Layered/overlapping frames with transparency in writer

[blashrkh]

Is it possible to layer frames on top of each other? Presence of transperancy options within the properties of the frame suggest that this is the case.

See attached images to visualise the issue. Previously used text boxes to achieve effective layering but had to begin using frames as they are searchable for text using the find facility where text boxes are not.

In the attached image the text on the right hand needs transparency but event a blank frame does not obscure the text beneath and underlying frame. As I mentioned before, this works with text boxes but cannot figure out how (or if) this is supported with frames.

I have modified the transparency to both the “Frame” and “Frame content” styles and played around with arrangement of frames (send to back, bring to front). Any ideas on how I can achieve this whilst the text is still dynamic/mutable, searchable, and allows both frame content to be visible without obscurity?

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UPDATED:(added below image related to below comment posted 3.04) ::

It appears that transparency can be achieved but only when a frame is used on top of MAIN TEXT (normal page text, not in a frame). This suggests that transparency option only applies to main text and not to multiple overlayed / stacked frames. This is better illustrated in the image below. Can anyone confirm that it is not possible to achieve transparency of multiple overlayed frames?

[ajlittoz]

I think what you need is not transparency but a way to “warn” main text flow you are setting apart some page area for your frame, so that main text will flow around (or on one side) of your frames. This property is called wrap mode.

If your frames obscure main text, your wrap mode is Wrap Through, i.e. text is laid out as if there were no frame and frame is subsequently overlayed above the text, in effect hiding what is beneath the frame.

Try one of the other wrap modes. Considering where you put the frames in the screenshot, Wrap Left could be your best choice.

Also, when you right-click on the frame and Properties, the Wrap tab allows you to define a clearance spacing around the frame so that text is not too close the frame contents.

EDIT 2020-04-03

You are not using the frame properties correctly.

With wrap mode set to In Background, you send the frame below the main text, as the name implies. This has two consequences:

• the frame is considered as a watermark and main text will no longer flow around it, that is main text and frame are now independent from each other and are formatted with their own rules without interference

• transparency for the frame has a very limited scope: the only thing which is “below” the frame is the page background; transparency would only reveal the background which, in your case, is white, the same as the frame background, therefore no visual effect.

You must keep your frames above the main text with wrap mode Page Wrap or another one fitting your needs.

You can apply transparency to frames, provided they have a background. By default, background is No fill. This translates to a hard-coded non-modifiable white area. To be able to “modulate” the transparency, explicitly set the background to black or white.

After that, you’ll be able to see-through the frames.

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[blashrkh]

Thank you for your response ajlittoz and pointing me in the right direction. It appears that transparency of frame works well with main text with [frame] → right click → wrap submenu → In backbround ticked / checked. This works without adjusting the wrap mode and leaving its default to “wrap through”. The same settings do not work if main text is moved into a frame.

It appears that transparency can be achieved but only when a frame is used on top of MAIN TEXT (normal page text, not in a frame). This suggests that transparency option only applies to main text and not to multiple overlayed / stacked frames. This is better illustrated in a new image attached above.

One could use LO Draw to stack frames but a critical requirement of this scenario is searchability of frames.

Can anyone confidently confirm/deny writer support of multiple overlaying / stacked frame transparency?