In this workshop, you will continue working with StarOffice to familiarize yourself with its desktop components and interface.

1. Folders are the basic organizational units of the computer filing system. (Subdirectories is another name for folders.) As you create files - for example, word processing documents or spreadsheet files - you'll need a place to store them. Folders keep files organized in a logical manner. The way that you organize the folders within your work space will depend on your own method of categorizing data. Some teachers make folders for each subject they teach and have students save work in these folders. Other teachers prefer that each student has his or her own folder. Still others prefer having one folder for each work group.
   
   
2. Begin this exercise by double-clicking on the My Documents folder. The My Documents folder icon will appear as an open folder, and the contents of the folder will appear in the work area.
   
   
3. Next, press the mouse button on the right and click on any white space in the work area. This will bring up a pop-up menu. Click on New, then on Folder. This will create a new empty folder (Figure 1).
   
   
4. A window will pop up asking you what you would like to name your new folder. The default name is "Folder" (Figure 2).
   
   
5. To change the name, delete "Folder," and type in a new name for this folder. Click the OK button (Figure 3).
   
   
6. If you have the Explorer window open, you'll see your new folder within the My Documents folder, as well as in the work area (Figure 4).

1. To create a new word processing document, click on the Click & Go button. Then click on the Text icon (Figure 5). Before typing your title, select a larger font size.
   
   
2. Click on the little down arrow next to the font size drop-down menu in the tool bar (Figure 6). Select a font size between 20 and 30.
   
   This drop-down menu is similar to many drop-down menus in StarOffice. If using these menus is new to you, practice clicking on the drop-down menu and selecting an item a few times.
   
   
3. Type your title.
   
   
4. Triple-click on your title to select it (three mouse clicks in rapid succession) , then click on the Center icon to center your title.

1. We are practicing skills that will be useful to you in subsequent workshops. First, click on the Explorer button in the Explorer window. Then, open the Gallery folder within the Explorer window by clicking on the plus sign (+) to the left of the folder. The plus sign will turn into a minus sign (-), and the folder's contents will display (Figure 7).
   
   
2. Open the Beamer window by clicking on the Beamer icon . Now open one of the folders listed below the gallery folder. The images within the open folder will display as previews in the Beamer window (Figure 8).
   
   
3. Use the scroll bar to view additional image previews. Use the down arrow to view the next line and the up arrow to view the previous line (Figure 9).
   
   
4. To include one of the images in your document, you can drag and drop it. To do this, place your mouse over the image that you would like included and hold the mouse button down as you drag it over the document open in your work area. Let go of the mouse button when you see a plus sign next to your cursor. This will drop the image into your document. The image will appear in the work area surrounded by green resize handles and an anchor (Figure 10).

1. To save your document in the folder you created, choose Save Asä from the File menu. A Save window will pop up containing a list of the folders within the My Documents folder. Scroll up or down to find your folder.
   
   
2. Double-click on your folder.
   
   
3. Name your file, and click on the Save button. Your file will save within your new My Documents folder (Figure 11).

1. To create a drawing document, click on the Tasks button and click on the Drawing icon (Figure 11).
   
   
2. Select the Curves and Polygons tool. Scribble a picture by holding the mouse button down as you drag the cursor around on your drawing tablet (Figure 12).
   
   
3. Save your image. To save your document in a specific folder, choose Save As... from the File menu. A Save window will pop up containing a list of the folders within the My Documents folder. Scroll up or down to find the folder (Figure 13).
   
   
4. Double-click on your folder.
   
   
5. Name your file, and click on the Save button. Your file will save within the specified folder.
   
   
6. Once you have saved your documents, you can open them again to edit any time you want. To find your saved documents, open the Explorer window. Find the My Documents folder. Click on the plus sign to the left of the folder. A list of folders will drop down below the My Documents folder.
   
   
7. Find the folder containing your files. Double-click the folder to preview the contents of it in the desktop. Click once on the folder to view it in the Beamer. (To do so, you must have the Beamer window open.)
   
   
8. Double-click on the document name to open it to make changes.

1. When you have multiple documents open, you can use the task bar to toggle between them. Open your Scribble and Text documents using the two methods as described above (display one in the Beamer and double-click on it, and display one in the desktop and double-click on it).
   
   
2. Now use the task bar to toggle between the two. When you have one or several documents open, StarOffice lists their names at the bottom of the window. To toggle between the documents, all you have to do is click on the button containing the document name. A depressed button (pressed in) will indicate the currently displayed document (Figure 14).
   
   This is a useful method to save time while working on numerous documents.