Mail Merge

 Sometimes we need to create the same letter for many people separately based on their name, address, mobile number, and email ID. Suppose you have an urgent task to create notice for many employees. It is very hectic to type a notice or letter separately.

Don't worry.

We have a feature in LibreOffice Writer called Mail Merge." Mail merging is very interesting topic. You can create multiple copies of a letter by using the Mail Merge Tool.

Step 1:

From the LibreOffice Writer Menu bar, click on Tools and Click  Mail Merge Wizard.

2. Select the starting document type, i.e.

        i.            use the current document

When we create a letter or notice, it is created on a new page. If the current page is new, then select this option; otherwise, ignore it.

or

      ii.            Create a new document

This option can be used for creating letters. This tool provides a new page. Generally, this option is used.

or

    iii.            Start from existing document

In this option, if a file notice or letter is already created. Again want to use this letter. Select this option.

or

iv.            Start from the template

Step 2:

What type of document Do you want to create?

a. Letter

b. Email message (choose a or b)

Step 3:

Click on Address Block by clicking Select Different Address List. The Create Address List window will open. Create the database(company , collage student, customer database etc. Type the full name, address, contact no, state, and country. Do  at least 3 entries .

Step 4:

Personalize the letter by using a salutation. Ex. Hello, Dear Sir, Mr. Surname, To whom it may be a concert, etc.

Step 5:

      i.            Adjust layout Set the Address Bar position.

   ii.            Then write your letter.

After letter creation click Edit Individual Documents from the Mail Merge Toolbar.

Finally Multiple copies of the letter are created.

You can print hard copy to distribute among Employee or send email via email by using outlook.

LibreOffice Writer Practical File

LibreOffice Introduction

As we all know, most software requires a licence, but LibreOffice is totally free software; anyone can use it without a licence. LibreOffice is also open-source software. LibreOffice supports multiple operating systems, such as Linux, Windows, and Mac. Its package includes LibreOffice Writer, LibreOffice Calc, LibreOffice Impress, LibreOffice Draw, LibreOffice Math, and LibreOffice Base. LibreOffice has excellent tools for word processing, databases, spreadsheets, presentations, and formulas.

File Menu:-

New: T o create a new document, always click new or use the shortcut key CTRL +N Alternatively, click New on the standard tools bar.

Open:

To open an existing document, click open or use the shortcut key CTRL +O Alternatively, click Open on the standard tools bar.

Recent Documents:

All the recently created files can be viewed here. Click on the file menu and click Recent Documents.

Save & Save As:

To save the file  use save or save as. When saving a file for the first time, select Save As. Otherwise, choose Save. When saving a file, specify the location where the file should be saved. By default, the file will be saved in documents. Select the Save with password checkbox and enter a password to protect the file.

Key Shortcut

Ctrl+S = Save

Ctrl+Shift+S = Save As

Export Directly As PDF

The file can also be saved in pdf format using the tool Export directly as PDF. Choose this tool from the file menu, or alternatively, choose from the standard tool bar.

Send:

The file can also be sent as an email attachment using the send command from the file menu 

Print Preview

It is advisable to view the file before printing. Go to the file menu, click print preview or use Ctrl+shift+o. 

Print: 

ctrl+p

To print the hard copy of the file, click on the file menu, or alternatively choose the Ctrl + P keyboard shortcut.

Note:

For print setting see page setup.

Text Formatting Shortcut:

Name	Shortcut Key	Text	Output
Bold	Ctrl+B	Computer	Computer
Italic	Ctrl+I		Computer
Underline	Ctrl+U		Computer
Double Underline	Ctrl+D		Computer
Superscript	Ctrl+shift+P	2nd	2nd
Subscript	Ctrl+shift+B	H2O	H2o
Strikethrough		Computer	Computer

Outline Font Effect	Ctrl+B	Technology	Technology
Increase Size	Ctrl+]	Font Size	Font Size
Decrease Size	Ctrl+[	Font Size	Font Size
Cycle case	Shift + F3	Computer	COMPUTER (upper case) computer (lower case)
-	-	-	Information  Technology (Capitalize every word)
-	-	-	iNFORMATION tECHNOLOGY (tOGGLE cASE)
Small capitals	Ctrl+shift+K	Information	Information

Other Tools:

Clone formatting: 

To apply the same style to each heading, use the clone formatting tool.

To download LibreOffice follow the step:

1. Go to Google.com.

2. Navigate to LibreOffice.org.

3. Select Download.

4. Click the Download LibreOffice 7.4.1 button.

5. Click on "Choose your Operating System":

Windows 32 Bit or Windows 64 Bit, for example.

6. Again, click download. The exe file will be downloaded.

Click to install the app.

LibreOffice will be installed.

Toolbar In LibreOffice

Title bar:

The title bar is the topmost bar of LibreOffice. The title bar holds the filename, including the extension, on the left side. The default name that appears for the libreOffice writer's file is untitled1.odt. On the right side of the title bar, there are three buttons: minimize, maximize, and close.

Minimize only:   Window Logo Key +M

Maximize  and Minimize:  Window Logo Key +up Arrow

To close the active application window, press Alt + Spacebar. Use this shortcut key carefully because it is also the shortcut for logging off your computer system.

Note: To open the Pop-up menu for minimize and maximize press Alt+space bar. 

Using Formatting Tools Exercise:-

Style

The Formatting means changing the layout of the paragraph. For the purpose of heading creation, use the Style option from the menu toolbar in LibreOffice Writer. Select heading 1, 2, or 3 or use the shortcuts Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, and Ctrl+3. To open the Manage Style window, use F11.

Line Spacing

To set the spacing between lines, use the Spacing option from the Format menu. Here is the spacing option available: Line spacing 1, Line spacing 1.5, Line spacing 2. The default line spacing is 1.5. We can also set the paragraph space between two paragraphs.

Alignment

To set for alignment, click on Format and then Align Text Tool." Align left (Ctrl+l ), right (Ctrl+r),  center(Ctrl+e) and justify (Ctrl+j). The first three alignments can be used in headings and sentences, but the fourth alignment will be used only in paragraphs. The justify alignment text will start from the left and end with the right margin. The special feature of justifying it adds extra space to keep the lines equal with both margins. No enter key will be pressed during the typing of the paragraph. The justified alignment is set in this paragraph.   

Standard Toolbar options:-

Copy: This tool is used to copy the same content from source to destination. The copied content will be available in both locations.

Shortcut key

Ctrl+c

Cut: This tool is used to cut the content from the source and deliver it to the destination. The cut content will not be available in both locations. It will only be available at the destination only.

Shortcut key

Ctrl+x

Paste: This tool is used to paste content from the clipboard, which has already been copied or cut, into the new location. It is also used to move files or folders from one location to another location. Cut the file from the source and paste it to the destination.

Shortcut key

Ctrl+v

Undo & Redo: This command is used to recover the previous actions, and redo is used to recover the following actions.

Shortcut key

Undo: Ctrl+z

Redo: Ctrl+y

Find & Replace

This tool is used to find repeated errors in the document. In the find text box, type the wrong word and click find all. In the replace text box, type the correct word. You want to replace  click replace or replace all.

Shortcut key

Find & Replace: Ctrl+H

Check Spelling

For misspelt words, LibreOffice Writer includes a spell checker. A red line under the words indicates the spelling error. The options given below are available in the spell-checking dialogue box. Spelling is a proofing tool, but it is not always correct. This often happens with names and other proper nouns. Alternatively, click on the Tools menu and click Spelling.

Ignore Once

To remove the red line only in the words, in a single word. This option skip the word without changing it.

Ignore All 

To remove the red line from all words with red lines. Skip the words without changing.

Add To Dictionary

As we know, the word which is not included in the dictionary of LibreOffice shows an error. Select the word that appears to be correct and click Add to Dictionary.

Correct

For wrong words, there is a suggestion list in the spelling dialogue box. Choose the correct word from the suggestion list and click on "correct." To correct the same spelling in all documents, select correct all.

Shortcut key

Spelling : F7

Toggle Formatting Marks

This tool is used to specify formatting marks on documents. To opt for the options, go to the tools menu, click options, and click on LibreOffice Writer, then again click Formatting Aids.

The following given tools are available in formatting aids Select the desired options for which you want to display Toggle formatting marks.

1. Soft hyphens

2. Space

3. Bookmark

Insert Table

The table tool is available in the standard toolbar. It can also be found by selecting the table menu and then clicking on the insert table. A table consists of rows and columns. A table is used to show the records of the students, employees, and scheduling. The table tool has the following options.

1. Insert Rows Above & Below:-

This option is given under table tools. It is used to add rows at the cursor point  above or below.

2. Add columns before and after:-

This option is given under table tools. It is used to add columns at the cursor point before or after.

3. Delete selected Rows

This option is given under table tools. It is used to delete a specific row or rows. To delete the row, select the row or rows and click on delete selected rows.

Delete selected Columns

This option is given under table tools. It is used to delete a specific column or columns. To delete the column, select the column or columns and click on delete selected columns.

Select cell & Select table

By using the select cell tool, a specific cell can be selected. Sometimes it is necessary to select all the tables for formatting or deleting purposes. By using the select table tool, all the tables can also be selected.

AutoFormat Style:-

To set the formatting style of the table, such as color, font, border, alignment, pattern, number format, etc., click on AutoFormat Style on the table toolbar and apply the desired effects.

 Merge Cells:

A merge cells is used to merge two or more cells into a single cell. A merge cell is needed to provide the heading in the Center of the table, and so on.  

Split Cell:

To break a single cell into multiple cells, use the split cells option. This tool can be selected from the table toolbar or, alternatively, by selecting from the table menu.

Create Table

Example2

 

LibreOffice Shortcut Key NEW                                                                                          Ctrl+n OPEN                                                                                         Ctrl+o SAVE                                                                                          Ctrl+s SAVE AS                                                                                    Ctrl+shift+s PRINT PREVIEW                                                                     Ctrl+shift+o PRINT                                                                                        Ctrl+p EXIT LibreOffice                                                                       Ctrl+q UNDO                                                                                       Ctrl+z REDO                                                                                         Ctrl+y REPEAT TYPING                                                                     Ctrl+shift+y CUT                                                                                            Ctrl+x COPY                                                                                         Ctrl+c PASTE                                                                                        Ctrl+v PASTE SPECIAL                                                                       Ctrl+Shift+v SELECT ALL                                                                              Ctrl+A FIND                                                                                           Ctrl+F Find and Replace                                                                        Ctrl+H Go To Page                                                                                 Ctrl+G Edit Mode                                                                                   Ctrl+Shift+M Formatting Marks                                                                       Ctrl+F10  Side bar                                                                                     Ctrl+F5 styles                                                                                          F11 Navigator                                                                                   F5 Data sources                                                                              Ctrl+Shift+F4 Full Screen                                                                                Ctrl+Shift+j Page Break                                                                                Ctrl+Enter Insert column Break                                                                  Ctrl+Shift+Enter Insert manual row Break                                                           Shift+Enter comment                                                                                    Ctrl+Alt+c Hyperlink                                                                                  Ctrl+K Insert Non-Breaking spaces                                                      Ctrl+Shift+Space Insert Non-Breaking Hyphen                                                   Ctrl+Shift+- Insert Soft-Hyphen                                                                    Ctrl+- Spelling                                                                                       F7 Automatic Spell Checking                                                      Shift +F7 Thesaurus                                                                               Ctrl + F7