Getting Help
While this book provides you with a resource that will help you explore Calc features that range from simple to advanced, there will be times when you want a quick knowledge fix and will go to the Calc help system for assistance. Calc (and all the StarOffice applications) provide you with several approaches for getting help.
To Use Tips and Extended Tips
Help with the various buttons on the toolbars is provided to you by tips and extended tips. To view the tip for a particular toolbar button, place the mouse on the button and the tip will appear.
If you would like the tips to provide you with more information related to the various toolbar buttons, select the Help menu and then select Extended Tips.
Now you when place the mouse pointer on a particular button, you will receive more information.
To Use the Help Contents
Calc (and StarOffice) provides a user's guide that is accessed by selecting the Help menu and then selecting Contents. Information is divided into different categories, and the contents are geared to take the user from the beginner stage to the more advanced stage. To view a particular category of information (as shown in Figure 1.15), click the appropriate link.
Figure 1.15. The Help system is divided into different content areas that you can access with a click of the mouse.
When you open the Help contents, a Help toolbar appears at the top of the Help window, providing you with tools that you can use to search the user's manual or place bookmarks in the help contents. For example, when you want to search the user's manual by keyword, click the Search Help button.
The Find dialog box will appear as shown in Figure 1.16. You can either do an index search or text search, depending on the tab you select on the Find dialog box.
Figure 1.16. The Find dialog box makes it easy to search the help system.
To do an index search (see Figure 1.16), type the first few letters of a keyword. A list of index entries will appear in the Select an index entry pane. Next, double-click the index entry that provides the closest match to what you are looking for.
When you select an index entry (with a double-click), a list of topics will appear in the Click the Appropriate Topic box. Select the topic you wish to view and then click the Display button. The Help window will display the information on that particular topic.
To do a text search in the Find dialog box, select the Text tab and then enter your search string in the Type the Word You Want to Find box. Then, click the Find button. A list of topics will be provided in the Topics Found box. Select the topic you wish to view and then click the Display button. The information will be provided in the Help window.
At any time, you can place a bookmark in the help contents. Click the Insert Bookmark button, type a name for the bookmark in the Bookmark dialog box that appears, then click OK. Bookmarks you place in help can be accessed using the Explorer. Expand the Help folder in the Explorer window and then expand the Bookmarks folder to view and access bookmarks that you have placed in the help contents.
Note
An alternative way to access the user's guides and help for all the StarOffice applications is to expand the Help folder in the Explorer window. This provides you with access to various topics and the user's guide, and any bookmarks you place in the help contents.
When you have finished working with the help contents and the user's guide, you can close the Help window as you would any other window. Click the Help window's Close button at the upper right of the Desktop.
To Use the Help Agent
Another useful help feature is the Help Agent. The Help Agent operates out of its own floating window and supplies context-sensitive help on tools and features that you are currently working with. For example, if the Help Agent is on and you decide to format some cells in your spreadsheet, the Help Agent will give you help on the current task, namely cell formatting, as shown in Figure 1.17.
Figure 1.17. The Help Agent provides context-sensitive help on the task you are currently tackling.
To turn the Help Agent feature on, select the Help menu and then select the Help Agent. The Help Agent will appear as a floating window (see Figure 1.17) and can be dragged anywhere on the workspace. You can also size the window that the Help Agent resides in, if you wish. At any time, you can close the Help Agent window by clicking its Close button.