How do I save changes/tweaks I make to the outline formatting?

I went to “more numbering” and selected one of the outline formats. Then I made some tweaks in the custom tab and the location tab. But I can’t seem to find how to save those tweaks for other documents. When I make a new document, I would like to use the outline format I changed without having to recreate those changes.

If it matters, I am using LibreOffice through Roll App on my Chromebook.

Thanks,
Dennis

I assume, that you want to number your headings. If you are at places with “more numbering”, then you are wrong for headings, those places are for lists. The only place for headings is in menu Tools > Outline Numbering (till 5.3) or in Tools > Chapter Numbering (since 5.4). The dialog is similar to the tabs Position and Customize in the dialog, which you get with “more numbering”. Presets are not available. If you will set all levels to the same kind of numbering, you select the item 1-10 in section Level, otherwise first select the level and then make your settings.

This dialog has a button Format. The label is misleading. It is the place, where you can save and load your settings as template. Use item Save as to save your chapter numbering as template in your user profile. Enter a name for your settings and click on OK. When you write a new document, goto Tools > Outline Numbering > Format and select this name to apply the stored settings to the new document.

Thanks for this response, but actually, I am looking for outlining, not numbered headings. I am creating a real outline (I, II, III, A, B, C, I, ii, iii, etc). To get there I go to Format>Bullets and Numbering …> and then I go to the Outline tab in the dialog box and select the outline I want (the bottom left corner).

But that outline style has some formatting issues. When the number (like VIII or XIV) becomes too long, it pushes the text to the second tab, adding too much space between the number and the text. So I have gone in to the “Position” tab of the dialog and change the Numbering Alignment from “left” to “right” to use a right-tab for the numbers. This makes the alignment more consistent.

But for each outline I create, I have to go in and manually make those changes. I cannot find a way to save that particular outlining format for future use. If I could save it in a template or styles, that would be great and I could select that outline every time.

Thanks for the response and the help.
Dennis

The term “outline” is ambiguous. It only describes the visual appearance, but not whether you format headings or lists. For lists you have to create or alter one of the existing styles in Styles pane of the sidebar. Styles are bound to documents. But you can load an existing style from a document, where you have used it. Or you start a new document from a template, where you have defined the style.

Thanks Regina. Yes, I use styles and templates. But in this case, changing the format (position) of the numbered list format does not seem to affect any particular style. It continues to use the Default paragraph style. Got to Format>bullets and numbering and change the position of the numbering and you will find that does not affect any particular paragraph style. I appreciate the help, but I’m not at a solution yet. Thanks.

Format > Bullets and Numbering changes the anonymous numbering style and is wrong way in your case. You have to use a named numbering. You find it in the Style and Formatting pane in the sidebar. Such named numberings can be imported and can be included in document templates.

Thanks, Regina. That comes as close to anything else as a helpful answer. I wish it were easy through the “anonymous numbering style” as you put it, to save changes to an outline format. It seems clunky to have to go through the named styles. I tried it, and it works, but it is more time consuming and cumbersome to make those same changes. But if that is what I have to do … So, thanks.

What you’re doing is akin to manual formatting. It’s perfectly right for experimenting but what you want something more persistent, you can’t spare studying styles.

In your case, document outline is related to paragraph styles Heading 1 to Heading 10. Customise them to your likings in one of your documents. You then have two possibilities:

  • The saved document is your reference and you import styles from it from the style side panel (F11) with the rightmost icon in the tool bar (select Load styles from the popup menu). You can choose which styles to load and whether they override the current ones.

    This is minimal work but has the inconvenient to force you to reference a specific file and to make harder style evolution.

  • Make the document where you tuned your styles into a template. Next time you write a document, create it with File>New>Templates.

    This needs more work, but there more than just styles in a template. Moreover, if you modify your template, styles (but not textual content) are automatically upgraded when you reopen your files.

Read the manual to discover the possibilities of styles and templates. These features can boost your productivity, allowing you to concentrate on content not on aspect. With good styling, you can change your document appearance in a matter of minutes without the need of proof-reading it!

If this answer helped you, please accept it by clicking the check mark :heavy_check_mark: to the left and, karma permitting, upvote it. If this resolves your problem, close the question, that will help other people with the same question.

Thanks for the information and trying to help. I appreciate it.

In this case, however, I don’t want to change the heading styles (and yes, I do use styles and templates). I use the heading styles for actual headings within the text. What I am changing is the format and position of the numbered lists in an outline format. Those changes do not change any of the paragraph styles I can find, including List styles. The outline stays within the Default paragraph style. So sorry.