In this seventh part of the Writer guide, we explore inserting a URL into a document. We also touch on a little bit more about images as well as headers and footers.
Previously, we touched on how to create simple objects in Writer. There isn’t a whole lot left to explore here, so we are going to be touching on a few final things.
First, URLs. For obvious reasons, URLs can’t be printed off, but if you ever wanted to insert them, there is a simple way to do so. Also, opening URLs in such documents does require a little bit extra, but it is more than possible.
Also, we wanted to further touch on images in a document. While inserting images as an object is one thing, having it interact with normal text is another thing altogether.
Adding a URL
Adding a URL is actually quite simple. First, in our text, we need to figure out what needs to be a URL.
Next, we need to highlight that text.
After that, we need to click on “Insert” in the menu bar and click on Hyperlink. Note that the speed key “CTRL+K” also works in this case as well if you are into speed keys.
Now, you are free to type in the URL you want that link to point to. By default, you are already on the Internet section, but you can also see that e-mail and document paths are also available. If happen to be in an intranet setting with a whole internal network, you can actually point to a specific drive with a specific document. Very useful if you are creating documentation inside a medium or large office. For now, we’ll just stick to a simple external URL and point to Freezenet. Then, we just click on the “OK” button.
Voila! Your URL is ready to go! Now, what if you want to actually click on that URL? To do so, you’ll need to hold down “CTRL” while clicking the URL. Your default browser will open and take you to the URL in question.
Images
Now, let’s say you want to insert a simple picture. Well, like in our objects guide, a simple way of doing so is to click on the part of the text you want to insert the image on.
Next, we want to resize the image with a bounding box handle.
In this case, I’m going to use the bottom left corner so that the aspect ratio is retained.
Now, you’ll notice that the image aligns to the middle. Since I chose the beginning of the text to insert the image, the text will immediately try and wrap around it. Now, I just want to align the image to the left. This can be carried out with the align left button (highlighted in screen shot).
Now, the image is aligned to the left and regular text and wrap itself around the image. I can additionally re-size the image further if need be. If you are starting a document with a customized letter, this is an excellent technique to know.
Insert an Image Inside an Irregular Shape
Now, let’s say you want to insert an image and have the text nicely wrap around it. For this, there is going to be some trial and error to get your picture right. First, we need to click on the part of the text we need to insert that object. Next, we need to insert the shape you want your image to be in.
Now, you’re going to notice that the object in question will simply go over top of your text. This is a very easy problem to solve.
All we need to do is click on the “Optimal Page Wrap” button.
After that, we can remove our border (assuming you don’t want one). by clicking on “none” under the border drop down menu (highlighted). After that, we can click on the “Insert Image” button. Browse to the image you want to insert and click on the “Open” button.
You’ll immediately notice that the image is by no means correctly inserted even though it is inserted into the object. Next, we want to right click on the bounding box and click “Area”
Next, in the top drop down menu, you want to click on “Tile”. After that, you can tick the “Scale” box twice. Once to tick and once to untick. This will drop the image size all the way down to one centimetre for width and height. From there, click on the up arrows to try and get a decent aspect ratio. You can always eyeball the original image in a separate window if need be. Just remember that you want to go a bit larger than the outside box in the preview window.
After that, you can move the images x and y position inside the object of your choice. Again, this is largely trial and error at this point to get right, but eventually, you should be able to get what effect you want right. Click on OK when done to see if you got it right.
Voila! You got your customized picture inside an irregular box with the text wrapping nicely around. Remember, if you can create an object shape, you can insert an image inside Writer.
Adding Headers and Footers
One final thing we want to touch on are how to insert headers and footers. These can definitely be used in a whole variety of scenarios from making books to writing academic papers and a whole lot more.
Whether you are looking for a header or a footer, you’ll need to click on “Insert” first. From there, you need to hover your mouse over “Header and Footer”. In the subsequent menu, you can choose whether you want a header or a footer. Both will initially only have a “Default” option, so just click on default on whichever you choose. A header goes at the top of every page while a footer goes to the bottom of every page.
In my case, I chose a header. From there, I can type in whatever I like to have at the top of every page. At this point, you may be saying, “That’s all well and good, but I’d like to add in a header/footer that, say, indicated a page number.” Luckily, this is a very straight forward thing to do.
First, with the header or footer selected, you can click on “Insert” in the menu bar. From there, you can either select the convenient “Page Number” button. Alternatively, however, you can hover your mouse over “Field”. Not only does this have page numbers, but also a whole host of other fields you can add such as author, date, time, title, and a whole lot more. Writer is very flexible in automated fields you can put into your headers and footers.
If you click on Page Number, you’ll see your page number appear with a grey highlight. This indicates that the field is special. In this case, the page number changes with every additional page you see after the first.
Congratulations! Now you know about URLs, headers and footers with special fields, and even a bit more about images in Writer!
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