Word Processing with LibreOffice Writer

2.1.1–2.1.2 Document View Modes ICDL 2.1.1–2.1.2

2.1.3 Entering Text ICDL 2.1.3

Simply click where you want to type and start typing! The cursor (blinking line |) shows where text will appear. Press Enter to start a new paragraph. Text automatically wraps to the next line — you don't need to press Enter at the end of each line.

2.1.4 Inserting Symbols & Special Characters ICDL 2.1.4

Go to Insert → Special Character to insert symbols not on your keyboard:

2.2.1 Non-Printing Characters ICDL 2.2.1

Non-printing characters are invisible marks that control formatting. Toggle them ON/OFF with Ctrl + F10 or the ¶ button on the toolbar:

2.2.2 Selecting Text ICDL 2.2.2

2.2.3–2.2.8 Editing Text ICDL 2.2.3–2.2.8

🎮 Activity: Shortcut Matching Game

Match each shortcut to its action:

3.1.1–3.1.2 Basic Text Formatting ICDL 3.1.1–3.1.2

Select text first, then apply formatting:

3.1.3–3.1.6 Advanced Text Formatting ICDL 3.1.3–3.1.6

3.1.7 Hyperlinks ICDL 3.1.7

A hyperlink turns text into a clickable link that opens a web page, email, or another part of the document.

1. Select the text you want to make into a link
2. Go to Insert → Hyperlink (or press Ctrl + K)
3. In the "URL" field, type the web address (e.g., https://libreoffice.org)
4. Click "Apply" then "Close"

To edit a hyperlink: right-click it → "Edit Hyperlink". To remove: right-click → "Remove Hyperlink".

3.2.1–3.2.4 Paragraph Formatting ICDL 3.2.1–3.2.4

Creating paragraphs: Press Enter to create a new paragraph. To merge two paragraphs into one, place your cursor at the start of the second paragraph and press Backspace.

Line break (soft return): Press Shift + Enter to start a new line WITHOUT starting a new paragraph. Useful inside addresses or poems.

Text alignment:

3.2.5–3.2.6 Indentation & Tabs ICDL 3.2.5–3.2.6

3.2.7–3.2.8 Spacing ICDL 3.2.7–3.2.8

Go to Format → Paragraph → Indents & Spacing:

3.2.9 Bullets & Numbered Lists ICDL 3.2.9

Select your text (or start typing), then click the Bulleted List or Numbered List button on the toolbar. To change style, click the dropdown arrow next to the button and choose a different style.

To remove bullets/numbers: select the list and click the button again (toggles off).

3.2.10 Paragraph Borders & Shading ICDL 3.2.10

Go to Format → Paragraph → Borders to add: border style (solid, dashed, dotted), line width, line colour, and background/shading colour. This is useful for highlighting important paragraphs or creating callout boxes.

3.3 Styles ICDL 3.3

Styles are saved formatting settings you can apply instantly. They ensure consistent formatting throughout your document.

4.1.1 Creating & Deleting Tables ICDL 4.1.1

1. Go to Table → Insert Table (or Ctrl + F12)
2. Choose the number of columns and rows
3. Click OK — the table appears at your cursor position

Or use the Table button on the toolbar — hover over the grid to select size visually!

To delete a table: Click inside it → Table → Delete → Table.

4.1.2–4.1.4 Working with Table Data ICDL 4.1.2–4.1.4

Enter data: Click in a cell and type. Press Tab to move to the next cell. Press Shift + Tab to go back.

Select parts of a table:

Insert/Delete rows & columns: Right-click inside the table → Insert/Delete Rows or Columns. Or use Table → Insert/Delete.

4.2 Table Formatting ICDL 4.2

4.3 Graphical Objects ICDL 4.3

What is Mail Merge? ICDL 5.1

Mail Merge lets you create personalised letters, labels, or envelopes for many people automatically. Instead of typing each person's name and address separately, you create ONE template letter and ONE data list — the computer combines them!

5.1.1–5.1.3 Setting Up Mail Merge ICDL 5.1.1–5.1.3

1. Create your data source — Open LibreOffice Calc and create a spreadsheet with columns like: First Name, Last Name, Address, City, etc. Save it as .ods
2. Open or create your letter in Writer — type the main content that everyone will receive
3. Go to Tools → Mail Merge Wizard — follow the steps: choose letter type, select your spreadsheet data source
4. Insert fields: Place your cursor where a name should go → click "Insert Data Field" → choose "First_Name" from the list. Repeat for Last Name, Address, etc.
5. Your letter now has placeholders like <First_Name> <Last_Name> that will be replaced with real data!

5.2.1–5.2.2 Generating Output ICDL 5.2

Once your template and data are connected:

1. Click "Merge" in the Mail Merge Wizard (or Tools → Mail Merge)
2. Choose output: New Document (creates one big document with all letters) or Printer (sends directly to print)
3. Each person gets their own personalised letter with their name, address, and details filled in automatically!

You can also create address labels using File → New → Labels, then connecting to your data source the same way.

6.1.1 Page Orientation & Size ICDL 6.1.1

Go to Format → Page Style → Page tab:

6.1.2 Margins ICDL 6.1.2

Margins are the empty space around the edges of the page. Change them in Format → Page Style → Page tab:

Set Top, Bottom, Left, Right margins. Default is usually 2 cm (0.79 inches). For binding (printed booklets), increase the left or inner margin.

6.1.3–6.1.4 Page Breaks ICDL 6.1.3–6.1.4

Insert: Place cursor where you want the new page → Insert → More Breaks → Page Break (or Ctrl + Enter).

Delete: Show non-printing characters (Ctrl + F10) → place cursor right before the page break → press Delete.

6.1.5–6.1.6 Headers & Footers ICDL 6.1.5–6.1.6

Headers appear at the top of every page; footers appear at the bottom. Great for page numbers, dates, titles, and author names.

1. Go to Insert → Header and Footer → Header → Default Page Style (or Footer)
2. A text area appears at the top/bottom of the page — type your content
3. To insert automatic fields: Insert → Header and Footer → Page Number, or Insert → Field → Date, Page Count, File Name, Author

Common format: "Page 3 of 12" — type "Page ", insert Page Number, type " of ", insert Page Count.

6.2.1–6.2.2 Spell Check ICDL 6.2.1–6.2.2

LibreOffice Writer underlines spelling mistakes in red wavy lines and grammar issues in blue wavy lines.

Run spell check: Press F7 or go to Tools → Spelling. For each error, you can:

6.2.3–6.2.4 Preview & Print ICDL 6.2.3–6.2.4

Print Preview: Press Ctrl + Shift + J or go to File → Print Preview. This shows exactly how pages will look on paper. Click "Close Preview" to return to editing.

Print: Ctrl + P opens the Print dialog: