storage and Printing

Detailed Guides: Document Storage and Printing

Chapter 5. Detailed Guides: Document Storage and Printing

This section of the documentation will cover everything you need to know about starting a new document, saving a document, retrieving a saved document and printing a document.

Beginning a New Document

Starting a new document can be done 5 ways:

However you begin a new document, a dialog box appears:



This dialog box allows you to:

KWord remembers your previous choice. That previous choice will be the current default option.

Tip

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts:

New document from a templateAlt+T
Open a recent documentAlt+R
Start and Empty documentAlt+E

If you use the keyboard shortcuts, you will need to press Enter on the keyboard or click OK to confirm your selection.

Starting a new document from a template

In order to start a new document based on a template, you must first choose your template.

Remember templates are either Text Oriented or Page Layout templates. If you need to review the differences, click here.

You can use the tabs labled Text Oriented and Page Layout to display all the available templates of that group.

Once you are on the correct tab, you are shown all the available templates, each with a title and a small icon which shows you the general layout of the template.

Tip

KWord comes with two standard template groups. You can add new tabs by installing outside templates, or creating templates of your own.

To select your template, click on it with the left button. The selected template will be highlighted. Confirm your choice by clicking the OK button. This will begin a new document with that template.

Tip

For faster access to a template, simply double click on the template, and KWord will immediately load that template.

Open an existing document

Click on the Choose button, and an new dialog box is revealed. For more details on this dialog box refer to Using the file selection dialog.

Open a Recent Document

KWord keeps track of the most recently edited documents. You can select one of these documents by using the drop-down box to the right of the radio button labeled Open a recent document.

Once the filename is selected in this drop down box, click on OK and KWord will load the template.

Note

If you delete or move a file, it will still appear in the drop down list.

If you select a deleted or otherwise unavailable file to be opened by KWord, the OK will turn from black to gray. This indicates you will not be able to open that file.

Loading an Empty Document

This begins a new document in Text Oriented Mode, with one frame per page. This is an excellent choice for every day correspondence, or general word processing. Simply click OK to begin.

Saving a Document

Saving a Document

Saving a Document

Once you have entered text and data into a document, you will usually want to save this to a file on your hard drive.

Tip

KWord can create a .pdf file for you. For instructions see How do I create a .pdf file.

The Save Command

The Save command can be invoked 3 ways:

  • By selecting File->Save from the Menubar

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+S

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

Any of these methods results in the same action by KWord.

Important

By selecting the Save command, you are instructing KWord to save the file under the current filename. You will not be given the option to change the filename or its location. If you want to change the name of the file, or where it is saved, you must select File->Save As... from the Menubar.

If you have not saved this file before, it does not have a filename. KWord automatically executes the Save As... command so you can provide a file name.

KWord does not report a successful save. Therefore, if the file was saved without incident, KWord will return you to editing your document.

You can verify that the file was saved, by checking the titlebar. If there are unsaved changes, the titlebar will have [modified] in the titlebar.



If the save was successful, only the filename will be in the titlebar. If there is a probelm with the save, an error box will appear.



The Save As.. Command

General

The Save As... command can be invoked 2 ways:

  • By selecting File->Save As... from the Menu bar

  • or by trying to Save a file which does not yet have a filename.

Important

The difference between the Save and the Save As... command, is the Save As... command prompts you for a filename, and lets you select a different file format or location. The Save command simply saves the file in the previous location.

Using the dialog box

When you select Save As... a dialog appears.



For more information on using this dialog, see the section entitled Using the file selection dialog.

When you are in the folder you want to save the file in, type a filename into the Location box.

Tip

KWord can create a .pdf file for you. For instructions see How do I create a .pdf file.

Tip

There is no need to put a .kwd at the end of your filename, KWord will do this for you.

Note

UNIX® filenames are more flexible than many other operating systems. Filenames can:

  • be of nearly any length

  • be any combination of upper and lower case letters

  • include spaces and punctuation

Filenames should not:

  • begin with a space or period

  • end with a common file extension (.ps,.pdf,etc).

Once you have entered the correct information you can click on OK to complete the save.

KWord does not report a successful save. Therefore, if the file was saved without incident, KWord will return you to editing your document. If there is a probelm with the save, an error box will appear.

Note

KWord will only allow you to save your file where you are allowed to by the permisions listed by the operating system. If you try to save outside that area, KWord will generate an error.

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Retrieving a Saved Document

Retrieving a Saved Document

Retrieving a Saved Document

The Open command can be invoked 4 ways:

  • By clicking Open a previously saved document and the Choose button when Opening a New Document

  • By selecting File->Open from the menubar

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl-O

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

Any of these methods results in the same action by KWord.

Using the dialog box

When trying to open a file, a dialog appears.



For more information on using this dialog, see the section entitled Using the file dialog.

Use this dialog to locate the document you want to load. Once located, click once with the left mouse button on the filename. Click OK. The file will be loaded.

There is a Cancel button, if you click this button, the load will be aborted.

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Printing A Document

Printing A Document

Printing A Document

The Print command can be invoked 3 ways:

  • By selecting File->Print... from the menubar

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl-P

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

No matter how you do this, the KDE print dialog will appear.



The top drop down box labeled Name: shows the currently selected printer. To configure this printer click on the Properties... button.

To select a different printer, click on the dropdown box and select the desired printer.

If you want to print your output into a postscript file, to a PDF file, a fax modem (to send it as a fax) or email the file as a PDF file, select the appropriate option from the dropdown box. Once that option has been selected, enter the filename into the text box labled Output File:.

The line labled Print system currently used: determines how KWord interacts with your computer and any attached printers. Complete setup of the printing system is beyond the scope of this document. For more information see the KDE print web site at http://printing.kde.org.

If you want to print all pages of your document and only one copy, you can click OK. If you want to change the number of copies or only print selected pages, click Expand

Note

Depending on which printing system your computer uses, you may find that you have more printing options then those described below. What is described here, is available on most systems.

Once you click Expand, the dialog box changes to:



Under Page Selection, you can select either to print the whole document (select All), print the page the cursor is located on (simply select Current), or print a range of pages. If you select the Print Range option, enter your page range in the text box provided. (Example: 3-13)

In the drop down box labeled Page Set: you can tell KWord to print the Even pages, the Odd pages or All pages.

In the box on the right labeled Copies:, you should set the number of copies you want printed. You can either enter the number directly into the box, or use the arrows to adjust the number. KWord can print a maximum of 999 copies at once.

You can have KDE collate your documents by clicking on the Collate check box. If selected, KDE will print all of the pages for copy 1, then print all the pages for copy 2, etc. If not selected, KDE will print all of the copies of the first page, then all of the copies of the second page, etc.

You can also determine if the document is printed in forward order (print first page first), or reverse order (print last page first).

If you click on Collapse, the print dialog will compress down to the previous view.

When you are satisfied with your selections, you can click OK to print.

If you click on Cancel, the printing will be aborted.

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Chapter 6. Detailed Guides: Editing your Document

Detailed Guides: Editing your Document

Chapter 6. Detailed Guides: Editing your Document

This section of the guide will cover more advanced features of data editing. This section focuses entirely on text data. For working with other types of data, please see the section entitled More than just text.

Selecting Text

For many editing and formatting functions in KWord, certain actions (bold face, underline,etc.) should be applied to a certain section of text, not the document as a whole. You specify which text should be altered by selecting (highlighting) the text you want changed.

Selected text has a dark background to separate it from unselected text.



Select text by designating a start and an end point. All the text in between the start and end point is selected text.

Text can be selected with either the mouse or the keyboard.

Using The Mouse

To select text with the mouse, place the mouse pointer at the start point. Click and hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse pointer. This selects all text between the initial click of left mouse button and the current position of the mouse cursor. When the mouse pointer is at the desired end point, release the button. The start and endpoints will become fixed.

Using The Keyboard

To use the keyboard, KWord takes the initial position of the text cursor as the start point. Use the following key combinations to move the endpoint to the desired location.

Key CombinationFunction
Shift+Left ArrowMove endpoint one character to the left.
Ctrl+Shift+Left ArrowMove endpoint one word to the left.
Shift+Right ArrowMove endpoint one character to the Right.
Ctrl+Shift+Right ArrowMove endpoint one word to the Right.
Shift+Up ArrowSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the character directly up one line.
Ctrl+Shift+Up ArrowSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the first character of the line directly above.
Shift+Down ArrowSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the character directly down one line.
Ctrl+Shift+Down ArrowSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the last character of the line directly below.
Shift+HomeSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the beginning of the line.
Ctrl+Shift+HomeSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the beginning of the document.
Shift+EndSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the end of the line.
Ctrl+Shift+EndSelects all characters from the start of the selection, to the end of the document.
Shift+Page-UpMoves the current endpoint one screen up.
Ctrl+Shift+Page-UpMoves the current endpoint one page up. The endpoint is located at the first character of this page.
Shift+Page-DownMoves the current endpoint down one screen.
Ctrl+Shift+Page-DownMoves the current endpoint down one page. The endpoint is locate at the first character of this page.
Ctrl+ASelect all text in the current frameset.

Once the start and endpoints have been defined, all text between the startpoint and endpoint is selected.

Using Multiple Views

Using Multiple Views

Using Multiple Views

Introduction

When editing very large documents, there will be times when it is helpful to edit two parts of the document. In a situation such as this, KWord can open additional windows to edit the same document.

These new windows are called Views, since they provide a different viewpoint of the the same document.

Views are very important tools when working with large documents. Set one view to edit one part of the document, and using the other view, freely move through the document making updates and changes. These changes are automatically revealed in all views.

Creating a new view

Creating a new view creates an entirely new window, with toolbars, menubars etc. Compare this with the Split View command.

To create a new view select View->New View from the menubar.

A new window will be created. Alterations to your document can be made in either view. Updates in one window will be immediately visible in the other.

Splitting the current view into two separate views.

It is also possible to split one view into two views. Both views are contained within one window, and use the same toolbars, menubars, etc. Contrast this to the effect of the New View command.

To split the current view, select View->Split View from the menubar.

The current document area will be split into two views. Alterations to your document can be made in either view. Updates in one window will be immediately visible in the other.

Tip

The views can either be split horizontally or vertically. See the next section for instructions.

Changing the split view orientation

To change the direction that the views are split, simply select View->Splitter Orientation from the menubar. This will show a submenu. Select either Horizontal or Vertical.

All views in the current window will immediately change to the new orientation.

Changing the size of views

The relative sizes of each view can be adjusted with your mouse.

To adjust the view size, look at the border between the scrollbar of one window (the upper or right view) and the ruler of the other view (the lower or left view). There is a solid border which appears raised between the scrollbar and the ruler. As the mouse pointer passes over this bar, it changes from an arrow to double lines with double arrows.

When the mouse pointer changes, click once with the left mouse button and hold the button down. Drag that border to the new location. When the mouse button is released, the views will change to the new proportions.

Remove View

To remove a view, simply click the mouse pointer in the view to be deleted. Then select View->Remove View from the menubar.

Close all views

To close all views, select View->Close All Views from the menubar.

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Undo/Redo

Undo/Redo

Undo/Redo

It happens all the time. While working on a document, a change is made. The change was wrong, now you want to back out of your changes.

Fortunately, KWord has a solution.

Each time a change is made to a document, KWord remembers what the change was. KWord can Undo each change one at a a time.

As an example, you are writing a business letter and type in the following sentence:

It is a pleasure for me to give you this letter of introduction to your newest employee.

But that doesn't seem right, so you change it:

It is a joy for me to give you this letter of introduction to your newest employee.

You decide it was better the first time and you want to change it back.

Simply select Edit->Undo from the menubar.

The text now reads “pleasure” again.

It is a pleasure for me to give you this letter of introduction to your newest employee.

If, after you Undo a change, and then decide the Undo was a mistake, select Edit->Redo and the Undo is reversed.

Note

Sometimes it is not possible for KWord to undo an edit. In these instances, KWord will replace the Undo function with No Undo Possible.

Othertimes, KWord will only perform a partial undo of the previous task. This is because KWord processes changes to documents differently then might initially be expected. Simply select Edit->Undo again, and more of the edits will be undone.

By default, KWord keeps track of the last 30 edits to the document. This number can be adjusted up or down. For details, see Configuring KWord.

The Undo and Redo commands can be accessed from the menubar (as in the examples above), by using keyboard shortcuts or from the toolbar.

CommandToolbar ButtonKeyboard Shortcut
UndoCtrl+Z
RedoCtrl+Shift+Z
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Cut/Copy/Paste and the Clipboard

Cut/Copy/Paste and the Clipboard

Cut/Copy/Paste and the Clipboard

The “clipboard” is a concept familiar to most people who have used modern word processors. It is a piece of your computers memory which is set aside as a temporary storage space. Text can be “Cut” or “Copied” from your document into the clipboard. Now move to another part of the document or to another application entirely, and “Paste” this text at the new location.

The most common use for the clipboard is to move or copy text which has already entered into one part of the document to another part of the same document or to another document entirely.

This concept is probably best described with an example.

To do this, we begin with a test sentence

The big, red fox jumped over the lazy dog.

Using the mouse or keyboard, select the phrase “big, red”.

Now select Edit->Copy from the menubar.

This has moved a copy of the selected text to the clipboard.

Now place the mouse cursor between “lazy” and “dog” and click once.

Now select Edit->Paste from the menubar.

The resulting sentence is:

The big, red fox jumped over the lazy big, red dog

The clipboard is not limited to text. The clipboard can contain tables, pictures, spreadsheets or any other type of information.

The Copy Command

The Copy command can be invoked 4 ways:

  • By selecting Edit->Copy from the menubar

  • By clicking on the toolbar.

  • Using the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+C or the alternate keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Insert

  • After the text is selected, click once with the right mouse button and hold the button down. A small submenu will appear. Simply select Copy

The Copy command moves a copy of the selected data to the clipboard. The original data is unaffected.

The Cut Command

The Cut command can be invoked 4 ways:

  • By selecting Edit->Cut from the menubar

  • By clicking on the toolbar.

  • After the text is selected, click once with the right mouse button and hold the button down. A small submenu will appear. Simply select Cut

  • Using the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+X or the alternate keyboard shortcut: Shift+Delete

The Cut command moves a copy of the selected data to the clipboard. The selected data is then deleted from the document.

The Paste Command

The Paste command can be invoked 4 ways:

  • By selecting Edit->Paste from the menubar

  • By clicking on the toolbar.

  • Place the cursor where the contents of the clipboard should be inserted. Click once with the right mouse button and hold the button down. A small submenu will appear. Simply select Paste

  • Using the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+V or the alternate keyboard shortcut: Shift+Insert

The Paste command inserts a copy of all the data in the clipboard at the current position of the cursor. The clipboard is unaffected. (So another paste command will produce yet another copy of the data in the document.)

Note

If no text in the document is currently highlighted, the Paste command inserts the data at the current position of the cursor.

If there is selected text when the Paste command is executed, the selected text is replaced with the contents of the clipboard.

Tip

The clipboard is not limited to the bounds of the current document. If text is copied (or cut) from a document, this text can be pasted into another open document, or another KDE application entirely.

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Finding and Replacing Text

Finding and Replacing Text

Finding and Replacing Text

The Find Command

The “Find” command can be invoked 3 ways:

  • By selecting Edit->Find... from the menubar

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut:Ctrl+F

  • By clicking on the toolbar.

When the Find Command is invoked, a dialog appears.



Basic Text Search

The drop-down box labelled Text to Find, provides a place for you to enter the text of your search command. (In the screenshot, that box is currently filled with KDE)

If you click on OK, then KWord will search the document until it finds a match to your text. If KWord cannot find a match, a dialog box will appear that says No match found.

Tip

If you want to repeat a recent search, simply select the arrow in the drop-down box and a list of your most recent searches will appear. Simply select your search from the list and click OK.

Refining Your Search

KWord's find feature is much more sophisticated than we discussed above. Using the options in the dialog box, you can narrow down your search to find exactly what you want.

Pattern Matching

The default action for KWord is to search for an exact match of the text. KWord has the ability to match text that follows a pattern or a set of rules.

To enable patterns, place a mark in the box labeled Use Patterns.

This will enable the Insert Pattern button. This button can be a quick way to add patterns for people unfamiliar with UNIX® pattern matching.

Note

You do not need to use the Insert Pattern button, to insert your text string. You can type it into the search line. The Insert Pattern button is a convenience for people unfamiliar with pattern matching.

You should now type the text in place, stopping to insert the pattern elements where necessary.

For specific information on pattern matching, take a look at the section entitled Pattern Matching

Formatting options

KWord also has the ability to search your document for text that matches certain formatting options as well as the text itself.

To include formatting options in your search, click the button labeled Show Formatting Options.

Once Show Formatting Options has been clicked, a new dialog will appear.



You can use this dialog to select the options you want to include in your search.

The left column consists of nine checkboxes. If there is a mark in the checkbox, then KWord will evaluate any searchable text for that property. If no mark is in the checkbox, KWord does not consider that property when performing a search.

Family:

Use this drop down box to select the font family you want to include in your search text.

Size:

Use this spin box to set the font size you want KWord to search for.

Color: and Background Color:

Clicking on either of these two buttons allows you to select the font color and/or background color respectively, you want KWord to search for. For more information on selecting a color, see the section on Selecting Colors from the Color Dialog.

Bold: and Italic:

Use these Yes/No radio boxes to determine whether you want KWord to include boldface or italicized fonts in the search text.

Strikeout:

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to modify your search.

Underline:

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to modify your search.

Vertical Alignment:

You can select Normal, Superscript or Subscript to determine what font alignment you want KWord to search for.

Once you have selected your options, click OK to accept your search options.

Click Cancel to ignore all changes.

Click Reset to restore the options dialog box to the default values.

Click Clear to remove all marks from the checked options.

Other Search options

In addition to pattern matching, you can limit the search results with a few useful options.

Case Sensitive

When this option is selected, KWord will not only search for the string of letters, but will verify that the case of the letters is the same. For example. Searching for:

KDE

will match:

KDE and hiddenKDEinwords but not:

Kde, kde or hiddenkdeinwords.

Find backwards

This option changes the direction of the search. This can be useful when you only want to search for a string of text before the current cursor position, not after. This option is usually used in conjunction with From Cursor, but if that option is not specified, KWord will start searching from the end of the document backwards.

Whole words only

When this option is selected, KWord will only return search items that are surrounded by spaces, paragraph marks or punctuation. For example. Searching for: KDE

will match: KDE

but not: hiddenKDEinwords or KDElike.

Selected Text

If you want to limit your search to a specific part of the document (a few paragraphs, for example), you can select the part of the document you want to search prior to selecting the Find command. When text is selected, KWord will default to only searching the selected text. You can use this option to enable or disable this restriction.

Note

This option will not be available if you have not selected text prior to selecting the Find command.

From Cursor

By default, KWord begins searching at the beginning of the document. If this option is selected, KWord begins its search from the current position of the cursor. The direction that KWord searches is, by default forward in the document, but can be changed with the Find Backwards option.

The Replace Command

The replace command is an extension of the find command. If you are familiar with the find command, you will see many similarities.

The Replace command can be invoked 2 ways:

  • By selecting Edit->Replace... from the menubar

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+R

When the Replace command is invoked, a dialog appears.



Basic Search and Replace

The drop-down box labeled Text to find:, provides a place for you to enter the text of your search command. (In the screenshot, that box is currently filled with KDE)

You can enter your replacement text in the text box labeled Replacement Text:. You can now click OK to replace all occurrences in the document, or you can further refine your search.

Refining Your Search

KWord's find feature is much more sophisticated than we discussed above. Using the options in the dialog box, you can narrow down your search to find exactly what you want.

Pattern Matching

The default action for KWord is to search for an exact match of the text. Fortunately, however, KWord has the ability to match text according to patterns.

To enable patterns, place a mark in the box labeled Use Patterns.

This will enable the Insert Pattern button. This button can be a quick way to add patterns for people unfamiliar with UNIX® pattern matching.

Note

You do not need to use the Insert Pattern button, to insert your text string. You can type it into the search line. The Insert Pattern button is a convenience for people unfamiliar with pattern matching.

For specific information on pattern matching, take a look at the section entitled Pattern Matching

Formatting options

KWord also has the ability to search your document for text that matches certain formatting options as well as the text itself.

To include formatting options in your search, click the button labeled Show Formatting Options.

Once Show Formatting Options has been clicked, a new dialog will appear.



You can use this dialog to select the options you want to include in your search.

The left column consists of nine checkboxes. If there is a mark in the checkbox, then KWord will evaluate any searchable text for that property. If no mark is in the checkbox, KWord does not consider that property when performing a search.

Family:

Use this drop down box to select the font family you want to include in your search text.

Size:

Use this spin box to set the font size you want KWord to search for.

Color: and Background Color:

Clicking on either of these two buttons allows you to select the font color and/or background color respectively, you want KWord to search for. For more information on selecting a color, see the section on Selecting Colors from the Color Dialog.

Bold: and Italic:

Use these Yes/No radio boxes to determine whether you want KWord to include boldface or italicized fonts in the search text.

Strikeout:

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to modify your search.

Underline:

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to modify your search.

Vertical Alignment:

You can select Normal, Superscript or Subscript to determine what font alignment you want KWord to search for.

Once you have selected your options, click OK to accept your search options.

Click Cancel to ignore all changes.

Click Reset to restore the options dialog box to the default values.

Click Clear to remove all marks from the checked options.

Replace with formatted text

KWord also has the ability to replace the found text with formatted text.

To include formatting options in your search, click the button labeled Show Formatting Options in the Replace with section.

Clicking No options disables all previous formatting options selections. This ensures that KWord changes the text, but not the formatting of the text (bold text will remain boldface, superscript text will remain superscript, etc).

Once Show Formatting Options has been clicked, a new dialog will appear.



You can use this dialog to select the format of the replaced text.

The left column consists of nine checkboxes. If there is a mark in the checkbox, then KWord will change any replaced text to match the property selected. If no mark is in the checkbox, KWord does not consider that property when replacing text.

Family

Use this drop down box to select the font family you want your replacement text to use.

Size

Use this spin box to set the font size you want KWord to use for your replaced text.

Color and Background Color

Clicking on either of these two buttons allows you to select the font color and/or background color respectively, you want KWord to use. For more information on selecting a color, see the section on Selecting Colors from the Color Dialog.

Bold and Italic

Use these Yes/No radio boxes to determine whether you want KWord to change the fonts to boldface or italicized fonts.

Strikeout

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to use for the replacement text.

Underline

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to use for the replacement text.

Vertical Alignment

You can select Normal, Superscript or Subscript to determine what font alignment you want KWord to use.

Once you have selected your options, click OK to accept your text options.

Click Cancel to ignore all changes.

Click Reset to restore the options dialog box to the initial values prior to making any changes.

Click Clear to remove all marks from the checked options.

Using placeholders

Placeholders are useful when you want to add text to complex search strings. Currently KWord has only one placeholder: Complete text string.

This placeholder will contain the entire text string matched by the find command.

For example:

You create a search string, using patterns: Reference \d

Now in the Replace With section of the replace dialog, you place a mark in the checkbox labeled Use placeholders. Click the Insert Placeholder button and select Complete text found. KWord will insert a /0 in the Replacement text text box.

Now surround the placeholder with parentheses, so your text string is: (/0)

When this is executed, whenever KWord encounters the find text (ie. “Reference 0”, “Reference 1”, “Reference 2”, etc) it will surround the text in parethesis (“(Reference 0)”, “(Reference 1)”, “(Reference 2)”, respectively).

As you can see, the placeholder will maintain a copy of the search text. You can use this placeholder to add text to the ends of any search string you can imagine.

Other Replace Options

Additional options in the dialog are:

Case Sensitive

When this option is selected, KWord will not only search for the string of letters, but will verify that the case of the letters is the same. For example. Searching for: KDE

will match: KDE and hiddenKDEinwords but not: Kde, kde or hiddenkdeinwords.

Find backwards

This option changes the direction of the search. This can be useful when you only want to search for a string of text before the current cursor position, not after. This option is usually used in conjunction with From Cursor, but if that option is not specified, KWord will start searching from the end of the document backwards.

Whole words only

When this option is selected, KWord will only return search items that are surrounded by spaces, paragraph marks or punctuation. For example. Searching for: KDE

will match: KDE

but not: hiddenKDEinwords or KDElike.

Selected Text

If you want to limit your search to a specific part of the document (a few paragraphs, for example), you can select the part of the document you want to search prior to selecting the Find command. When text is selected, KWord will default to only searching the selected text. You can use this option to enable or disable this restriction.

Note

This option will not be available if you have not selected text prior to selecting the Find command.

From Cursor

By default, KWord begins searching at the beginning of the document. If this option is selected, KWord begins its search from the current position of the cursor. The direction that KWord searches is, by default forward in the document, but can be changed with the Find Backwards option.

Prompt on Replace

If this option is selected, KWord will prompt the user before each replacement. This allows you to approve or disapprove each replacement.

Pattern Matching

Sometimes, you want to find or replace text that is similar, but not exactly the same.

KWord allows you to search for words that are similar in certain very well defined ways. This is done through pattern matching.

Each pattern matching string is detailed below. The true power of pattern matching is combining multiple elements into a single search string.

Any Character

Will find any one letter, number, punctuation or symbol. Once selected, KWord will insert a period (.) into your string.

Thus: KW.rd will find or replace KWord, KW2rd, KWOrd or KW*rd.

It will not find or replace: KWoord.

Start of Line

Will find any instance where the start of the line is at this point in the search string. Once selected, KWord will insert a (^) into your string.

Thus: ^KWord will find or replace any instance of KWord which begins a new line.

End of Line

Will find any instance where the end of the line is at this point in the search string. Once selected, KWord will insert a dollar sign ($) into your string.

Thus: KWord$ will find or replace any instance of KWord which occurs at the end of a line.

Set of characters

Once selected, KWord will insert a set of square brackets into your string. KWord will match any characters contained within that set of brackets.

Thus: KW[ao]rd will find or replace any instance of KWord or KWard.

It will not match: KWaord or KWird.

Repeats, zero or more times

Once selected, KWord will insert an asterisk (*) into your string. KWord will match any string of text that contains zero or more of the previous characters behind the asterisk.

Thus: KWo*rd will find or replace any instance of KWrd (zero) or KWord (one), or KWoooooooooord (ten).

It will not match: KWaord or KWird.

Repeats, one or more times

Once selected, KWord will insert a plus sign (+) into your string. KWord will match any string of text that contains one or more of the previous characters behind the asterisk.

Thus: KWo*rd will find or replace any instance of KWord (one), or KWoooooooooord (ten).

It will not match: KWrd (zero).

Optional

Once selected, KWord will insert a question mark (?) into your string. KWord will match any instance of the string if the previous character exists and if it does not

Thus: KWo?rd will find or replace any instance of KWord, or KWrd.

It will not match: KWoord.

Escape

Once selected, KWord will insert a back slash (\) into your string. This backward slash tells KWord to not perform pattern matching with the next character. This is useful when you want to search for a string of text using patterns, but you need to match one of the reserved pattern matching characters.

For example: KW\.rd will find or replace any instance of KW.rd.

It will not match: KWrd.

Tip

This character is obviously most useful when you combine it with other pattern matching (not like the example above).

Example: KWord\.* which will match KWord, KWord. and KWord...

This string tells KWord to look for any instance of KWord with zero or more periods (.) at the end.

TAB

Once selected, KWord will insert a back slash folllowed by a t (\t) into your string. KWord will match any string of characters with a tab character (for use with tab stops) in that portion of the string.

Newline

Once selected, KWord will insert a back slash folllowed by a n (\n) into your string. KWord will match any string of characters with a newline character in that portion of the string. (Newline characters are also referred to as Line Breaks).

Tip

A newline character is inserted into a KWord document by clicking Shift+Return

Carriage Return

Once selected, KWord will insert a back slash folllowed by a r (\r) into your string. KWord will match any string of characters with a carrage return character in that portion of the string.

Note

A carrage return is the same thing as a new paragraph. When you press the Enter key, you are entering a carrage return.

Whitespace

Once selected, KWord will insert a back slash folllowed by a s (\s) into your string. KWord will match any string of characters with a whitespace character in that portion of the string.

Note

Whitespace characters is a group of characters that change the flow or move the text around. Examples of whitespace characters are spaces, tabs, and carrage returns.

Digit

Once selected, KWord will insert a back slash folllowed by a d (\d) into your string. KWord will match any string of characters with a numerical digit (any number 0-9) in that portion of the string.

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Spell Checking

Spell Checking

Spell Checking

KWord can compare each word in your document to several commonly available dictionaries. It will offer you the opportunity to change any words it believes are misspelled.

Note

By default, if any text in the document is selected, KWord only checks the spelling of currently selected text.

If you want to check the spelling of a specific part of your document, simply select the text you want to check the spelling of.

To check the entire document, leave all text in the document unsellected, and KWord will check the entire document.

The Spell Checking... command can be invoked 2 ways:

  • By selecting Tools->Spellcheck->Spelling... from the menubar

  • By clicking on the toolbar.

Spell checking your document is controlled through a dialog box.



In this example, the misspelled word KWord found, was youve. The currently suggested replacement word is listed in the text box labeled Replacement. In the list box labeled Suggestion is a list of words the spelling program has determined as possible correct spellings.

There is a progress bar below the list of suggestions which tells you how much of the document has been spell checked. In this example, that is 28 percent.

From here you have eight options:

Replace

Replaces the current word with the suggested word. Only replaces this occurrence.

Replace All

Replaces all occurrences of the current word with the suggested word through the entire document.

Ignore

Do not make any changes to this occurrence. Ask again if this word appears further down in the document.

Ignore All

Do not make any changes to this or any other occurrence of this word. Do not ask about this word again.

Add

Add the current word to the dictionary.

Stop

Keep the current changes, but stop any further checking.

Cancel

Stop spell checking.

Help

Loads a help file for the spell checker.

When the entire document has been checked, KWord will return the cursor to the same spot in the document that the spell checking was begun.

Note

If the document does not have any spelling errors, KWord does not show a dialog box. When spell checking is started, it will proceed to check all of the document against the dictionary, and then exit the spell check dialog box. With short documents, you may miss the dialog box. KWord has spell checked the document!

There are several options for configuring the spelling application used. For more details, please see the section entitled Configure Spelling.

Automatically mark misspelled words

KWord can check the spelling of your document as you edit it. It will underline in red any word which it can not find in the dictionary. This behavior can be turned on and off by the user. See the section entitled Configure Spelling for more information.

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Finding related word (Thesaurus)

Finding related word (Thesaurus)

Finding related word (Thesaurus)

KWord comes with a small thesaurus based on the Wordnet project. For more information on Wordnet, visit the Wordnet homepage.

You can invoke the thesaurus two ways:

  • Simply click on the desired word with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Show Related Words from the menu and a dialog will appear.

  • By selecting Tools->Show related words from the menubar

Which ever method you choose, KWord opens the KThesaurus dialog box.



The word you selected from your document appears in the drop down box labeled Search for:.

There are three columns of alternate words: Synonyms, More General words, More Specific Words.

If you find an appropriate alternate word, simply click on the word in the list, and this word will now be listed in the text box labeled Replace with:.

To finalize the replacement click Replace.

To keep your original word, click Cancel.

To obtain more specific help, or for help on using the full version of Wordnet, click the Help button for help with KThesaurus.

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Autocorrection

Autocorrection

Autocorrection

Auto correction is a system for correcting common typing errors, converting abbreviations to their full spelling and adjusting capitalization. As you could guess from its name, this all occurs automatically, while you are editing your document.

Enable/Disable Autocorrection

To toggle autocorrection on and off, select Tools->Autocorrection->Enable Autocorrection from the menubar. When enabled, autocorrection makes changes to your document as you type. You can determine which changes to make by configuring autocorrection

If disabled, autocorrection changes are not made. You can, however, apply autocorrection manually.

Configuring Autocorrection Options

To adjust the options for auto correction, select Settings->Configure Autocorrection... from the menubar.

A dialog window appears to help you set your options.

Simple Autocorrection



Convert the first letter from the first word of a sentence automatically to uppercase

When selected, KWord will automatically capitalize the first letter after a period. You can tell KWord when not to alter capitalization in certain instances (ie “Sr.” or “Jr.”. For more details, see the section entitled Autocorrection Exceptions.

Convert two uppercase letters to one uppercase and one lowercase letter

When selected, KWord will automatically convert a double capital letter (a common typographical error), into a single capital letter. You can tell KWord when not to alter capitalization in certain instances. For more details, see the section entitled Autocorrection Exceptions.

Autoformat URLs

When selected, KWord will scan text for patterns which suggest a certain section of text is a URL and automatically creates a link.

For more details on links, see the section entitled Document Links.

Suppress Double Spaces

When checked, KWord will ignore the second space typed. This prevents users from adding double spaces between words or sentences

Remove spaces at the beginning and end of paragraphs

When selected, KWord will automatically remove spaces at the beginning and/or the end of a line of text.

Automatically do bold and underline formatting

When selected, KWord will look for words surrounded by asterisks ( * ). It will remove the asterisks and change the font of all words in between the two asterisks to bold face.

KWord will also look for words surrounded by underscores ( _ ). It will remove the underscores and underline all words in between the two underscores.

Replace 1/2... with ½

When selected, KWord will automatically change 1/2, 1/3 and 3/4 to their single character equivalents.

Use autonumbering for numbered paragraphs

If you start a paragraph with a number and a symbol ( 1) for example). KWord will automatically convert that paragraph to a numbered paragraph. All future paragraphs will be consecutivly numbered.

Replace 1st with 1^st

When selected, KWord will automatically change 1st to 1st.

Capitalize names of days

Automatically capitalize the days of the week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc...).

Use lists formatting for bulleted paragraphs

When selected, KWord will look for lines that begin with - , and automatically convert the paragraph style to a bulleted list. The bullet is selected with the left button below this option.

Custom Quotes

Select the tab labeled Custom Quotes



Replace double quotes by typographical quotes

When selected, this option will replace the standard keyboard double quotes, with typographical quotation marks. If you want to change the quotation character, click on one of the buttons. Clicking on Default, restores the default paragraph marks.

Replace single quotes by typographical quotes

When selected, this option will replace the standard keyboard single quotes, with typographical quotation marks. If you want to change the quotation character, click on one of the buttons. Clicking on Default, restores the default paragraph marks.

Advanced Autocorrection

To switch to the Advanced Autocorrection, click on the tab labled Advanced Autocorrection.



This allows you to automatically have KWord replace one string of text with another. This can be useful for special symbols, commonly used abbreviations that you want spelled out, or abbreviations.

KWord uses different autocorrection strings depending on the language. Set the correct language using the drop down box labeled Replacement and exception for language.

The checkbox labeled Enable word replacement is used to toggle on and off the autoreplacment features of KWord. If there is no mark in the checkbox, then KWord will not perform any autoreplacements from the list in this dialog.

If there is a mark in the checkbox labeled Replace text with formatting KWord will not only change the text when it finds a match, but it will change the formatting of the new text. If there is no mark in this checkbox, then KWord uses the same formatting options for the replaced text as it found in the search text. For more information on setting the format options for replacement text, see the section on Changing the format of the autocorrection string.

Adding an autocorrection string

To add an autocorrection string, simply type the text you want KWord to check for in the text box labeled Find Then enter the text you want KWord to substitute in the text box labeled Replace.

Note

If you want to insert symbols or special characters not available on your keyboard, you can click the buttons with three periods on them and select a special character from the table provided.

When these are entered, click Add. Your text strings are now added to the table.

Editing an autocorrection string

Changing the text you want to find.

KWord does not allow you to change the text to search for. This is to prevent disastrous mistakes.

Instead, you must delete the current autocorrection rule and add a new text string with the corrected text to find.

Changing the text you want to replace.

Begin by clicking once on the string you want to edit. It will be highlighted and the find and replace text will be listed in the text boxes above. You can alter the replacement text. When you are done, simply select Modify.

Deleting an autocorrection string.

Simply click on the string you want to delete. Now click the Remove button. The string is removed.

Warning

Be aware that KWord does not give you a chance to back out once you have deleted a string. Be sure you have selected the correct string before you click the Remove button.

Changing the format of the autocorrection string.

Note

Currently, you must create the autocorrection string before you can format it.

Once the autocorrection string has been created, simply click on it once with the left mouse button.

Now click on the Change format button. A small dialog will appear:



You can use this dialog to select the format of the replaced text.

The left column consists of nine checkboxes. If there is a mark in the checkbox, then KWord will change any replaced text to match the property selected. If no mark is in the checkbox, KWord does not consider that property when replacing text.

Family

Use this drop down box to select the font family you want your replacement text to use.

Size

Use this spin box to set the font size you want KWord to use for your replaced text.

Color and Background Color

Clicking on either of these two buttons allows you to select the font color and/or background color respectively, you want KWord to use. For more information on selecting a color, see the section on Selecting Colors from the Color Dialog.

Bold and Italic

Use these Yes/No radio boxes to determine whether you want KWord to change the fonts to boldface or italicized fonts.

Strikeout

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to use for the replacement text.

Underline

You can select Simple, Double, Simple bold or Without to use for the replacement text.

Vertical Alignment

You can select Normal, Superscript or Subscript to determine what font alignment you want KWord to use.

Once you have selected your options, click OK to accept your text options.

Click Cancel to ignore all changes.

Click Reset to restore the options dialog box to the initial values prior to making any changes.

Click Clear to remove all marks from the checked options.

Autocorrection Exceptions

There are instances where KWord will make autocorrection changes that are inappropriate. You can use the third tab of this dialog to define exceptions to the rules previously discussed.

The dialog for exceptions is shown below:



To prevent KWord from deciding an abbreviation or other text is the end of a sentence, simply enter the text fragment in the text box below Do not treat as the end of a sentence. Then click Add.

As an example: Adding “Jr.” to this dialog prevents

“Robert Jones Jr. is a friend of the family.”

from being changed to:

“Robert Jones Jr. Is a friend of the family.”

To remove an erroneous entry, simply click once on the wrong entry with the right mouse button and click on the Remove button.

The second set of boxes performs a similar function to the first. Only in this instance, text entered in these boxes will stay double capital letters.

simply enter the text fragment in the text box below Accept two uppercase letters in. Then click Add.

As an example: Adding “FL” to this dialog prevents

“Sarasota, FL ”

from being changed to:

“Sarasota, Fl ”

To remove an erroneous entry, simply click once on the wrong entry with the right mouse button and click on the Remove button.

Manually applying autocorrection

If autocorrection is turned off in your document, you can mannually enable autocorrection.

To manually apply autocorrection, first configure your options by using the autocorrection dialogs.

Then select Tools->Autocorrection->Apply Autocorrection from the menubar.

KWord will start at the beginning of the document and apply all selected autocorrection options to the entire document.

When KWord is finished, it will return you to your document for further editing.

For more information on enabling and disabling autocorrection, see Enable/Disable Autocorrection.

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Autocompletion

Autocompletion

Autocompletion

Autocompletion allows you to type the first few letters of a commonly used word (often technical or job specific), and tell KWord to finish typing the word for you. This is often very useful when you have lengthy technical words.

Using autocompletion

Using autocompletion could not be easier. Simply type the first few letters of the word you want KWord to finish, and press Ctrl-E. KWord will look through the list of autocompletion words and if it finds a word which begins with those letters, it will finish entering the remainder of the word.

Adding words to autocompletion

KWord maintains a list of words for each user that will be used for autocompletion.

You can add words to this list one of two ways:

  • KWord can automatically add new words to the completion list for later approval. This is selected using the dialog.

  • Individual words can be added to the list by using the dialog.

Configuring autocomplete

To configure autocompletion, select Settings->Configure Completion... from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog.



The first checkbox labeled Enable completion is used to toggle autocompletion on and off.

The second checkbox, labeled Automatically add new words to completion list will add any word equal to or longer than the Minimum word length to the list of proposed autocompletion words.

The large listbox in the center of the dialog contains the current proposed list of autocompletion words.

Note

Not all words listed in the list box will be replaced when autocompletion is selected.

A word is not part of autocompletion until the list is saved to disk. At that moment, KWord will use that saved list for all autocompletion, until the list is replaced with another saved list.

Some of the words in the autocompletion list may not have been saved yet.

By clicking the Add Completion Entry button you can add an individual word to the completion list.

To remove words from the completion list, select the word with the left mouse button from the list, then click Remove Completion Entry.

To save the current list to disk and have KWord begin using this new list for autocompletion, click Save Completion List.

Use the spinbox/slider combination labeled Minimum word length: to prevent KWord from automatically adding short words to the completion list. You can select any value from 5-100.

The spinbox/slider combination labeled Maximum number of completion words: can be adjusted to allow more or less words into the autocompletion list. This option is most important when Automatically add words to completion list is enabled. This option keeps the list from becoming too cumbersome. You can select any value from 1 to 500.

If a mark is placed in the checkbox labeled Append space, then KWord adds a single space to the end of a word after autocompletion, this means it is not necessary to add the space manually for the next word.

Click OK to save your options. Click Cancel to abort all changes.

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Chapter 7. Detailed Guides: Document Layout

Detailed Guides: Document Layout

Chapter 7. Detailed Guides: Document Layout

This section of the guide is designed to help the user with the format and layout of their documents. The section will begin with information on changing the size and shape of the page and the margins, and work progressively through smaller and smaller blocks of text (frames, then paragraphs, then characters). At each level, all of the format and layout options will be explained.

After discussing the formatting of individual characters, the manual will elaborate on styles (to provide consistant formatting through the document), lists, multi-column documents, tables and finally the use of headers and footers in a document.

The final part will show you how to save a document as a template for future documents.

Formatting the Page

Before delving into the specifics of formatting a page in KWord, remember that KWord has two separate types of documents: Text Oriented and Page Layout. Please review The difference between Text Oriented and Page Layout Documents, if the differences are still unclear.

This section of the manual is divided into two sub-parts, one for Text Oriented, the other for Page Layout.

Formatting the Page (Text Oriented Document)

When you are working with a Text Oriented Document, you control the size and shape of the main frame by setting the paper size and the margins.

Formatting the page is usually done by selecting: Format->Page Layout... from the menubar.

Tip

You can also go straight to the Format Page options by selecting the main frame of the document then double clicking on either of the rulers.

A dialog box will appear with three tabs, labeled Format and Borders, Columns and Header and Footer.

The Format and Borders tab is for altering the paper size, and changing the margins.



First you will notice, that a preview box appears on the right half of this dialog. This will approximate the final look of your document. It is updated with each change, and should be used as a guide for your changes.

On the left, the dialog displays the current unit of measurement. This unit of measurement is the same unit of measurement you use for your document rulers. (In this example, we are using inches.) To change the units, follow the instructions in the section entitled Using Rulers.

The dialog section labled Page Format is used to specify the paper size for the document.

KWord includes many predefined paper sizes. Select the appropriate paper size with the drop down box labled Format.

In addition to standard paper sizes, there are two selections that deserve special mention.

Screen

This format is used to generate a document where each page has an aspect ratio (shape) which matches the aspect ratios of computer monitors. This might be useful for documents which will never be printed, but will appear only on a computer screen.

Custom

You can select this option to specify a unique paper size.

Once selected, two text entry boxes (labeled Width: and Height:) become active. Enter the height and width of your desired paper size in these text boxes.

Next to the paper format, in the drop-down box labeled Orientation you can select either Portrait or Landscape layout for your document.

Below the page format options, is the Page Borders subsection, which consists of 4 entry boxes labeled (Left:, Right:, Top: and Bottom:).

The Page Borders (also referred to as margins), define the white-space surrounding the text in your main frame. You can enter any number from 0 to the maximum size of the page in these boxes. The units are the same for all four boxes, and is the same as the measurement listed at the top of the dialog..

Clicking on the Columns tab allows you to change the number of columns on each page. Details on multi-column documents can be found here.

Clicking on the Header and Footer tab allows the user to specify header and footer information.



This dialog can be broken into two major sections.

If you are not familiar with Headers and Footers yet, you should first read the section entitled Headers/Footers

Headers

This section lets you determine the placement of headers, and which pages have which headers on them.

If you place a mark in front of Different header for the first page, you will be able to specify a different format for the header on the first page.

If you place a mark in front of Different header for even and odd pages, the even pages will use one header, the odd pages use another header. You can use this to ensure the page numbers are always on the outside of the page, or to list the title of the document on odd pages and the chapter number on the even pages.

In the text box labeled Spacing between header and body, you can specify how much empty space should be placed between the bottom of the header, and the top of the main frame.

Footers

This section lets you determine the placement of footers, and which pages have which footers on them.

If you place a mark in front of Different footer for the first page, you will be able to specify a different format for the footer on the first page.

If you place a mark in front of Different footer for even and odd pages, the even pages will use one footer, the odd pages use another footer.

In the text box labeled Spacing between footer and body, you can specify how much empty space should be placed between the bottom of the footer, and the top of the main frame.

The bottom text box is labeled Spacing between footnote and body. As the label suggests, you can use this text box to specify the distance between the bottom edge of the main frame, and the top edge of the footnotes. For more information on footnotes, see the section entitled footnotes.

When you are satisfied with the changes you are ready to make, click OK.

If you click Cancel, all your changes will be ignored.

Formatting the Page (Page Layout Template)

When you are working with a Page Layout Template, you control the size and shape of all the frames individually.

Formatting the page is usually done by selecting: Format->Page Layout... from the menu bar.

Tip

You can also go straight to the Format Page options by selecting the a frame of the document then double clicking on either of the rulers.

A dialog box will appear.

The Format and Borders tab is for altering the paper size, and changing the margins.



First you will notice, that a preview box appears on the right half of this dialog. This will approximate the final look of your document. It is updated with each change, and should be used as a guide for your changes.

On the left, the dialog displays the current unit of measurement. This unit of measurement is the same unit of measurement you use for your document rulers. (In this example, we are using inches.) To change the units, follow the instructions in the section entitled Using Rulers.

The dialog section labled Page Format is used to specify the paper size for the document.

KWord includes many predefined paper sizes. Select the appropriate paper size with the drop down box labled Format.

In addition to standard paper sizes, there are two selections that deserve special mention.

Screen

This format is used to generate a document where each page has an aspect ratio (shape) which matches the aspect ratios of computer monitors. This might be useful for documents which will never be printed, but will appear only on a computer screen.

Custom

You can select this option to specify a unique paper size.

Once selected, two text entry boxes (labeled Width: and Height:) become active. Enter the height and width of your desired paper size in these text boxes.

Next to the paper format, in the drop-down box labeled Orientation you can select either Portrait or Landscape layout for your document.

Below the page format options, is the Page Borders subsection, which consists of 4 entry boxes labeled (Left:, Right:, Top: and Bottom:).

The Page Borders (also referred to as margins), define the white-space surrounding the text in your main frame. You can enter any number from 0 to the maximum size of the page in these boxes. The units are the same for all four boxes, and is the same as the measurement listed at the top of the dialog..

Working with Frames

Working with Frames

Working with Frames

Since KWord is a frames based word processor, an understanding of frames and framesets is necessary for all but the most simple of documents.

This section is designed to give you a firm understanding of how to create, destroy and manipulate frames so KWord can provide you with the exact document you want.

Framesets

Before we continue our discussion of Frames, its important that we define a couple terms now:

Frame

A frame is a rectangular space on the page. This space defines an area where text (or other data), can be placed.

Frameset

A frame set is a group of frames. Each frame in the frameset has a position within the frameset

The position is determined by their placement on the page. The frame which begins closest to the top of the page is Frame #1. The next frame that is closest to the top of the page is Frame #2, etc.

All text flows from one frame to another within a frame set, and only within a frame set. Text flows from frame to frame within the frame set according to the position of each frame on the page (and therefore the order of the frames within the frameset).

As an example: If we have a frame set that consists of three frames (#1, #2, and #3).

As we type text into Frame #1, the text is shaped to the outline of Frame #1

When the text will no longer fit within Frame #1, it is automatically continued into Frame #2.

Text moves freely between frames within a frameset. If you insert text in the middle of a frame, all text after the inserted text is rearranged as you type.

Selecting a frame

You can select a frame within a frameset two ways:

  1. By clicking on the text frame border of the frame you want to select.

  2. By holding down the Ctrl key and clicking anywhere within the frame.

There should now be 8 dark squares around the edges of the frame.

Adding a Text Frame to a Document

Adding a text frame can be done one of three ways:

  • By selecting Insert->Text Frame from the menubar

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: F2

  • or by clicking on the tool-bar.

Whatever method you choose, KWord responds by changing the cursor to a set of cross hairs.

Using the mouse, place the crosshairs at the desired position of the upper left corner of the new text frame.

Click once with the left mouse button.

A dialog box appears.



This dialog box is used to determine which frameset this new frame will belong to.

Using the screenshot as an example, a new text frame has been created in a document which currently has two framesets (called Frameset 1, and Frameset 2).

You now have the option of either:

Add the new frame to one of the previously created framesets.

To do this, simply select the frameset you want the new frame to belong to. (Either Text Frameset 1, or Text Frameset 2 in the example.)

When this text frame is created, the new text frame will become a member of the selected frameset.

Create a new frameset.

If you want this to be a new frame set, you should enter a descriptive name for your new frameset. (A name which will tell you what you might find in that frame set). This name should be entered in the text box labeled Name of new Frameset.

This newly added frame will be the only frame in the frameset.

The other tabs in this dialog box, can be used to set some options for this frame. For more information on these options, see the section entitled Setting the properties for a frame.

If you click OK, the new frame will be created.

If you click Cancel, the new frame will not be created, and you will be returned to editing your document.

Tip

By default, KWord creates a small frame with the upper left corner of the frame located on the page where you clicked with the mouse cursor. After the frame is created, you are expected to reshape the frame to fit your needs.

If you would prefer to establish the shape of your frame while you are creating the frame, simply click the left mouse button where you want the upper left corner to be placed and hold the button down. Drag the mouse towards the opposite corner of the frame to establish the boundries of the new frame. As you drag the mouse, you will see a box drawn. This box represents the boundaries of your new text frame. When you are satisfied with the size and shape of the new text frame, release the mouse button.

Deleting a Frame From a Document

You may decide you no longer need a frame in your document. You could leave it blank (so it would not be visible in the final output), but you should delete it to keep your document as simple as possible.

Begin by clicking on the text frame border of the frame you want to delete. (Or holding down the Ctrl key and clicking inside the frame with the left mouse button.)

There is now 8 dark squares on the edges of the frame.

If this is the frame you want to delete, you can do so by:

  • Press the Delete key.

  • Selecting Frames->Delete Frame from the menubar

  • While the cursor is on the border of the frame you want to delete, click once with the right mouse button.

    A small menu will appear. Select Delete Frame.

Warning

If you are trying to delete the last frame in a frame set, KWord will ask you if you want to delete the current text frame. If you click Delete, the frame, all frames connected to it, and the data within these frames, will be deleted.

If you click Cancel, the frame will not be deleted.

If you are trying to delete a frame that is not the last frame in a frame set, KWord will not ask for a confirmation. It will delete the current frame immediately, and move the data into the next frame in a frameset. No data will be deleted.

Moving an Existing Frame

Moving a frame around on the page is easy.

Begin by clicking on the text frame border of the frame you want to move. (Or holding down the Ctrl key and clicking inside the frame with the left mouse button.)

There are now 8 dark squares on the edges of the frame.

Click and hold the left mouse button on the border again and drag the cursor in the direction you want to move the frame.

You will see an outline of the frame as you move it. When the outline is where you want it, release the mouse button.

Tip

A faster way to move the frame, can be done by holding down the Ctrl and Shift keys on the keyboard and click and hold with the left mouse button. Drag the mouse cursor on the page and when the frame is in the correct location, release the left mouse button.

Resizing an Existing Frame

It is also easy to change the size or shape of a frame.

Begin by clicking on the text frame border of the frame you want to change. (Or holding down the Ctrl key and clicking inside the frame with the left mouse button.) This selects this frame as the current frame.

There are now 8 dark squares on the edges of the frame. By moving these squares, you will be able to drag the frame border(s) to a new location.

Each square will move a different combination of borders.



As an example: To move the bottom border of a frame, place the mouse over the box at the six o'clock position in the frame. When the mouse is over the box, it will change to a double headed arrow.

Now click with the left mouse button and hold the button down. As you move the mouse up and down on the page, you will see that the frame changes shape to match the movements of the mouse. When the bottom edge of the frame is at the new location, simply release the mouse button, and the changes will become permanent.

Note

If you are using a Text Layout Template, you cannot change the size of the primary frame by dragging the edges of the frame. If you want to resize this frame, you must do so by Changing the margins

Reconnecting Frames in a Frameset/Changing text flow..

Normally, each new text frame is created with a specific purpose. Sometimes, however, as the document is changed, changes to the text flow will need to be made. To accomplish this, you will need to know how to move a frame from one frameset to another.

First click on the frame border of the frame you want to move to another frameset..

You can change the frame set of the currently selected frame by selecting Frames->Frame/Frameset... from the menubar

Tip

You can also accomplish this by clicking on the frame border once with the right mouse button, and selecting Frame/Frameset... from the submenu.

This will bring up a dialog box with five tabs. Select the tab labeled Connect Text Frames.

You will be presented with a list of framesets. Simply select the new frameset.

When you click OK, the currently selected frame will be added to that frameset.

Raise and Lower Frames

When two frames occupy the same place on a page, they must overlap. When they overlap, one frame sits above the other frame.

You can raise and lower the frames to change which frame sits above the other frames by using four commands.

Bring to Front

To raise a frame, select the frame by clicking once on the frame border with the left mouse button.

Select Frames->Bring to Front from the menubar.

This will place the frame on top of all other frames that it overlaps.

Raise Frame

To raise a frame, select the frame by clicking once on the frame border with the left mouse button.

Select Frames->Raise Frame from the menubar.

This will move the frame up one level of any frame that it overlaps.

Tip

Pressing Ctrl+Shift+R is the same as selecting Raise Frame from the menubar.

Send to Back

To lower a frame, select the frame by clicking once on the frame border with the left mouse button.

Select Frames->Send to back from the menubar.

This will place the frame below all other frames that it overlaps.

Lower Frame

To lower a frame, select the frame by clicking once on the frame border with the left mouse button.

Select Frames->Lower Frame from the menubar.

This will move the frame down one level of any frame that it overlaps.

Tip

Pressing Ctrl+Shift+L is the same as selecting Lower Frame from the menubar.

Page Breaks

A page break is a special formatting character. It is invisible on the final printed output.

The purpose of a page break, is to force all the text that follows it into the next frame in the frameset.

If we have the following sentence: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”

and we insert a Page Break, just before the word but.

We will end up with one frame containing “We have nothing to fear”, and the next frame in the frameset begining with “but fear itself”.

To add a Page Break, you should first place the keyboard cursor where you want the break to be located in the document.

A Page Break can be inserted one of two ways:

  • Select Insert->Page Break from the menubar

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl-Return

If you want to remove a Page Break, you simply delete it like you would any other character.

Tip

Since this is not a character that you can normally see in KWord, it will be easier to delete a Hard Frame Break with the following proceedure.

  1. Select View->Formatting Characters from the menubar. This will make the paragraph marks visible.

  2. Find the newly revealed Page Break, labled ---. Place the mouse pointer in front of this and click once with the left mouse button. This will place the cursor directly in front of the page break.

  3. Now press the Delete key.

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Setting the Properties for a Frame

Setting the Properties for a Frame

Setting the Properties for a Frame

For each frame in your document, you can:

  • Determine how KWord handles full text frames

  • Determine how text wraps around or through overlapping frames

  • Determine the exact size of the frame

  • Establish margins within a frame.

  • Set a background color and pattern for the frame.

All of these options can be altered using a set of dialog boxes, or by using a previously defined framestyle.

A framestyle is a predefined set of frameset formatting options which is given a name. Once a frame has been assigned to a framestyle, any changes made to the framestyle will be reflected in all framesets which are assigned that framestyle.

Tip

You may be noticing that framestyles function in a way similar to text styles. The main difference, is framestyles control the look of the frame, and textstyles control the look of paragraphs within the frame.

Using the frame settings dialogs

All of these settings can be determined in the Frame Properties dialog box.

In order to adjust the properties of any frame, you must first select the frame you want to change.

Simply click once on the frame border of the frame you want to edit. (Or by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking inside the frame with the left mouse button.)

You can now edit the properties one of two ways:

  • Select Frames->Frame/Frameset... from the menubar.

  • Place the mouse pointer on the border of the frame, and click once with the right mouse button. A small menu will appear. Select Frame/Frameset....

The Properties dialog consists of one dialog box, with five index tabs labeled Options, Text Run Around, Connect Text Frames, Geometry and Background.

General Options



The tab labeled Options is used to determine how KWord behaves when there is too much text to fit within the current bounds of the frame.

KWord has three solutions to this situation:

Create a new page

When a frame becomes full, KWord automatically creates a new page. On this new page, it may create a new frame, of the same size and position, if you choose.

Resize last frame

When a frame becomes full, KWord automatically extends the bottom border of the text frame to accommodate the new text. It will continue to expand as new text is added. Conversely, it will shrink again if text is removed from the frame.

Don't show the extra text

KWord does not create a new frame or change the current frame in any way. You will need to manually resize the current frame, or add a new frame to the frame set.

Simply make your selection in the section labeled If Text is too long for Frame.

In the section entitled On new Page Creation, you have three options available. You must select one.

Reconnect frame to current flow

Create a new frame, the same size and shape on a new page, and make it the last frame in the frameset.

Don't create a followup frame

Creates a new page, but not a new frame.

Place a copy of this frame

Creates a new page, with a new frame the same size, shape and position on the page. Additionally, KWord copies the contents of the frame from the previous page.

Tip

This is useful for title frames, headers and footer frames. Each page will have an automatic copy of the information on every new page.

If you place a mark in the checkbox labled Changes will be applied to all frames in the frameset, then any changes made in the frame properties dialog box will automatically be applied to all frames within the frameset.

If you place a mark in the checkbox labeled Protect content, KWord will not allow any changes to the text within the frame, or the formatting of the text within the frameset.

Note

You can still reshape or even delete the frame, but the content within the frame is locked. To lock the location and size of the frame, see the Geometry tab.

To make changes to the text, you need to remove the mark from Protect content.

Text Flow around frames

To adjust how text flows around overlapping frames, click the tab labeled Text Run Around.



When you overlay two text frames, and text from both frames is competing for the same space on the page, KWord can (at your option), make sure that text from two frames does not overlap.



As you can see from the options in the dialog box, there are three possible choices.

Text will run through this frames

By selecting this option, KWord will ignore this frame when it displays the text in overlapping frames.

Text will run around the frame

By selecting this option, KWord will wrap the text of other overlapping frames around this frame.

If this option is selected, you can determine which side the text runs around in the section labeled Run Around Side. Simply choose Left, Right, or Biggest side.

Text will not run around the frame

By selecting this option, KWord will not wrap any text around the edges of this frame, but instead, will skip down below this frame before continuing to display text in overlapping frames.

You can also determine how close your frames appear by setting the Distance between frame and text in the text-box provided.

Reconnect frames

You can change which frameset the current frame belongs to by selecting the Connect text frames tab.



This dialog consists of two radio buttons and a text frame.

Select Select existing frameset to connect frame to, to add the current frame to a previously created frameset. Choose one of the framesets listed in the table below to specify which frameset.

To create a new frameset, select Create a new frameset and type the name of the new frameset in the text box labeled Name of frameset. KWord will create a new frameset with the current frame as the only frame in the frameset (for now).

Tip

It is helpful to name your framesets with descriptive names. Name the frameset with a description of the contents so that you can quickly refer to it again later.

Frame size and position

You can adjust the size and position of your frame by clicking on the tab labeled Geometry.



This dialog box allows you to specify exactly where the frame goes and how large it is.

If you put a mark in the checkbox labeled Frame is inline, the frame size and position will be determined by the location of the placeholder in the text. For a definition of inline frames, click here.

If you put a mark in the checkbox labeled Protect size and position, the frame size and position will be fixed at their current location. You will not be able to move the frame on the page until this box is unchecked.

Determine Size and Position

You can locate your frame on the page by first entering the Left: and Top: measurements. This determines where the top left corner of the frame will be. All measurements are from the top left corner of the page.

You can also determine the exact size of the frame by entering its Height: and Width: in the text boxes provided. These two measurements are relative to the top left corner of the frame you specified above. not to the size of the page.

Determine Size and Position

Using the boxes labeled Left:, Right:, Top: and Bottom:, you can establish margins within the frame. This should not be confused with margins for the page, which are defined in the page properties dialog box.

Tip

If the Synchronize changes check box has a mark in it, KWord will take any changes you make to one margin, and automatically apply them to the other 3 margins.

In other words, if this check box is selected, and you enter a margin of 1 cm in any of the 4 margin boxes, all 4 frame margins will now become 1 cm in size.

If this option is off, each text box can be given a different value.

Frame Background

You can adjust the background color of the text frame by selecting the Background tab.



The right side of the dialog shows a preview of the current background.

Begin by selecting the color of the background. Click on the button labeled Background Color:. The color is selected using the Color selection dialog.

Once the color is selected, select the fill style from the drop down box labeled Background Style.

Select OK to accept all of your changes.

Select Cancel to forget all of your changes.

Using frame styles

Formatting a frame with a framestyle

To format a frame using a predefined framestyle simply:

Select the frame(s) by holding down Ctrl and clicking within the frame with the left mouse button.

Select Frames->Framestyle from the menubar. A submenu will appear, listing all the currently defined framestyles. Select the name of the framestyle you want and all selected frames will automatically be formatting using the options of that framestyle.

Editing a framestyle

To change the options of a framesyle, you will use the framestylist.

Select Frames->Frame Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



All of the currently defined framestyles are listed in the listbox on the left. The currently selected framestyle is highlighted, and the name of the currently selected framestyle is listed in the text box labeled Name. (In this example, the currently selected framestyle is Light gray.)

Select the name of the framestyle you want to change by clicking on the name of the framestyle in the listbox on the left.

There are three tabs in on the right side of the dialog box: General, Borders and Background

In the General tab, you can change the name of the liststyle by typing the new name in the text box labeled Name. You can also see a preview of what your frame will look like in the preview box.

The Borders tab works the same as the tab of the same name when formatting a paragraph. For more specific information click here.

The Background tab operates identically to the same tab when it is used from the menubar. Click here for more specific instructions.

Once all changes have been made, click OK to save your changes. All of the affected framesets will be changed to reflect the new options.

Creating a new framestyle

To create a new framestyle, select Frames->Frame Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Select a framestyle from the list at the left which most closely matches your new desired framestyle. The selected framestyle will be used as a template for the new framestyle. Select the framestyle by clicking once with the left mouse button in the list on the left.

Click on the New button. KWord will generate a new framestyle, which is a copy of the previously selected framestyle.

Choose a name for your new framestyle, and type it in the text box labeled Name.

You can now change your frame border and background options. For details, see Editing a framestyle.

Deleting a framestyle

To delete framestyle, select Frames->Frame Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Select the framestyle you want to delete from the list at the left. Select the framestyle by clicking once with the left mouse button in the list on the left.

Click on the Delete button.

Note

KWord will not allow you to delete the Plain framestyle.

Changing the order of the framestyles in the list

To change the order that the framestyles are listed, select Frames->Frame Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



The order the framestyles are listed in the menu is determined by the order of the framestyles in the list on the left.

Select the framestyle you want to move from the list at the left by clicking once with the left mouse button.

Now click on the up and down arrows located at the bottom of the list of framestyles. This will move the selected framestyle up or down in the list of framestyles.

When you are satisfied with the order of the list, select OK.

Importing a framestyle from another KWord file

To import a framestyle from another KWord file, select Frames->Frame Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Click the button labeled Import From File. A dialog box will appear allowing you to select the KWord file using the file selection dialog. Choose your file, and select OK.

A new dialog box will appear listing all available framestyles for importing.

Tip

If KWord encounters a duplicate framestyle name in the selected file, it will append a number to the end of the framestyle name to identify the imported style.

As an example, if you import the Plain framestyle from another KWord file, KWord will change the name to Plain-1.

Select all the framestyles you want to import. Then click OK.

The framestyles will now appear at the bottom of your list of framestyles. Click OK to save the framestyles in the new document.

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Formatting Paragraphs

Formatting Paragraphs

Formatting Paragraphs

This section will detail all the options available to format paragraphs.

To format a paragraph, place the cursor in the paragraph. To format more than one paragraph at a time, simply select the paragraphs with the mouse or keyboard.

You can format one or more paragraphs one of three ways:

  • Select Format->Paragraph... from the menubar

  • Type Alt+Ctrl+P

  • Place the mouse pointer in the paragraph and click once with the right mouse button. A small menu will appear. Select Paragraph....

A dialog will appear.

The Paragraph Settings dialog consists of six tabbed sections labeled Indent and Spacing, Aligns, Borders, Bullets/Numbering, Tabulators, and Shadow.

Indents and Spaces

With this dialog box the spacing between lines, and the spacing between paragraphs can be specified.



The first section of this dialog box is labeled Indent, and consists of three parts:

Left

Enter a value in this box to indent the lines of the selected paragraphs away from the left margin. The first line is unaffected by this box. To alter the first line, specify that value in the text box labeled First Line.

Right

Enter a value in this box to indent all lines of the selected paragraph (including the first line) away from the right margin.

First Line

Enter a number in this box to indent the first line of a paragraph away from the left margin.

The next section controls how KWord divides paragraphs when a paragraph will not fit entirely within the current frame or page.

The first option is labeled Keep lines together. If this option is selected, then all of the lines of the paragraph will remain on the same page. If this is not selected, KWord may choose to move part of a paragraph to a new page or frame. For most work, this option is usually left unchecked.

The next two options are labeled Insert Break Before Paragraph and Insert Break After Paragraph. When one of these options is checked, and the paragraph moves to the next frame in the frame set, a hard frame break will be inserted in front of the current paragraph or after the previous paragraph (depending on the option selected). This will serve to keep the paragraph in the next frame, even if text prior to that frame is deleted. This option is often used in conjunction with Keep lines together, to ensure that the paragraph does not creep back onto the page during editing.

The next section is labeled Line Spacing. It consists of two elements:

Drop-down box

The drop down box determines the spacing between lines. There are three predefined line spacing choices: Single, 1.5 lines and Double. You can also select Custom which will allow you to enter a specific line spacing.

The values selected here will be applied to all lines within the selected paragraphs.

Text box

Enter a value in this text box to specify the spacing between paragraphs. This value only changes the spacing when Custom is selected in the drop-down box to the left.

Note

Changes to this entry do not affect the line spacing between lines of different paragraphs.

The last section is labeled Paragraph Space. It consists of two entries:

Before

By entering a value here, additional spacing is added before each paragraph.

After

By entering a value here, additional spacing is added after each paragraph.

On the right of the dialog box, is a preview box, which will approximate the final layout of your document.

Aligns

This section determines how the text is placed within the line. With other applications, you may have referred to this as alignment, or justification.



There are only 4 choices.

If Left, Right or Center are selected, the text will be moved on the line so that it aligns with the left margin, aligns with the right margin, or is centered between the margins respectively.

If Justify is selected, KWord will increase the space between words, so that each line (with the exception of the last line in a paragraph), reaches both the left and right margins.

Tip

You can use toolbar buttons to quickly change the justification of one or more paragraphs

ButtonCommand
Left Align
Center Align
Right Align
Justify Text

On the right of the dialog box, is a preview box, which will approximate the final layout of your document.

Borders

The next section is used to define and configure graphical borders around your paragraphs.



KWord can surround (on some or all sides) a paragraph with a border. This border can be solid or not, of any color and of any size. This dialog panel is used to adjust the borders.

Style

Use this drop-down box to select the overall type of the new border.

The choices are previewed in each selection.

Width

This will determine how wide the resulting border will be. It is measured in points.

Color

Clicking on the color bar will allow you to select a color using the color selection dialog box.

Now that it is determined how the borders should look, specify which edges of the paragraphs need borders.

Select/Unselect Left Border. Clicking this button will apply the current options to the left paragraph border. Clicking a second time will remove the left paragraph border.
Select/Unselect Right Border. Clicking this button will apply the current options to the right paragraph border. Clicking a second time will remove the right paragraph border.
Select/Unselect Top Border. Clicking this button will apply the current options to the top paragraph border. Clicking a second time will remove the top paragraph border.
Select/Unselect Bottom Border. Clicking this button will apply the current options to the bottom paragraph border. Clicking a second time will remove the bottom paragraph border.

Tip

It is possible to mix and match border styles, widths and colors in one paragraph.

Simply determine the border style, width and color for one border edge, and select the border using the border buttons. Now alter the style width or color to create a new border look and select the new border button.

The Preview window will show you how your paragraph borders will look.

Bullets and Numbering

A very common element of a document, is a list of items. The list contains several elements which may be numbered, for easy reference. Alternatively, the list elements may be simply set off from the rest of the text with a special character preceding each element. These special characters are called bullets.

This dialog box is used to define your bullets or the numbering method of lists in the document.. This dialog box can also be used to number chapters and sections.



The top section of the dialog box has three options: None, List and Chapter.

If None is selected, the text is not marked as either a list or a chapter. No other features of this dialog box will alter the text when this option is chosen.

List is used to create lists in the document. These lists are automatically numbered and formatted to appear similar. For more information on lists, see the section entitled Lists.

Chapter is used to number chapters and sections of a document.

Tabulators



This dialog is used to adjust the tab stops. For more details, see Using Tab Stops.

Shadows



This tab is used to create an artificial shadow of the text in the paragraph.

On the right of the dialog is a preview box. This box can be used to approximate the final look of the text.

The color of the shadow can be adjusted by clicking on the button labeled Color. KWord will use the color selection dialog box to change the color of the shadow.

Use the spinbox labeled Distance to select the distance the shadow moves away from the text. A distance of zero will hide the shadow behind the original text.

Select one of the 8 direction buttons to determine which direction the shadow will move in.

When you are happy with your selections, click OK to apply your changes.

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Using Tab Stops

Using Tab Stops

Using Tab Stops

Tab stops are a (very useful) holdover from the days of typewriters. They allow you to align text into columns quickly and easily.

When a tab stop is in place, the can immediately jump to a horizontal position on the page by pressing the Tab key. Tab stops are most commonly used to align columns in a table, or to automatically indent paragraphs.

Tab stops are part of the properties of a paragraph. Each paragraph keeps track of its own set of tab stops. To view the tab stops of a particular paragraph, place the mouse pointer within a paragraph, click once, and check the top ruler. The tab stops are marked as symbols in black.

KWord recognizes 4 types of tab stops. Each of these types has a corresponding symbol to help you identify the type in the ruler.

TypeExampleSymbolDescription
Right Tab Stop




With a right tab stop, the right edge of the next set of words is aligned at the tab stop.
Center Tab Stop




With a center tab stop, the text is centered at the tab stop.
Left Tab Stop




With a left tab stop, the left edge of the next set of words is aligned at the tab stop.
Decimal Tab Stop




With a decimal tab stop, the decimal points of the text are aligned at the tab stop.

Setting Tab Stops

Tab stops can be set one of two ways:

Using the Ruler

You can use the top ruler on KWord to interactively insert tab stops.

First, you should select the type of tab stop you want to use.

Place the mouse cursor over the current tab character (located directly to the left of the top ruler). Click once with the right mouse button. A small submenu will appear. You can select the tab stop you want from the sub menu.

Tip

You can also use the left mouse button to cycle through the different types of tab stops.

Click once on the current tab character, and the tab stop changes from left tab stop, to center tab stop. If you continue to click with the left mouse button, you will change to right tab stop, then to decimal tab stop, then back to left tab stop.

Once you have the correct type of tab stop, you can simply place the mouse pointer on the top ruler bar at the desired position, and click once with the left mouse button. This will place a tab stop at that position.

Using the Dialog Box

The fastest way to get to the tab stop dialog panel, is to select Format->Paragraph... from the menubar or type Ctrl+Alt+P. This will bring up a dialog box with 6 tabs. Click on the tab labeled Tabulators.



You can now add tab stops by:

  1. Click the New button at the bottom of the list of tab stops.

  2. Type the horizontal location of the tab stop in the space labeled Position. The units used and the current frame width are listed below the text box.

  3. Select the type of tab stop from the list of radio buttons labeled Alignment.

  4. Determine what you want to fill the white space of the tab stop. In most cases this should be left as Blank. For information on other options in this section, see Tab filling.

You can now add another tab stop. When you are done adding tab stops, you can click OK to finish.

Moving Tab Stops

Tab stops can be moved one of two ways:

Using the Ruler

  1. To move a tab stop with the ruler, place the mouse over the desired tab stop. The mouse pointer will change to a double arrow.

  2. Click and hold down the left mouse button. Drag the tab stop to its new location

  3. When the tab stop is where you want it, release the mouse button.

Using the Dialog Box

The fastest way to get to the tab stop dialog panel, is to select Format->Paragraph... from the menubar or type Ctrl+Alt+P. This will bring up a dialog box with 6 tabs.

Click on the tab labeled Tabulators



  1. Click on the tab stop you want moved. The list of all tab stops is in the box on the left side of the dialog panel

  2. Type the horizontal location of the tab stop in the space labeled Position. The units used and the current frame width are listed below the text box.

  3. If you need to make changes, select the type of tab stop from the list labeled Alignment or change the white space character under Tab Leader.

  4. Click “OK” when you are done moving all tab stops around.

Removing Tab Stops

Tab stops can be removed one of two ways:

Using the Ruler

  1. To delete a tab stop with the ruler, place the mouse over the desired tab stop. The mouse pointer will change to a double arrow.

  2. Click and hold down the right button on the mouse. A submenu will appear. Select Remove Tabulator.

Using the Dialog Box

The fastest way to get to the tab stop dialog panel, is to select Format->Paragraph... from the menubar or type Ctrl+Alt+P. This will bring up a dialog box with 6 tabs.

Click on the tab labeled Tabulators



  1. Click on the tab stop you want removed. The list of all tab stops is in the box on the left side of the dialog panel

  2. Click the Delete button.

Note

You can delete all tab stops at once by clicking Delete All.

KWord will not prompt you prior to deleting all tabs, so make sure that is your intention prior to selecting the Delete All button.

When you are done deleting tab stops, you can click OK to finish.

Tab filling

By default, KWord uses the standard tab function that you are familiar with when using a typewriter or most wordprocessing programs. You can, however, have KWord insert spaces or lines to fill the tab space.

To change the way the tab fills work in KWord you change the dropdown box labeled Filling. This drop down box gives you many different line styles to choose from.

You can change the thickness of the lines by using the Width text box.

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Formatting Characters

Formatting Characters

Formatting Characters

This section will cover the changes that can be made to individual characters or blocks of characters including:

Changing Size, Font, Font Style, Text color and Background Colors

Using the Keyboard or Tool-bars

There are several keyboard shortcuts which you can use to make common changes to character formatting. After selecting the text, you can use these key combinations to toggle each attribute.

The Basic Formatting Tool bar also has buttons which you can use to toggle these same attributes.

The following table details each attribute, the tool bar buttons and the keyboard shortcuts.

AttributeTool bar ButtonKey Combo
Font Size

Decrease font size: Ctrl-<

Increase font size: Ctrl->

Font-
Bold FaceCtrl-B
ItalicsCtrl-I
UnderlineCtrl-U
Strikethrough-
Superscript-
Subscript-
Font Color-
Background Color-

Note

You cannot change the Character Set or add double underlines using the keyboard or the tool-bar, you must use the dialog box.

Using the Dialog Box

If you have many changes to make, you can also use a dialog box to set these same attributes.

You can open the Character Formatting Dialog box in one of three ways:

  • Select Format->Font... from the menubar.

  • Click on the selected text with the right mouse button. A small menu will appear. Select Font... from the menu.

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: Alt-Ctrl-F

Either method will open a dialog box



Using this dialog box, you can select the font, size, character set, italics and boldface options from the top three list boxes.

The preview box along the middle of the dialog, will show you how your current settings will appear.

Tip

If the default preview string is not appropriate, you can change it by clicking once inside the preview box with the left mouse button. A text cursor will appear. You can edit the text to suit your needs.

The sample sentence will revert to the default the next time you open this dialog.

Using the checkboxes located below the preview box, you can select superscript or subscript.

Clicking the button labeled Change Color... will allow you to change the color of the text using the color selection dialog box.

Clicking the button labeled Change Background Color... will allow you to change the color of the background using the color selection dialog box.

If you click the tab labeled Font Effects, the dialog changes to:



The subsection labeled Underlining has two drop down boxes. In the left most drop down box select between no underline (Without), Single, Simple Bold or Double underlining.



Use the right drop down box to select the style of underlining (Solid line, dashed line, etc).

Use the Change Color button to select a color for the underline using the color selection dialog box.

The subsection labeled Strikethrough has two drop down boxes. Use the left drop down box to select between no strikethrough (Without), Single or Double strikethrough. Use the right drop down box to select the line style.



Clicking OK will commit your changes to the document.

Clicking Cancel will abort all changes made.

Changing Font Case

KWord can change the case (uppercase or lowercase) of large blocks of text to one of five pre-defined styles. Begin by selecting the block of text you want changed. Select Tools->Change Case... from the menubar.

A small dialog box will appear with four options:

Uppercase

Will convert all characters to uppercase.

Example: KWORD WILL AUTOMATICALLY CHANGE CASES.

Lowercase

Will convert all characters to lowercase.

Example: kword will automatically change cases.

Title Case

Will capitalize every word.

Example: Kword Will Automatically Change Cases.

Toggle Case

Converts all lowercase letters to uppercase and converts all upppercase letters to lowercase.

Sentance Case

Capitalizes the first character after a period.

When you have selected the option you like. Click OK and KWord will make the changes.

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Text styles

Text styles

Text styles

Introduction to text styles

When you build documents that are more complex than a business letter, such as a book, newsletter, or resume, the document is often broken down into sections. Each of these sections may have a similar appearance.

You can use text styles to easily keep a consistent look throughout your document.

Tip

If you are familiar with Styles in Microsoft® Word, KWord text styles perform the same functions. You can skip to the next section.

As an example, if we look at a section of a document, and assign different text styles to appropriate parts :



In this example, you can see several different text styles at work:

  • The title is centered, underlined and in bold text

  • The section title (Income) is boldfaced.

  • The caption for figure 1-1 is smaller than normal text and boldface.

  • The rest of the document is in a standard font.

We do not need to know exactly how we want the text and paragraphs of these sections to look yet. All we need to do is identify these sections of text as “Section Titles”, “Normal Text”, etc.

Once we have finished the document, you can change the look of all the text labeled “Section Title” all at once.

This will ensure that all section titles appear consistent throughout your document.

KWord has 8 predefined text styles.

Note

Text styles should not be confused with table styles or frame styles.

Text styles determine how the characters and paragraphs appear. Framestyles, control the borders and background color for the frame. Tablestyles determine how tables appear in the finished document.

Changing the text style of text

To change the text style of text, first, select the text you want the changes to apply to.

You can now change the text style in one of two ways:

  • Select Format->Style from the menubar. This will show the list of available text styles, select the text style from the list.

  • You can select the text style using the drop down box on the Paragraph toolbar. This drop down box looks like this: .

Simply select the new text style from the list provided.

Creating a text style

If you plan on using text styles extensively in a large document, you will probably want to create new text styles specific for your needs.

There are two major ways to create a new text style:

Creating a new text style based on a current text style

To create a new text style select Format->Style Manager... from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box



In the list box on the left, is a list of all the currently defined text styles. Select the current style that most closely resembles the new text style. Click on that text style once with the left mouse button.

Click the New button.

KWord will create a new text style based on the selected text style. It will assign it a temporary name [New Style Template (8).]

Type a descriptive name in the box labeled Name. This will be the name of the text style.

The rest of the dialog is used to make the alterations needed to create the new text style.

The preview box will show you what your new text style will look like.

Use the buttons labeled Font, Indent and Spacing, Aligns, Borders, Bullets/Numbering, Tabulators, and Shadow to create the text style.

Click OK to create your new text style.

Click Cancel to abort the creation of the text style.

Changing the Font Size, Type etc.

The tab labeled Font is used to set the font type, font style, formatting, etc.

This tab functions identically to the change font dialog used to edit general text. Changes to this tab affect to all text formated with this text style.

Changing Paragraph Spacing and Indents

The tab labeled Indents and Spacing is used to adjust spacing between lines, paragraph indentation and the spacing between paragraphs.

This tab functions identically to the same tab in the Format Paragraph dialog. Changes to this tab affect to all text formated with this text style.

Changing Paragraph Alignment

The tab labeled Aligns determines how the text is placed within the line. With other applications, you may have referred to this as Alignment, or Justification.

This tab functions identically to the same tab in the Format Paragraph dialog. Changes to this tab affect to all text formated with this text style.

Changing Paragraph Borders

The tab labeled Borders is used to define and configure graphical borders around your paragraphs.

This tab functions identically to the same tab in the Format Paragraph dialog. Changes to this tab affect to all text formated with this text style.

Changing Paragraph Numbering/Bullets

The tab labeled Bullets/Numbers is used to make all text formatted with this text style into a list.

This tab functions identically to the same tab in the Format Paragraph dialog. For more information see the section entitled Lists.

Changing Tab-stops.

Using the tab labeled Tabulators it is possible to define tab stops for the new text style.

This tab functions identically to the same tab in the Format Paragraph dialog. For more information see the section entitled Tab Stops.

Changing text style shadowing.

Using the tab labeled Shadow it is possible to change the artificial shadowing of text within the text style.

This tab functions identically to the same tab in the Format Paragraph dialog.

Creating a text style based on formatted text

If you have text that is already formatted correctly for a new text style, simply select the text and select Format->Create Style From Selection from the menubar.

KWord will prompt you for a name for your text style. Enter the name in the text box and click OK. A new text style is created with the font, paragraph spacing, paragraph alignment, borders and shadows of the currently selected text.

Note

Future formatting changes to this selected text will not automatically change the text style you just created. If you want the changes to become part of the text style, you must edit the text style.

Deleting a text style

Deleting an unneeded text style is easy.

Select Format->Style Manager... from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box.



From the list of available text styles, select the style you want to delete by clicking once with the left mouse button.

Warning

Be sure you have selected the correct text style before you click Delete. KWord will not ask for confirmation, so you will not be given an opportunity to back out.

Click Delete.

The text style is now deleted.

Editing a text style

The true power of text styles, is the ability to edit the formatting options of that text style after the text style is defined. By changing the formatting of the text style, KWord will immediately change every paragraph with that text style, and maintain a consistent look to the document.

KWord uses the same interfaces to edit the formatting options of a text style, that it used to create the text style in the first place.

To edit a current text style:

Select Format->Style Manager... from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box.



Select the text style you want to edit from the list on the left by clicking once with the left mouse button. Now you can make the changes you want to this text style.

The preview box will show you what your new text style will look like.

Warning

Do not change the name of your template.

Doing so will delete your current text style from the list (and create a new one with the new name).

Any paragraphs which were originally formatted with this text style, will revert to “Standard”.

Use the buttons labeled Font, Indent and Spacing, Aligns, Borders, Bullets/Numbering, Tabulators, and Shadow to alter the look of the text style.

Click OK to commit your changes.

Click Cancel to abort all changes to this text style.

Import a text style

KWord has the ability to import a text style from one KWord document and include it in the list of text text styles in another KWord document.

To import a text style, select Format->Import Style... from the menubar.

This will bring up an empty dialog box.

Click on the Load button. This will bring up a file selection dialog. Choose the KWord file you want to import the text style from and click OK.

The dialog box will now fill with all available text text styles available for import.

Tip

If KWord encounters a duplicate text style name in the selected file, it will append a number to the end of the text style name to identify the imported style.

As an example, if you import the Standard text style from another KWord file, KWord will change the text style name to Standard-1.

Select all the text style you want to import. Then click OK.

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Columns

Columns

Columns

You can divide the page into several columns, of equal width, with a user controlled space in between each column.

Note

This feature is only available in Text Oriented documents.

If you are working in a Page Layout document, you can build up several columns using a different frame for each column.

To change the number and width of columns select Format->Page Layout... from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box.



Click on the tab labeled Columns.

This will change the dialog box.



You can now select the number of columns in the spin box labeled Columns:, and the spacing between columns in the text box labeled Column Spacing:.

The preview box shows you what your page will look like.

Click OK when you are done.

Click Cancel to abort changes.

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Lists

Lists

Lists

KWord has a simple and flexible list creation system. Using the same interface, KWord can create bulleted or enumerated lists of nearly any depth. For easy, simple lists, KWord offers a toolbar button for both enumerated and bulleted lists.

An enumerating style is a series of letters or numbers which proposes an order or hierarchy within the list. Bullets simply mark the item as part of the list and usually consist of a symbol or shape.

Simple lists

To quickly create a single level list, KWord provides two toolbar buttons.

To create a simple enumerated list, simply select from the paragraph toolbar. A small menu will list different enumerated list styles. Select the appropriate style and the selected paragraphs are converted into a list of that style.

To create a simple bulleted list, select from the paragraph toolbar. A small menu will list different bulleted list styles. Select the appropriate style and the selected paragraphs are converted into a bulleted list of that style.

Tip

You are still able to make changes to the list styles by using the dialog.

Complex lists

All complex list formatting is done through the Paragraph Formatting dialog. To get to the paragraph formatting dialog you can:

  • Select Format->Paragraph... from the menubar

  • Type Alt+Ctrl+P

  • Place the mouse pointer in the paragraphs that will become the list and click once with the right mouse button. A small menu will appear. Select Paragraph....

A dialog will appear. To find the tab specific to lists, click once on the tab labeled Bullets/Numbers.

List type



To format the selected text as a list, select List from the top section of the dialog box.

There is a list of five bullets types and five enumerating styles along the left side of the dialog box. Select the desired list style from the list on the left.

Changing the look of the list

The text box labeled Prefix Text allows the user to add text before the enumeration or bullet.

The text box labeled Suffix Text allows the user to add text after the enumeration or bullet.

For example: If “Step” is typed into the Prefix Text box, and “-” is typed into the Suffix Text text box, the list will look like this:

Step 1 - Place 1 cup of flour in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2 - Add 1/4 tablespoon of yeast.
Step 3 - ....

Changing the start point of the list

If an enumerated list style is selected, the starting number/letter for the list can be set in the spin box labeled Start at. If you have selected a bulleted list style, this box will be inactive.

Multi-level lists

The spin box labled Depth is used to add subsections to your list. By selecting a depth greater than one, you are adding a subsection to the list.

Example of a multilevel enumerated list:



An example of a multilevel bulleted list:



Adjust the depth setting and watch the preview section of the dialog for an example of how this will look.

Custom Bullets

If you select Custom Bullet from the list of styles, you can click on the button labeled Custom Character to choose the letter or symbol you want for your bulleted list.

Multiple paragraphs in one list element

Each new paragraph represents a new list element. Sometimes, however, it will be desireable to have multiple paragraphs on a single list element. This is accomplished by inserting a New Line character instead of a Paragraph Break.

To insert a New Line, type Shift+Return.



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Tables

Tables

Tables

KWord has the built in ability to generate tables for the display of data.

These tables can consist of up to 128 rows and 128 columns, with text centered or justified differently in different cells. Text flows easily around in the table and cells are resized (if specified by the user) automatically to fit comfortably around the data.

Tables in KWord are for the display of data only. No calculations can be performed.

Tip

Remember, if you need the functions of a spreadsheet, you can embed a KSpread Table in your document.

This section of the document will cover the formatting of tables created in KWord only.

Adding a new Table

You can create a table in KWord in one of three ways:

  • Select Insert->Table... from the menubar.

  • You can use the keyboard shortcut: F5

  • or by clicking on the tool-bar.

This will open a dialog box. The dialog box has two tabs: Geometry and Templates



This dialog box is divided into two halves.

The right half of the dialog box provides you a quick visual guide to how many rows and columns will be created in the table. This is useful for laying out your table. You can not edit your table layout here.

The left half of the dialog box consists of two drop down boxes, and two number selection boxes.

The spin box labeled Number of Rows:, allows you to specify from 1 to 128 rows in the table.

The spin box labeled Number of Columns:, allows you to specify from 1 to 128 columns in the table.

While adjusting either of these two options, the preview box adjusts to your new settings.

The drop down box labeled Cell Height, can be set to either of two options.

Automatic

If this option is selected, KWord will set the cell height of each cell in the new table to a size appropriate based on the size of the current text. KWord will not automatically provide additional space in each cell, because you draw a table larger (or smaller) than necessary.

As an example, if you create a table with three rows, it does not matter if you “draw” the table as 1 inch tall, or 4 inches tall, the height of each cell will be based on the current text size.

Manual

When selected, calculate the cell height by dividing the user specified size of the table by the number of rows.

If this is selected, and you create a table with 3 rows and “draw” the table 3 inches tall, each cell will be 1 inch in height. If you draw the table 1.5 inches tall, each cell will be 0.5 inches tall.

The drop down box labeled Cell Widths, can be set to either of two options.

Automatic

If this option is selected, KWord will determine the width of each cell, by dividing the total width of the frame by the number of columns. It is unaffected by the table size you have “drawn” on the document.

Manual

When selected, KWord determines the width of each cell, by dividing the width of the table you “draw” by the number of columns selected.

As an example, if you create a table with 3 columns, and “draw” it 3 inches wide, each cell will be 1 inch in width. If, however, you draw the same table 6 inches wide, each cell will be 2 inches wide.

Tables can be inserted into a document as either framed or inline tables.

Framed tables are tables that have a frame around them. The frame around a table functions exactly the same as a frame around text. It contains the table and determines the size and shape of the table.

An inline table has frame around it, but this frame is inserted within the current text frame. If text is inserted in front of the table, the table travels down the frame just like any text would. This means the table will stay in the same area of the page as the text that surrounds it.

Framed tables, on the other hand, need to be moved by hand on the page.

The check box labled The table is inline is used to determine which type of table is inserted. If there is a mark in the checkbox, the table is inserted inline. If not, the table is given a frame of its own.

If you click on the tab labeled Templates, you can use predefined table looks to format the look of your table. For more information see the section on Using formatting templates.

Click OK to insert the table.

Click Cancel to cancel this action and return to editing your document.

Moving between cells in a table

You can navigate between cells of the table by using the mouse (simply click in the cell you want to edit), or by using the keyboard (use the arrow keys to move up, down, left or right one cell at a time)..

Deleting a Table

To delete a table in KWord:

Place the mouse pointer over the frame of any cell of the table you want to delete. Hold down the Ctrl key and click once with the left mouse button.

Warning

Be sure you have selected the correct table before continuing. KWord will not ask for confirmation.

Select Table->Delete Table from the menubar

The table will be immediately deleted.

Insert Row in Table

You can insert a row into any place in a table.

To insert a row into a table:

Place the mouse pointer over the border of any cell of the table you want to add a row to. Select either:

  • Table->Row->Insert Row... from the menubar

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

This will bring up a dialog box.



The spin box labeled Row:, allows you to select any row within the table. This number selection box limits you to the rows currently in the table.

Select the row you want to use as a reference.

Now select either Before or After as is appropriate.

Click OK to add the row or click Cancel to not add any rows.

Insert Column in Table

To insert a column into a table:

Place the mouse pointer over the border of any cell of the table you want to add a column to. Select either:

  • Table->Column->Insert Column... from the menubar

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

This will bring up a dialog box.



The number selection box labeled Column:, allows you to select any column within the table. This number selection box limits you to the columns currently in the table.

Select the column you want to use as a reference.

Now select either Before or After as is appropriate.

Click OK to add the column or click Cancel to not add any columns.

Delete Row in Table

To delete a row from a table:

Select the row(s) you want to delete Then:

  • select Table->Row->Delete Selected Rows... from the menubar

  • or click on the toolbar.

This will bring up a dialog box confirming that your have selected the correct row(s).

Warning

Make sure you have selected the correct row before continuing.

KWord will delete any data contained within the selected rows.

Click OK to delete the row, or click Cancel to not delete any rows.

Delete Column in Table

To delete a column from a table:

Select the columns(s) you want to delete Then:

  • select Table->Column->Delete Selected Columns... from the menubar

  • or click on the toolbar.

This will bring up a dialog box confirming that your have selected the correct column(s).

Warning

Make sure you have selected the correct column(s) before continuing.

KWord will delete any data contained within these columns.

Click OK to delete the column(s), or click Cancel to not delete any columns.

Change column width

When a table is created, all columns are equal in width. You can change the width of individual columns by using the mouse or the keyboard.

Using the mouse

First select any cell in the column you want to change, by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking once with the left mouse button.

The cell is now surrounded by 8 black boxes. Place the mouse over the box in the middle of the right vertical border of the cell. The mouse pointer changes to a double-headed arrow. Click on the box and drag the right edge of the cell to the desired width. When you release the left mouse button, the entire column will assume the width of this cell.

Using the dialog box

First, select any cell in the column you want to change, by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking once with the left mouse button.

Select Table->Column->Resize Column... from the menubar.

A dialog box will appear. In the spin box labeled Column, you can chose a different column to set. In the text box labeled Width, enter the desired width of the column.

Click OK to change the width, or click Cancel to leave the column width unchanged.

Join Cells in Table

A table is traditionally made of a grid of rows and columns, with equal sized cells throughout the table.

Sometimes you would like to spread text out over several cells in a table. This is especially common with titles.

KWord allows you to do this by Joining two (or more) adjacent cells of a table together.



This is an example of three cells joined together in the middle of a table.

Tip

You can join cells vertically, as well as horizontally.

To join several cells you must first select the cells. To select the cells, click once with the left mouse button on the frame border of a cell. Now hold down the Ctrl key and click on the next cell with the left mouse button. Continue this until you have selected all the cells you want to join together.

Tip

If you have a number of cells in a row that you want to select, you can select them in two quick steps:

First click on one of the end cells.

Now hold down the Shift key and click on the cell at the other end of the row or column you want to join.

All cells between these two cells will be selected.

Once you have selected all the cells you want to join, select Table->Cell->Join Cells from the menubar

The cells will now be joined.

Any text in the right most frame will now be located in the joined frame. Any text from any other frames will be hidden from view.

Split Cells in Table

In addition to combining two or more cells into a single cell, it is easy to split one cell into may cells.

If you decide that you do not want the previously joined cells to be joined any longer, you can "split" them back into individual cells again.

To split a cell, select the cell you want to split by holding the Ctrl button down and clicking on it with the left mouse button. Select Table->Cell->Split Cells... from the menubar.

This will bring up a small dialog box which allows you to set the number of rows and the number of columns you want to split this cell into.

Once you have set the correct number of rows and columns in the spin boxes, click OK to split the cells. Click Cancel to abort.

Ungroup a Table

If you select Table->Ungroup Table from the menubar, KWord will convert each cell in your table into an individual frame. You can then move these frames around independently on the page.

Protecting a cell in a table.

You can protect any or all cells in a table from accidental modification or deletion.

Simply select the cell(s) you want to protect, then:

Select Table->Cell->Protect Cells from the menubar or click on the cell border once with the right mouse button and select Cells->Protect Cells from the submenu.

You will not be able to change the contents or formatting of that cell.

Note

To disable the protection, simply repeat the steps above, and the cells will no longer be protected.

Formating a Table

There are many aspects of a table that can be formatted.

For information of formatting text with a table see Format characters.

For information on formatting borders between frames in individual cells, see Borders

For information on formatting background color of individual cells, see Frame background

For information on changing the width of columns, see Resizing Columns

KWord also provides the user with a set of tools to help speed up the formatting of tables.

Altering the number of rows and columns in a table.

Previously in the manual, we have discussed how to individually add or delete columns. KWord also provides the user the ability to make major changes to the number of rows and columns in a table.

Select Table->Properties... from the menubar. A dialog will appear.



You can use this dialog to change the number of rows in your table by using the spin box labeled Number of Rows:.

Warning

If you reduce the number of rows using this dialog box, KWord will delete the bottom row(s) including the data within the rows.

Be sure you do not have any data in these rows. that you need to preserve.

You can use this dialog to change the number of columns in your table by using the spin box labeled Number of Columns:.

Warning

If you reduce the number of columns using this dialog box, KWord will delete the right most column(s) including the data within the columns.

Be sure you do not have any data in these columns that you need to preserve.

Placing a mark in the checkbox labeled Reapply template to table, will cause KWord to re-apply the template to the table after adding or deleting the specified number of rows and/or columns.

Click OK to make changes permenant, or click Cancel to abort all changes.

Selecting an entire column for formatting.

To select an entire column for formatting, move the mouse pointer to the white space directly above the desired column. The mouse pointer will turn from an arrow to a hand. If you click with the left mouse button, the entire column will be selected.

Selecting an entire row for formatting

To select an entire row for formatting, move the mouse pointer to the white space directly to the left of the desired row. The mouse pointer will turn from an arrow to a hand. If you click with the left mouse button, the entire row will be selected.

Using table templates to format an entire table.

KWord has templates for many commonly used table formatting options. Table templates provide the same formatting functionality for tables that document templates provide you for formating your documents.

Select Table->Properties... from the menubar. A dialog will appear. Click on the tab labeled Templates.



Along the left of the dialog box, is a list of table templates.

On the right is a preview box that gives an example of what a table template will look like when applied to your table.

Below the preview box, are 5 checkboxes.

First row

This checkbox will toggle formatting of all cells in the first row.

Last row

This checkbox will toggle formatting of all cells in the last row.

Body

This checkbox will toggle formatting of all cells in the body. The body of the table is any cells which are not formatted by any of the other four options.

First column

This checkbox will toggle formatting of all cells in the first column.

Last column

This checkbox will toggle formatting of all cells in the last column.

Placing a mark in the checkbox labeled Reapply template to table, will cause KWord to re-apply the template to the table after adding or deleting the specified number of rows and/or columns.

Click OK to make changes permenant, or click Cancel to abort all changes.

Using table styles

Table styles are a rapid way for you to format individual cells of your table to common formats. You can add or remove table styles, and change predefined table styles to suit your needs. A table style, consists of a frame style and a text style which are grouped together and named.

Formatting a cell with a table styles

To format a cell using a predefined table style simply:

Select the cell(s) by holding down Ctrl and clicking within the cell with the left mouse button. You can also select columns and rows.

Select Table->Tablestyle from the menubar. A submenu will appear, listing all the currently defined table styles. Select the name of the table style you want and all selected cells will automatically be formatting using the options of that table style.

Editing a table style

To change the options of a table style, you will use the Table Style Manager.

Select Table->Table Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



All of the currently defined table styles are listed in the listbox on the left. The currently selected table style is highlighted, and the name of the currently selected table style is listed in the text box labeled Name. (In this example, the currently selected table style is Plain.)

Select the name of the table style you want to change by clicking on the name of the table styles in the listbox on the left.

There is a dropdown box labeled Framestyle which is used to select the desired frame style. If you want to add or alter a frame style, click the Change... button, and you will be taken to the Framestylist to make those changes.

Below that, is a dropdown box labeled Textstyle which is used to select the desired text style for this table style. If you want to add or alter a text style, click on the Change... button, and you will be taken directly to the Stylelist to make those changes.

Once all changes have been made, click OK to save your changes. All of the affected table styles will be changed to reflect the new options.

Creating a new table style

To create a new table style, select Frames->Table Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Select a table style from the list at the left which most closely matches your new desired table style. The selected table style will be used as a template for the new table style. Select the table style by clicking once with the left mouse button in the list on the left.

Click on the New button. KWord will generate a new table style, which is a copy of the previously selected table style.

Choose a name for your new table style, and type it in the text box labeled Name.

You can now change your table style options to customize your newly created table style. For details, see Editing a table style.

Deleting a table style

To delete table style, select Frames->Table Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Select the table style you want to delete from the list at the left. Select the table style by clicking once with the left mouse button in the list on the left.

Click on the Delete button.

Note

KWord will not allow you to delete the Plain table style.

Changing the order of the table style in the list

To change the order that the table style are listed, select Frames->Table Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



The order the table styles are listed in the menu is determined by the order of the table styles in the list on the left.

Select the table style you want to move from the list at the left by clicking once with the left mouse button.

Now click on the up and down arrows located at the bottom of the list of table styles. This will move the selected table style up or down in the list of table styles.

When you are satisfied with the order of the list, select OK.

Importing a table style from another KWord file

To import a table style from another KWord file, select Frames->Table Style Manager... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Click the button labeled Import From File. A dialog box will appear allowing you to select the KWord file using the file selection dialog. Choose your file, and select OK.

A new dialog box will appear listing all available table styles for importing.

Tip

If KWord encounters a duplicate table style name in the selected file, it will append a number to the end of the table style name to identify the imported style.

As an example, if you import the Plain table style from another KWord file, KWord will change the name to Plain-1.

Select all the table styles you want to import. Then click OK.

The table styles will now appear at the bottom of your list of table styles. Click OK to save the table styles in the new document.

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Headers/Footers

Headers/Footers

Headers/Footers

Introduction

With multi-page documents, you might want to provide certain information at the top or bottom of each page throughout the document. Headers or footers can provide the reader with important information and they tie your documents together visually.

Headers and footers are special frames. You can edit the text and data within the headers and footers just as you would any other text frame. What makes headers and footers different from most other frames in KWord is that they are automatically created at the top and bottom of each page.

Note

Headers and footers are only available when using text oriented templates.

Using headers and footers

You can toggle headers and footers on and off independently at any time.

You can toggle the headers by selecting Format->Show Header from the menubar.

You can toggle the footers by selecting Format->Show Footer from the menubar.

The footers will be added below the margins you set under page setup. The text within the main frames will be moved so the headers and/or footers do not overlap any text.

Since headers and footers are simply text frames that are placed on each page, you can use all of the tools and techniques you are familiar with to create your header and footer information.

For more information on options for headers and footers, see the section on Formatting the page.

For information on page numbers see the section on Page Numbering.

For information on formatting the frame, see the section on Setting the Properties for a Frame.

For an example of how to place the page numbers on the outside of even and odd pages, see the How do I? section.

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Creating Templates, Saving a document as a template and Deleting Templates

Creating Templates, Saving a document as a template and Deleting Templates

Creating Templates, Saving a document as a template and Deleting Templates

KWord comes with several predefined templates (both Page Layout and Text Oriented templates), which are designed to provide initial formatting of documents.

If, however, the same format for a custom document is used over and over, KWord can create a template which more exactly matches the documents needs.

An unlimited number of templates can be created in KWord, and they can be organized into categories for easy recall.

Creating a new template

Templates are created by first generating the layout in KWord based on one of the predefined templates, and then saving the file. Instead of saving it as a traditional file, it is saved as a template.

What follows, is a step by step process to save the current document as a template.

Procedure 7.1.

  1. When the document is a completed template, Select File->Create Template From Document... from the menubar.

    This brings up a dialog:



    This dialog helps organize the templates into groups (categories).

  2. Select the group to place the new template into.

    Note

    To create a new group to place templates in, simply click the button labeled Add Group. A dialog box will appear asking for the name of the new group. Click OK and the new group is created.

  3. Type in a name for the template in the text box labeled Name.

  4. Select the icon for your new template by using the radio buttons on the right

    KWord has a default icon, which is shown below both options.

    To change the icon, select Custom and a dialog box will appear. Simply select the desired icon using the dialog box. Click OK when the icon is selected.

  5. Click OK.

Once you have saved the template, the next time you open a document, your new category/new template will appear in the open file dialog.

Removing a template

To delete a template, follow these steps:

Procedure 7.2.

  1. Select File->Create Template From Document... from the menubar.

    This will bring up a dialog

  2. Click on the small plus sign (+) in front of the template group where the template can be found.

  3. Click once on the template name

  4. Click on the button labeled Remove.

  5. A small dialog box will appear verifying that you do intend to delete the template. Simply click Yes.

The template is now deleted.

Removing a template group

To delete a group of templates, follow these steps:

Procedure 7.3.

  1. Select File->Create Template From Document... from the menubar.

    This will bring up a dialog

  2. Click once on the group name

  3. Click on the button labeled Remove.

  4. A small dialog box will appear verifying that you do intend to delete the group of templates. Simply click Yes.

The group and all of the templates within the group are now deleted.

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Chapter 8. Detailed Guides: More than just text

Detailed Guides: More than just text

Chapter 8. Detailed Guides: More than just text

Up to this point in the documentation, we have been focusing on text. That is about to change!

This chapter will discuss inserting a table of contents, graphics, page numbers, links to web pages and how to insert other types of KOffice data into a document.

This chapter will also cover document information and its relationship to document variables.

Entering Document information

KWord can store information about the author and the document in the same file as the text and data of the document.

Entering this information into KWord, you can do two things:

  1. This information will always be available for reference. This is especially important in situations where there are many possible authors (employees) and hundreds (or thousands) of documents.

  2. The information supplied here, can be inserted automatically into the document as a document variable.

To enter document information, simply select File->Document Information... from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog box with two tabs.

The first tab is labled Author and has blanks to enter the authors name, title, company and contact information (email address, telephone numbers and physical address).

Tip

Every value entered in this dialog can be inserted as a document variables.

The second tab is labled About. Enter a document title and an abstract.

Tip

Both the document title and the abstract can be accessed through document variables.

When finished entering the information, click OK to apply the changes. If any document variables were changed, KWord will update their values throughout the document.

Graphics

Graphics

Graphics

KWord is very good at handling textual information. KWord can also be used to incorporate graphical images with text.

Pictures can be inserted into a document as either framed or inline images.

Framed images are pictures that have a frame around them. The frame around a picture functions exactly the same as a frame around text. It contains the picture and determines the size and shape of the picture.

An inline image has frame around it, but this frame is inserted within the current text frame. If text is inserted in front of the picture, the picture travels down the frame just like any text would. This means the picture will stay in the same area of the page as the text that surrounds it.

Framed pictures, on the other hand, need to be moved by hand on the page.

Insert Graphics

There are three ways to insert a picture into a document:

  • By selecting Insert->Picture... from the menubar

  • Using the keyboard shortcut: Shift+F5

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

All three methods open a file selection dialog.



Use this dialog to select the picture.

Tip

Pressing Esc at this point will cancel the insertion of a picture into your document.

Once the appropriate picture file is located, click on the filename once with the left mouse button. Click OK to continue.

A new dialog box appears.



The right half of this dialog box contains a preview window. The picture should be visible in this window.

The left part of this box contains one button and two checkboxes.

Choose Image

Click this button and KWord will open a new file dialog to open a different picture.

Insert Picture Inline

If there is a mark in this checkbox, the picture will be an inline picture. If there is no mark, a new frame will be created. For details on the differences, see the introduction.

Retain original aspect ratio

Aspect ratio is defined in the KWord glossary.

If a there is a mark in this checkbox, KWord will not allow any change the aspect ratio of the picture. This prevents inappropriate stretching and compressing of the image. It will still be possible to change the overall size of the image, but it will not be possible to change the horizontal measurement without also changing the vertical measurement.

If there is no mark in this checkbox, the horizontal and vertical sizes of the picture can be changed independently.

To insert the picture, click OK. To abort the picture entirely, click Cancel.

If an inline picture was selected, click with the mouse in the appropriate location. The picture will be inserted.

If a framed picture was selected, the mouse cursor will change to crosshairs. Locate one corner of the location of the new picture frame with the mouse. Click and hold the left mouse button down. Drag the cursor to adjust the size of the picture frame. When the size of the picture frame is correct, release the left mouse button. KWord will insert the picture into the frame, and resize the picture to fit within the frame.

Changing the size of a picture

Resizing a picture is done by changing the size of the frame that surrounds it. KWord will automatically change the picture to fill the entire frame.

For information on changing the size of a frame, see Resizing frames.

Move Pictures

The only way to move an inline image around on the page, is to alter the flow of the text that surrounds it. If this is causing problems, the picture can always be changed to a framed picture.

To move a framed picture in KWord is the same as moving any frame in KWord.

Delete Graphics

To delete a graphic in KWord, simply delete the frame around it.

Saving Graphic in separate file

You can save a picture or graph to a separate file (for use in another document or to archive the graphic).

Simply click once on the graphic with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Save Picture.... A dialog will appear that will allow you to specify where to save the graphic.

Note

This does not remove the picture from the KWord document file. It is simply a way to extract a picture from a document so it can be archived or used in another application.

Switching between inline and framed pictures

Switching between inline pictures and framed pictures is easy in KWord.

Change an inline picture to a framed picture

To change in inline picture to a framed picture, click on the desired picture with the left mouse button once. This selects the frame of the picture.

Now click and hold with the right mouse button and a submenu will appear. In the submenu, is a menu item labeled Inline frame, with a mark in front of it. Select this option by clicking with the left mouse button.

The frame is now an independent and can be moved around freely.

Change a framed picture to an inline picture

To change a framed picture into an inline picture, click on the desired picture with the left mouse button once. This selects the frame of the picture.

Now click and hold with the right mouse button and a submenu will appear. In the submenu, is a menu item labeled Inline frame. Select this option by clicking with the left mouse button.

KWord has now converted this to an inline frame.

Note

KWord tries to make a reasonable estimation of where in the text the inline image should be inserted.

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Horizontal Line

Horizontal Line

Horizontal Line

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

When writing a large document, it is useful to include a table of contents. This can be done automatically with KWord.

To begin creating a table of contents KWord needs to know what to include in the table of contents. The first part of this chapter describes how to prepare the document to generate an accurate table of contents.

The second part of this section, discusses the actual generation and updating of the table of contents.

The final part of this section provides pointers on changing the look of the table of contents.

Preparing the document

KWord uses a style-based method of creating table of contents entries.

For more information on styles, see the Styles section of this documentation.

To mark each level of the document, use the paragraph styles Head 1, Head 2 and Head 3.

Major subjects should be marked with the Head 1 style.

Sub-headings under the Head 1 subjects should be marked with Head 2.

Sub-headings under the Head 2 subject headings should be marked with Head 3

Once this is done, proceed to the next section.

Creating the table of contents

To create the table of contents is easy. Simply place the cursor in a text frame where the table of contents should be inserted.

Select Insert->Table of Contents from the menubar.

KWord locates all entries labled with the appropriate paragraph styles, and their corresponding page numbers. It assembles this into the table of contents.

Note

Once the table of contents is created, it will remain unchanged until KWord is instructed to update it.

To update the table of contents, click once with the left mouse button in the current table of contents. Then select Insert->Update table of contents from the menubar.

KWord will replace the old table of contents with a newly updated one.

Changing the look of the table of contents.

The look of the table of contents is also adjusted by using the paragraph styles in KWord.

The table of contents title is formated with the Contents Title paragraph style. All major subject headings (those marked with the Head 1 style), are now formatted using Contents Head 1 paragraph style. All sub-headings (those marked with the Head 2 style), are now formatted using Contents Head 2 paragraph style. Finally, All sub-headings (those marked with the Head 3 style), are now formatted using Contents Head 3 paragraph style.

By changing the look of those three styles, the appearance of the table of contents can be radically changed.

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Document Variables

Document Variables

Document Variables

A variable is a simple way of allowing KWord to modify the document in very specific ways to reflect the changing nature of the document or report.

A variable can be a number (such as a page number, the total number of pages in a document, etc), a selection of words (clients name, product name, the documents filename, etc), a date, a time, or nearly anything you desire.

Once the variable is defined, a placeholder is inserted in the document. KWord will replace this placeholder with the value of that variable each time the placeholder is used.

Variables can either be fixed (which means that once inserted, their value does not change), or variable (where the placeholder is updated by KWord to reflect the current value of the variable).

This chapter will begin with a few examples of commonly used variables ( date, time, and page numbers), then detail the remaining variables available to you. Finally, it will detail how to create custom variables for documents.

Date and Time

Many letters, reports and documents contain information about the dates or times they correspond to. The date and time information may establish the creation of a document (which will remained fixed as long as the document is around), or the date and time may serve as a notice of the last date of modification (which would change with each passing day).

KWord allows for both fixed and variable date and time variables in the document.

Insert Date

To insert the date in the document, simply place the cursor in the text box where the date should be inserted and select Insert->Variable->Date from the menubar. This will bring up two selections: Current date (fixed) and Current date (variable).

Current date (fixed)

Selecting this option will insert the current date into the current cursor position. This date is determined by checking with the computers system clock. Once entered, this value will not change, even when KWord is asked to update the document variables.

This item is ideal for dates of document creation, or when including data in a report from todays work. Compare this choice to Current date (variable).

Current date (variable)

Selecting this option will insert the current date into the current cursor position. This date is determined by checking with the computers system clock. This value will change when KWord is asked to update the document variables.

This option is good for any point in the document where the current date is always wanted. Compare this choice to Current date (fixed)

Once the date has been selected, a dialog box will appear.



The top dropdown box determines the layout of the variable. Your choices are:

Locale

This inserts the date in the format specified in the KDE Control Center.

To select this option, simply make sure the upper drop down box says Locale. A preview of the date format will appear below the Custom checkbox. If satisfied click OK.

Preformatted date strings

KWord comes with 12 predefined date strings. These predefined strings will be all that are needed in most circumstances. Simply select the predefined string in the upper drop down box. A preview of the date format will appear below the Custom checkbox. If satisfied click OK.

Custom String

If the appropriate format for the date can not be found, it is possible to create custom date format strings.

A date format string consists of a list of letters and numbers which follow specific rules (which are outlined below) to create the completed date.

The date format string consists of placeholders and separators. The placeholders are defined in the following three tables.

Days

Day placeholdersdddddddddd
Example606ThuThursday

Months

Month placeholdersMMMMMMMMMM
Example303MarMarch

Year

Year placeholdersyyyyyy
Example022002

Simply combine placeholders with normal text (separators) to create completed date strings.

For example:

“MM/dd/yyyy” is translated to 03/06/2002

and

“MMMM d, yyyy” becomes March 6, 2002

Notice that only the placeholders change. Spaces, commas, slashes and other text remains unchanged.

Note

It is important to remember that placeholders are case sensitive. “DD” is not a placeholder, only “dd”.

To create a custom date string, place a mark in the Custom checkbox.

Now type placeholders and separators text into the upper drop down box. Alternatively select the format from the Insert: dropdown box, and the placeholder will be inserted into the date format string at the cursor location.

A preview of the current date string is visible below the Custom> checkbox. Click OK when the date format string is correct to insert the variable into the document.

Tip

Once the date has been inserted into the document, it can be reformatted to a different layout and toggled between fixed and variable dates. Simply click once with the right mouse button on the date. A small menu will appear. Select Change variable to... and a submenu will appear. Select your new variable or new layout from the menu and the variable is immediately updated.

Insert Time

To insert the time in the document, simply place the cursor in the text box where the time should be inserted and select Insert->Variable->Time from the menubar. This will bring up two selections: Current time (fixed) and Current time (variable).

Current time (fixed)

Selecting this option will insert the current time into the current cursor position. This time is determined by checking with the computers system clock. Once entered, this value will not change, even when KWord is asked to update the document variables.

This item is ideal for timestamps. Compare this choice to Current time (variable).

Current time (variable)

Selecting this option will insert the current time into the current cursor position. This time is determined by checking with the computers system clock. This value will change when KWord is asked to update the document variables.

This option is good for any point in your document where the current time is always wanted. Compare this choice to Current time (fixed)

This brings up a dialog box.



The top dropdown box determines the layout of the variable. The choices are:

Locale

This inserts the time in the format specified in the KDE Control Center.

To select this option, simply make sure the upper drop down box says Locale. A preview of the time format will appear below the Custom checkbox. If satisfied click OK.

Preformatted time strings

KWord comes with 5 predefined date strings. These predefined strings will be all that are needed in most circumstances. Simply select the predefined string in the upper drop down box. A preview of the time format will appear below the Custom checkbox. If satisfied click OK.

Custom String

If the appropriate format can not be found, a custom time format string can be created.

A time format string consists of a list of letters and numbers which follow specific rules (which are outlined below) to create the completed time.

The time format string consists of placeholders and separators. The placeholders are defined in the following five tables.

Hours

Hour placeholdershhh
Example606

Minutes

Minutes placeholdersmmm
Example303

Seconds

Seconds placeholderssss
Example202

Milliseconds

Milliseconds placeholderszzz
Example022

Seconds

AM/PM placeholdersapAP
ExampleamAM

Simply combine placeholders with normal text (separators) to create completed time strings.

For example:

“hh:mm:ss” becomes 06:23:13

and

“h:mm ap” becomes 6:23 am

Notice that only the placeholders change. Spaces, colons and other text remains unchanged.

Note

It is important to remember that placeholders are case sensitive. “HH” is not a placeholder, only “hh”

To create a custom time string, place a mark in the Custom checkbox.

Type the placeholders and separator text into the upper drop down box. Alternatively, you can select the format from the Insert: dropdown box, and the placeholder will be inserted into the time format string at the cursor location.

A preview of the current time string is visible below the Custom> checkbox. Click OK when the time format string is correct to insert the variable into your document.

A preview of the current time string is visible below the Custom> checkbox. Click OK when the time format string is correct to insert the variable into your document.

Tip

Once the time has been inserted into the document, it can be reformatted to a different layout and toggled between fixed and variable times. Simply click once with the right mouse button on the time in the document. A small menu will appear. Select Change variable to... and a submenu will appear. Select your new variable or new layout from the menu and the variable is immediately updated.

Page Numbering

Inserting page numbers is easy in KWord.

There are two variables that relate to page numbers: Current page and Number of pages

To insert the current page number, place the cursor where you want the page number and select Insert->Variable->Page->Page Number from the menubar. The page number will be inserted at the current cursor location.

To insert the total number of pages, place the cursor where you want the variable and select Insert->Variable->Page->Number of Pages from the menubar. The total number of pages will be inserted.

Note

Page numbers are updated dynamically as the document is edited.

Tip

Page numbers are usually best located within headers and footers. This ensures that every page will have a page number at the appropriate place.

Section Title

You can insert the section title anywhere in your document by selecting Insert->Variable->Page->Section title from the menubar.

KWord determines the Section title by beginning a search from the top of the current page. The first paragraph with a style of Head 1 is the section title. If there are no paragraphs on the current page, KWord does the same search along on previous pages until it finds a section title.

Other Variables

KWord provides other commonly used variables that you might find useful. This set of variables are specific to the document. You can insert these variables by selecting Insert->Variable->Document Information from the menubar. This will bring up a list of variables. The variables are detailed below.

VariableExampleDetails
FilenameResume.kwdInserts the file name of the document.
Author NameJoseph UserThe name of the author as specified in the Document information box.
CityPhiladelphiaThe postal code specified in the Document information box.
Company NameKDEThe company name specified in the Document information box.
CountryUnited StatesThe country name specified in the Document information box.
Directory Name/home/juser/kwordThis is the directory name for the document. The filename is not included in the directory name variable.
Directory and Filename/home/juser/kword/Resume.kwdThe directory and filename of the current file.
Document AbstractThis is a current resume.The document abstract specified in the Document information box.
Document TitleMy ResumeThe document title specified in the Document information box.
Emailjoeuser@kde.orgThe email address of the author as specified in the Document information box.
FaxAny valid telephone numberThe fax machine number specified in the Document information box.
FilenameResume.kwdThe complete name of the file.
Filename without extensionResumeThis removes the file name suffix (usually .kwd) from the filename.
Postal codeAny valid postal codeThe postal code specified in the Document information box.
Street123 Main St.The street address specified in the Document information box.
TelephoneAny valid telephone numberThe telephone number specified in the Document information box.
TitleDirector of Information SystemsThe title specified in the authors section of the Document information box.

Note

Uninitialized variables will appear as <none>, until you define their value in the Document information box.

Custom Variables

KWord has many predefined variables. You may encounter documents where it would be nice to define your own variables for a document.

Using Custom Variables, you can create an unlimited number of variables for each document.

Create a new custom variable

To create a new custom variable, place the cursor at the location in the document to insert the new variable.

Select Insert->Variable->Custom->New from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog box.

Enter the variable name and its current value in the text boxes provided.

Click OK to create the new variable name and insert it at the current cursor location. Click Cancel to cancel the creation of the new variable.

It is now possible to insert this new variable at any place in your document.

Edit a custom variables value

In order for variables to be useful, you need to be able to give them a value, and be able to change that value easily. To change the value of a variable:

Select Tools->Custom Variables... from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog box.

Each custom variable has a line in this table. The first column is the name of the variable, and the second column is the value.

To change the value of a variables, simply click within the text box to the right of the variable name. Enter the desired value.

When all the changes have been complete, simply click OK and all the variables will be updated.

Insert a custom variable

To insert a new custom variable Select Insert->Variable->Custom from the menubar. The custom variable is listed in the submenu. Click on the name of the variable and KWord will insert the variable, with its current value, at the cursor location.

Updating All Variable Values

You can tell KWord to update all variable values (to make sure all variables are set to their current values). This is especially important with dates and times.

Simply select Insert->Variable->Refresh All Variables from the menubar.

Updating One Date or Time Variable Value

You can tell KWord to update a single date or time variable value, and leave the others unchanged.

Simply place the mouse pointer over the variable you want to update and click with the right mouse button. A small menu will appear which will show several new date or time formatting options and the option to change either dates or times to fixed or variable time formats. Simply select the new option and this variable will be updated.

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Expressions

Expressions

Expressions

Expressions are a way to quickly insert common phrases into a document. Once an expression has been selected, the text is inserted into KWord.

Note

Expressions are different from variables. Expressions are inserted as regular text, and can only be changed later by manually editing the text. Variables, insert a placeholder in the document which can be automatically updated at a later date.

Using expressions

To use an expression could not be easier.

Simply place the cursor at the location you want the expression inserted and select Insert->Expression from the menubar. This will give you a submenu with groups of expressions. Select the group that is appropriate for your expression. This will bring up a list of expressions available to you. Select the appropriate expression.

Once selected, that expression will be inserted at the cursor position.

Add, change and delete expression groups and expressions

Adding an expression is accomplished by selecting Tools->Personal expressions... from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog box.



The list at the left shows you all available groups (Employees and Notices in the example above). Notices is the currently selected group.

Add a new group

You will need to create a new group the first time you want to add a new expression. KWord will not allow the user to edit or remove any predefined expressions. You create a new group by clicking on the New located below the group list. A new group will be created with the name new group. You can change the name of the new group by clicking on the newly created group in the group list on the left, then editing the text box on the right labeled Groupname.

Change the name of a group

To change the name of a group, simply click on the group in the list on the left side of the dialog. Type the new name in the text box labeled Groupname.

Delete a group

To delete a group, click on the group in the list on the left side of the dialog.

Warning

Be sure you have selected the correct group prior to clicking on the Delete button. KWord will not give you the opportunity to restore the group if it is accidentally deleted.

Click on the Delete button below the group list. The group and all of the expressions it contained are immediately deleted.

Note

Deleting an expression with this dialog does not delete the expression from any document. It only removes the expression from the menus.

Add a new expression to a group

The left side of the dialog box lists all the available groups. Select the group you want to add your expression to by clicking with the left mouse button on the name of the group. The list on the right of the dialog labeled Expressions lists all the current expressions in the current group.

To add an expression, click on the New located below the expression list.

A new expression is created called empty. Begin typing your new expression.

Edit an expression in a group

The left side of the dialog box lists all the available groups. Select the group that contains your expression to by clicking with the left mouse button on the name of the group. The list on the right of the dialog labeled Expressions lists all the current expressions in the current group.

Click on the expression you want to edit in the expression list on the right.

Click in the text box below the expression list. You can now edit your expression.

When you are finished adding new expressions, simply click OK.

Delete an expression

To delete an expression, click on the group in the list on the left side of the dialog. This will show a list of the expressions belonging to that group in the listbox on the right labeled Expressions.

Select the expression you want to delete by clicking once with the left mouse button.

Warning

Be sure you have selected the correct expression prior to clicking on the Delete button. KWord will not give you the opportunity to restore the expression if it is accidentally deleted.

Click on the Delete button below the expression list. The expression is immediately deleted.

Note

Deleting an expression with this dialog does not delete the expression from any document. It only removes the expression from the menus.

When you are finished making changes, simply click OK.

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Document Links

Document Links

Document Links

KWord has the ability to insert Internet addresses, email addresses and file locations with a descriptor. This is most often used to create web pages in KWord.

Once inserted into the document, the descriptor will be visible in KWord, but when saved as a web document, the descriptor will become the hyperlink for the location specified with the address.

Insert a new document link

To insert a document link select Insert->Link from the menubar. This will bring up a small dialog box.



Using the icon bar on the left, choose which link type you want to insert.

In the comment field, type the text you want to appear in your web document (for example: The KOffice Web Site).

In the address field, type the internet address, email address or file location you want the comment to be linked with (for example: http://www.koffice.org)

Click OK.

Note

By default, KWord displays links underlined (as in most browsers). You can turn this behavior on and off by selecting Settings->Configure KWord from the menubar and selecting the Misc icon. More information can be found here.

Opening a document link

You an use a document link from within KWord.

Simply click once on the document link with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Open Link.

A document link to a web site will open a new browser window and take you directly to that web site. A document link to an email address, will open a new message in your email program. A document link to a file will open the appropriate viewer or editor for that file type.

Copy a document link

You an use a document link in another application, by copying it from a KWord document.

Simply click once on the document link with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Copy Link.

The link address has now been inserted into the clipboard. You can paste your clipboard entry into any other application.

Changing a document link

To change the details of a document link Simply click once on the document link with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Change Link....

The document link dialog box will appear, with the current settings of the link displayed.



Make any appropriate changes and click OK to make your changes.

Deleting a document link

You can delete a document link like any other text in your document.

Simply place the cursor at the end of the document link, and press Backspace. The document link is deleted in its entirety.

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Document Comments

Document Comments

Document Comments

Document comments are included in KWord to allow you to have your documents read by another person. That person can make comments about the text and the comment will appear right next to the text.

Adding a comment to a document

To add a comment to a document, select the text you want the comment to apply to.

Select Insert->Comment... from the menubar. This will bring up a small dialog box.

Type the text of your comment in the dialog box provided. If you click on the Add authors name, the text will be signed, dated and the current time will be added.

Note

The authors name must be entered in the Document Information dialog or the name will not be included.

When you have entered all of your text, click OK to add your comment.

The comment will appear as a small yellow box at the cursor location.

Adding to or changing the comment in a document

To add more comments or change previous comments place the mouse pointer over the comment you want to edit. Click once with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Edit Comment....

You can now make your changes to the comment.

Deleting a comment from a document

To delete a comment, place the mouse pointer over the comment you want to edit. Click once with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Remove Comment.

The comment is immediately deleted.

Hiding all comments in a document

To hide all comments, select Settings->Configure KWord... from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box.



Click on the Misc icon.



The check box labeled Display comments is used to toggle the comments on and off.

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Footnotes and Endnotes

Footnotes and Endnotes

Footnotes and Endnotes

KWord has a complete set of tools to create and manage footnotes and endnotes. When you assign a footnote, KWord automatically places the footnote at the bottom of the correct page. When you assign an endnote, the notation is located in a numbered list at the end of your text. If the footnote or endnote reference point is moved to a new page, the footnote automatically follows and is renumbered as needed (if the user desires).

KWord also has the ability to seperatly manage endnotes and footnotes in the same document.

You have the option of having KWord control the numbering of your footnotes. Alternatively, you can manually specify each footnote.

There are multiple automatic numbering schemes and your footnotes can be separated from the text with a dividing line.

Add a new footnote or endnote

To add a new footnote or endnote, place your cursor at the end of the text you want to reference. Then select Insert->Footnote/Endnote... from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog box.



If you want KWord to automatically number your footnotes or endnotes for you, make sure that Automatic is selected. If you want to manually enter all footnotes in, then select Manual and enter the footnote or endnote entry in the text box to the right.

Tip

If at all possible, try to allow KWord to automatically number the footnotes and endnotes for you. If KWord controls the numbering, and you insert, delete or move footnotes, KWord will automatically renumber or reorder the footnotes for you.

Then select either Footnote or Endnote. Footnotes will appear at the bottom of the page where the notation occurs. Endnotes will appear as an ordered list at the end of your document.

Click Configure to change the look of your footnotes or endnotes.

Click Cancel to return to your document without inserting a footnote or endnote.

Click Insert to insert the footnote or endnote. KWord will create the footnote or endnote entry, and place the cursor at the beginning of the entry for you to enter the desired reference information. Type your reference information in the space provided.

When you have finished entering your footnote reference information, simply move back up the page, and you can return to editing your document.

Change reference of footnote

There are two ways to change reference information for a footnote:

  • Place the mouse pointer over the footnote you want to change, and click once with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Edit Footnote. KWord will immediately move your cursor to the appropriate footnote reference.

  • Simply move to the bottom of the page (if it is a footnote) or the end of the document (if it is an endnote). Locate the footnote or endnote reference, and click once with the left mouse button.

    Tip

    You can jump to the end of the document by typing Ctrl+End.

Delete a footnote or endnote

To delete a footnote, simply delete the footnote or endnote number. KWord will remove the reference information and resize the footnote frame.

Change the look of footnotes

To configure the appearance of footnotes, select Format->Footnote/Endnote... from the menubar. A dialog will appear.

Change the appearance of footnote entries



There are 5 predefined numbering methods for footnotes. Those methods are listed in the left side of the dialog box. Begin by selecting the numbering method you want by clicking once with the left mouse button.

In the text box labeled Prefix text:, you can enter any characters you want to appear before the footnote number.

In the text box labeled Suffix text:, you can enter any characters you want to appear before the footnote number.

You can adjust the starting position of the footnote counter using the spinbox labeled Start at:.

Change the appearance of separator line

To change the appearance of the separator line, click on the tab labled Separator line.



You can determine the alignment of the separator line by selecting Left, Centered or Right

Determine the line lengths using the spin box labeled Separator Line Length.

Determine the line width using the spin box labeled Separator Line Width.

Use the drop down box labeled Separator Line Type to determine what kind of line is drawn.

Click OK to change the look of all footnotes or click Cancel to keep the previous options.

Change the placement of the footnotes

You can determine how much space separates the main text frame and the footnotes. Select Format->Page Layout... from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog:



Click on the tab labeled Headers and Footers.



At the bottom of the dialog is a text box is labeled Spacing between footnote and body. As the label suggests, you can use this text box to specify the distance between the bottom edge of the main frame, and the top edge of the footnotes. When you have entered the desired spacing, click OK, and the footnotexs will change position on the page.

If both footnotes and endnotes are on the current page, the setting will apply to the space between the body and the footnotes.

Change the appearance of endnote entries

Change the look of endnote entries

To configure the appearance of endnotes, select Format->Footnote/Endnote... from the menubar. A dialog will appear.



Click on the tab labeled Endnotes.



There are 5 predefined numbering methods for footnotes. Those methods are listed in the left side of the dialog box. Begin by selecting the numbering method you want by clicking once with the left mouse button.

In the text box labeled Prefix text:, you can enter any characters you want to appear before the endnote number.

In the text box labeled Suffix text:, you can enter any characters you want to appear before the endnote number.

You can adjust the starting position of the footnote counter using the spinbox labeled Start at:.

Change the placement of the endnotes

You can determine how much space separates the main text frame and the footnotes. Select Format->Page Layout... from the menubar. This will bring up a dialog:



Click on the tab labeled Headers and Footers.



At the bottom of the dialog is a text box is labeled Spacing between footnote and body. As the label suggests, you can use this text box to specify the distance between the bottom edge of the main frame, and the top edge of the endnotes. When you have entered the desired spacing, click OK, and the endnotes will change position on the page.

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KOffice Data

KOffice Data

KOffice Data

The applications which make up KOffice are capable of a fine degree of integration between each other.

Note

Because the actual process of inserting a component varies depending on the application, this chapter will not detail every step of the process. You will need to be familiar with the basics of using the other application in order to correctly insert a component from that application

Refer to the help files of the other applications for more specific information.

General instructions

There are two ways to insert a component (spreadsheet, presentation, graph, etc) from another application in KOffice:

  • Selecting Insert->Object Frame from the menubar.

    You will be given a list of KOffice applications to choose from. Select the application you desire.

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

    A dialog box will appear with a list of KOffice applications to choose from. Select the application you desire.

    KWord will now ask you to define a frame for this object. Place the mouse pointer where you want the upper left corner of the frame to be located, and click once with the left mouse button.

KWord will now execute the application you selected from within KWord. The details of each application are different. Please see the application manuals for the specific KOffice application for details on the use of that application. (In other words, from this point on, if you insert a spreadsheet from KSpread, then the windows will act the same as KSpread.)

Working with the inserted component

To edit the data within the component, simply double click with the mouse pointer and KWord will change the toolbars, menuitems and application structure to match the KOffice application. This way, you can use the application specific tools to refine your component.

Note

The frame that contains the embedded data, can be manipulated the same as any other frame in KWord.

When you save your document, the component is saved within the KWord document.

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Inserting files

Inserting files

Inserting files

KWord has the ability to insert a previously saved KWord file into the current document. This is especially useful for large documents that have multiple authors.

To insert a KWord file into the current document, place the cursor at the desired insertion point of the document.

Selecting Insert->File... from the menubar. You will be given a file selection dialog to select the KWord file you want to insert.

When you have located the KWord file, click OK, and the new KWord file will be inserted into the current document at the current cursor position.

KWord will integrate the newly inserted document into the structure of the current document.

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Document bookmarks

Document bookmarks

Document bookmarks

Bookmarks are invisible placeholders that allow you to move easily to specified points in a large document.

Tip

Some other wordprocessors have bookmarks as part of their interface. If you are familiar with their use, you will find that KWord functions in a similar manner.

It should be noted that bookmarks are attached to the text near the cursor, not the page location. If the text moves forward or backward in the document (as text is inserted or deleted respectively), the bookmark moves with the text.

Creating a new bookmark

Creating a bookark is simple.

Place the cursor where you want the bookmark to be inserted. Select Insert->Add Bookmark... from the menubar.

A small dialog box will appear.

Type a short description of the bookmark location (i.e. Chapter 1, Appendix, Abstract, etc). This description will identify the bookmark for you.

Click OK to create the bookmark.

Click Cancel to return to your document without creating a bookmark.

Jump to a previously created bookmark

To jump to a previously created bookmark, select Tools->Select Bookmark from the menubar.

A small dialog will appear. Double click on the desired bookmark with the left mouse button. You will immediately be taken to the location in the document that is attached to that bookmark.

Note

Alternatively, you can click once on the desired bookmark with the left mouse button, and then click on OK. This will function the same as double clicking on the bookmark.

Rename a bookmark

To rename a bookmark, select Tools->Select Bookmark from the menubar.

A small dialog will appear. Click on the desired bookmark with the left mouse button. Now select Rename Bookmark. A small dialog will appear. Enter the new name for your bookmark. Click OK. The bookmark is renamed immediately.

Delete a bookmark

To delete a bookmark, select Tools->Select Bookmark from the menubar.

A small dialog will appear. Click on the desired bookmark with the left mouse button.

Warning

Be sure you have selected the correct bookmark from the list before proceeding. KWord does not ask for confirmation before deleting the selected bookmark.

Now select Delete Bookmark. The bookmark is deleted immediately.

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Formulas

Formulas

Formulas

KWord has the ability to directly create formulas using the formula editor common to all KOffice applications.

Note

This is a formula editor for creating graphical versions of formulas. KWord does not currently have any ability to solve mathematical equations.

Add a formula

There are three ways to insert a formula into a document:

  • By selecting Insert->Formula from the menubar

  • Using the keyboard shortcut: F4

  • or by clicking on the toolbar.

KWord creates a formula frame at the current cursor location.

Note

Formula frames behave differently than most other frames in KWord:

  • All formula frames are inserted inline by default. This frame can later be converted to a framed frame later.

  • Formula frames expand and contract depending on the resulting size of the formula.

  • Formula frames automatically determine where in the line they are lined up.

Moving a formula

By default, formula frames are created as inline frames by default. The formula frame will move with the text as any other inline frame would.

If you want to have more control over where the formula is placed, you can convert it to a framed formula by clicking on the frame surrounding the formula with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Simply select Inline and the formula will now be a freely movable frame.

Once converted to a freely movable frame, you can move the frame just like any other frame in KWord.

Removing a formula

To delete a formula in KWord, simply delete the frame around it.

Editing a formula

Editing a formula is beyond the scope of this documentation. Please see the KFormula handbook for help with the editing of the formula.

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Chapter 9. Advanced Topics

Advanced Topics

Chapter 9. Advanced Topics

The sections that are included in this chapter are for advanced users. The instructions for these sections will assume you are familiar with the basic operation of KWord.

Document Structure

Sometimes, when editing a complicated document, it can be helpful to look at an organized view of your document.

You can use this organized view to jump immediately to certain text frames, select picture frames or simply review your document.

Show and hide document structure window

Because simple documents do not need the information provided in the document structure window, KWord has the ability to toggle the document structure window on and off.

To toggle the document structure window on and off, select View->Show Doc Structure from the menubar.

Navigating the document structure window

Lets examine a sample document structure window.



As you can see, there are 4 groups of frames categorized (Embedded Objects, Formula Frames, Pictures, Text Frame/Framesets).

Embedded Objects

Within this category, is an alphabetical list of all frames that contain data from other KOffice applications.

Formula Frames

Within this category is a list of all frames that contain formulas.

Pictures

Within this category is a list of all frames that contain pictures, and the directory the pictures were loaded from.

Text Frame/Framesets

Within this category, is a list of all text framesets. Below each frameset, each frame is listed.

You can use your mouse to select the category you want. Double click on the category to expand or contract the category.

Note

Depending on your document, you may not have all categories in your document structure window. The category only appears when there is at least one frame in the category.

Select a frameset from the document structure window

To select a frame (to copy, move, or simply jump to the selected frame), click on the frame title with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Select Frameset from the menu.

Edit a text frame using the document structure window

To edit a text frame, click on the frame title with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Edit Text Frameset from the menu.

Edit a framesets properties using the document structure window

To change the properties of a frame or frameset, click on the frame title with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Edit Frameset Properties from the menu.

Delete frame or frameset using the document structure window

To delete a frame or frameset, click on the frame title with the right mouse button. A submenu will appear. Select Delete Frameset from the menu.

Chapter numbering

Chapter numbering

Chapter numbering

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Mail Merge

Mail Merge

Mail Merge

KWord has the ability to use data from an outside database (or internal database) to personalize your documents for individual members/clients/friends.

This section of the manual will cover all aspects of creating, merging and printing documents that are specific to KWord. This manual will not cover:

  • Creating an external database.

  • Security issues regarding databases.

  • Detailed instructions on SQL. It is assumed you have some knowledge regarding SQL if you are using a SQL database for your data source.

  • Accessing the network or internet.

For answers to these questions, other documentation is available on the internet that is specific to the software you have chosen.

If you want to use the internal database of KWord, click here.

Using an outside database (SQL) to create documents

KWord has the ability to use several of the most popular open source databases as a source of data for personalized documents.

Note

In order to access an outside database using SQL, your machine needs to have the appropriate database module compiled into your copy of QT.

For more information see the installation section of this documentation.

The database can be located on the same machine as KWord, or on any computer which is accessable through your computer network or the internet.

In order to use the database, you must know the following information:

  • Name of the database

  • Host name/IP address of the computer the database is located on

  • The port address on the specified computer granting SQL access

  • A valid user name for the database

  • A valid password for the user name

If you have all this information at your finger tips, you are ready to proceed.

Using an outside database to create personalized documents is a three step process:

  1. Connect to the database and select your query.

  2. Insert the merge fields to tell KWord where to insert the database information

  3. Print the personalized documents.

Locate the database and query the records.

To begin, select Tools->Configure Mail Merge... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Click on Open Existing.... Another small dialog will appear.

There is currently only one option in this dialog box (QT-SQL source). Click on OK. A new dialog box will appear.



Enter the URL or IP address of the computer that holds the database in the text box labeled Hostname:.

Select the correct driver from the dropdown box labeled Driver:.

Enter the database name you were provided in the text box labeled Database name: and a user name in the text box labeled Username:.

If the database access is through a port other than the default port enter that port number in the text box labeled Port:.

Tip

If you are going to be using this database at other times, you can click on the button labeled Keep settings. KWord will ask for a descriptive name.

When you want to restore these settings on future sessions, simply select the descriptive name from the dropdown box in the upper left of the dialog box.

When all information is correct, click OK. KWord will ask you for a password to that database. Enter the password in the text box, and click OK.

This dialog box will re-appear.



Click on Edit Current.... Another dialog will appear.



This dialog is designed to help you enter and test your database query. The dialog is divided into three sections: Database information, Query information and Query line.

The database information section is labeled Information and consists of two combo boxes. The left combo box (Available tables) gives you a list of all available tables within the current database. Select the desired table from the list by clicking on the table name with the left mouse button. A list of all available fields from that table will appear in the right combo box.

The query line is a text box located near the bottom of the dialog labeled Query. Simply type your SQL query into this text box and click Execute. KWord will query the database and return the specified query in tabular format in the Query result box. You can alter, or edit your query on the query line and each time you click Execute, the new query results will appear.

Note

KWord does not limit your query strings. They can be simple and straight forward:

select * from eMail

Or complex multitable queries:

select eMail.FirstName, eMail.LastName, eMail.address, data.Birthday, data.EyeColour from eMail, data where data.FirstName=eMail.FirstName and data.LastName=eMail.LastName

Clicking Setup, will allow you to log into a different database.

When you have the correct query in the Query text box, click OK to select that query.

This will return you to the mail merge main dialog box.



Click Close.

Now that you have selected your data query, it is time to insert the merge fields in the document. Click here to continue.

Using an internal representation of tabular data to create documents

For small sets of data, or when you do not currently have a database containing the merge data, KWord offers you the ability to enter the data directly into KWord in tabular form. This internal data structure can then be used to create documents with this data inserted at predefined locations.

Using an internal representation of the data to create personalized documents is a three step process:

  1. Enter the data into KWord

  2. Insert the merge fields to tell KWord where to insert the database information

  3. Print the personalized documents.

After the data has been created once, you can go back and change the data as needed, and produce another set of personalized documents from that data.

Enter the data

To begin, select Tools->Configure Mail Merge... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Click on Create New.... Another small dialog will appear.

There is currently only one option in this dialog box Internal storage. Click on OK. A new dialog box will appear.



This is a record card for creating your tabular data file. Along the top is a toolbar and the main part of the dialog is space to hold your entry/data pairs.

Defining the structure of your data table

First, we need to add one or more entries (merge fields). This is accomplished by clicking the (Add entry) button (third button from the right along the toolbar). A small dialog box will appear. Type a descriptive name of your entry in the dialog box (Name, Address, Balance Due, etc....).

Note

This is for the name of the entry, not the data that is contained within the entry.

Click OK, and the entry is added to the card.

Repeat this process until all needed entries are visible on this first card.

If you want to delete an entry, simply click once on the entry name with the left mouse button and select (Remove entry).

Warning

Be very sure you have selected the correct entry name. Once you tell KWord to delete the entry, the entry and all of the data within those entries will be deleted immediately. You will not be given the option to stop or reverse the process once it is begun.

Entering the data into the table

Now that the structure of your data is defined, you can enter the data into your entries.

At the top of the dialog box, are 4 buttons surrounding a spin box. The spin box gives the current record number. All records are numbered in the order they are added starting with number 1. You can use the spin box to go directly to the desired record or you can use the arrows to graphically move through the list of records.

buttonAction
Move directly to record one
Move back one record
Move forward one record
Move to the last record in the dataset

To enter the data, simply place the cursor in the text box to the right of the entry name, and type in the data. (KWord uses “No Value” as the default value for all entries in newly created records.)

To add a record, click the button.

To delete a record, click the button.

Warning

Be careful when you are deleting records. Once deleted, the record can not be retrieved.

Continue to enter all data until your dataset is complete.

After your dataset is complete, click OK to save the changes to your dataset. This will bring up the mail merge main dialog:



Click Close. Now it is time to insert the merge fields in the document.

Insert merge fields in document

Now that KWord knows the entries available in your data source, you can insert the merge fields into your document.

A merge field is a placeholder within the document. This placeholder will be replaced in each personalized document with the value of the entry for that individual record.

Insert a merge field

To insert a merge field, place the cursor at the desired place in the document. Select Insert->Variable->Mail Merge... from the menubar. A list of available entries will appear. Select the desired entry, and click OK.

The merge field is inserted at the current cursor location. The merge field is surrounded by brackets.

You can place the cursor in a new location in the document and insert another placeholder. When you are done inserting placeholders, you can proceed to printing your document.

Delete a merge field

To delete a merge field, simply place the cursor at the end of the merge field, and press the Backspace key. The entire merge field will be deleted.

Previewing and printing the merged document

Once you have inserted all the merge fields you want, you are ready to preview and print the personalized documents.

Preview your documents before printing

To preview your document select Tools->Configure Mail Merge... from the menubar. A dialog box will appear.



Select Print Preview. You will be able to see the final output of your personalized documents prior to printing.

Print your personalized documents.

You print personalized documents using the same methods that you do to print traditional documents. For more information on printing see the section on Printing a Document.

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Chapter 10. Migrating to KWord

Migrating to KWord

Chapter 10. Migrating to KWord

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Chapter 11. How do I...

How do I...

Chapter 11. How do I...

The next part of KWord documentation is designed to provide examples on how to solve specific problems using KWord.

Each section is a self contained list of steps, and refers the reader to other sections of the documentation for more complete information on different aspects of KWord.

These examples were selected to:

  • Show how KWord might function differently from other word processors you are used to.

  • Show how to combine several elements to create the desired document.

  • Illustrate the power of KWord.

You can use these examples as recipes for your document, or modify them to create the look or content you desire.

How do I get the pages numbers on the outsides of the pages and the title in the middle of the header (like a novel)?

This first example shows how you can combine tables and variables in a header to create a common format to your document.

Note

Your document must be at least 2 pages long before you begin this procedure.

  1. Select File->Document Information from the menubar.

  2. Click on the About tab.

  3. Click once in the text box labeled Document Title with the left mouse button and enter the desired document title.

  4. Click on the OK button.

  5. Select Format->Page Layout... from the menubar.

  6. Click on the Header and Footer tab.

  7. Select Different header for even and odd pages.

  8. Then click OK.

  9. Select View->Header from the menubar.

  10. Move to an odd numbered page in your document, and click in the header box.

  11. Press F5 to insert a table in the header.

  12. The insert table dialog will appear. Change the initial values to:

    • Number of Rows: 1

    • Number of Columns: 3

    • Cell Heights: Manual

    • Cell Widths: Manual

    • Make sure the table is Inline.

    Then click OK.

  13. Click in the header again with the left mouse button, to show the table.

  14. In the right column of the table, click with the left mouse button.

  15. Select Insert->Variable->Page Number from the menubar.

  16. Click the Right Text Align button () on the toolbar.

  17. Click once in the center column with the left mouse button.

  18. Select Insert->Variable->Property->Document Title from the menubar.

  19. Click the Center Text Align button () on the toolbar.

  20. Move to an even numbered page in your document, and click in the header box.

  21. Press F5 to insert a table in the header.

  22. The insert table dialog will appear. Change the initial values to:

    • Number of Rows: 1

    • Number of Columns: 3

    • Cell Heights: Manual

    • Cell Widths: Manual

    • Make sure the table is Inline.

    Then click OK.

  23. Click in the header again with the left mouse button, to show the table.

  24. In the left column of the table, click with the left mouse button.

  25. Select Insert->Variable->Page Number from the menubar.

  26. Click once in the center column with the left mouse button.

  27. Select Insert->Variable->Property->Document Title from the menubar.

  28. Click the Center Text Align button () on the toolbar.

That completes the procedure. Your document now has the title of the document in the center along the top of each page, and the page numbers on the outside corners of the pages.

If you want page numbers on the bottom of the pages, you can use Footers instead of headers in your document.

To adjust the look of the tables, including where their margins are, see the section entitled Tables.

How do I create a .pdf file?

How do I create a .pdf file?

How do I create a .pdf file?

KWord differs slightly from other word processors here. Instead of saving your file as a .pdf file, you print your file to create the .pdf file.

When you are ready to create a .pdf file from your document:

  1. Select File->Print from the menubar.

    This will bring up the print dialog.

  2. In the drop-down box labled Name, select Print to File (PDF/Acrobat)

  3. Enter your desired filename in the Output file text box.

  4. If you wish to make any changes to the PDF formatting, select Properties.

    A complete explanation to all these properties, is beyond the scope of this document.

  5. Click OK.

Your PDF file will be created and saved at the location specified in Output file. This file can be uploaded onto any website.

For more information on printing in KDE, visit The KDE Print webpage.

For more information on .pdf files, visit The PDFZone Resources page

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How do I remove template categories from the open dialog.

How do I remove template categories from the open dialog.

How do I remove template categories from the open dialog.

Templates can only be removed using the template creation dialog. For instructions, click Removing template group.

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Chapter 12. The Menu Items/Tool Bars

The Menu Items/Tool Bars

Chapter 12. The Menu Items/Tool Bars

Introduction to Menu Bars and Tool Bars

The key to getting the most out of KWord, is found in the menu bars and the toolbars.

The menu bar is organized into groups of functions (e.g. file functions, table functions, etc.). Below each of these groups, is a submenu of actions. Some of these submenus will have sub menus of their own.

The tool bars are also organized into groups. Each toolbar consists of a set of buttons. Each button performs a specific function. The toolbars are designed to act as shortcuts for more commonly used functions.

The first part of this section of the manual discusses the manipulation of KWord's toolbars to suit your needs.

The second part of this section, takes a detailed look at each menubar function, and each standard toolbar button, and provides you with a brief summary of its action. Most of these menubar functions and tool bar buttons also provide you with a link to more detailed information located elsewhere in the KWord Handbook.

Hiding, Changing, and Moving Tool Bars

Hiding, Changing, and Moving Tool Bars

Hiding, Changing, and Moving Tool Bars

KWord offers the user great flexibility when it comes to toolbars. This first section will show you some of the many options you have for relocating, reformatting and removing toolbars from your desktop.

Hiding and Flattening Tool Bars

When you start KWord for the first time, all the several toolbars are visible. If you don't think you will need a toolbar, and want to reclaim that desktop space, you have two options. You can hide the toolbars or you can temporarily flatten the toolbars.

Flattening Toolbars

Each toolbar has a striped area to the left (or on top) of the toolbar buttons. By clicking on this area, the toolbar will be minimized (flattened).



Once a toolbar is flat, this striped area moves up near the menubar.



Clicking on this area will restore the toolbar to its original size.

Note

Alternatively place the mouse pointer over on the toolbar you want to flatten, and click with the right mouse button.

A small menu will appear at the mouse pointer. Select Flat.

To restore this menu to its original size and position, place the mouse pointer over the stripped area near the menubar, and click with the left mouse button.

Hiding/Restoring Toolbars

If you want to eliminate the toolbar entirely from the window, you should hide the toolbar.

To hide a toolbar, Select Settings from the menubar. This will bring up a submenu. All of the toolbars are listed. Simply select the toolbar you want to hide or restore.

Moving Toolbars around

Toolbars can be located on the screen in 4 places.

  1. Top

  2. Bottom

  3. Left

  4. Right

Top, Bottom, Left and Right refer to the edges of the KWord screen.

By locating a tool bar in the Bottom position, for example, you move the toolbar into a horizontal position below the Document Area, and along the bottom of the KWord window. By locating a tool bar in the Left position,however, you move the toolbar into a vertical position to the left of the Document Area, and along the left edge of the KWord window.

Multiple toolbars can be located at each of these points in the screen. (You could, for instance, move all the toolbars to the top of the screen). KWord will shuffle toolbars around, to fit in the most compact way at that location.

There are two ways to move any toolbar.

  • Click on the striped area of the toolbar with the left mouse button and hold the button down. Drag the toolbar to the desired location. You will see a rectangular shape indicating the position and orientation of the toolbar. When at the desired location, release the left mouse button and the toolbar will be inserted there.

    or

  • Click on the toolbar with the right mouse button. A sub-menu will appear. Select Orientation. Another small submenu will appear. Select Top, Bottom, Left, or Right.

Changing the look of your toolbars

Toolbars can have their buttons displayed different ways. Below are examples of the four options for the File toolbar.

Icons Only
Text Only
Text Aside Icons
Text Under Icons

To change the appearance of a toolbar, place the cursor over on the toolbar you want to change, and click with the right mouse button.

A small menu will appear at the mouse cursor. Select Text position. This will open a submenu, select your preference from the list.

Changing Icon Size

You can also select the size of the icons by clicking on the toolbar with the right mouse button. A small submenu will appear. Select Icon Size and then your preferred icon size.

Note

Setting the look of one toolbar does not alter the look of another toolbar.

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Basic Menu Bar

Basic Menu Bar

Basic Menu Bar

The Menubar contains all commands available to KWord. It is divided into 10 general categories.



File Menu

By clicking on the File menu, you can begin new documents, load previously edited documents, print your documents, close the current document (so you can load another document), or quit KWord entirely.

File->New (Ctrl+N)

Allows you to open new files for editing. For Step by Step instructions see Beginning a New Document.

Typing Ctrl+N or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

File->Open (Ctrl+O)

For opening previously created KWord files. For Step by Step instructions see Retrieving a Saved Document.

Typing Ctrl+O or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

File->Open Recent

For opening the most recently edited files. Once you have clicked on this option, a list of recently edited files will appear. Select the file you want and KWord will open the file.

File->Save (Ctrl+S)

Saves your current file to disk. If you have not saved the file yet, you will be prompted for a filename. For more details, see Saving a Document.

Typing Ctrl+S or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

File->Save As...

Allows you to save your file under another name or another format. For more details, see Saving a Document.

File->Reload File

Reloads the current file from disk, erasing any changes to the document since the last time it was saved.

File->Create Template from Document

Allows you to save your file as a template, to use as a starting point for future documents. For more details, see Creating a new template.

File->Statistics...

Opens a window that counts the sentences, words, characters and syllables in your document.

The number of sentences is not always absolutely correct, as KWord has to guess if a dot really starts a new sentence or not. The number of syllables is estimated, KWord therefore assumes that the text is written in English.

The Flesch reading ease score is a number between 0 and 100 which estimates how readable a text is. The higher the number, the easier the text can be read. Text with a score of 70-80 have a fairly good readability.

The Flesch formula uses the number of words per sentences and the number of syllables per word. It assumes that the use of short words and short sentences increases the readability of a text. It says nothing about grammar or meaning. As both the number of sentences and the number of syllables is estimated, the result is not absolutely precise. The text should be at least 200 words long, if it isn't the score will be marked as approximated.

The Flesch score is defined for English text only, but the basic idea should work for many other languages, too.

Click OK to dismiss the window.

File->Print... (Ctrl+P)

Print the file. For an overview of printing options see Printing a Document.

Typing Ctrl+P or clicking are equivalent to using the menubar.

File->Print Preview...

Print the file, but sends the output to your postscript viewer, for your confirmation before sending it to the printer. The operation of your postscript viewer will vary depending on which viewer you use. Refer to the help files for your viewer for help.

Clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

File->Document Information...

Opens a window that lets you enter information related to the document (such as author's name, address, phone numbers, document abstract, etc.). This information is saved with the document for later classification.

For more information, see Document Information.

File->Send File...

Launches your e-mail client so you can send the current file as an attachment. The file must have been saved once before this option can be selected.

File->Close (Ctrl+W)

Close the file you are currently working on. If you have not saved your most recent changes, you will be prompted.

Typing Ctrl+W is equivalent to using the menubar.

File->Quit (Ctrl+Q)

Quits KWord

Typing Ctrl+Q is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit Menu

By clicking on the Edit menu, you can cut/copy/paste text, undo or redo edits and perform searches and text replacement.

Edit->Undo (Ctrl+Z)

Reverses the last action you performed. Not all actions can be reversed. If you are not able to Undo the last action, the Undo option will be replaced with No Undo Possible. For a more thourough discussion of Undo/Redo, click here.

Typing Ctrl+Z or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Redo (Ctrl+Shift+Z)

Reverses the last Undo performed. If the Redo option is unavailable, the Toolbar will replace Redo with No Redo Possible. For a more thourough discussion of Undo/Redo, click here.

Typing Ctrl+Shift+Z or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Cut (Ctrl+X)

Deletes the highlighted text from the document, and places a copy in the clipboard. For a more complete directions on cutting and pasting, and a full description of the clipboard, click here.

Typing Ctrl+X or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Copy (Ctrl+C)

Places a copy of the highlighted text in the clipboard, without changing the text in the document. For a more complete directions on cutting and pasting, and a full description of the clipboard, click here.

Typing Ctrl+C or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Paste (Ctrl+V)

Inserts a copy of the clipboard into the current cursor position. If there is highlighted text, KWord replaces replaces all highlighted text with the contents of the clipboard. The clipboard is not altered. For a more complete directions on cutting and pasting, and a full description of the clipboard, click here.

Typing Ctrl+V or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Select All (Ctrl+A)

Immediately highlights all text of the current frameset.

Typing Ctrl+A is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Find (Ctrl+F)

Allows you to search for a series of characters. The find features of KWord are covered in more detail under Searching for Text.

Typing Ctrl+F or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Find Next (F3)

Repeat the last search for characters starting at the current cursor position. The find features of KWord are covered in more detail under Searching for Text.

Typing F3 is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Find Previous (Shift+F3)

Repeat the last search for characters starting at the current cursor positon and moving backwards. The find features of KWord are covered in more detail under Searching for Text.

Typing Shift+F3 is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Replace (Ctrl+R)

Allows you to replace one or more characters with another set of characters. The find and replace features of KWord are covered in more detail under Replacing Text.

Typing Ctrl+R is equivalent to using the menubar.

Edit->Delete Page

Delete the current page.

View Menu

View->New View

This will create a new view of your document. For more information on views, refer to the section entitled Using Multiple Views.

View->Close All Views

This will close all views including the current view. This will also quit KWord. For more information on views, refer to the section entitled Using Multiple Views.

View->Split View

This will split the current view. The orientation of the split is determined by the Splitter Orientation. For more information on views, refer to the section entitled Using Multiple Views.

View->Remove View

This will close the current view. For more information on views, refer to the section entitled Using Multiple Views.

View->Splitter Orientation

This determines whether split views are oriented horizontally or vertically. Click on this option, and you are presented with a submenu with 2 options: Vertical and Horizontal. For more information on views, refer to the section entitled Using Multiple Views.

View->Page Mode

When this option is selected, KWord will show you how your page looks in a WYSIWYG environment. This is the standard view for editing your document.

Compare this with Preview Mode and Text Mode.

View->Preview Mode

This changes KWord from a single page view, to a multiple page view suitable for evaluating document flow and formatting.

The number of pages shown in preview mode can be adjusted.

View->Text Mode

When this option is selected, KWord will only show the text of your document..

View->Formatting Characters

Clicking on this option toggles the display of formatting characters. Selecting this option will display non-printable characters (spaces, character returns, and tab stops). Selecting this option again will turn the display of these characters off.

Which formatting characters are visible can be configured in the KWord configuration dialog.

View->Frame Borders

Clicking on this option toggles the display of the borders to frames. Normally, KWord draws a gray line around each frame, so you can see the borders of the frames. If you want this option turned off, you can select this option. Selecting this option again will turn the borders back on.

View->Show Doc Structure

Clicking on this option toggles the display of the document structure window. For more information, refer to the section entitled Document Structure.

View->Show Rulers

Selecting this option will toggle the rulers off. Selecting this option again will turn rulers on. A checkmark before the menu entry will show you the current status of this option. More information on rulers can be found under Using rulers.

View->Zoom

Selecting this option will let you increase or decrease the page magnification. Selecting a zoom value larger than 100 percent causes the text and pictures to appear larger. Selecting a zoom value smaller than 100 percent will cause the text and pictures to appear smaller.

Important

The zoom value does not affect the final output of the text or pictures. This option is intended to help you edit and layout your documents.

Insert Menu

Insert->Special Character (Alt+Shift+C)

Opens a dialog box which allows you to select characters not found on the keyboard.

Typing Alt+Shift+C is equivalent to using the menubar.

Insert->Page Break (Ctrl+Return)

This will enter a special character which will force text into the next connected text frame. More information can be found at Page Breaks located in the Working with Frames section.

Typing Ctrl+Return is equivalent to using the menubar.

Insert->Horizontal Line...

This option will insert a horizontal line to seperate paragraphs at the cursor position. More information can be found at Horizontal lines section.

Insert->Page

This option will insert a new page at the current cursor position.

Insert->Footnote...

This will insert a footnote at the current cursor position. More detailed information can be found in Footnotes.

Insert->Table of Contents

This will insert or update a table of contents at the current cursor position. More detailed information can be found in Table of Contents.

Insert->Variable

Selecting this option will allow you to insert page numbers, date, time, author information, etc. You can find specific information about page numbers here. More information about Date and Times can be found under Inserting the Date and Time. More information on other variables can be found in Document Variables.

Insert->Expression

Selecting this option will allow you to insert common phrases. The phrases are organized into categories. For information on using and adding expressions refer to the section entitled Expressions.

Insert->Link...

Allows you to connect text to an external web page, email address or files For more information refer to the section entitled Document Links.

Insert->Comment...

Allows you to add comments to selected text. For more information refer to the section entitled Document Comments.

Insert->File...

Allows you to insert another KWord file within the document. For more information refer to the section entitled Inserting Files.

Insert->Bookmark...

Allows you to mark your place in the document for easy retrieval. For more information refer to the section entitled Document Bookmarks.

Insert->Text Frame (F2)

To create a new text frame. After selecting this option, your cursor will change to cross hairs. chose the location of one corner of your new text frame. Click on the left mouse button and hold the button down. Drag the mouse, until you have the desired text frame. When you have the correct shape and size, release the mouse button. KWord will now bring up a dialog box with options to connect this text frame to other frames in your document. For more information on this subject, see Working with Frames.

Typing F2 or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Insert->Picture... (Shift+F5)

This option will let you create a new frame, and automatically insert a picture from a file into the new frame. After selecting this menu item or toolbar button, a dialog box will be opened, so you may select the picture file from your system. (For help with this dialog box, please see Inserting Graphics.) Once you have selected the file you want, click on the OK button. KWord will close the dialog box, and your cursor will change to cross hairs. Locate the cursor on the page where you would like to locate one corner of your picture. Click and hold the right mouse button, then drag the mouse. This will create a border which represents the final size of the picture in your document. When you are happy with the size of the picture, release the mouse button and the picture will be inserted in your new frame.

Typing Shift+F5 or clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Insert->Formula

Insert a formula into the document. More information on formulas in KWord can be found here.

Typing F4 or clicking are is equivalent to using the menubar.

Insert->Table...

This will allow you to create a table in the current cursor location. For more information, please see the section entitled Tables.

Typing F5 or clicking are is equivalent to using the menubar.

Insert->Object Frame

Creates a new frame, and opens a dialog box listing each of the KOffice applications. This will allow you to insert any data into your KWord document.

Clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Insert->Scan Image...

Allows you to access your scanner for inserting data into your document.

Format Menu

Format->Default Format

Automatically changes all formating back to the default settings for the selected text.

The default format can be set with the Document Configuration options.

Format->Font... (Alt+Ctrl+F)

Allows you to change the formatting characteristics of the selected text. For more details, go to Formating Characters

Typing Alt+Ctrl+F is equivalent to using the menubar.

Format->Paragraph... (Alt+Ctrl+P)

To change the indenting, spacing between paragraphs, text flow, tab stops, numbering and borders. For more details, go to Formating Paragraphs.

Typing Alt+Ctrl+P is equivalent to using the menubar.

Format->Page Layout...

Use this to alter the properties of the printed page, including size, headers and footers. For more details, go to Formating the Page

Format->Style Manager... (Alt+Ctrl+S)

Opens a dialog to allow you to format, add and delete styles. For more information go to Styles

Typing Alt+Ctrl+S is equivalent to using the menubar.

Format->Import Style...

Allows you to import a style. For more information go to Styles

Format->Create Style From Selection

Uses the currently selected text to create a new style.

For more information go to Styles

Format->Style

Allows you to select a style for the selected text. Selecting this option shows a submenu listing all available paragraphs styles. Select the correct style and the paragraph style will be changed.

For more information go to Styles

Format->Footnote...

Allows you to change the look of your footnotes. For more information see Footnotes.

Format->Formula

Allows you to format the selected formula. For more information go to Formulas

Format->Show Header

Selecting this option will toggle headers on. Selecting this option again will turn headers off. A checkmark before the menu entry will show you the current status of this option. More information on headers and footers can be found under Headers and Footers.

Format->Show Footer

Selecting this option will toggle footers on. Selecting this option again will turn footers off. A checkmark before the menu entry will show you the current status of this option. More information on headers and footers can be found under Headers and Footers.

Frames Menu

Frames->Frame/Frameset Properties...

Allows you to configure basic formating options for the frameset. More information on this subject can be found in Setting properties for frames.

Frames->Delete Frame

This will allow you to delete the entire frame, and all of the text and objects contained within the frame.

Frames->Raise Frame (Ctrl+Shift+R)

This will allow you to raise the frame up one level. For more information see the section entitled Raise and Lower frames.

Typing Ctrl+Shift+R is equivalent to using the menubar.

Frames->Lower Frame (Ctrl+Shift+L)

This will allow you to lower the frame down one level. For more information see the section entitled Raise and Lower frames.

Typing Ctrl+Shift+L is equivalent to using the menubar.

Frames->Bring to Front

This raises the currently selected frame to the top of all overlapping frames. For more information see the section entitled Raise and Lower frames.

Frames->Send to Back

This lowers the currently selected frame to the bottom of all overlapping frames. For more information see the section entitled Raise and Lower frames.

Frames->Frame Style Manager...

Allows you to edit the frame styles. For more information see the section entitled Using frame styles.

Frames->Create Framestyle from frame

Create a new framestyle based on the currently selected frame. For more information see the section entitled Framestyle.

Frames->Framestyle

Allows you to format the selected frame(s) with a predefined framestyle. For more information see the section entitled Using frame styles.

Frames->Text Background Color...

This will allow you to change the background color of the current frame.

Frames->Configure Frame Borders

This will allow you to change the border surrounding the current frame. When selected, a submenu will appear with all available border styles. Select the correct style and the borders are instantly changed.

Table Menu

Table->Properties

Allows you to change the number of rows and columns in a table. For more on tables, click here.

Table->Row->Insert Row...

Allows you to insert a row into a table. For more on tables, click here.

Clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Table->Row->Delete Selected Row...

Delete a row from a table. For more on tables, click here.

Clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Table->Column->Insert Column...

Allows you to insert a column into a table. For more on tables, click here.

Clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Table->Column->Delete Selected Column...

Delete a column from a table. For more on tables, click here.

Clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Table->Column->Resize Column

Change the width of the currently selected column. For more on changing column widths, click here.

Table->Cell->Join Cells

This will convert two (or more) separate cells into a single cell. For more on tables, click here.

Table->Cell->Split Cells...

This will split one cell into multiple smaller cells. For more on tables, click here.

Table->Cell->Protect Cells

This prevent changes to the data in the selected cells. For more on tables, click here.

Table->Ungroup Table

Converts a table into a grid of individual frames.These individual frames are not connected and can be moved independently around the screen. For more on tables, click here.

Table->Delete Table

Deletes the table the cursor is in. You can find more about tables in the section entitled Tables.

Table->Table Style Manager...

Lets you edit tablestyles. You can find more about tables in the section entitled Tablestyle.

Table->Tablestyle

Lets you format the currently selected table using a preformatted template. You can find more about tables in the section entitled Tablestyle.

Tools Menu

Tools->Spellcheck->Autospellcheck

Will toggle automatic spellchecking of the document on and off.

Tools->Spellcheck->Spelling...

Will check the spelling of the document.

Clicking is equivalent to using the menubar.

Tools->Autocorrection->Enable Autocorrection

Toggles autocorrection on and off. For more information see the section entitled Autocorrection.

Tools->Autocorrection->Apply Autocorrection

KWord will format your document according to specific rules. For more information see Autoformating.

Tools->Change Case...

Allows you to set the case of all selected text. For more information see Changing Font Case.

Tools->Personal Expressions...

This is for adding and editing expressions. For information on using and adding expressions refer to the section entitled Expressions.

Tools->Custom Variables...

This is for editing custom document variables. For information on using and adding expressions refer to the section entitled Document variables.

Tools->Select Bookmark...

Jump to, rename or delete bookmarks. For more information see the section entitled Document Bookmarks.

Tools->Configure Mail Merge...

Begin mail merge.

Settings Menu

Settings->Configure Autocorrection

Allows you to modify the autocorrection options. For more on Autocorrection, click here.

Settings->Configure Completion

Allows you to modify the autocompletion options. For more see the section on Autocompletion.

Settings->Show File Toolbar

Toggles whether the File Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Show Edit Toolbar

Toggles whether the Edit Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Show Table Toolbar

Toggles whether the Table Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Show Insert Toolbar

Toggles whether the Insert Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Show Paragraph Toolbar

Toggles whether the Paragraph Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Show Format Toolbar

Toggles whether the Format Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Show Borders Toolbar

Toggles whether the Borders Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Show Formula Toolbar

Toggles whether the Formula Toolbar is visible.

Settings->Configure Shortcuts...

Allows you to change the keyboard shortcuts. For details, click here

Settings->Configure Toolbars...

Allows you to change the toolbars. For details, click here

Settings->Configure KWord...

Allows you to change miscellaneous KWord options.For details, click here.

Help Menu

Help->KWord Handbook (F1)

Invokes the KDE Help system starting at the KWord help pages. (this document).

Help->What's This? (Shift+F1)

Changes the mouse cursor to a combination arrow and question mark. Clicking on items within KWord will open a help window (if one exists for the particular item) explaining the item's function.

Help->Report Bug...

Opens the Bug report dialog where you can report a bug or request a “wishlist” feature.

Help->About KWord

This will display version and author information.

Help->About KDE

This displays the KDE version and other basic information.

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Formatting ToolBar

Formatting ToolBar

Formatting ToolBar

The Formatting Toolbar consists of 9 buttons. Each button performs a task from the format character dialog.



ButtonCommand
Select Font Face
Character Size
Toggle Bold Text
Toggle Italics Button
Toggle Underline Button
Toggle Strikeout Button
Toggle Superscript Text Button
Toggle Subscript Text Button
Toggle Text Color Button
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File Toolbar

File Toolbar

File Toolbar

The File Toolbar consists of 5 buttons. Each button performs a task from the menubar. Click on that task for more details.



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Insert Toolbar

Insert Toolbar

Insert Toolbar

The Insert Toolbar consists of 5 buttons. Each button performs a task from the menubar. Click on that task for more details.



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Edit Toolbar

Edit Toolbar

Edit Toolbar

The Basic Editing Toolbar consists of 8 buttons. Each “button” performs a task from the menubar. Click on that task for more details.



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Paragraph Toolbar

Paragraph Toolbar

Paragraph Toolbar

The Insert Toolbar consists of 8 buttons. Each button performs a task from the menubar. Click on that task for more details.



ButtonCommand
Select Character Style
Left Text Align Button
Center Text Align Button
Right Text Align Button
Justify Text Button
Numbered Text paragraphs
Bulleted Text paragraphs
Reduce paragraph indent
Increase Paragraph Indent
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Table ToolBar

Table ToolBar

Table ToolBar

The Table Edit Toolbar consists of 4 buttons. Each button performs a task from the menubar. Click on that task for more details.



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Border Toolbar

Border Toolbar

Border Toolbar

The Border Toolbar consists of 9 buttons. Each button performs a task from the menubar. Click on that task for more details.



ButtonCommand
Set framestyle
Toggle border colors
Toggle Left Paragraph Border
Toggle Right Paragraph Border
Toggle Top Paragraph Border
Toggle Bottom Paragraph Border
Select Border Size
Select Border Style
Select Border Color
Select Background Color
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Formula Toolbar

Formula Toolbar

Formula Toolbar

The Formula Toolbar consists of 17 buttons. Each button performs a task from the menubar. Click on that task for more details.



ButtonCommand
Add or Change Square Root
Add or Change Fraction
Add or Change to Brackets
Add or Change to Square Brackets
Add or Change to Curly Brackets
Absolute Value
Integral
Change to Sum
Change to Product
Add Matrix
Add Upper Left Index
Add Lower Left Index
Add Upper Right Index
Add Lower Right Index
 Right Facing Characters
 Left Facing Characters
Special Symbols
Insert Column
Append Column
Remove Column
Insert Row
Append Row
Remove Row
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Selecting Colors from a Color dialog

Selecting Colors from a Color dialog

Selecting Colors from a Color dialog

KWord uses a common dialog box any time the user needs to select a color for an object (text, backgrounds, borders, etc.).

This section will go into some detail on how to use this color dialog to choose the best color for your object.

When it is necessary to select a color, a dialog box appears.



The color dialog is an incredibly flexible dialog box, which makes it possible to select colors in one of six different methods:

Spectrum selectors

The spectrum selectors consists of a square to adjust Hue and Saturation, and a tall narrow box to adjust Value.

The white cross hairs in the box show the currently selected color on the spectrum. Drag the cross hairs up to increase saturation. Drag down to decrease saturation. Move the cross hairs left or right to change the hue.

To adjust the value of the color, use the tall, narrow box to move the black arrow. Sliding the arrow up increases the color's value. Sliding the arrow down decreases the color's value.

The currently selected color is visible in the colored square below the Add to custom colors button.

Hue, Saturation and Value

Using the three spin boxes labled H,S and V, a user can specify the Hue (Range 0-359), Saturation (Range 0-255) and Value (Range 0-255) respectively.

The currently selected color is visible in the colored square below the Add to custom colors button.

Red, Green and Blue

Using the three spin boxes labled R,G and B, a user can specify the amount of Red, Green and Blue to be mixed to form the current color. All three boxes can be set to any value from 0-255.

The currently selected color is visible in the colored square below the Add to custom colors button.

Palates

A palate is a group of related colors. These colors are all made available for easy selection according to a meaningful association.

To select a new palate, click on the drop down box at the top of the palate selection area. You will be presented with several choices:

Recent Colors - This is a list of the most recently used colors in your document. You can use this palate to maintain consistency. As each new color is selected, it is automatically added to the recent colors palate.

Custom Colors - You can create your own custom palate. This is done by selecting a color using one of the other color selection options, and clicking on Add to Custom Colors. That color is now added to your custom color palate.

40 Colors - This is a list of 40 commonly used colors. This is a good palate to choose from if some of the people viewing your document will be on machines with limited color capability.

Web Colors - This is a predefined palate of colors that you might find useful for designing web pages.

Royal Colors - This is a predefined palate of colors including numerous shades of purple and yellow.

Named Colors - This is a list of color names. The names are based on standard X server color names. The names are designed to give descriptive names to each color. Simply select the name you want.

Once you have selected a palate, you will be presented with a small square showing each color available in the palate. To select a color from the palate, simply click on the square of the desired color.

The currently selected color is visible in the colored square below the Add to custom colors button.

Eye dropper

The eye dropper can be used to sample a color from the screen.

When the eye dropper button is clicked, the cursor becomes crosshairs. Simply place the crosshairs over any spot on the screen and click once. KWord will detect the selected color and automatically change the current color to match the selection.

This is especially useful for matching color elements between previously created elements and new items.

The currently selected color is visible in the colored square below the Add to custom colors button.

HTML code

If you know the HTML color code you want to use, you can enter it into the text box labeled HTML.

For more information on HTML color codes, visit the Web monkey color code page.

The currently selected color is visible in the colored square below the Add to custom colors button.

Once the color is selected, click OK to make that the current color for your text, border, etc.

Click Cancel to abort the color selection.

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Selecting files using the file dialog

Selecting files using the file dialog

Selecting files using the file dialog

KWord uses a common dialog box for all file related actions (saving, loading, or selecting new files for insertion into the document). An example is shown below.



This section will look more closely at the dialogs and detail their use.

The large box below that shows I currently have 1 folder in this directory, entitled Past Work, and 3 files (Job Description, Newsletter and Resume).

Toolbar

This example dialog shows the current directory is /home/mmcbride/kword. You can see this by the textbox at the top of the dialog. If you click on this drop down box, you will see common and recently visited directories. By selecting one of these directories, you will be immediately moved to that directory and the dialog box will update the file list.

In the upper left corner, is a blue arrow pointed up. This arrow will take you up one level in the directory structure.

The next two buttons are backwards and forward buttons. These buttons work just like an internet browser, where you can use the back button to travel to the previous directory, and the forward button to advance into a directory you just came from.

Next to the arrow buttons, is a button that looks like a house. Clicking this will take you to your home directory.

Next to the home button, is a reload button. Clicking this button, causes KWord to reload the current directory if new files have been added or deleted.

Next to the reload button, is a button with a gray ribbon on it. This button allows you to set and navigate through bookmarks. This is a quick way to jump to commonly accessed directories. By clicking this button, a submenu appears which allows you to add bookmarks or jump to a new bookmark.

Next to the bookmark button, is a button with a gear on it, called the Extras Button. Clicking this button brings up a sub menu with several entries:

New Directory

Create a new subdirectory in the current directory. KWord will automatically move you into this new subdirectory once it is created.

Delete

This will delete the selected file, not the current document.

Sorting

This will bring up another submenu. You can sort the files by filename, by date, or by size. Selecting the Reverse option will reverse the sort order. Selecting Directories First will place the directories above all other files in the dialog box. Selecting Case insensitive will sort filenames regardless of capitalization.

View

This will also bring up a submenu. You can use the options in this submenu to change the appearance of the file dialog.

Properties

If you have selected a file in the dialog box, when you select this option you will be given all of the properties of the selected file.

There are two buttons next to the Extras Button which switch between Short View and Detailed View

Just to the left of the directory box, is the Preview Button, which toggles the preview window in the dialog. If the button is depressed, a preview box appears in the right of the dialog. If it is not pressed, the file list box is larger.

Location Bar

Along the left side of the dialog box, is a column that contains several icons. You can think of each of these icons as a shortcut to another subdirectory. If you click on an icon, you will be immediately moved to that location.

You can add/edit or delete entries from the Location Bar. Simply click with the right mouse button and a small submenu will appear.

File Name and Filters

The text box labled Location is blank, which indicates no file is currently selected. This text box will contain the filename of the currently selected file when loading new documents or files into KWord. When saving a file, you will enter the desired filename in this text box.

The text box labled Filter shows we are only looking at KWord files. By clicking on the drop down box, you can select from several different file formats. You can also select All supported files to display all files that are supported by KWord. The file types available will change depending on the specific task at hand.

There is a Cancel button, if you click this button, the action will be aborted, and you will return to editing the document.

There is an OK button, which will be used when we have selected the correct filename.

Using this dialog, you can move through the directory tree to find any location on your computer.

To enter a folder click on that folder. To exit that folder, click the blue up arrow button.

Note

This dialog box is used in many different tasks in KWord. The task will determine the exact effect of the information you have entered into this dialog box. For more information on the exact effect, see the documentation on that task.

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Chapter 13. KWord Options

KWord Options

Chapter 13. KWord Options

This section of the documentation will show you how to configure KWord to suit your personal work style and preferences.

KWord can be modified in three separate ways:

Configure Shortcuts

To configure the keyboard shortcuts select Settings->Configure Key Bindings from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box.



To edit the key bindings, the first thing you need to do is find the action you want to edit. All of the possible actions are listed in the combo box labled Action. By using the scrollbar, locate the action you are interested in and click once with the left mouse button.

Once you have selected the action, you can turn your attention to the bottom half of the dialog box. You use the bottom half of the dialog box to change the key bindings.

None

By selecting this option, the currently selected action will not have any keyboard shortcut.

Default

By selecting this option, the currently selected action will use the default key binding. Once this option is clicked, the default keyboard shortcut is listed below.

Custom

By selecting this option, you can choose any keyboard combination as a shortcut for this action.

Defining custom keyboard shortcuts

You determine the key combination by clicking on the button with the current keyboard combination in it. A second dialog will appear:



This dialog box allows you to determine two different key combinations which will trigger the desired action: Primary and Alternate.

Defining simple keyboard shortcuts

Begin by deciding if you want to specify the Primary or Alternate shortcut, by placing a mark in the appropriate radiobutton.

The button will clear the current keyboard shortcut.

Now type the keyboard shortcut into the keyboard. KWord will use this keyboard combination as the new keyboard shortcut. The window will close automatically.

Tip

To prevent the window from closing automatically, simply remove the mark in the checkbox labeled Auto-close.

Once you have completed your entries, simply click on OK to accept the changes or Cancel to cancel your changes.

Defining multi-key keyboard shortcuts

Multi-key keyboard shortcuts can be used when you run out of simple keyboard shortcuts.

Multi-key shortcuts are edited the same as simple keyboard shortcuts, except a mark is placed in the checkbox labeled Multi-key prior to entering the keyboard shortcut.

You can now enter multiple keyboard characters for the keyboard shortcut.

Note

It is important to understand that keyboard combinations (i.e.: Alt+Shift+P) are still a single character because all the keys are depressed at the same time.

An example of a multi-key combination would be if you press Alt+X, release both characters then type a W. This is a multi-key combination.

Once you have completed your entries, simply click on OK to accept the changes or Cancel to cancel your changes.

Configure Toolbars

Configure Toolbars

Configure Toolbars

To configure KWord's toolbars select Settings->Configure Toolbars from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box. You can add or remove as many toolbar buttons to as many toolbars as you like. You can also move the buttons around on the toolbar using this dialog.



Adding a button to a toolbar

To add a button to a toolbar, you move it from the Available Actions box to the Current Actions column.

First select the toolbar you want to add a button to by selecting the toolbar from the dropdown box labeled Toolbar

Now select the action you want to add from the combo box labeled Available Actions by clicking once with the left mouse button.

Click the blue arrow pointing to the right.

Once the OK button or the Apply button has been clicked, the toolbars will change.

Deleting a button from a toolbar

To delete a button from a toolbar, you move it from the Current Actions box to the Available Actions column.

First select the toolbar you want to delete a button from by selecting the toolbar from the dropdown box labeled Toolbar

Select the toolbar button you want to remove the button from the combo box labeled Current Actions.

Click the blue arrow pointing to the left.

Once the OK button or the Apply button has been clicked, the toolbars will change.

Moving a button on a toolbar

First select the toolbar you want to move a button on by selecting the toolbar from the dropdown box labeled Toolbar

To move a button, simply click on the button you want to move with the left mouse button.

Click the up or down arrows to move the button up or down the toolbar respectively.

Once the OK button or the Apply button has been clicked, the toolbars will change.

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KWord Options

KWord Options

KWord Options

To configure options regarding spelling and the user interface select Settings->Configure KWord from the menubar.

This will bring up a dialog box.

Configure KWord User Interface.

Clicking Interface will allow you to change the following.



Show status bar

Placing a mark in this checkbox makes the statusbar visible in KWord. See The KWord Screen for more information.

Show Scrollbar

Placing a mark in this checkbox makes the scrollbar visible in KWord. See The KWord Screen for more information.

PageUp/PageDown moves the caret

If this checkbox has a mark, then when you press the PageUp and PageDown buttons on the keyboard, KWord moves the text cursor (the caret) down one page. If there is no mark in this checkbox then KWord moves the view, but does not change the position of the text cursor.

Number of recent files:

This determines the maximum number of files that are listed under File->Open Recent command. You can adjust this value from 1-20.

Horizontal grid size:

Determines the horizontal size of the grid. When frames and tab stops are placed on the page, they are placed on a point in the grid. This gives your document a more professional look because elements are effectively aligned. You can reduce the grid size if you need finer control of your layout.

Vertical grid size:

Determines the vertical size of the grid. When frames and tab stops are placed on the page, they are placed on a point in the grid. This gives your document a more professional look because elements are effectively aligned. You can reduce the grid size if you need finer control of your layout.

Paragraph indent by toolbar buttons:

Use this spin box to determine how far the paragraph is indented when using the increase indent button () and the decrease indent button ().

Preview Mode - Number of pages per row:

Determines the number of pages per row in preview mode. This determines the size of the pages in preview mode.

When you are happy with the changes, simply click OK.

If you click on Cancel, all changes will be lost.

Clicking on the Defaults button restores all values to their default values.

Configure document options



Document defaults

Default Column Spacing

Use this to adjust the default spacing between columns. For more information on columns see Columns.

Default font

Click on the Choose button, and a new dialog will appear. Use this dialog to choose the default font. This setting determines the default font used by KWord until further formatting is done. You can revert any text to this default by selecting Format->Default Format from the menubar.

Document settings

Autosave every (min):

You can use this to adjust how often KWord saves a temporary file. If you set this value to zero, KWord will not autosave. You can adjust the autosave from zero to 60 minutes.

Starting page number

Use this text box to determine the starting page number. For more information on page numbering see Page Numbering.

Tip

This is helpful if you have split a single document into multiple files.

Tab Stop:

Each KWord document has a default set of tab stops. If you add tab stops to your document, the newly added tab stops override the default tabstops. You can use this text box to define the spacing between default tab stops.

As an example. If you enter 1.5 in this text box, and the unit of measure is in centimeters, then the first default tab stop will be located 1.5 cm to the right of the left margin of the frame. The second default tab stop will be located at 3 cm from the left margin, etc....

Cursor settings

This section of the dialog box has one checkbox labeled Cursor in protected area. When there is a mark in this check box, and you click in a protected frame of your document, a cursor appears. When the mark is removed from this check box, and you click in a protected frame, there is no cursor visible.

When you are happy with the changes, simply click OK.

If you click on Cancel, all changes will be lost.

Clicking on the Defaults button restores all values to their default values.

Configure Spelling.

To configure the options for the speller, click on the button labeled Spelling.



Each option is detailed below.

Create root/affix combinations not in dictionary

If checked, when KWord encounters a root word in combination with either a prefix or a suffix as a combined word, KWord will add this combined word as a new entry to your dictionary. If this is not checked, then KWord will continue to report this word as a misspelled.

Consider run-together words as spelling errors

If this box is checked, and kword finds a two words in its dictionary that are placed next to each other, it will be marked as misspelled. If this box is not checked, the combined word will be ignored.

Examples of such words are shutout, cannot, and blackout.

Tip

Leaving this check box unchecked will help prevent KWord from flagging website and email addresses for spelling errors. These addresses often contain words run together.

Dictionary:

This dropdown box is used to select the dictionary you want KWord to use from all available dictionaries.

Encoding:

This dropdown box can be used to specify which character set you want the speller to use.

Client:

The dropdown box is used to specify the spell checking program that KWord should use from a list of available programs.

Ignore uppercase words.

If checked, KWord will not mark PGE as misspelled, but it will mark Pge and pge as misspelled. This is useful if your document contains a large number of acronyms.

Ignore title case words.

If checked, KWord will not mark Pge as misspelled, but it will mark PGE and pge as misspelled.

Show misspelled words in document.

If checked, KWord will underline all misspelled words in red while you are typing. To eliminate this behavior, remove the mark in this check box..

Clear Ignore All Word History...

If selected, KWord will delete all words that have previously been flagged with the Ignore All button.

When you are happy with the changes, simply click OK.

If you click on Cancel, all changes will be lost.

Clicking on the Defaults button restores all values to their default values.

Configure formula options



Use this dialog to format the appearance of forumlas in KWord. See the formula documentation for further details.

When you are happy with the changes, simply click OK.

If you click on Cancel, all changes will be lost.

Clicking on the Defaults button restores all values to their default values.

Configure miscellaneous options



Misc

Units

Select your preferred unit of measurement. KWord will use these units for all measurements. See Using Rulers for more information.

Undo/Redo limit

Use this spin box or slider to determine how many actions KWord keeps in its Undo buffer. Any action that exceeds this number will be forgotten.

Display links

Placing a mark in this checkbox makes document links visible in KWord. If there is no mark in this checkbox, document links will be hidden. See Document links for more information.

Underline all links

Placing a mark in this checkbox will have KWord automatically underline a document link when it is created. See Document links for more information.

Display comments

Placing a mark in this checkbox makes document comments visible in KWord. See Document comments for more information.

Display field code

If there is a mark in this check box, KWord shows the variable name of document variables, rather than the content of the variable in the KWord screen. If this check box does not have a mark, then KWord shows the contents of the variables.

Note

This option does not affect the printed output. The contents of the variables are printed regardless of the state of this check box.

View Formatting

You can use these four checkboxes to determine what formatting characters are displayed when you have asked KWord to show formatting characters.

View formatting end paragraph

Toggles the display of new-line characters on and off.

View formatting space

Toggles the display of individual spaces on and off.

View formatting tabs

Toggles the display of tab stops on and off.

View formatting break

Toggles the display of paragraph marks on and off.

When you are happy with the changes, simply click OK.

If you click on Cancel, all changes will be lost.

Clicking on the Defaults button restores all values to their default values.

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Chapter 14. Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers

Chapter 14. Questions and Answers

14.1. When I try to load a document or picture, it does not appear in my dialog box, but I know I saved it there. Why can't I see it?
14.2. What is a kwd file? What is a kwt file?
14.3. Where can I get updates?
14.4. How do themes affect KWord?
14.5. Can I use KWord to read Microsoft Word files?
14.6. Can I save my KWord document as a Microsoft Word file?
14.7. Can I save my KWord document as a PDF file?
14.8. I have to exchange documents with a friend who doesn't have KWord. What's the best way to do this ?
14.9. How can I edit multiple files at once?
14.10. Symbol fonts are not working well, what can I do?
14.1.

When I try to load a document or picture, it does not appear in my dialog box, but I know I saved it there. Why can't I see it?

Check to make sure that you have selected the correct file type in the open dialog box. If you save a file in one format, but ask KWord to show you the files from another format, you will not see your saved file.

14.2.

What is a kwd file? What is a kwt file?

A kwd file is a KWord document.

A kwt file is a KWord template file.

14.3.

Where can I get updates?

For updates to KWord you should always check the following sites:

The KOffice website (http://koffice.kde.org) is the first place to look for updates. Any software updates, bug fixes or announcements of new releases of KOffice will be found here.

KDE Apps (http://apps.kde.com) is a good place to find software for KDE in general. To locate updates and additions to KWord choose the category Office: Suites: KOffice. Here you can find additional templates, and other updates that are developed outside of the KWord development team.

14.4.

How do themes affect KWord?

KWord (like all of KOffice) is completely themeable. You can use any QT or KDE theme to customize the look of KWord.

14.5.

Can I use KWord to read Microsoft Word files?

KWord does have the ability to import Microsoft Word files. The conversion process is not perfect, and some formatting information will be lost. For more details please refer to the Microsoft Word 97/2000 filter.

14.6.

Can I save my KWord document as a Microsoft Word file?

At the moment, KWord doesn't yet provide support for exporting to Microsoft Word documents. If you need to exchange documents with MS Word, you should use Rich Text Format as an intermediate file format. Rich Text Format files are converted well by both Microsoft Word and KWord,

14.7.

Can I save my KWord document as a PDF file?

Yes. Instructions on creating a PDF file are found here.

14.8.

I have to exchange documents with a friend who doesn't have KWord. What's the best way to do this ?

What you and your friend need to do is agree on a file format that both word processors can read and write effectively. Rich Text Font is probably a good choice.

14.9.

How can I edit multiple files at once?

14.10.

Symbol fonts are not working well, what can I do?

ftp://ftp.elsevier.nl/pub/styles/esstix/esstix.zip and http://www.stixfonts.org/

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Chapter 15. Credits and Licenses

Credits and Licenses

Chapter 15. Credits and Licenses

KWord Copyright 1999-2002 by The KWord Developers

KWord Developers (Alphabetically)

KWord Import/Export Filter Developers (Alphabetically)

KFormula developers

Documentation by Mike McBride <mpmcbride7@yahoo.com>

This documentation is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

This program is licensed under the terms of the GNU Library General Public License v2.

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Appendix A. Installation

Installation

Appendix A. Installation

How to obtain KWord

KWord is part of the KDE project http://www.kde.org. KWord is located in the KOffice package which can be obtained from ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/, the main ftp site of the KDE project.

Many distributions offer precompiled binaries on their ftp sites. Please check your distributions web sites for more information.

If you want to compile KWord from source, then you should read through the next few sections for help on compilation.

Requirements

Requirements

Requirements

In order to successfully use KWord, you need:

  • QT Toolkit 3.0.0 or later. This can be obtained from Trolltech.

    Tip

    While KOffice will compile and run with any version of QT 3.0.0 or later, it is recommended that you compile and install QT 3.0.5 to take advantage of all the bug fixes that have occurred.

  • KDE 3.0.0 libraries (kdelibs) and the KDE 3.0.0 base package (kdebase). These can be obtained from the KDE web page.

    Tip

    While KOffice will compile and run with any version of KDE 3.0.0 or later, it is recommended that you compile and install KDE 3.0.2 to take advantage of all the bug fixes that have occurred.

    It is also recommended that you install the arts package 1.0 from the KDE FTP site.

  • GNU c++ compiler or any c++ compiler that supports exceptions. For help on obtaining this, please refer to your distributions web site.

  • autoconf 2.52 and automake 1.5 or 1.6

Note

In order to use external databases for mail merging documents, you must have the QT toolkit compiled with SQL support. To add SQL support (as a plugin), simply include -plugin-sql-driver in your configure line.

driver should be replaced with mysql, odbc, CVS, or psql as is appropriate for your database needs.

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Compilation and Installation

Compilation and Installation

Compilation and Installation

Complete instructions on installing KOffice from source are located at http://koffice.org/install-source.phtml.

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Appendix B. KWord Command Line Options

KWord Command Line Options

Appendix B. KWord Command Line Options

You can specify some initial actions for KWord. The two most commonly used options are discussed below with instructions on finding help on the rest of the command line options.

Specifying the file name

Probably the most common command line option used is to specify the file to edit.

The format for specifying the file name is:

$ kword filename

Example:

$ kword Resume.kwd

This will cause KWord to load Resume.kwd for editing.

Show KWord version

To see the version numbers for the QT toolkit, KDE, and KWord type:

$ kword -v

Show the license for KWord

To see the license for KWord type:

$ kword --license

Show KWord developer list

To see the list of developers for KWord type:

$ kword --author

Other command line options

There are many other, rarely used, command line options. You can get detailed help on these options by typing:

$ kword --help
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Appendix C. Import/Export Filters

Import/Export Filters

Appendix C. Import/Export Filters

Introduction to Filters

KWord has the ability (with varying success) to load data from foreign (non-KOffice) data files. KWord also has the ability to save data as non-KOffice data files. This is provided to help users of KWord to interact more seamlessly with people who use other operating systems and wordprocessors.

KWord does this by loading a non-KOffice datafile into memory and passing the data through a filter to extract as much information as possible from the data file. Some formatting information will be lost or changed by the filter in the attempt.

When KWord reads data into KWord from a non-KOffice file format, it is importing the data

When KWord saves a KWord document as a non-KOffice file format, it is exporting the data.

Filters included in KWord

Filters included in KWord

Filters included in KWord

KWord comes with the following filters:

Abiword

KWord can open and save AbiWord documents. Most AbiWord features are supported.

Bookmarks (and the references to them), headers/footers, lists, columns and language settings are not supported.

Character styles and styles defined by other styles are not supported in the export filter, and have only partial support in the import filter. Default tabulator settings and fields are only partially supported.

For more detailed information see the Abiword filter table

AmiPro

KWord can read and write simple AmiPro documents. Only formatted text, paragraph, and styles are supported.

More advanced features such as frames, embedded images and equations are not supported.

Note

WordPro, the latest wordprocessor from Lotus, uses a different format than AmiPro. Therefore, if you want to read WordPro documents from KWord, you should save it in AmiPro format.

For more detailed information see the AmiPro filter table

Applix Word

KWord can read ApplixWord documents quite good. However, there's limitations because text formatting, colors, paragraph, and special characters are supported. Styles and inline images will be lost during conversion.

For more detailed information see the Applix Word filter table

Docbook

KWord can save DocBook documents in the SGML version only. It saves texts, lists, pictures, tables and hyperlinks. Only the simpliest formatting (bold and italic) are supported. Pictures are saved into a sub-directory.

KWord cannot load any DocBook document.

For more detailed information see the Docbook filter table

Hancom Word

KWord can read HancomWord document produced with HancomWord 5.2 or 6. However, KWord doesn't yet recognize text formatting inside the document, hence the text will be imported but without formatting at all.

For more detailed information see the Hancom Word filter table

HTML

KWord can read simple HTML documents. Only simple formatting is supported.

KWord can save HTML documents. There will be a dialog to specify which kind of HTML should be used. In this dialog you can choose one of three modes:

  • Basic

  • Normal

  • Enhanced

All three modes support text, tables, images, hyperlinks and lists.

The Basic mode supports only the most basic formatting, and it is intended for exporting only the document structure.

The Normal mode supports common formatting of text.

The Enhanced mode is the most complete mode and uses also CSS2. Therefore styles and more advanced formating are supported.

For more detailed information see the HTML filter table

LaTeX

KWord can not import LaTeX documents.

KWord can export to text to LaTeX documents. Formulas, pictures, and simple tables are partially supported.

Kword is used only as a text editor and does not function as a WYSIWYG editor for LaTeX documents.

For more detailed information see the LaTeX filter table

Microsoft Word 97/2000

KWord can read all text from Microsoft Word files. Basic text formatting (bold, italics, etc) are preserved. Numbered headings, lists, built-in colors, tables, and internationalization support are nearly complete.

Many other features (headers, footers, embedded objects, etc) are not supported.

KWord can not write Microsoft Word 97/200 files.

For more detailed information see the Microsoft Word 97/2000 filter table

Microsoft Write

Microsoft Write files usually end with extention .WRI. It is the format used by Microsoft Write, a very simple word processor which first appears in Microsoft Windows 3.1. KWord can read Microsoft Write documents fairly well.

KWord is not able to save the document to Microsoft Write format.

For more detailed information see the Microsoft Write filter table

PalmDoc

PalmDoc is the standard compressed document format for use with Palm-compatible device.

KWord is able to read and write PalmDoc files, even with compression. The PalmDoc format doesn't specify text formatting, so all character formatting (bold, italics, etc) is lost when exporting to this format.

Note

In order to read PalmDoc files on your handheld, you will need a reader. Three common readers are the Weasel Reader, AportisDoc, or iSilo.

For more detailed information see the PalmDoc filter table

Plain Text (ASCII Text)

KWord can save the document in plain text format, and also load plain text document. When saving or loading, there will be a dialog to specify text encoding options.

For more detailed information see the Plain Text filter table

Rich Text Format

KWord can open and save RTF documents. Most RTF features are already supported.

Links, footnotes, multiple columns, and inline images are not supported.

For more detailed information see the Rich Text Format filter table

Wireless Markup Language

WML (Wireless Mark-up Language) is the mark-up language used to deliver content to mobile devices. WML is like a mobile version of HTML.

KWord can read from and save to WML format files and already understand most WML tags.

There is no support for WBMP (Wireless Bitmap), which is the monochrome image format used as inline image inside WML documents.

For more detailed information see the Wireless Markup Language filter table

WordPerfect

KWord can read and write WordPerfect documents, starting from WordPerfect version 5.1, and including the latest WordPerfect 2002.

The filter is still in development, only a subset of WordPerfect features are supported including text formatting, WordPerfect character sets, and paragraph settings.

WordPerfect 4.x format or earlier versions are not supported. There is no support for styles, frames, or graphics (WPG).

For more detailed information see the WordPerfect filter table

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Appendix D. Key Bindings Summary

Key Bindings Summary

Appendix D. Key Bindings Summary

Table D.1. Keybindings for Working with Documents

Start New DocumentCtrl+N
Open DocumentCtrl+O
Save DocumentCtrl+S
Print DocumentCtrl+P
Close DocumentCtrl+W
Quit KWordCtrl+Q

Table D.2. Keybindings for Character Selection

Move selection one character to the left.Shift+Left Arrow
Move selection one word to the left.Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow
Move selection one character to the Right.Shift+Right Arrow
Move selection one word to the Right.Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the character directly up one line.Shift+Up Arrow
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the first character of the line directly above.Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the character directly down one line.Shift+Down Arrow
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the last character of the line directly below.Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the beginning of the line.Shift+Home
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the beginning of the document.Ctrl+Shift+Home
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the end of the line.Shift+End
Selects all characters from the start of the selection, to the end of the document.Ctrl+Shift+End
Moves the current endpoint one screen up.Shift+Page-Up
Moves the current endpoint one page up. The endpoint is located at the first character of this page.Ctrl+Shift+Page-Up
Moves the current endpoint down one screen.Shift+Page-Down
Moves the current endpoint down one page. The endpoint is locate at the first character of this page.Ctrl+Shift+Page-Down
Select all text in the current frame.Ctrl+A

Table D.3. Keybindings for Character Formatting

Toggle Boldface On/OffCtrl+B
Toggle Italics On/OffCtrl+I
Toggle Underline On/OffCtrl+U
Format FontAlt+Ctrl+F
Decrease Font SizeCtrl+<
Increase Font SizeCtrl+>

Table D.4. Keybindings for Paragraph Formatting

Align Block (Justify)Ctrl+J
Align CenterAlt+Ctrl+C
Align LeftCtrl+L
Align RightAlt+Ctrl+R
Format ParagraphAlt+Ctrl+P

Table D.5. Keybindings for Basic Editing Functions and Search and Replace

CopyCtrl+C (Ctrl+Insert)
CutCtrl+X (Shift+Delete)
PasteCtrl+V (Shift+Insert)
FindCtrl+F
ReplaceCtrl+R
UndoCtrl+Z
RedoCtrl+Shift+Z

Table D.6. Keybindings for Inserting

Create Text FrameF2
Insert PictureShift+F5
Create Formula FrameF4
Create TableF5
Insert Special CharacterAlt+Shift+C
Insert Non-breaking SpaceCtrl+Space
Insert Soft HyphenCtrl+-
Insert Line BreakShift+Return
Insert Hard Frame BreakCtrl+Return

Table D.7. Miscellaneous Keyboard Shortcuts

KWord HandbookF1
Whats This?Shift+F1
CompletionCtrl+E
Lower FrameCtrl+Shift+L
Raise FrameCtrl+Shift+R
Show StylistAlt+Ctrl+S
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Appendix E. KWord Technical details

KWord Technical details

Appendix E. KWord Technical details

KWord file format

KWord uses two open source, independently developed standards for its file format. The combination was chosen for its balance between convenience and open development models.

First, it should be noted that all KWord files are multiple XML™ files that are compressed to reduce their space requirements.

KWord 1.1 and earlier

The XML™ files are compressed into a single file using the same algorithm as used by tar.

You can uncompress the files with the following command:

% tar -xzvf filename

This will expand the KWord document file into its component files.

The text portion of all KWord files are XML™ (eXtensible Markup Language) files.

Note

For more information on XML™ documents, processors and technology, please visit
World Wide Web Consortium XML™ pages
XML.org Resource Guide
The XML™ FAQ

All KWord documents consist of at least two XML™ files:

maindoc.xml

This file contains the bulk of the KWord text, tables and formula information. It is marked with XML™ tags according to the official DTD. A copy of the KWord 1.1 DTD is located at: http://www.koffice.org/DTD/kword-1.1.dtd.

documentinfo.xml

This file contains the document information. This is information entered into the dialog boxes when selecting File->Document Information from the menubar. This information is useful for tracking authors, contact information etc.

The DTD for KOffice 1.1 is located at: http://www.koffice.org/DTD/document-info-1.1.dtd.

In addition, there may be other files included in the KWord document file. Pictures, embedded documents and other binary information are stored within the KWord document as separate files.

For more specific information on KWord file storage or other internal information, please see The KOffice API and the General KDE developer information pages.

KWord 1.2

The text files are compressed into a single file using the same algorithm as used by zip. This change was made because of its broad use in other open source office suites and its improved performance with lower memory requirements.

You can uncompress the files with the following command:

% unzip filename

This will expand the KWord document file into its component files.

The text portion of all KWord files are XML™ (eXtensible Markup Language) files.

Note

For more information on XML™ documents, processors and technology, please visit
World Wide Web Consortium XML™ pages
XML.org Resource Guide
The XML™ FAQ

All KWord documents consist of at least three files:

maindoc.xml

This file contains the bulk of the KWord text, tables and formula information. It is marked with XML™ tags according to the official DTD.

A copy of the KWord 1.2 DTD is located at: http://www.koffice.org/DTD/kword-1.2.dtd.

documentinfo.xml

This file contains the document information. This is information entered into the dialog boxes when selecting File->Document Information from the menubar. This information is useful for tracking authors, contact information etc.

The DTD for KOffice 1.2 is located at: http://koffice.kde.org/DTD/document-info-1.2.dtd.

mimetype

This file contains the mimetype for KWord files. This information is used by KDE to determine that this is a KWord file.

This file always contains: application/x-kword

In addition, there may be other files included in the KWord document file. Pictures, embedded documents and other binary information are stored within the KWord document as separate files.

For more specific information on KWord file storage or other internal information, please see The KOffice API and the General KDE developer information pages.

Kword mimetype

Kword mimetype

Kword mimetype

KWord is in the process of applying for a registered mime type with the IANA.

The proposed KWord mime type is : application/x-kword

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Glossary

Glossary

Glossary

ASCII

Stands for American standard code for information interchange. This is what many people mean when they say plain text. KWord can read and write documents in ASCII format.

Aspect Ratio

This is the ratio of the measurement of a screen, picture or document horizontally compared to the vertical measurement. All standard computer monitors have the same aspect ratio, regardless of their resolution. Any KWord document that conforms to the standard screen will look good on any monitor.

For many images, it is important to maintain the aspect ratio. This prevents distortion to the picture.

Binary code

Binary code is the actual instructions for the computer. So if we refer to binaries we mean the executable KWord program. While computers have no difficulties reading binary files, they are not easily understood by people. Compare to Source Code.

Bitmap Image

Bit mapped images are composed of individual dots. This type of file is very good for photographs and complex drawings. The downside of using bitmap images, is that when you change the size of the image on the page, there is a loss of detail. The file names of such pictures often end in jpeg, png or gif. Compare to Clipart.

Cells

Tables are made up of rows and columns of cells. Each cell is defined by a combination of the row and column of a heading.

Clipart

Clip art refers to vector based graphics. These graphic files describe the picture as a collection of lines, curves and dots. These file formats are preferable to bit-mapped images, because their size can be made larger or smaller, without any loss in quality. The downside of vector formats, is that it can be quite difficult to describe certain types of photographs using only lines and curves. These images result in difficult, complicated files and most of the benefits of vector formats are lost. Compare to Bitmap images.

Clipboard

The clipboard is a temporary storage area in memory. Whenever you use the Cut or Copy command, you are placing the object that was selected into this memory location. Then when you use the Paste command, you insert the information from the clipboard into the document. For more information see the section on Cut/Copy/Paste.

Compiling

When you compile a program, you are converting it from a source file (which is easily edited by a programmer) into a binary file (which the computer uses). If you are planning on compiling KWord, please try to find a binary version of KOffice first. Compiling programs is not for the beginner. For more information on compiling KWord, see the section entitled Installation

Custom Variables

Using custom variables you can store certain values (e.g. numbers or text) for later use in your document or in a script. If you want to find out more about custom variables, see Inserting Variables.

DEB

This is a binary file format that is used by Debian and Debian based distributions. This will be the suffix of a file specifically for these distributions. An example would be koffice-1.2.deb. For more information on installing these files, refer to the Debian Web Site.

Dialog Box

A dialog box is a small window that appears on top of your working document. This window usually has questions, information or configuration options related to the task you are performing. When you are finished with the dialog box, it will disappear and return you to your document (possibly after making some changes to the document).

DTP

Stands for DeskTop Publishing.

FAQ

Stands for Frequently Asked Questions and normally means a document, where questions that arise many times are answered. If you have a question to the developers of KOffice, you should always have a look at the FAQ first. You'll find the latest version here.

File Mask

A file mask can be thought of as a strainer for you. On the average computer, there are several thousand files. These files are sorted into sub-directories, but it is not uncommon for many users to have 100's of data files in a single sub-directory.

Fortunately for us, most applications use a suffix to their filenames. By applying a file mask, KWord will only show you the files which are not filtered out by the mask. (That is to say KWord only shows the files that fit through the strainer). This can be helpful if you have many files from many different applications. The file mask is incorporated in the File Type line of the save and load dialog boxes.

As an example. If you use a file mask for KWord files, the file mask will try to filter out all files that are not for KWord.

Filter

A filter takes a document file from one program (e.g. Microsoft® Word), and filters out the text and formatting information and converts that information into a KWord document. Filters are used to read and write files for other programs. More information on the filters included with KWord is available in the section entitled Import/Export Filters.

Footer

The footer of a page is an area below the normal text area. Often it contains the page numbering and maybe some additional information. The contents of the footer are normally the same for most pages, and changing the footer on one page will change all other pages as well. See Header.

Frame

Nearly everything in KWord is in a frame. Text is always in a text frame. Pictures are in picture frames. Parts are in part frames. A frame is basically just a rectangle that can contain some part of your document. Frames can be moved, resized, deleted etc.

Frameset

A frame-set is a group of frames which are connected together. If you're writing text that doesn't fit into the first frame of a frame-set, it will continue in the next frame belonging to that frame-set.

FTP

FTP is the File Transfer Protocol. It's an Internet protocol that allows you to retrieve files from so-called FTP servers. If you want to download KOffice from the Internet, you'll probably use FTP.

Hard Frame Break

Normally, KWord automatically adjusts text so it fits into a text frame. By inserting a hard frame break you can force KWord to always start the next frame in the framset with the text that follows the break.

Header

The header of a page is an area above the normal text area. Often it contains the page numbering and maybe some additional information. The contents of the header normally are the same for most pages, and changing the header on one page will change all other pages as well. See Footer.

HTML

Stands for HyperText Markup Language. Most web pages on the Internet are written in HTML. KWord can read and write HTML documents for publishing on the World Wide Web.

Hue

Hue is a more technically correct term for what we generally refer to as color.

Examples of hues include red, green, blue and purple.

Inline frame

An inline frame is a special frame type in KWord. Inline frames are associated with a position in a text frame. KWord will keep the inline frame near the specified text. You will not be able to determine where exactly on a page the frame will appear, but it will be located close to the specified text.

If you insert or delete text in front of the specified text, the inline image will move up or down the page to follow the specified text

Tip

Inline frames are very useful when they contain a picture, graph or figure. Simply place the inline frame within the text which describes the object, and KWord will make sure both the text and the inline frame are always near each other.

KDE

Stands for the K Desktop Environment. Part of KDE is required for KWord to operate. The K Desktop Environment is a user interface which allows users to manipulate files and operate programs graphically. For more information, please visit www.kde.org.

Key Binding

All of the features of KWord are available through the menubar. You will find, however, that there are certain features of KWord that you use on a regular basis. You can bind a certain key combination to that function. Once this combination is bound to the function, you can use it as a shortcut to the function. KWord comes with several predefined key-bindings. For more information on changing the default key-bindings, click here.

Landscape

When you have a standard sheet of paper, you can either orient your document with the long side vertically or horizontally. When the horizontal dimension is greater than the vertical, this is termed Landscape.

Example:

Compare with Portrait.

Menubar

The menubar is located at the top of the KWord screen. You can use it to access all features of KWord.

Menubar:

Portrait

When you have a standard sheet of paper, you can either orient your document with the long side vertically or horizontally. When the vertical dimension is greater than the horizontal, this is termed Portrait.

Example:

Compare with Landscape.

RPM

This is the binary file format for distributions based on the Red Hat® package manager, a widely used packaging tool for the Linux® operating system. If you still have to get KOffice and your system supports RPM packages, you should get KOffice packages ending in .rpm. They're very easy to use.

Saturation

Saturation refers to the subjective quantity of a specific hue in a color. Colors with a low saturation appear more white. Colors with high saturation appear more richly colored.

This is a set of four red dots which increase in saturation from left to right.

Scaling Pictures

Whenever you change the size of a graphics image, you are scaling that image. In KWord you scale the pictures by changing the shape of the frame which surrounds the graphic.

Source Code

Source code is the human readable version of an application (such as KWord). Computers cannot use source code directly. Instead, source code must be compiled into binary code, before use.

TAR

Tar is a tool used for the archiving of files in so-called tar-files which you recognize by their suffix .tar. You'll find KOffice source and binary distributions as gzipped tar-files. However, you shouldn't use them if there are special packages for your system and package manager. See RPM, DEB.

tar.gz

See TGZ.

TGZ

Files ending in .tar.gz or .tgz are tar-files compressed with the gzip program. This makes the tar files smaller and quicker to download. You'll find KOffice source and binary distributions in this format. However, you shouldn't use them if there are special packages for your system and package manager. See RPM, DEB.

Toolbar

A toolbar is a line of buttons which are shortcuts to more of the commonly used features of KWord. More information on tool bars can be found here.

Example Toolbar:

URL

URL is an abbreviation for Universal Resource Locater. A universal resource locater is the technical term for what is commonly referred to as a websites address.

Examples of URLs include http://www.koffice.org and http://www.kde.org

Value (color)

Color value refers to how bright or dark a color is. Colors with low value are more black in appearance. Colors with high value are more richly colored.

This is a set of four red dots which increase in value from left to right.

Vector Image

A vector based graphic is described in terms of lines and shapes, not in terms of dots. These files are often referred to as clip-art. Because of this, clipart usually scales better than bit-mapped images.

WYSIWYG

Stands for What You See Is What You Get. KWord is a WYSIWYG word processor, which means that the document will appear the same on the screen while you are editing it, as it will on the printed page.

X Window System® system

The X Window System® System (also known simply as “X”) is required for KOffice to operate. More information on X Window System® for Linux® can be found at http://www.xfree86.org

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