Bookmark still forming document pages to create a content page with hyperlinks

[atlaimond]

LibreOffice: 24.2.5.2 (X86_64)
Build: bffef4ea93e59bebbeaf7f431bb02b1a39ee8a59
Environment: CPU threads: 12; OS: Linux 5.15
User Interface: UI render: default; VCL: gtk3

I’m looking for a solution to bookmark actual pages, at their top, in order to put them into hyperlinks as content list page, also use the editor UI to quick access to a specific page.
The final form is going to be in PDF file.

I tried to insert it onto the pages footnote with Field/Page_number offset -1, so it leads that specific page’s top (almost, good enough for me).

But, the footnote copies the lastly added same bookmark all over the other footnote.

The document is still in forming, and lines can go up and down during the process, so target a specific part of the text would become a mess in time.

Is there a way to make this happen? To make a content page with clickable texts which makes the final PDF document as a fast access to a specific page?

Thanks for any suggestion in advance.

[ajlittoz]

Pages do not exist in a Writer document. They are dynamically allocated as a consequence of flowing your text into “segments” (corresponding to physical sheets of paper). There are no user-visible “reference landmarks” to identify start of a page.

Do you really need to access a particular page? Usually, related to contents or argumentation development, you prefer to jump to the start of a “logical block” of the book such as start of a chapter or break in the argumentation. These logical points can be associated with a reference or bookmark. The references will remain attached to their “logical” source and follow it even if you review text before it. Page will change but destination remains attached to the source.

There is another possibility: you can also create a User-defined index which is a TOC-like table separate from the TOC. It can be more versatile than the traditional TOC because you can not only attach paragraphs to it but also index entries (strictly speaking, you can also do it with TOC but I don’t recommend mixing semantically different objects in the TOC).

@atlaimond

with Field/Page_number offset -1

Don’t play this kind of game unless you know perfectly well the meaning of it. This gives you the page number of the referenced page if it exists. It does not change the page number. Here you reference the preceding page. If this is what you want, it is OK.

@atlaimond

I tried to insert it onto the pages footnote

I don’t see how this contributes to the solution of your problem: the footnote may slip to another page after edits. In addition, the “table of notes” has to be built manually, which is a real pain if your document counts more than 10 pages.

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Explain why you want links to pages. PDF readers usually allow to jump to any page directly. There is then no need for links.

[atlaimond]

Size:

It’s going to be bigger than 10 pages. I except it to be around 100 pages at the end.

Hyperlinks purpose:

The content page with the hyperlinks should be the guide to get to the desired specific part of the content below the content-list page.

Footnote choice:

The footnote I made to make it easier to count the pages, because the writer does it instead of me manually. The offset is an adjustment, because the first page is actually the content-list page, not the content itself.

It is also going to be exported into a PDF in the end. To make it accessible through operation systems and devices. So even a mobile phone could handle it.

[ajlittoz]

@atlaimond

The content page with the hyperlinks should be the guide to get to the desired specific part of the content below the content-list page.

Then create a standard TOC (table of contents). By default, TOC entries already have an hyperlink already attached to it. It jumps to the designated heading (not ot a page number; therefore if the page number changes, you still jump to the heading).

@atlaimond

The footnote I made to make it easier to count the pages

This is silly. Why do you need to count the pages? For which purpose? As I already mentioned, pages don’t exist as primary objects in Writer. So, why do you need a page “object”? In other words, what do you want to do with a page from an author point of view?

@atlaimond

The offset is an adjustment, because the first page is actually the content-list page, not the content itself.

Then you are typically in error: you try to outsmart Writer about page numbering. This must never be done because you lose always. What happens if your TOC is larger than one page?

In fact, you describe your document as made of several parts with independent numbering. The first part is the cover page (you probably have none from your comment). The second part is the TOC and the third part is the content.

When you have such semantically-independent parts, you use separate page styles: (built-in) First Page for the cover, some user-created style for the TOC and (built-in) Default Page Style for the contents. You separate the parts with Unsert>More Breaks>Manual Breaks to set the page style after the break and optionally restart the page number.

Page offset must not be routinely used, in any case not in the idea of changing page number: it is not intended for that because it does not change the page number but references another page which can have a completely unrelated page number. Using wrongly a feature results in disaster (which can remain unnoticed for years and will more difficult to fix because everybody would have forgotten the reason for using it).

[atlaimond]

I think I got the solution. Your Index entry idea led me to there, although I had to sacrifice the user interface bookmark feature.
Screw it!

The solution is “Frames”!

• It can be hyperlinked,
• it can be invisible in exported PDF by removing the borders,
• it also can waged at the margin area as “Anchor to page” mod, not bother the text flow,
• and it can be copy-paste all over the visual pages!

Off topic: I understand you want it to be perfect in every aspect. Unfortunately, my case is that it’s better to be done than perfect. So I do what I can to reach the end result, no matter what terrible contraption I made behind the scene. I do what I can, because I can’t do more yet.

[ajlittoz]

@atlaimond

The solution is “Frames”
… “Anchor to page” mode

Effectively, if you want a bookmark on every page (here “bookmark” is used in its every man’s meaning, not as Writer bookmark feature), a To page frame is the solution. Unfortunately you must manually insert a frame in every page. Then you put inside the frame anything which can be cross-referenced or collected in a user-index.