It is possible to navigate, select, change text properties using macros for paragraphs in LibreOffice Writer, and for some reason their numbering is deprived of it. Quote from the AOO forum: “You can’t put the text cursor on the paragraph number - it doesn’t work like that, its not available to you”. What is this reason?
What is the relation between the description and the title?
Please edit both to clarify. Note that a title must be short. In any case, mention OS name and LO version.
Thank you for your reply. Sorry, but there was no such division on the site - a description and a title, but there was - a question and an explanation to it, so the site should have been corrected first. Nevertheless, I will soon try to take into account your comments.
Yes, you are absolutely right.
I have never written a macro but I’ll give you a bit of context.
When you turn a paragraph into a list item, i.e. you give it a number or a bullet using either the toolbar buttons or an adequate paragraph style, you attach this paragraph to a sequence counter. The number displayed is the current value of the sequence counter.
Since this number/bullet is not something you explicitly typed, it is protected from manual change so that you don’t mess up the feature.
Changing the appearance of the number goes through customising the active list style. You have two cases:
-
default lists, i.e. those created with tool bar buttons (direct formatting)
The list style attributes are in
Format>Bullets & Numbering, tabsPositionandCustomize. Don’t play with the others. The other tabs have for sole purpose to preset parameters inPosition&Customize. Once you’ve started modifying parameters in these tabs, never get back to the others, lest all your customisation is fouled up. -
user lists, i.e. those formatted with a paragraph style associated with a list style like Numbering 123
Modify the associated list style
The default lists are offered as a convenience for those converting from Word where the notion is styles is , well, rather minimalistic. They are not a very rigorous; they implement many exceptions to strict styling to account for Word idiosyncracies and quick’n’dirty experimentation.
If your goal is to be able to format “professionally” your document and control centrally the appearance, don’t go for macros. Macros will add hidden direct formatting which a real plague when you try to “polish” the appearance.
Instead invest in learning styles, particularly list styles and their relation with paragraph styles. I warn you this is the most difficult concept in Writer.
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Thank you for your detailed and convincing answer. Indeed, a negative result is also a result.