Welcome to OOoAuthors!

This is a development site for OpenOffice.org documentation. If you just want to read documentation, see our published chapters. (OOo 3): PDF and ODT (on this website) or PDF only (on the OpenOffice.org website). (OOo 2.x): PDF and ODT (on this website) or PDF only (on the OpenOffice.org website). Both sets are also on the Documentation wiki. You do not need to have an account or log in to read documentation or download copies.

How you can help at OOoAuthors

We are a group of volunteer reviewers, writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, and translators producing documentation for OpenOffice.org Writer, Calc, Draw, Impress, and Base. If you want to assist with producing documentation, you do need an account to log in to this website and you need to request the Author role (see Getting started with OOoAuthors below).

We are working on the User Guide for OOo 3.x.

A task list for the user guides is here. It includes current tasks for the user guides in addition to reviewing any chapters on the Review List on this website.

We always need more volunteers, and everyone is welcome, no matter what your level of experience is. We'll even train you in reviewing and technical writing as well as in other necessary publishing functions, such as indexing or proofreading. You can also take advantage of this project in order to gain some practical experience in the publishing industry.

Reviewers, indexers, and proofreaders needed!

Even if you are new to OOo or have no writing experience, you can be a great help by reviewing chapters or indexing and proofreading documents prior to their publication.

See below for an introduction to reviewing.

Writers needed!

Database Guide

Work on this book has started and stalled several times. More help is needed, and very welcome. Draft outline is here.

Tutorials and how-to's

Please see this page on the wiki. Tutorials can be either written or in video (screencast) form.

FAQs

These have been moved to the OOo wiki. They need updating and new ones written.

Want to write something else? We can find a place for it. Join our mailing list and tell us your ideas.

Getting started with OOoAuthors

1. Join the OOoAuthors site. This website is on a different server from the main OpenOffice.org website, so you need to have a separate login. (You can use the same username and password for both, if you wish.) We also recommend you create a login on the OpenOffice.org wiki.
2. Join the OOo Authors mailing list. We also recommend you join the OO Documentation mailing list.
3. Request author role (reviewers, indexers, or proofreaders as well as writers need this).
4. If you don't have it already, download and install OOo3.2.
5. Read the Style Guide and Writing OOo Guides.

What to do

• Option 1: Review a current chapter. <--- New members!
• Option 2: Write a new chapter.

Review a current chapter

(This section is a summary. Click here for more information.)

The best way to get started is to review a chapter. This is a short-term task, and it helps you get acquainted with the project.

In addition to checking chapters against the latest version of the software, you can help by (a) noting any questions you have that are not answered in the current chapter; and (b) doing some research in the OOoForum and the OOo Users list to see what questions other people have.

See this page for more information on what's needed.

1. Look at the Review List to find chapters that are not being worked on by someone else. Pick a document to review and inform the list.
2. Retract the chapter when you are working on it; instructions are here. This page summarizes the procedure to follow in checking out, renaming, and uploading files after reviewing them.
3. When you are done, upload the file to the Feedback folder for the relevant book, and inform the list.

Printed books for sale

The following books by OOoAuthors are available in printed form from the Friends of OpenDocument's store at Lulu.com:
Getting Started with OpenOffice.org 3 - SECOND EDITION February 2010
OpenOffice.org 3 Writer Guide - SECOND EDITION March 2010
OpenOffice.org 3 Calc Guide - First Edition, June 2010
OpenOffice.org 2.x Impress Guide - book for Impress 3.x coming soon
OpenOffice.org 2.x Draw Guide - Second edition book for Draw 3.x coming soon

Cool OOoAuthors shirts, caps, mugs and more

Want to advertise OOoAuthors where you work or play? You can get many items featuring the OOoAuthors logo here: http://www.cafepress.com/oooauthors. All items are being sold at cost.

European OOoAuthors-shop
Now, there's a European shop too... :)
You'll find different things here - if you want some more, or different colours or ... please let me know. I can add more articles. -- Sigrid