Changing the Global Settings

Global settings can be changed in any OpenOffice.org application by clicking Tools+Options on the menu bar. This opens the window shown in the figure below. A tree structure is used to display categories of settings.

Figure 1.2. The Options Window

The Options Window

The settings categories that appear depend on the module you are working in. For example, if you are in Writer, the OpenOffice.org Writer category appears in the list, but the OpenOffice.org Calc category does not. The OpenOffice.org Base category appears in both Calc and Writer. The Application column in the table shows where each setting category is available.

The following table lists the settings categories along with a brief description of each category:

Table 1.2. Global Setting Categories

Settings​ Category

Description

Application

OpenOffice.org

Various basic settings, including your user data (such as your address and e-mail), important paths, and settings for printers and external programs.

All

Load/Save

Includes the 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.

All

Language​ Settings

Covers the various settings related to languages and writing aids, such as your locale and spell checker settings. This is also the place to enable support for Asian languages.

All

OpenOffice.org​ Writer

Configures the global word processing options, such as the basic fonts and layout that Writer should use.

Writer

OpenOffice.org​ Writer/Web

Changes the settings related to the HTML authoring features of OpenOffice.org.

Writer

OpenOffice.org​ Calc

Changes the settings for Calc, such as those related to sorting lists and grids.

Calc

OpenOffice.org​ Impress

Changes the settings that should apply to all presentations. For example, you can specify the measurement unit for the grid used to arrange elements.

Impress

OpenOffice.org​ Draw

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

Draw

OpenOffice.org​ Math

Provides a single dialog to set special print options for formulas.

Math

OpenOffice.org​ Base

Provides dialogs to set and edit connections and registered databases.

Base

Charts

Defines the default colors used for newly created charts.

All

Internet

Includes the dialogs to configure any proxies and to change settings related to search engines.

All


[Important]Settings Apply Globally

All settings listed in the table are applied globally for the specified applications. They are used as defaults for every new document you create.