Best guidance for style&formatting issues with a large odt

English
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#1

MS11,
Version: 26.2.2.2 (X86_64)
Build ID: 1f77d10d6938fd34972958f64b2bcfa54f8b1ba5
CPU threads: 8; OS: Windows 11 X86_64 (build 26200); UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Calc: CL threaded
.odt (some parts were originally .docx)

Hi,
The problems with style and format became a nuisance only recently: toc changed appearance and it doesn’t sync to headings anymore, first heading lost a number, other headings wouldn’t number in sequence. I think this started when I created a new version of the .odt after it passed hands. Then I made it worse by using some direct formatting.

I’ve had some painstaking success with clearing direct formatting and applying styles, but still getting weird numberings like 1.1.1 2.2.2 Heading. I’ve been learning a lot about formatting and styles from this community, the guide, etc. It’s a lot. I’m not tech smart, a slow processor, and under pressure with a due date on a writing assignment. I will grow old trying to piece it all together. I would really appreciate help.

My big question is: Would tranferring all this to a fresh .odt help? If so, how do I do it correctly?
Please share any suggestions, design guides, MLA templates, or any resources that show how to best set styles, with parameters, including indents with correct measurements. Thanks in advance! I may be delayed in answering because I need to finish writing this assignment.

#2

The problem with the Headings may be due to having a manual numbering format in the Headings, this also influences the TOC.
Manual numbering is not removed when you clean the format.

  1. Disable Headings numbering:
  2. Seardh for Headings with numbers at start and deactivates the manual numbering
    • Click on the Toggle Ordered list or Outline format icons in the formatting toolbar until the Heading number disappears.
      image
  • Now the headings should not have any numbers.
  1. Although you can update the TOC, I recommend deleting it and creating a new one.

If you want numbered Headings, go back to Tools > Heading Numbering and experiment with the options, but do not apply manual list formatting to any heading.

  • Update the TOC when you finish.
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#3

Sometimes it fixes problems with the file but it doesn’t remove the direct formats which I think are the cause of your problem.

#4

Thank you. Step 1 was helpful even though I don’t fully understand it. At some point, I need numbering back (1.1.1). What I did notice was Headings 1 and 2 aren’t even in the list, so I looked at the paragraph style dialogs for them. They don’t even offer Headings numbering, while Headings 3-10 do. (My Heading hierarchy was all messed up in this document, so I had to go through all of them and hopefully fixed them. I’m doing the same with a custom default template (which didn’t need so much work) in hopes I have clean documents in the future.) I don’t understand Step 2 yet, but guessing I will discover it as I’m working on fixing the headings in the document. (I do gather, don’t use those.) I will delete the TOC and start over at some point. For now, what’s there gives a semblance of the structure of the paper.

Update, I now understand step 2. Removing the ordered list takes the wrong number off and when I try to used the Headings 2 style dialogue, it add “1,” not 2.2 as it should.
I deleted the TOC just in case that is prohibiting any fixes.

At the moment, I seem to have a problem with Headings Numbering vs. the default heading styles. I don’t understand how to know when I am using the default heading styes. Headings Numbering is excluded from Headings 1 & 2 and while trying to fix that I now have just “1” in that list of headings along with Headings 3-10. When I go to edit the paragraph styles, Heading 1 & 2 do not offer Headings Numbering and 3-10 have Headings Numbering as their setting.

Update to the update: I went through your instructions again with each heading. With step 1, I seem to have accidentally fixed some things. I removed the random “1” in the list and put back Headings 1 & 2. With step 2, I removed some numbers, but not all. Headings 2 and 3 have numbers and they seem to be the correct numbers, except 2.2 is missing. So 1, 2 and 3 (Heading 1) are gone because of going through your steps.

How do I get to a point where all the heading numbers are present and correct? (Headings 1-3, 3 outline levels) Thank in advance!

#5

Try to Find All text with direct formatting unique caracteristic, then while it’s still selected, clear direct formatting and apply a suitable style.
First do it with character formatting, then with paragraph formatting.

#6

I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. Use Find & Replace? I don’t see any option to look for direct formatting and I’m afraid I’d undo styles formatting. Also, I don’t think I could search for any unique characteristic. It’s not like I have backwards quotes. I have headings that are not using hierarchy and sequence. I don’t mind clicking on everything to check for it. Would character formatting be a concern if nothing is in bold, italics, etc. that shouldn’t be? Thanks.

Update, I did use Find & Replace with number 2 and 3 to find where numbered headings were, so thanks for that!

#7

Take a look at:

#8

Thanks. I’m not having an issue with font, spacing, or italics. If I do, I will look at these suggestions.

#9

There are two ways to monitor direct formatting:

  • pin-point details
    In the right side pane (where you have the list of styles and others) there is an icon looking like a T with a magnifying glass (6th from top): this is the style inspector. It gives you all information at to the cursor position.
  • global fast information
    While you are in the Style Inspector pane, look at the top buttons right of “Spotlight:”. Enable all three: paragraph, character and direct format (from left to right). Then go back to the style list display.
    This is faster than going through menu Format>Spotlight>…
    Your text get highlighted with colours and numbers identifying which style is active (hence the suggestion to go back to the style list to see which colour corresponds to which style). Paragraph style is indicated in the margin while character style paints directly your text. Direct formatting is flagged as a hatch pattern over paragraph colour stripe for paragraph settings and as a gray highlighting for character settings.
    Manual numbering will be indicated with a hatch pattern over the margin stripe because numbering is related to paragraph properties.

Spotlight is a very handy tool to get an idea about your real formatting.

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#10

Brilliant! What can you do about creating block quotes of poetry that has erratic spacing? Is there any way to make a style for that, or some other solution?

#11

Also, how to I create page style? Is there a default page style for a title page?

#12

Have you had a look at the chapter on styles in the Writer Guide?
Another useful reference is Bruce Byfield’s book, Designing with LibreOffice, linked on English documentation II | LibreOffice Documentation - LibreOffice User Guides
.
To make a new page style,

  1. open the sidebar at the Styles page, select Page Styles (4th icon from left), right click Default Page Style and select New
  2. In the dialogue that opens, in the General tab give your page style a name. Below it in Next style choose the page style to follow it, it might be Default Page Style or another custom page style such as Front Matter or Copyright.
  3. Alter only those settings that must be different from Default Page Style. Do not touch any other settings. OK

Create a paragraph style for poetry. I would be inclined to set language to None. You might have to create leading spaces or tabs depending on the poem so you might want to click Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options > Options and untick Delete spaces and tabs at beginning and end of paragraphs and Delete spaces and tabs at beginning and end of paragraphs although I did not find it necessary in my test with a poetry paragraph style.

After removing list numbering from the headings and clicking Ctrl+M to remove direct formatting, you might need to do one more thing to allow Heading Numbering. Click on each heading individually and press Ctrl+0 to apply Body Text style to them and then pressing Ctrl+n, where n was the level of the heading, e.g. Ctrl+1 for Heading 1. This should allow the heading to take the Heading Numbering

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#13

How do you characterise “erratic”? Give an example. If there is a systematic rule, it can be implemented with styles.

#14

Systematic, I don’t think so. Somes forms are, but I need to quote mostly free verse, experimental, and visual poetry. For example, alignment, spacing, spacing between words, the shape of the text can be inconsistent. Like some poems on these pages:

https://jacket2.org/commentary/experimental-poetry-—-part-one

#15

IMHO, Writer is not the ideal tool for such experimental poetry. Consider Draw (to keep with LO) which allows to flow text along an arbitrary curve. Or have a look a DTP-oriented (DTP = desktop publishing) applications with which text can be laid out more freely, escaping the rigid linear text flow concept.

#16

Thanks! So, the purpose of assigning page styles would in my case be to start the page numbering after the front matter (title page, 2 pages abstract) and stop the page numbering on the works cited page? (My page numbers keep disappearing.)

I follow step 1 for the title page? I was going to call it TitlePage. (I see a First Page Style. What is that for?)

I attempted step 2, but realized the next page would be custom as well and it didn’t exist yet, so I put my cursor in the next page and called it FrontMatter. Will it work if I go back to the title page and add that as the next page, or should the first 3 pages just be FrontMatter?

Step 3: Where do I set the page number to begin following the abstract pages (which would be in the center of the footer)? I was tempted to use the page styles and Title Page I saw under format because it looks legit, but would that be direct formatting - which would cause headaches in the future?

#18

Thanks! I’ve set this up. (If I were to use the Tools, would that be direct formatting? Would it affect the rest of the document?)

#19

Built-in page styles are examples of what can be done and their usage depends on you and your design goal.

Regarding First Page there are two schools. Note that factory configuration forces a switch to Default Page Style once page boundary is reached (either by filling the page or inserting a page break).

School A: cover page

You style the cover page First Page and the rest of the document is homogeneously Default Page Style. This fits an academic paper or a hom.work assignment. In more sophisticated layouts, you change the default Next style parameter to some other custom page style like Front Matter, TOC or Legalese (not exhaustive) but there is always a single First Page page.

School B: start of sequence

You use First Page at the beginning of a sequence of pages needing a different layout for its first page, e.g. at start of every chapter.

If running chapter pages are Default Page Style, you have nothing else to do except Insert>More Breaks>Manual Break before starting a chapter to switch to First Page style. And if your chapter starts with a Heading n paragraph, configure the break in the Text Flow tab of the paragraph style (you no longer need to manually add the break, it is automatically done when you apply the paragraph style).

If your chapter pages have different layouts (which can’t be manage by the simplified unticking Same contents on left and right pages), change the Next style parameter for some other page style like built-in Left Page which automatically alternates with Right Page.


Choice between both approaches is yours.

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#20

Thanks. I gather that if I didn’t set any page styles every page would be the Default Page Style? I’m not writing a book, so I don’t think left and right pages matter. I’m using Headings 1 for chapters, so I don’t think I need a First Page for chapters. I don’t think page breaks between chapters are wanted, but nice to know that I can set those in the Text Flow tab!

My design goal is to get the page numbers the way I need them. The first 3 pages have no page number and the fourth page starts with “1” and each consecutive page through the end of the Works Cited has a number. (I’m not using a special page style for Works Cited and hopefully can keep it that way.) Would First Page, First Page, First Page, Default Page achieve this?

#21

You definitely need two page styles and a manual “special” break between them. Create a custom page style for your first 3 pages (without number). Default Page Style will do for the rest of the document. Just insert the page number field either in the header or footer.

Don’t forget to Insert>More Breaks>Manual Break at end of page 3 (start of page 4) to switch to Default Page Style and force page number to start from 1.

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