Is it possible to print two texts on facing pages? For example, a text in language A (even pages) and a translation in language B (odd pages). In LaTeX I would use the parallel package, but is it possible to do something like that in Libreoffice? May be using frames?
Thank you!
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May be using frames?
You could do that with linked frames. Spread them on each odd pages (entire page) and then link them.
Be aware of anchoring the frames - in this particular case the anchoring To Page maybe the best opportunity.
If your language B text is located in a separate text file you only have to insert a section in the first frame (section can quote the text of another text file) and this section will continue in the following (linked) frames etc pp. If necessary ask for details when creating your file.
I don’t know about stability of file, if you link lots of frames, test it.
You are welcome.
@Grantler: Anchoring To Page presents many difficulties, I’m not sure that it could solve the problem.
Me, too. So I wrote: I don't know about stability of file, if you link lots of frames, test it.
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Work-around: Another way could be to have single text files for language A and language B, export them into pdf format, mix them by special tool, add page numbers by special tool…
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@ajlittoz - Thanks for your interjection!
You can’t for two reasons (in the present implementation state).
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You need two text flows, one for language A, the second for language B. Writer offers only one text flow.
Text flows offered by linked frames are fit for short side additions to main flow and can’t be considered as serious alternative for what you need.
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Pages are not “primary objects” in Writer. They are allocated on demand to accommodate the size of the text flow.
You need to synchronise your flows, at least at sub-chapters boundary, if not at paragraph boundary and there is no mechanism to do so.
You could think of a 2-column document where you interleave paragraphs in language A, then language B with a column break in-between. Unfortunately, the column break after B to revert to A will cause a page break, often leaving ample white space? Also, if a paragraph is longer than page height, it will flow to the second column, breaking your intended layout.
To address the first inconvenient (unwanted page break), you could use one section per paragraph pair, but it quickly becomes tedious and doesn’t handle properly the paragraphs at the bottom of the page which flow at next column if they need more space than left in the page.
The best approximation to your requirement is 2-column table. Note that the table can only span one page, you can’t have a column on the left page and the other one on right page. Within the table, each row corresponds to a pair of paragraphs. You document ends up as a huge 2-column table with as many rows as paragraphs.
A table addresses the limitations above but is not a user-friendly way to solve your problem:
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There is one text flow per cell
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You precisely control where text goes (language A in left cell, language B in right cell) and how you synchronise the paragraphs (either one row per paragraph pair, or you create a row when the group of paragraphs develop a new concept/topic/idea).
I am very grateful for your answers. I am a great fan of Libreoffice, but I see that in this case LaTeX is probably the way to go – or even Scribus, to remain in the Free Software area. Hopefully in the future!
Scribus is indeed page-oriented (while Writer is content-oriented). But you must handle your pages manually in Scribus (while you handle paragraphs manually in Writer) and it becomes boring after ~10 pages (think of a short magazine or leaflet). I don’t think it’s fit for a 100+ pages book. If you’re mastering LaTeX, go for it.