Apply Style hierarchy to Numbering automatically

[bryant]

In “Numbering” (lists), I would like an option to apply successively lower Styles, starting at Heading 1, to each successive indented number in the list.

My goal is to generate a Table of Contents (TOC) for this table. The Styles will be automatically updated every time I make an entry in the body of my document (in the normal way that a numbered list automatically inserts the next sub number in the list), and then the automatically applied Styles will show up as entries in the TOC.

Basically, I’m trying to make a document, with successive sections (1, 1.1, 1.1.1…; 2,2.1,2.1.2. etc…) that all get generated automatically and all show up in a TOC. I don’t want to do this manually, and I don’t want to have to manually re-style the whole list should I decide to add an entry.

Zooming out, the question is, how do you make a scientific paper in LibreOffice?

Maybe there is already another way to do this.

[ajlittoz]

It seems your goal is exactly what Heading x styles are meant for. Your question may then be “how to enable numbering on Heading x?” because, by default, Heading x do not display their number.

Go to Tools → Outline Numbering.... Click on the 1-10 level to apply your settings to all level simultaneously (otherwise, you must do it on each level individually). Chose the numbering type from the Number drop-down menu. Click OK when you’re done.

Of course, you can experiment if you want variations on some levels.

If this answer helped you, please accept it by clicking the check mark to the left and, karma permitting, upvote it. If this is what you expected, close the question, that will help other people with the same question.

[bryant]

Brilliant, this worked! As stated above, note that this process occurs in the opposite order than I expected–you apply numbering to styles, not styles to numbering. So, when you apply this option, and then create the successive headings (e.g., by using shortcuts Ctrl + [0-10]), they automatically get numbered. Then you can make your TOC.

[ajlittoz]

Thar’s one of the underlying principles in LO. Decorations like numbering are a property or attribute of styles so that you completely separate content (text) from its display and layout. With the added consequence you can produce very different looking documents with same content only by changing styles.

[carnish]

This is not working for me.

Following instructions above I have all my Heading N styles showing up as Outline Numbering (good), but I’m not seeing the outline numbering I selected.

Given my selection of outline numbering type (1, 1.1, 1.1.1 ) etc, I expect that with these headings

Title One
Title Two
Subtitle Two Dot One

After applying styles I’d see

1. Title One (heading 1)
2. Title Two (heading 1)
   2.1 Title Two Dot One (heading 2)

But I don’t see that.

I get

1. Title One (heading 1)
2. Title Two (heading 1)
   3 Title Two Dot One (heading 2 – in hd2 font but head1 #)

Going crazy here.

[ajlittoz]

Looks to me you defined custom outline styles based on list (where you can have “continuous numbering” across levels). The built-in outline styles have a capital H as in Heading x, not heading x. Please check and report.

[carnish]

Thanks. On the Styles and Formatting window (F11), these styles show as Heading 1, Heading 2 and so on.

On the paragraph style dialog for Heading 2 (rt-click,Modify), Heading 2/Outline&Numbering tab, Numbering style is Outline Numbering – grayed.

Menu.Format.Paragraph, Numbering Style in Outline numbering. The dropdown is active giving options for List x and Numbering x.

Menu.Format.Bullets and Numbering, Outline tab, shows the numbering style I want , but I don’t see how to select.

[ajlittoz]

Outline Numbering grayed because this built-in style attribute is protected.

Format>Paragraph: drop-down menu active because you’re creating manual formatting without changing style definition, but doing so your paragraph is no longer part of outline but becomes a list!

Format>Bullets & Numbering, Outline tab: courtesy shortcut for setting several parameters in position and options tab. Just click on an example. Usually not satisfying; tune in said tabs.

[ajlittoz]

IMPORTANT: a paragraph is part of outline ONLY if Format>Paragraph, Numbering Style is Outline Numbering. Numbering appearance is defined in Tools>Outline Numbering (my laptop still has LO v4.x, may be in Format in LO v5.x), where you can tune each level separately.

Note that no “list” style is involved. Chapter numbering for TOC is not a “list” (in LO parlance) but another concept.