Please help - problems saving Open Office doc in Word

noelphobic

I'm completing a job application and don't have Word on my computer. I do have Open Office, which is normally fine. However, I've realised that when I save my document as Word 97 (which is what I will need to do when I return it) then the tick boxes disappear. So, for example, there are a few questions with yes or no answers, like whether my referees can be contacted if I'm shortlisted, whether I have a criminal record etc. Although I've filled them in on Open Office, on the Word document it just shows the words yes and no but no boxes and no ticks.


Does anyone know of a way around this please? I'm a bit of a technophobe so please be gentle with me!

searchlight123

try downloading the free office software 'libre office' from here:


http://download.cnet.com/LibreOffice/3000-18483_4-75337651.html


and see if this handles your form filling any better. worth a try as it is a highly rated free alternative to Microsoft.

Mr_Toad

Being a Linux user I'm a big fan of Open Office/Libre Office but you have unfortunately discovered it's biggest weakness, compatibility with Microsoft Office. For basic stuff it works really well but for complicated styles and formats it isn't, as you have seen.

People bang on about not needing MS Office as the free versions do all that you need, this is not always true and depends very much on what you are doing and who your target audience is.

It's the same the other way round too. If you were to recreate an almost identical document in Libre Office the person receiving it would open it in Word and find a similar thing to you.

It might be quicker to find a PC with Word on it and do it on there.

cookie365

LibreOffice and OpenOffice won't be able to cope with things like macros, VBA, ActiveX controls like you've described.

Incidentally, if they're sending you a job application in a Word document with active content, they sound like a bunch of idiots I'd think twice about working for. If HR is that incompetent, what about Payroll?

noelphobic

cookie365 wrote: »

LibreOffice and OpenOffice won't be able to cope with things like macros, VBA, ActiveX controls like you've described.

Incidentally, if they're sending you a job application in a Word document with active content, they sound like a bunch of idiots I'd think twice about working for. If HR is that incompetent, what about Payroll?

It's the first job application I've done in a long time and I downloaded the form from their website.


Thanks to everyone for all your replies. I got round the problem by deleting the boxes AND the surplus answer. For example, when it asked if I had any criminal convictions I deleted both boxes and the word 'yes', which just left the word 'no'. I've opened it in Word and it looks fine, so fingers crossed it will be OK.

rdr

you cound save it as a pdf and send them that.
Open office has a button on the toolbar for that.

orchestre

Public library computers have the MS Office apps on them, you can use them for free (an hour or two a day) if you join the library. Take your own docs there on a pen drive.

jobbingmusician

noelphobic wrote: »

It's the first job application I've done in a long time and I downloaded the form from their website.


Thanks to everyone for all your replies. I got round the problem by deleting the boxes AND the surplus answer. For example, when it asked if I had any criminal convictions I deleted both boxes and the word 'yes', which just left the word 'no'. I've opened it in Word and it looks fine, so fingers crossed it will be OK.

I've often done this with Word docs with tick boxes, even using computers where the wretched thing SHOULD have worked. No-one's complained yet! :rotfl: