Creating Textual Communication

Introduction to Digital Documentation

• Digital tools, specifically word processors like LibreOffice Writer, are used to create organized, systematic, and effective documents.
• A document is defined as any piece of information created using a text editor.
• The cursor is the vertical blinking line that indicates where text will appear when typed.

Basic Keyboard Operations

• Enter Key: Moves the cursor to the next line.
• Tab Key: Moves the cursor five spaces to the right.
• Backspace/Delete: Backspace deletes characters to the left of the cursor, while Delete removes characters to the right.
• Caps Lock/Shift: Used for toggling between uppercase and lowercase letters. Shift is also used to type symbols located on the upper part of keys.

Page Setup and Formatting

• Page Settings: Users can define page size (e.g., A4), margins, and background colors to give the document a consistent look.
• Orientation: Documents can be Portrait (vertically elongated) or Landscape (horizontally elongated).
• Title Bar: Displays the name of the document and the application; unsaved documents often show as "Untitled."

Text and Paragraph Styling

• Character Formatting: Includes changing font names (Arial, Times New Roman), font size, and styles such as Bold, Italic, and Underline.
• Alignment: Text can be aligned to the Left, Right, Centered, or Justified (aligned to both margins).
• Spacing and Indentation: Line spacing adjusts the gap between lines, paragraph spacing adjusts the gap between blocks of text, and indentation adds blank space at the start of a paragraph.

Editing and Proofing Tools

• Spelling and Grammar: Red wavy lines indicate spelling errors, while green wavy lines indicate grammatical issues. These can be corrected using the Spelling and Grammar check feature (F7).
• Find and Replace: This tool allows users to search for specific words and replace them throughout the document automatically.
• Cut, Copy, and Paste: These commands allow moving text (Cut) or duplicating text (Copy) from one location to another (Paste).

Organizing Information with Lists and Tables

• Lists: Bullets are used for items where order is not important, while Numbering is used for ordered lists.
• Tables: Information can be organized into rows and columns. Features include inserting/deleting rows, adding borders, and merging cells to combine multiple boxes into one.

Enhancing Documents

• Images: Photographs and pictures can be inserted to make reports more visually appealing.
• Headers and Footers: A Header displays text at the top of every page, while a Footer displays text (like page numbers) at the bottom.

Finalizing and Sharing

• File Management: Documents are typically saved in the .odt format. Frequent saving is recommended to prevent data loss.
• Print Preview: Allows users to see exactly how the document will look on paper before printing.
• Hard Copy vs. Soft Copy: A digital file is a soft copy, while a printed version on paper is a hard copy.
• PDF Export: To prevent others from editing a final document, it can be exported to Portable Document Format (PDF).

Ethics

• It is highlighted as unethical to view or edit someone else’s document without their permission.