(Translation from this post)
2020 was an terrible year.
We started the year with the expectation of an intense activity in LibreOffice but we were caught by the worst pandemic in centuries.
Author: Olivier Hallot
The LibreOffice Calc Guide 7.0 Just Arrived!
The LibreOffice Documentation Team is happy to announce the availability of the LibreOffice Calc Guide 7.0, the most comprehensive guide for the Calc module, updated to the latest version of LibreOffice.
The Guide is available in PDF format and contains 545 pages, covering all basic and advanced features of the spreadsheet module of LibreOffice, and is a must-read book for exploiting the maximum of LibreOffice Calc.
LibreOffice Math Guide 7.0 is Published
The Math Guide 7.0 is the first book published based on LibreOffice 7.0
The Documentation Team is happy to announce the publication of the Math Guide 7.0, the latest update of the guide based on the recently released LibreOffice 7.0, the best open source office suite ever.
The effort was mostly carried by Rafael Lima and reviewed by Jean H. Weber. The new guide covers were designed by Rizal Muttaqin and Drew Jensen. The final publication was carried by Olivier Hallot.
“I work as a university professor in Brazil and I often write papers and prepare presentations that involve mathematical models and notation, and for that I’ve been using LibreOffice Math for over a year. When I read about the Documentation Team on a TDF blog post and learned that the Math Guide needed a volunteer, I felt it was my chance to contribute back to the LibreOffice project” said Rafael Lima, leader of the project. “The experience was seamless and it has been a pleasure working with the Documentation Team. Now I am looking forward to continuing contributing to the project, not only with the Math Guide, but also in other publications developed and maintained by the team.” he added.
The new Math Guide is available at the documentation website at https://documentation.libreoffice.org and the source files are on the LibreOffice wiki at https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications#LibreOffice_Math_Guide
Happy documenting!
Documentation Team Status
By Dave Barton
In recent times, the very small LibreOffice Documentation Team has been making real progress in revising and updating the user guides:
Release 6.4 |
Release 7.0 |
|
| Calc Guide | Published | Work in progress |
| Base Guide | Published | Work in progress |
| Draw Guide | Published | Work in progress |
| Impress Guide | Skipped | Work in progress |
| Math Guide | Published | Awaiting volunteer contributors |
| Writer Guide | Published | Awaiting volunteer contributors |
| Getting Started Guide | Published | Awaiting volunteer contributors |
While this progress in shortened documentation development time is fairly good, it can be substantially improved by having more contributors on the team.
It would be terrific if all contributors were a skilled technical writers, but in reality anyone with a reasonable command of the English language and an eye for detail can make a valuable contribution. No contributor is expected to rewrite entire guide books, although some of our most experienced, long term contributors do exactly that. In fact nothing is expected or demanded of any contributor, other than to let other members of the team know what they what they have chosen to work on.
In some cases, that might be to update a chapter of an existing guide, or reviewing the work of another team member. Reviewing can take the form of proof reading, or researching the accuracy of the guide information in relation to the software’s actual operation. By identifying yourself as a Docs Team contributor does not mean you are making any permanent or long term commitment – many contributors come and go over long periods according to the demands of their “real” life.
It can be seen in the documentation status above there are at least three guides where the input of new contributors would be very welcome. If you are interested in contributing these guides you can see the team guidelines here:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/DocumentationTeamInfo/JoinDocTeam
Or to get a wider view of the Documentation Team activities visit this page:
https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/join-the-documentation-team/ where you will also find information about maintaining the LibreOffice Help pages and the documentation wiki.
If you have any questions you are welcome to post them to: documentation@global.libreoffice.org or you can also join our Telegram group for documentation at https://t.me/joinchat/ALeRuUFCxyZY0wzoddldWQ
The team also gather together in our open to all bi-weekly on-line meeting: https://jitsi.documentfoundation.org/tdfdocteam see: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Meetings for dates and times.
Join us! Happy documenting!
Calc Guide 6.4 is Released! – Download Now!
The LibreOffice Documentation Team announces the release of the LibreOffice Calc Guide 6.4, the complete handbook for the spreadsheet tool of LibreOffice. The guide was updated from the existing release 6.2 and include all the improvements developed since then.
LibreOffice Calc is the spreadsheet module of LibreOffice, capable of creating and edit complex spreadsheets, from simple calculations to ‘What if…’ manner by changing some of the data and observing the results without having to retype the entire spreadsheet or sheet. Other features provided by Calc include
- Functions, which can be used to create formulas to perform complex calculations on data.
- Database functions to arrange, store, and filter data.
- Dynamic charts, including a wide range of 2D and 3D charts.
- Macros for recording and executing repetitive tasks; scripting languages supported include LibreOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, and JavaScript.
- Ability to open, edit, and save Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
- Import and export of spreadsheets in multiple formats, including HTML, CSV, PDF, and PostScript.
The release of the Guide is an effort of the documentation team of the LibreOffice Community, a group of skilled individuals that contributes to create the best reference guides for all LibreOffice modules, including word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, database and math equations.
“This guide achieves a very important milestone for the whole LibreOffice community since Calc documentation is the most demanded by the end user. I’m sure this great work will be very much appreciated.” said Daniel Rodriguez, Member of The Document Foundation Board of Directors.
“Building on the great work that went on during 2019 to complete the major update necessary to align the Calc Guide with LibreOffice 6.2, the update to 6.4 was a more modest task. However, I am delighted that the Team has completed this task because it gives an excellent platform for the subsequent update to 7.0 . From a personal perspective it was an enjoyable challenge and I was delighted to have a chance to make a useful contribution during our period of lockdown in the UK. Many thanks to all those who contributed to this update, especially Leo Moons, Kees Kriek, Gordon Bates, Drew Jensen and Randolph Gamo” said Steve Fanning, Calc Guide Coordinator.
The Calc Guide 6.4 is available in PDF for download from the new Extension website, at the following address: https://extensions.libreoffice.org/en/extensions/show/876.
The source files in Open Document Format (ODT)can be downloaded from this address: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications#LibreOffice_Calc_Guide .
And indeed, the documentation community appreciates help in all languages – plus, contributing is a good way to build up skills for a possible career in technical writing. See here to get started!
The Draw Guide 6.4 is Ready for Download
Following the recent release of our updated guides, the LibreOffice Documentation Team is happy to announce the immediate availability of the LibreOffice Draw Guide 6.4, the complete handbook for the drawing tool of LibreOffice. The guide was updated from the existing release 4.3 and include all the improvements developed since early 2014, when the last version of the guide was published.
LibreOffice Draw is the vector drawing tool of LibreOffice, capable of creating and edit complex drawings, from basic geometric shapes to sophisticated technical drawings, including tri-dimensional composition, all supporting the ODF file format standard.
“Returning to the LibreOffice Documentation team was a great opportunity for me to continue to contribute for the LibreOffice Community. I used all my 35 years of professional experience as a technical writer in high end industries to bring the Draw Guide up to date with the latest publicly available release of LibreOffice (Version 6.4). I hope the community enjoy LibreOffice as this is an excellent office software package that is freely available” said Peter Schofield, who coordinated the update and release of the Draw guide.
“Our vision for LibreOffice goes beyond the software development and we care to create the elements of an authentic LibreOffice culture. It is a great joy for all of us to see the LibreOffice community and the documentation team actively working on the update of the Guides. These books are important assets of the LibreOffice ecosystem and a critical element to improve and enlarge the opportunities for all persons of the community” Said Emiliano Vavassori and Daniel Rodriguez, members of The Document Foundation Board of Directors.
The Draw Guide 6.4 is the result of the collaborative work of Peter Schofield, Claire Wood and Regina Henschel. A big thanks to them for all their work!
Meet the whole LibreOffice Documentation Team.
LibreOffice has extensive documentation in many languages, thanks to our worldwide community.
Download it
• PDF version – recommended for viewing
• ODT version – for opening/editing in LibreOffice
Everyone is welcome to join our documentation team! It’s a great way to build up experience in a large and well-known open source project, especially if you’re interested in a career in technical writing one day.