Combining different types of documents (draw, writer, etc) into one comprehensive document

I am trying to create an operation manual for machines we manufacture. It contains wiring diagrams, pneumatic circuits, etc. I use LibreDraw to draw all these circuits. My text documentation is written and formatted in LibreWriter. I am unable to combine the two. If I insert ODF Object I am unable to format it correctly to take up the whole page or zoom it in correctly. When I try and create a master document and insert the draw file, all I get is sections that are blank.

Please tell me what I am doing wrong.

Warm Regards.

Please edit your question to explain how you “combine the two”.

The usual way is to copy some “object” from the Draw page and to paste it into Writer. This ends up as a graphics frame in the text document. Right-clicking on this frame allows you to access to its various properties.

A master document is made to combine other Writer documents (chapters shared across several documents, such as licence, legalese, …). You can effectively bind to any file but if it is not a Writer one, it will give an empty section.

Don’t use “Add answer” which is reserved for solutions. This is a Question & Answer site, not a forum.

You don’t mince words do you. :smiley:
The thing about “copying” the drawings into word is that the “master view” does not accompany it. I was hoping for an alternative such as merging different types of documents as one because the main index is part of the Writer document and these drawings are a subpart. These subparts need to be reflected in the main index.

If the question is about how to reflect the various “add-ons” (pictures, drawings, schematics, …) in the TOC or some “Table of Figures”, “Table of Schematics”, …, the first thing to do is to attach some “meta-data” to them.

The simplest way to do it is to select the “object” and Insert>Caption. Anyway, I guess you already have some form of caption, at least to designate the object in the text, but these manual captions are not known to Writer because they are not marked as such.

The dialog allows you to select in which list you want to register the object. Figure, Text, Drawing, … are built-in choices. You can create your own but begin by using the provided categories.

The caption is referenceable and its properties can be Insert>Cross-reference, Cross-references tab when you need the object number, its page number or even the full caption in the text, thus avoiding the tedious update job when you insert a new object which changes numbering.

The same way you create a TOC, you Insert>OC & Index>TOC, Index or Bibliography to build a Table of Figures (generic name for all tables of …) by selecting the desired Category (Figure, Drawing, Illustration, …).

For other aspects in your question, please describe exactly your difficulties.

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In case you need clarification, edit your question (not an answer which is reserved for solutions) or comment the relevant answer.

I always use Writer as a base for the master document.
Drawings, Math formulas, Tables etc. I create in the relevant LO packages and save them as individual files.
In the Writer doucment I then use “Insert” “OLE object”, “Insert from file”.

Works for me, but whether it’s the officially approved way of doing it, I don’t know.

I don’t think there is an “official” way of doing things because circumstances may vary from one document to the other. My strategy is to stuff all illustrations in a single Draw document and copy/paste elements from it into Writer. My Writer is then independent from any other and I can distribute it “as is”. I also avoid all issues with moving files or losing one. My formulas are directly inserted and edited in Writer because I see no benefit in putting them in a separate file (because Writer launches Math to edit, which is not the same as for the drawings: Writer has its own reduced version of Draw for simple shapes, so better do the job in Draw).

The situation is more complex for spreadsheets but I admit I very rarely insert spreadsheets in my documents.