Home > Articles

This chapter is from the book

Importing and Exporting Information

Having access to information is essential these days. Having the application in which the information was created, however, is not—at least if you are a StarOffice user.

StarOffice has a large number of import and export file-format converters (or filters) that translate foreign data formats, so you can access information stored in a foreign file format or save information in a foreign file format for others who don't have StarOffice yet—but, like everything (and everybody) else in this world, they are not perfect. As in every translation, some information invariably is up for interpretation and gets lost when taken out of its original context. Although the raw data typically is translated with fidelity, some of the information that defines how the data appears in the original document (including fonts) may get lost in the translation.

The retail version of StarOffice comes with converters for a large number of more or less common file formats of various types that fall into five groups: text documents, spreadsheet and database files, vector graphics, raster images, and sound files. Some of these converters are automatically installed, but you can select among many optional text converters when you run StarOffice setup (see "Installing Additional File Format Converters" in this section).

TIP

To get an overview of your currently installed converters (and the file formats you can open), scroll through the File Type drop-down list in the Open dialog box. If the file format description you are looking for is not listed, then the respective conversion filter is either not installed or StarOffice does not support that format.

A Note About Fonts

Fonts are licensed products that are used to enhance the variety and appeal of documents. In most cases, the fonts installed on a system either are part of the operating system installation or come with a software product. Most desktop applications and application suites, such as Microsoft Office, have their own set of licensed fonts, as does the StarOffice suite.

Fonts typically cause problems only when they are not installed, either on the desktop or printer. In these cases, the application or the printer substitutes another font for the missing font; a good substitution is not readily detectable, but a bad one results in visible differences in the appearance of text, as well as changes to the layout, because each character in the substituted font has a different height or width than the same character in the font used in the original document.

Out of the box, StarOffice 6.0 does a good job configuring the font-substitution table to find the best possible match for a missing font. If there are marked differences between the appearance of the original document and the converted document that can be traced to a differences in fonts, however, make a note of the fonts used in the original document and specify a replacement font for each font that causes appearance problems. For more details on working with font replacements, see "Replacing Fonts in Documents" in Chapter 5.

Importing Information

StarOffice identifies foreign file formats by the file name extension of the file in question. If it recognizes the extension and if the corresponding conversion filter is installed, you should have no trouble importing the information. Depending on the file type and what you want to do with the file, you can access information stored in a foreign file format by using the File, Open; Insert, Graphic; or Insert, File command. Use File, Open if you want to import the information as a separate document; use Insert, Graphic and Insert, File to merge the information with your current document. In the case of graphic files, you can also choose to insert the file as a linked object by selecting the Link check box in the Insert Graphics dialog box (refer to "Linking Data for Up-to-date Information Sharing" for details).

NOTE

If StarOffice does not recognize the file you want to import, it opens the Select Filter dialog box, which enables you to select a filter that can convert the information in the source file to a format that StarOffice can read.

NOTE

→ For more details on file formats, see Appendix B.

Installing Additional File-Format Converters

If you choose the standard installation path, StarOffice automatically installs converters for the most common file formats it supports, including converters for documents created in Microsoft Office 97/2000/XP and StarOffice 5.2 and earlier, as well as converters for all graphic file formats it supports. However, you can select from many optional text document converters when you run StarOffice Setup, select Modify, and choose Next. (Windows users find a shortcut to Setup in the StarOffice program group; Linux/Solaris users can run Setup by navigating to the StarOffice installation directory and typing ./setup at the command prompt.) You can find optional text filter components in the StarOffice Program Modules, StarOffice Writer, Optional Text Filters setup item. The Optional Components, Graphic Filters setup item houses the graphics and image converters.

NOTE

Unlike graphic and most text converters, installing individual filters for Microsoft Office 97/2000/XP, StarOffice 5.2 and earlier, and spreadsheet and database files is not an option. They are wedded to the installer and cannot be individually selected or deselected during a custom installation.

NOTE

StarOffice supports a variety of graphic file formats. For a complete list of graphic file formats that StarOffice can import and export, scroll through the File Type drop-down lists in the Open and Export dialog boxes, respectively. You can open the Export dialog box in Draw or Impress by choosing File, Export.

Exporting Information

If you are sharing data with other StarOffice applications, you don't have to export the information—you can use any of the information-sharing methods mentioned earlier in this chapter. However, if you are sharing your information with people who use StarOffice 5.2 or earlier or don't use StarOffice at all, you must export your data to a file format that is supported by the applications they use.

In Writer and Calc, exporting data is as easy as choosing File, Save As and then selecting the file format for the export file from the File Type list of descriptions. In the case of Draw and Impress, however, you have two options:

  • You can export your data as a document. To do so, choose File, Save As and then select the export file format from the File Type drop-down list. Using this option, you can export your document to a StarOffice 5.2 (or earlier) or Microsoft PowerPoint 97/2000/XP (Impress only) file format.

  • You can export your data as a graphic or image file. To do so, choose File, Export and then select the export file format in the File Type list of the Export dialog box. Using this dialog box, you can also export your document as a Web page.

NOTE

→ For details on exporting StarOffice drawing and presentation documents, see "Saving and Exporting Drawing Documents" in "Getting Sketchy with Draw (and Impress)," p. 744, and "Saving and Exporting Presentation Documents" in "Creating and Editing Presentations," p. 820.

CAUTION

As is the case with importing files, saving files in a foreign file format may result in loss of information because of limitations in the export filters or because the receiving application does not support a particular feature or functionality.

If you routinely share files with users of another program, you can set Writer, Calc, Draw, Impress, and Math to save automatically in any supported format you choose. In the Tools, Options, Load/Save, General dialog box, go to the Standard File Format group. In the list box on the left, select the document type for which you want to set a new default save format. Then select the format you want from the Always Save As drop-down list box on the right.

Working with Generic Import and Export File Formats

When a particular converter is not available or doesn't work properly, you can usually transfer textual data from one application to another by using one of several generic, lowest-common-denominator formats.

At the lowest level, you should be able to extract raw text from a document without much trouble. Most applications store text in linear fashion, so you can import the document into Writer as a text file and then use Find & Replace supplemented with AutoCorrect options and manual editing to remove extraneous characters or gibberish.

When it comes to tabular data or lists, nearly every spreadsheet and database program can import or export comma- or tab-delimited files. Writer and Calc can handle these files too. The data they contain is stored in plain text format, with each row of the table occupying a single line of the file, and the columns within a row separated by commas or tab characters. These files contain no formatting, but work well for transferring the essential information from one application to another.

Most word processors can handle the Rich Text Format (RTF). These files contain very sophisticated formatting information, but they are stored as ordinary text, with special bracketed codes representing the font and layout instructions. If the receiving application understands them fully, the document should translate with formatting preserved. If not, it's relatively easy to extract their text.

Last, but hardly least, you can also share information the HTML way. All StarOffice applications (with the exception of Math) enable you to export files in HTML format, and you can use the Web component of Writer to edit the contents of HTML files (for details see Chapter 14, "Creating Web Pages and Other Online Documents").

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020