The Wizards function is a powerful tool that guides you through the creation of 3 types of Writer documents: a letter, a fax, or an agenda. It formats your document based on the elements you choose to include in the document.

To start Wizards:

Choose File > Wizards > (Letter, Fax, or Agenda)

Follow the instructions and explanations in Wizards (Figure 3.1.1).
You do not have to go through every window; you can click the Finish button at any time.

Figure 3.1.1 - Wizards

Templates are are just functions to structure the formatting of the document.

They ensure consistency in your documents and also help to save a lot of time as you do not have to change the formatting each time you create a document. When you create a new document based on a template, the template is never changed, although you make changes in the document.

To create a writer document from a template:

Choose File > New > Templates and Documents
In the Templates and Documents window (Figure 3.1.2), select a template category from the Categories list.

Categories correspond to template folders within the “share” folder.

Figure 3.1.2 - Templates

To specify where Writer looks for templates:

Choose Tools > Options > OpenOffice.org > Paths
Select the Templates item in the scrolling list and click Edit to change or add locations

Click Edit to change or add locations
You will see the templates in these locations when you choose File > Templates > Organize