Cannot work with columns and breaks

[Buttar]

Straight to the point. I write MCQ-based question papers for students on a fairly regular basis. I need to achieve the following too often:

1. This is an example question.
   a) red b) black c) green d) blue

Which I can achieve but I have to use space to put them horizontally. In MS Office you can use columns and breaks (and “continue”) to achieve this very efficiently. Here, when I use columns to divide the ordered list of options horizontally, the entire page after that gets divided into columns. I want the columns to end after option d) then the next question and then again four columns as:

1. This is an example question.
   a) red b) black c) green d) blue
2. This is example 2 of a question.
   a) orange b) green c) black d) sky

Is there something I am missing entirely that could help me?

PS these option numbers, a), b) etc., should be in sync. I mean they would be if you’re able to traverse the vertical list to horizontal (dividing page into 4 columns and after that, you switch again to 1-column mode)

[Zizi64]

@Buttar

Here, when I use columns to divide the ordered list of options horizontally, the entire page after that gets divided into columns.

Yes, the Culumns is a property of the Page Styles and of the Frames.
Try to use Frames for the answers.
.
Another tip:
Try to use two different paragraph styles (Questions, Answers), with alternate Next Style property (one points to the other, other points to the one). And set the TABs to the desired values in the Answers style: Use the Tabs instead of the Columns.

[ajlittoz]

There are two ways to solve our request: tables and sections. I’d recommend table which has fewer constraints than section.

• Table
  Insert a table after your question with a single row and the required number of columns. Each cell behaves like a subdocument but are ordered from left to right then top to bottom. This ordering is compatible with your list numbering expectation. In case your choice items become rather long or need explanations, they will “naturally” wrap on several lines within the cell. And when you have many choices, you can add rows to avoid having too narrow columns.

• Section
  I mention this possibility but IMHO it is not adapted to you case. A section in Writer is an area in the page with a different “geometry”, usually a different number of columns. Text then flows from column to column just like an article in a newspaper.
  To force text to start in next column, Insert>More Breaks>Column Break. However, this will not allow you to have multi-line choices because a column break in the last column causes a page break.

@Zizi64 mentions frames. I am not favourable to this possibility because frames are logically outside the main flow, i.e. they are not related in any way to it. In particular, they are totally independent from it, each being a secondary flow. This means you could have “surprises” with list numbering, though in your case all choice lists are entirely contained in a single frame. In addition, since a frame is an independent sub-document, you can have only one “row”: a column break in the last column is ineffective because you can’t create a second “page” in the frame.

[Buttar]

Yes, tables could help. But I would like to request the feature in upcoming versions to handle breaks/continuous and columns as in MS Office because whatever I use personally, the final file always goes to print using the MS Office. The absense of this feature is the only thing holding me back from leaving MS Office for good. But thanks @ajlittoz and @Zizi64 . I appreciate you taking time for this.

[ajlittoz]

@Buttar

to handle breaks/continuous and columns as in MS Office

For my information, since I left M$ Word decades ago, could you describe what it is and how it is handled? Integration of such a feature must not break Writer text management. Writer is based on styles which allow large-scale automation of both layout and formatting. Word lacks styles (apart from paragraph styles) and forces user to resort to manual formatting (which is by nature incompatible with “automation”).

If your goal is to create an “inline list” (as opposed to traditional lists made of paragraph items), this can be simulated by some abuse of chapter numbering with the help of a number range, the same way you would number figures per chapter:

• the question is styled Heading 1
• every choice is preceded by a number range field with Numbering per chapter so that the number is reset at every question

[EarnestAl]

@Buttar

final file always goes to print using the MS Office

Why not export to PDF first?
Or is it a collaboration where others use MS Office? In that case consider carefully whether you should also use MS Office, see [Tutorial] Differences between Microsoft and AOO/LO files

Finally, here is Writer document with Table and Section, I prefer Table as it is easier. Both export to .docx
MultiChoiceTable&Section.odt (15.4 KB)

[Buttar]

Oh, that helps a lot, sir. Thank you for taking the time. Greatly appreciated.

[Buttar]

@ajlittoz , I would create a file from my school computer with examples. Please give me time. Thanks for your time.

[anon87010807]

If you only want your a)'s, b)'s etc. aligned, you can use a single paragraph style for question and answers, using four tabs.
You can set a negative value for the space before text to get the question numbers in the margin instead of in the text body so they stand out (pun intended).