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The information on some features is barely more than the feature’s name and self-evident function. This points out one of the flaws with Apache OpenOffice: The documentation is sparse, and not well-aimed at non-technical users. I’d have appreciated a warning or error message. There were some oddities that are sensible in retrospect, but don’t call themselves out to a user: For example, switching a text field from “single line” to “multi line with formatting” disconnected it from the underlying database field (a long text field), because formatted text requires a binary field. Some of the interface elements, such as query creation, are not entirely intuitive. Tracking doughnut consumption is perhaps the best use for any spreadsheet.īase provides a functional set of database design and formatting tools. For example, if you select a ‘banded’ table style, and insert or delete rows, the banding does not automatically adjust you must select the table and re-apply the style. The layout and design options are flexible, but not quite at the level of Word 2007.
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The sidebar docking feature introduced in Apache OpenOffice 4.0 is very useful if you have a wide monitor, as it’s easy to place multiple panels so that all controls are visible and accessible. Writer offers a long list of functions: document templates, frames, mail merge, a style manager, section-based headers and footers, and much more. Sadly, faux-Victorian prose is not within editorial guidelines for reviews.
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