Operation Manual

Using Writer, Calc, Draw, or Impress
1) Create a folder on your computer to contain your formulas and give the folder a memorable
name, for example Formula Library.
2) Open a document using Writer, Calc, Draw, or Impress.
3) Go to Insert > Object > Formula on the menu bar to open the Formula Editor and create
your formula. See “Formulas in LibreOffice documents” on page 266 for more information.
4) Right-click on the formula object and select Save Copy as from the context menu to open a
Save As dialog.
5) Navigate to the folder you have created for your formula library.
6) Type in a memorable name for your formula in the File name text box.
7) Select from the drop-down list for File type either ODF Formula (.odf) or MathML 1.01
(.mml) as the file type for your formula.
8) Click Save to save the formula and close the Save As dialog.
Using your formula library
You cannot insert a formula from your library into a document by dragging and dropping using the
mouse, nor by using Insert > File on the menu bar. You must insert a formula from your library into
your document as an OLE object.
1) Open the document in Writer, Calc, Draw, or Impress.
2) Go to Insert > Object > OLE Object on the menu bar to open the Insert OLE Object
dialog.
3) Select the option Create from file.
4) Click Search to open your file browser dialog.
5) Navigate to the folder you have created for your formula library.
6) Select the formula you want to insert and click Open, or double-click on the formula you
want to insert.
7) Click OK to insert the formula as an OLE object in the document and close the OLE Object
dialog.
Formulas in Writer
When a formula is inserted into a document, LibreOffice Writer inserts the formula into a frame and
treats the formula as an OLE object. Double-clicking on an inserted formula will open the Formula
Editor in LibreOffice Math, where you can edit the formula.
This section explains what options you can change for each individual formula within a Writer
document. Please refer to the chapters on styles in the Writer Guide for information on how to
change the default settings for frame styles for OLE objects.
Automatic formula numbering
Automatic numbering of formulas for cross-reference purposes can only be carried out in
LibreOffice Writer.
Numbering
1) Start a new line in your document.
2) Type fn and then press the F3 key. A two-column table with no borders is inserted into your
document with the left column containing a sample formula and the right column containing
a reference number, as shown below.
282 | Getting Started with LibreOffice 5.0