Writer's Tools is a set of utilities designed to help OpenOffice.org users perform a wide range of tasks. Using Writer's Tools, you can back up documents, look up and translate words and phrases, manage text snippets, and keep tabs on document statistics. Writer's Tools includes the following utilities:
- Lookup Tool lets you look up the currently selected word in several online references, including Cambridge Dictionaries, WordNet, and Google Define.
- Google Translate tool can help you to quickly translate selected text fragments between different languages using the Google Translate service.
- Show on the Map tool allows you to select a city, a street name, or a post code and map it using Google Maps.
- Email Backup tool can be used to quickly send a backup copy of the currently opened document to a specified email address.
- Multi-format Backup tool saves the currently opened Writer document in the Word, RTF, and TXT formats. The backup files are stored in a zip archive with a date stamp.
- Remote Backup allows you to quickly save a backup copy of the current document on an FTP server.
- Amazon S3 Backup tool backs up the currently opened document to Amazon S3.
- Start/Stop Timer tool can be used to keep tabs on the time spent on the currently opened document and save the time data (the document name, used time, and date) in the accompanying WriterDB database.
- Quick Converter lets you perform conversion between the metric and imperial systems. The default conversion rules can be easily expanded.
- Post to Microblog tool can be used to send messages to the Identi.ca and Twitter microblogging services.
- Bookmarks tool allows you to bookmark often-used documents, so you can access them with a few mouse clicks.
- Word of the Day tool picks and displays a random word and its definition from the accompanying WriterDB database. As a writer, you may often come across a new word or an interesting expression. The WriterDB database allows you to store your language findings in one place, while the Word of the Day tool helps you to keep them active in your memory.
- Add to Noteboook tool is designed to quickly add text snippets, links, and notes to the supplied database.
- Database tool opens the WriterDB database, where you can use the available forms to manage notes and tasks.
- Convert To tool can convert Writer documents in a selected folder into a specified format. These tools can come in handy when you need to convert multiple Writer documents in one go.
- Visual Word Count tool shows the current word count and lets you monitor your writing progress.
- Tasks tool is a no-frills to-do manager that allows you to quickly add, view, and export tasks.
- miniInvoices is a customizable invoicing solution for writers. miniInvoices is built with OpenOffice.org Base and relies on the Sun Report Builder extension. The solution features support for multiple currencies and basic reporting capabilities. The latter allows the user to generate print-ready invoices and earning reports. miniInvoices is available as a separate download.
Need help with Writer's Tools? Read Writer's Tools Manual.
If you have problems or suggestions for improvements, please post them in the Writer's Tools group.
Operating System: System Independent
Date: 2009-May-14
Size: N/A
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help
wow, i feel stupid, but i cant figure out for the life of me how to set the email address for the email backup..... any help?
Help
Please post your question at http://groups.google.com/group/writertools/ But before you do that, please read the WriterToolsUserGuide.html file that comes with the extension.
I love this extension.
As a professional writer, I'm not sure how I ever lived without it.
Installation failed
I followed the instructions on page 5 of your Writer's Tools Manual, but received an error message from Extension Manager:
(com.sun.star.ucb.ContentCreationException) {{ Message = "No Content Provider available for given URL!", Context = (com.sun.star.uno.XInterface) @0 }, eError = (com.sun.star.ucb.ContentCreationError) NO_CONTENT_PROVIDER }
I look forward to hearing from you.
Ed Isenberg
Installation failed
Please post your question at http://groups.google.com/group/writertools/ Also, you need to provide more information such as: 1) What version of OpenOffice.org you are using, 2) What platform you are using (Linux, Windows, Mac), 3) Describe your exact steps that lead to the error message.
Kind regards,
Dmitri
Timer and miniInvoices
Two questions:
1) Is there a way to set the timer to start automatically and then stop when a document sits idle for, say, 10 minutes?
2) Is there a way to integrate the timer function and miniInvoices so that if you are creating/working on a document, is possible to record the amount of time spent on the document and its cost?
Thanks!
Timer and miniInvoices
1) Is there a way to set the timer to start automatically and then stop when a document sits idle for, say, 10 minutes?
No.
2) Is there a way to integrate the timer function and miniInvoices so that if you are creating/working on a document, is possible to record the amount of time spent on the document and its cost?
I'm considering adding this feature sometime in the future.
Kind regards,
Dmitri
browser page not opening SOLVED
I was not able to open the default web browser with WritersTool.
It got resolved with dmpos's tip on the site below.
http://groups.google.com/group/writertools/browse_thread/thread/ebd24c6a...
It says:
"_ _ _
Navigate to: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\Application
Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user (replace USER with your actual user name)
and delete the writertools folder. Next time you use Writer's Tools,
you'll be prompted to enter the path to a browser. On My Windows XP
machine, this path works fine:
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe _ _ _"
Others may too benefit from this and save time hunting for solution.
Compliments to Dmitri Popov.
Dr. Ashok Koparday
Thanks -- but...renaming "user" not necessary
I could not change "user" but removing the writer's tool file and entering the windows xp path did the trick! Thanks. Ambimom
English Version and problems with file names with German Umlauts
I use the English version and I have problems using files with German Umlauts in their file name.
browser location on opensuse 10.3
The tools that require the default browser to open did not work on my opensuse 10.3 systems. After following the instructions for mac users in the help file to change the default browser, I noticed that the link to the linux default browser in the Openoffice.org basic file was given as:
Global Const DefaultLinuxBrowser="/etc/alternatives/x-www-browser"
This is certainly the case on Ubuntu and Kubuntu, but does not apply to opensuse, as the x-www-browser link does not exist in /etc/alternatives, at least on my systems.
However, I found I could get it to work quite easily by replacing the above line with:
Global Const DefaultLinuxBrowser="firefox"
(or "opera" or "konqueror")
Perhaps this could be added to the help file as not everyone uses ubuntu!
Browser location on opensuse 10.3
Good idea! I'll add this to the manual. Thanks!
Kind regards,
Dmitri
A must have!
As a professional writer i am really thankful for this great tool. Among lots of other features I like the easy email-backup feature very much. Thanks for this extremely usefull addon!
Request
Do you think you could add an option, similar to the 'Email Backup' feature, but uploading to google docs, like http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/ooo2gd ?
Request
There is a separate extension for that. Why reinvent the wheel?
Tricky setup
Hi,
hardwiring the path to Firefox is not such a good idea. Especially since not on every Windows version the program files are actually under C:\Program Files . Can't you pull the path to the default browser from the registry instead?
On my system (German) it's C:\Programme, so after installation, many of the writer's tools don't work, and it takes quite a while to find out how to fix it. Why not include a link to the solution in the error message??
All the best,
Stephan
Tricky setup
This problem has been fixed in Writer's Tools version 0.9.31.
Kind regards,
Dmitri
miniInvoices
I have a doubt with minInvoices. It doesn't install normaly so it must be either have a different installer procedure which I ignore or must be placed into some folder inside openoffice.org
Can somebody please help me with this issue?
Thank You!
miniInvoices
miniInvoices is just a plain OpenOffice.org Base file, so you don't have to install it. Just double-click on it to open the database, and that's it.
Thanks for this wonderful
Thanks for this wonderful extension Dimitri!
I needed three attempts before I got it running (winXP) Thanks to your excellent manual, I found the problem:
The macro assumes the HD where OOo is installed is "C", while in my case it is "H". Changing this one letter in the macro solved it all! Maybe this can be helpful to others.
Thanks again,
best regards,
verbertus
getting it to work
I've tried this extension two or three times. I'd really like to use it but have not been able to make it work. I'm running it on two computers, WinXP and Kubuntu. Both are using the latest version of Openoffice.org.
How about a Writer's Tools for Dummies manual?
NTP
There is a manual
First, there is a manual: unzip the downloaded archive and look for the WriterToolsUserGuide.html document. alternatively, you might want to read the Writer's Tools Manual. Second, if you have problems, questions, and comments, the right place to post them would be the Writer's Tools website (the Issues section).
Default browser and localization
Hi,
I am trying this great extension in a Windows 2000 installation where the applications aren't installed in the "Program Files" folder, but in a custom folder. When I try to use the lookup (or translate, or map) tool, I get a "file not found" error from the Macro management utility of OpenOffice.org.
Searching the source code, I see that the extension considers Firefox as the default browser, and searches for it inside "Program Files":
Global Const DefaultWindowsBrowser="C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
I see several problems with this line: localized operating systems, custom installation of firefox, and use of other browsers will lead to errors.
I changed the line into this:
Global Const DefaultWindowsBrowser="cmd.exe /c start "
This line works for any Windows installation, any language, any browser. The windows shell, given the URL, will open the default sysem browser.
Probably, the same issues can be considered valid for Linux, because firefox is not always the default browser. I haven't tried it, but a fix that considers /etc/alternatives/x-www-browser might be a viable solution.
Finally, I would like to translate this extension in Italian.
Let me know if you are interested, I will send you the translated version to be uploaded here.
Bye
Global Const
Global Const DefaultWindowsBrowser="cmd.exe /c start " doesn't work with some of Writer's Tools commands: for example, Show on the Map. Also, the manual clearly explains how to change the default browser on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.
good tools..
Thanks for making this--here's some ideas that I wish someone would do:
--bibiliography tools (For me that would be APA style, but MLA is very popular I understand)
--comment tools. I dont think the comment toosl built into OO.org are as good as the ones for Microsoft and that pains me.
----the compatability between the comment tools in OO.org Writer and MS Word just doesnt work. If I make a comment then a co-author opens that document, they can only see a little highlighted area, not the comment.
*If these were fixed, I could confidently promote OO.org to everyone I know in academia as being far superior to MS Word.
mmiesner
Bibliography tool and Notes
For a really excellent bibliography tool that supports OOo, try Zotero:
http://www.zotero.org/
Check out this screencast to get an overview of how Zotero works:
http://www.zotero.org/videos/tour/zotero_tour.htm
Zotero is free, open source software.
The notes (comments) feature is being improved right now and a first release of the new version, Notes2, should be included with OOo 3.0, expected in a Beta release sometime around April 2008. More information here:
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Notes2
--
Ubuntu Linux (7.10)