OpenOffice by Apache is an open-source alternative to the Microsoft Office software suite. The suite includes components for text documents, spreadsheets, images and databases. Depending on the permission or attribute settings of the documents that you open, you might find that you are unable to edit the content. To disable the read-only mode for documents, you either have to change the way the document is opened, remove the read-only attribute before opening the file or save the contents to a new file.
Disable Read-Only Mode When Opening File
When you open a document in OpenOffice from the Menu bar of the chosen module, you are given the opportunity to specify read-only mode. Read-only mode should be disabled by default when you open files from the Menu bar or with the "Ctrl-O" shortcut but if not, you can do so manually. Clear the "Read-only" check box above the file name input box on the Open window before clicking the "Open" button to turn off read-only mode. Disabling read-only mode from the Open window only works if the file attribute is not set to read-only by the operating system.
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Use Edit File Option
If you open an OpenOffice document by double-clicking the document file or using the "Open With" context menu command, it bypasses the Open window. Without the Open window, you cannot clear the read-only check box and may find that you cannot edit the document. Click the "Edit File" icon --styled like a pencil and sheet of paper-- on the toolbar to edit a copy of the document. After you have made changes to the document, save it to a new file as you cannot overwrite the original read-only document.
Change File Attributes
For documents that have the read-only attribute set by the operating system, you must first clear this attribute before opening the file in OpenOffice. Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the folder that contains the documents that you want to work with, and double-click the file or press "Enter" while holding the "Alt" key. On the Properties window that opens, clear the check box next to read-only and then click "Apply." Changing the file attributes cannot be done if the document is stored on read-only media such as a CD or DVD.
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Save Email Attachments First
When accessing an OpenOffice document that is sent via email as a file attachment you are given two options; opening the file or saving the file. If you choose to open the file directly with OpenOffice, the operating system first saves the document to a temporary location which causes it to be marked as read-only. To ensure that you can edit the document, select the "Save File" option instead and then store the file on your computer before opening it with OpenOffice.
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