Using OpenOffice.org as an Outliner
Productivity Sauce
Although OpenOffice.org Writer can't replace a dedicated outlining application, there are two ways to turn the word processor into a lightweight outliner. The easiest one is to press the Numbering On/Off button in the main toolbar or the F12 key. This turns the current line in the documents into a numbered entry and displays the Bullets and Numbering context toolbar which offers basic outlining tools. The Promote, Demote, Move Up and Move Down buttons in the toolbar allow you to easily rearrange outline entries, while Bullet and Numbering opens the dialog window which lets you tweak different settings such as Numbering type, Outline, Position, etc. You can also create a custom outlining style or modify an existing one using Stylist. Press F11 to evoke the Stylist panel, switch to the List Styles section, right-click then on the style you want to edit and choose Modify from the context menu. If you want to create a new style from scratch, choose the New item from the same context menu or press Shift+F11.
Another approach requires a bit more work, but it allows you to use OpenOffice.org Writer as a two-pane outliner. This solution is based on the Outline Numbering feature which lets you specify a hierarchy of heading styles and then manage them using the Navigator. By default, OpenOffice.org Writer uses the built-in heading styles (i.e., Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.) for each level, but you can easily change that using the Tools -> Outline Numbering dialog window.
Using heading styles to structure your outline is easy: apply the Heading 1 style to the top level of your outline and other heading styles to sub-levels, for example:
Primates (Heading 1) Monkeys (Heading 2) Capuchins (Heading 3) Japanese snow monkeys (Heading 3)
The fastest way to apply styles is to use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+1 for Heading 1, Ctrl+2 for Heading 2, and so on. To make Writer look like a more conventional two-pane outliner, open the Navigator panel (press F5 or choose View -> Navigator) and dock it to the right or left of the main window. To do this, drag Navigator close to the right or left side of the screen, and release the mouse button when you see a gray window outline. In the Navigator panel, expand the Headings section, and you should see the outline as a hierarchical tree containing the specified headings:
Primates Monkeys Capuchins Japanese snow monkeys
You can quickly navigate to a specific heading by double-clicking on it in the Navigator. But that's not all: the Navigator also offers four buttons that allow you to promote and demote levels as well as move them up and down. Using these buttons, you can rearrange your outline and move headings around as you would in a traditional outliner.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.
-
OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
-
Fedora 41 Beta Available with Some Interesting Additions
If you're a Fedora fan, you'll be excited to hear the beta version of the latest release is now available for testing and includes plenty of updates.
-
AlmaLinux Unveils New Hardware Certification Process
The AlmaLinux Hardware Certification Program run by the Certification Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to ensure seamless compatibility between AlmaLinux and a wide range of hardware configurations.
-
Wind River Introduces eLxr Pro Linux Solution
eLxr Pro offers an end-to-end Linux solution backed by expert commercial support.
-
Juno Tab 3 Launches with Ubuntu 24.04
Anyone looking for a full-blown Linux tablet need look no further. Juno has released the Tab 3.
-
New KDE Slimbook Plasma Available for Preorder
Powered by an AMD Ryzen CPU, the latest KDE Slimbook laptop is powerful enough for local AI tasks.
-
Rhino Linux Announces Latest "Quick Update"
If you prefer your Linux distribution to be of the rolling type, Rhino Linux delivers a beautiful and reliable experience.
-
Plasma Desktop Will Soon Ask for Donations
The next iteration of Plasma has reached the soft feature freeze for the 6.2 version and includes a feature that could be divisive.
-
Linux Market Share Hits New High
For the first time, the Linux market share has reached a new high for desktops, and the trend looks like it will continue.
Try LyX for good outliner capability in a document processor
Would be great if it worked
This is of course bugs, and nothing but bugs. I could report them, but it's not worth the hassle. Reporting bugs to Open Office is difficult, and bug-fixing is so slow that KOffice 2 will be a better replacement long before they ever fixed the bug. It's a pity, but I've lost all hope that OO.o will ever be anything but secondary to MS Office.
How Not To Shorten URLs
> You can shorten the URL [via http://tinyurl.com/] yourself before you share it.
A bad idea. URLs transport some inherent meaning other than just a way of delivering content. And TinyURL is but a redirection service, therefore, it just adds another level of complexity (another point of failure) to internet addressing.
Firstly, there's a difference between the domain tinyurl.com and example.com (replace "example" with some bad malware site). I prefer to see the proper domain name.
Secondly, they proudly state:
> we will create a tiny URL that will not break in email postings and never expires.
A bold promise! But still, their URLs are not the real ones. If TinyURL ceases to exist, they will not be bound to their promise anymore. (And they are not bound to it, anyway.) And if the original URL or domain ceases to exist, there will possibly no way for the average user to find the tiniest hint on what the original page was about. (For moderate hackers, there may be some hints in their HTTP headers, but Joe the Average Plumber will neither be able to find, nor to understand these headers.)
Therefore, I'd say that TinyURL is inherently bad. http://tinyurl.com/ is in every respect one of the worst websites ever created.
To shorten URLs is the alone obligation of the original website.
Please . . . you haven't tried org-mode yet
sincerely,
a former vi-ninja-cum-emacs-pirate
shortening urls
You can shorten the URL yourself before you share it.
Dmitri is great, long URLs are insane!
And Dmitri, thanks for another great article. I always look for yours because they are so good.