Changing the Global Settings

Global settings can be changed by selecting Tools -> Options…. This opens the window shown in Figure 6.2: “The Options Dialog”. A tree structure is used to display categories of settings.

Figure 6.2. The Options Dialog

The Options Dialog
OpenOffice.org

This entry covers various basic settings. This includes your user data, like your address and e-Mail, important paths, and settings for printers and external programs.

Load/Save

This entry includes settings related to the opening and saving of several file types. There is a dialog for general settings and several special dialogs to define how external formats should be handled.

Language Settings

This entry covers various settings related to languages and writing aids, namely your locale and spell checker settings. This is also the place to enable support for Asian languages.

Internet

This entry includes dialogs to configure any proxies and to change settings related to search engines.

Text Document

Under this entry, configure global word processing options, such as the basic fonts and layout Writer should use.

HTML Document

Under this entry, change the settings related to the HTML authoring features of OpenOffice.org.

Spreadsheet

Use this to change settings for Calc, such as those related to sort lists and grids.

Presentation

Under this entry, change settings that should apply to all presentations. For instance, specify the measurement unit for the grid used to arrange elements.

Drawing

This entry covers settings related to the vector drawing module, such as the drawing scale, grid properties, and some print options.

Formula

This entry provides a single dialog to set some special print options for formulas.

Chart

This defines the default colors used for newly created charts.

Data Sources

Use this to define how external data sources should be accessed.

Important

All settings as listed above are applied globally — they are used as defaults for every new document you create.