Running Linux, 5th Edition - Matthias Kalle Dalheimer [134]
Macros
Creating or handling macros in OOoCalc is not within the scope of this book. However, we can offer some general information that may be useful to macro users. Macros could come into play for all the different modules of OpenOffice (and MS Office), but here we deal strictly with their relevance to OOoCalc (and MS Excel).
OOoCalc uses its own macro scripting language called OpenOffice Basic (or StarBasic). This is a different macro language from the one used by Microsoft in MS Office, which is called Visual Basic (or VBA).
VBA macros are not able to run in OOoCalc, creating a significant barrier for migration from MS Excel to OOoCalc for users with many large or significant VBA macros within their spreadsheets. VBA macros that come with MS Excel files currently must be rewritten in StarBasic for these files to be fully useful in OOoCalc.
Sun Microsystems has promised to release a Visual Basic-to-StarBasic macro conversion tool to facilitate the automatic conversion of VBA macros to StarBasic macros.
Meanwhile, OOoCalc is set by default to save VBA macros to be available and written back whenever a OOoCalc spreadsheet file is saved again in the MS Excel file format. This offers three options: (1) you can reimport a spreadsheet to Excel in order to run the stored VBA macros, (2) you can store the VBA macros in order to manually rewrite them in StarBasic, and (3) you can preserve them unused in OOoCalc, to be converted later to StarBasic when Sun's macro conversion tool becomes available.
Because VBA macros do not run in OOoCalc, the viruses associated with them pose no threat as long as you use OOoCalc. If you want to leave off the macros (for security reasons or because you just don't want them) when importing Excel files, turn off the default in Tools → Options → Load/Save → VBA Properties.
If you are interested in macros, feel free to consult the OpenOffice Basic Programmer's Guide at http://docs.sun.com/db/doc/817-1826?q=star+basic.
OpenOffice Impress
OpenOffice Impress (also known as OOoImpress ) is the presentation module included in the OpenOffice suite. Users who are familiar with most recent versions of Microsoft PowerPoint will feel at home in OOoImpress.
Creating a presentation from scratch with AutoPilot
When opening the OOoImpress module from an icon on the desktop or Taskbar Panel, or when opening it from another OOo module via File → New → Presentation, you are confronted by the AutoPilot wizard, which can lead you through the creation of a presentation from scratch. In the wizard you can also choose to open an existing presentation or a presentation template.
Less experienced users can feel free to let the wizard take them through the process of creating a presentation, but experienced users can simply select the Create button at the lower right in the wizard and get right to working in a blank presentation document.
Opening an existing presentation
To open a presentation you have created earlier or received from someone else, simply click once on a presentation file's icon in its folder. Your Linux system is likely set up to open MS PowerPoint files (which have a .ppt file suffix) automatically in OOoImpress. By default, each file is saved in the same format it had when you opened it (PowerPoint, OOoImpress, etc.).
Alternatively, you can select File → Open from the main menu and browse your file system to find the existing file with which you'd like to work.
Saving a presentation
To save your current presentation in its existing location and format, click the Save icon (the little floppy disk image) on the function bar, and the file will be saved into its present location in your file system. The same result occurs if you select File → Save from the main menu.