Add different footers to different sections of a document

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#1

Hi guys,

I am having a problem with setting different footer for different sections of my document in LibreOffice Writer Version 24.2.0.3 (for example Chapter I and Chapter II); I know how to do that using Manual Break (Insert > More Break> Manual Break, but that introduces an unwanted new page.

Then I heard about section breaks and I figured that was exactly what I needed; can you please explain how to use section breaks to add a different footer from the previous section. So far I’ve been totally unable to make it work.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Kind Regards.

#2

If you want a different footer then you need a different page style. Create a page style with appropriate footer (and margins, header, etc.) and give it a unique name.

If you want a different footer for the first page of a chapter and/or for right and left pages that can be done through page styles. In the sample below the first page of a chapter has no footer, left pages have nothing in the footer and odd-numbered pages have the page number. This might not be the ideal layout but it is show it can be done and that once set up, it happens without further intervention.
If you click in the last paragraph of the sample and press Ctrl+1 to apply Heading 1 style, it starts a new chapter on a new page. Add enough random text to go onto another page and the page will be inserted as a left page.
BookWithLayout.odt (15.1 KB)

Microsoft Word has Section Breaks which are quite different to LibreOffice Writer Sections. Writer sections are contained within pages, Using Sections .

It might be best to create a small sample of existing page style and proposed new page style.

#3

Thank you so much for your fast answer; now I understand: it is all about the styles (I guess I had MSWord bias :grinning:).

Is it possible to add the manual break without introducing a new page? I have a document already formatted with the chapter already separated by page breaks.

Thank in advance for your answer.

Kind Regards.

#4

A manual break to change page style always requires a new page.

The existing page break can be deleted after the new page is introduced.

The new page style can define the page style for the following page in the first tab of the page style dialogue, I think the tab is called General but I’m not at the computer.

I suggest to add some more text to my sample and experiment with it until you are comfortable with adding new styles and understanding how that affects the existing layout

#5

Well, a break always forces a jump to a new page. But there are various ways to trigger impplicitly a page break.

Sequence of page styles

As @EarnestAl points out, you can configure in Organizer tab of page style parameter Next style: to designate to which page style Writer will switch when you reach bottom of page (or when you enter an ordinary page break).

You need no manual break. Writer just waits for the end of page to change style.

Use case examples:

  • first page in chapter is radically different from running page
  • alternation between left and right page styles

Paragraph style text flow properties

When you know that some paragraph is systematically preceded by a page break, you can configure this page break in Text Flow tab. Other settings allow you to additionally choose the page style and the page number.

Combined with sequenced page styles, you can achieved very sophisticated designs automatically.

Use case example:

  • add page break with page style change in Heading 1 paragraph style so that your chapter headings are automatically laid out


In both cases, you remove your manual breaks.

#6

Already said, but to condense the essential info, pitfalls and all:

Background

Microsoft Word being the de facto “industry standard”, most wordprocessing advice out there is in Word terms. Some info is transferrable, and some things are radically different in Writer.

Sections

A Word section is a separator placeholder within the text body. Various kinds of separation, or “breaks”, may be applied to the section.
A Writer section is a part of your document; a kind of content grouping with a beginning and an end. Some formatting (columns) and linking (connect content between documents) may be applied to sections.

Page layout

Writer uses page styles exclusively to govern page formatting/layout. This is an added abstraction (aka. “less intuitive”), but allows for page setup to be easily reused in multiple places of your document.
Word uses a kind of “in place” page formatting. A page inherits formatting from previous page. To break this inheritance, you insert a section and select a relevant option to break inheritance.

Summary

The approach to governing page layout, and the notion of “section”, are fundamentally different between Word and Writer. The basic operations may appear similar, but when you need to work with consistently different page layouts in multiple parts of your document, the differences are significant.

Also, as the underlying file structure that builds up your document is different in the two apps, switching back and forth between the apps in the layout process is a certain way to make a mess. Stick to one of them, using the other for preview if you must.

So, generally speaking …

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