Contribute to the guide

We are no longer working on the User Guide for OOo version 2. This page is kept for historical interest.

Preliminaries

Join the OOoAuthors site.
Join the mailing list.
Request author role.
Download and install the most recent stable version of OpenOffice.org.
Don't forget the resources section on this page.

What to do

A top priority right now is to check the published chapters of the Writer Guide against the latest software. See below for more information.

Option 1: Review current chapter or check published chapter against latest software. <--- New members!
Option 2: Write a new chapter.

Review Documents

Reviewing is recommended for new members. Reviewing a chapter is a short-term task, and it helps you get acquainted with the project. See also Checking Published Chapters Against the Software below.

Peer review is an important part of writing high quality documentation. Remember, "there is no such thing as a well-written chapter, only a well re-written one".

Things to read

After reading this, you'll have a good idea of what to look for when you do a review. If you are not sure about something, ask!!

Pick a document and review it

When you go to the front page and login, you'll see a review list on the left below the Navigation List. If there is no review list that is because there is no material currently ready for review.

However that does not mean that there is nothing to do. There probably are files in the published or pre-release chapters folders that need to be checked. See Checking Published Chapters Against the Software below.

See the page on how the review process works for more detailed information about downloading and reviewing files.

What do I do with a reviewed document?

Rename the file according to the naming conventions.
Upload the file to the corresponding Feedback folder. Do not change the state of this file or the original file at this point.
Send an email to the list to inform the author that you have reviewed and uploaded the file. Put "PING: [author's name]" in the subject line.

Checking Published Chapters Against the Software

The Writer Guide chapters must be checked carefully against the latest released version of OOo because some things have changed since the chapters were written. Some screenshots may need replacing, and some instructions may be wrong.

In addition, 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.

Checking chapters is a good job for newcomers who have not read the existing chapters before. If you want to do this, here's how:

Go to either the published pre-release chapters list or the published (final) list and find a chapter that interests you. Download the *.odt version of the file you choose.
Continue as described in the Instructions for Reviewers section of the page about how the review process works, starting with step 2. Retract the chapter.

Using the latest OOo V2 software, go through the instructions in the chapter you're reviewing. Follow the instructions exactly as they are written, so you can see if anything is different between the instructions and the software.
Pay close attention to the screenshots. If anything is different, make a note of it. If you can capture new screenshots that will match the ones in the chapter, then you can replace the out of date ones with up to date ones. If you cannot match the existing screenshots, then leave a note in the file that "figure x needs to be replaced".
Please also suggest other topics that should be included in the chapter, or better ways of explaining things, or any other improvements you can think of. Be aware that in some cases a topic may be covered in another chapter; in that case a cross-reference would be helpful... or in some cases duplicating some information might be the best solution.

Writing new chapters

If you wish to contribute a new chapter:

Pick a topic you'd like to write about. If you need ideas, see the priority list on the first page of this website, or check the outlines for each guide, or ask on the list.
Inform the list.
Download the Chapter Template. It is not a real template (.ott) but you can use it as the basis for your chapter.
Read the Template How-to for instructions on using the chapter template.
Prepare an outline of your chapter and post it to the list for commentary.
After writing a draft chapter, upload it to the main folder for the relevant book. Use our file naming convention.
Submit the file for review, then tell the list that it is available for review.

Resources

Here are some resources you should be aware of while you work on the v2 guide.

If at any point you feel a little lost, ask!

User Guide HowTos

File States

Pending – waiting to be reviewed. The file should also appear in the review List.

Visible - Can be viewed, but please don't edit these; someone else is working on this file, or it may be an old version of a chapter that has not yet been moved to the "Old Files" folder.

Published - Completed. Can be downloaded and given a final proofreading and check for accuracy against the latest software.

Private – The maintainer (maintenance editor) of the file is working on it. We don't use this state very much because "visible" covers the situation.

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