Creating diagrams in OpenOffice.org Draw and Impress

“OpenOffice.org’s tools for creating diagrams are easy to
ignore. For one thing, their controls are extremely small. For
another, they are pitifully under-documented in the online help,
which plods through the options without explaining what they are or
why you want to use them. Then, just to really confuse you, the
full set of tools is available only in Draw and Impress, although
Write and Calc users might also want them. Yet despite these
handicaps, OpenOffice.org’s diagram tools work well enough that
many users should find no need for more sophisticated tools such as
Dia.

“Diagrams require a degree of precision in placement. For this
reason, before you start constructing a diagram, maximize the
OpenOffice.org window and change the zoom to at least 120%. You may
also want to select View -> Grid -> Display Grid to give you
some guidelines for placing pieces of diagrams. Should the grid not
be precise enough, you can change it in Tools -> Options by
going to the Grid pane for the applications you are using.”

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