Create a Custom Page Style - LO Writer on Mac

[BooMai]

I want to create a custom page style. I’m using a Mac and struggling. The manual says"

To Define a New Page Style

Choose View - Styles. - 

OK - done that

Click the Page Styles icon.  

OK -done that

In the list of page styles, right-click an item, and then choose New. 

**Not OK. I hit the drop-down arrow to get a list of page styles (A6, A5, A4, etc.) but if I right click anywhere in the list then it just applies whatever style the cursor is on to my open document. **

On the Organizer tab, type a name in the Name box.

There is no organizer tab anywhere that I can see.

To be clear - I want to add my own custom page layout so that when I go to /format/page style/ the item will be in the dropdown list where the A6, A5, A4 selections are with a new name like “A4 1cm margins” - or whatever.

Can anyone help or is it not possible to have my own custom page layouts?

Thanks in advance.

[mikekaganski]

Please show a screenshot. The “I hit the drop-down arrow to get a list of page styles” is already odd. Absolutely unclear, what you are talking about.

[BooMai]

[mikekaganski]

Your screenshot doesn’t show “View - Styles”, it shows Properties sidebar panel instead of Style Manager. Hence - everything else is wrong.

Possibly the error could be on the next step, “Click the Page Styles icon”, where you were intended to click here:

not here:

[ajlittoz]

Seeing your screen shot. The side pane does not show the styles but formatting settings for the current style. You should click on the A-icon at right to access the style pane.

---

I think you didn’t follow correctly the steps.

View>Styles shows the style side pane or floating window - OK

Click on the Page icon in the style pane toolbar - assuming OK
You then get a list of page styles but there are no A6, A5, A4, … You have Default Page Style, Endnote, Envelope, First Page, …

Perhaps, you selected Format>Page Style which opens configuration dialog for the current page style. In he Page tab of this dialog, there is indeed a Format; menu with sheet sizes.

You must right-click on a style name.

[BooMai]

On the very top menu of the app (File, Edit, View, Insert, … etc) I click View. In the menu which appears I click “Styles”. This is what I get on the RHS of the screen.

As per the manual - I click the page styles icon. This is the icon that looks like a page and when I hover I get the text “Page /5” When I click that I get the screenshot in my previous post.

[mikekaganski]

@BooMai

I get the text “Page /5”

Ah!

You are expected to click here:

And also, you are filtering all the styles to only show custom styles (i.e., created by yourself) - which are empty for now (see the bottom of your screenshot).

So, let me correct your text for you:

@BooMai

Click the Page Styles icon.  

OK -done that

No, the correct version of the above is:

Click the Page Styles icon.  

Hmm, I think I have done that (but the icon name was a bit different - “Page /5”, not “Page Styles” - an error in manual, or where should I click?)

[BooMai]

Thanks - understood and sorted.
Is there a way to make custom styles appear in the this menu (/format/page)

[mikekaganski]

You mix unrelated things.
This dialog (“Page style: a4 1cm margins”) is a dialog to edit one of the page styles itself. The drop-down is not a page style, but a paper format (size), which will be assigned to the page style you are editing.

@BooMai

(/format/page)

Are you sure it’s “/format/page”? Or is it rather “/format/page style”? If it’s really the former, then you likely use some very old custom menu configuration.

[BooMai]

Thanks to al for speedy help. Much appreciated.

[ajlittoz]

@BooMai

Is there a way to make custom styles appear in the this menu (/format/page)?

No, but your style side pane is badly configured. The screenshot in Create a Custom Page Style - LO Writer on Mac - #6 by BooMai shows your bottom menu as displaying Custom Styles. Since you have no custom styles, your list is empty. Choose All Styles or Hierarchical (will give the same display in case of page styles) to see existing styles.

[doerinrw]

Just wanted to drop in to say that this specific thread convinced me to stop investigating LibreOffice and go back to GoogleSheets, even though I’m a huge OSS believer. To say that the tone of the responses here is unprofessional and offputting is an understatement, and sadly only confirming the stereotypes about OSS folks and adherence to dead paradigms. Props to the question asker, who clearly knew that this was all part of the game!

Best of luck to y’all going forward, seriously – you’re doing important work.

[EarnestAl]

There appears to be a fundamental misunderstanding between page styles and page sizes. Page size is only one part of a page style as can be seen in the tabs.

To get accurate information without somebody’s misunderstandings you would be better to refer to the Writer Guide, download from English documentation | LibreOffice Documentation - LibreOffice User Guides or, specifically for Mac, Writer Guide MacOS Edition

[keme1]

@doerinrw

Just wanted to drop in to say that this specific thread convinced me to stop investigating LibreOffice and go back to GoogleSheets

Sorry to hear that, and thanks for providing your own background to illustrate “potential user’s mindset”.

I can understand that some will read the responses as condescending, but I don’t think that was intentional. I just see them as increasingly thorough - because thorough explanation appeared to be necessary - and to the point. That may also confirm me into said stereotype, IDK.

If telling an asker that “you were wrong” in a blunt fashion makes you “unprofessional” then that lack of professionalism is to be expected. I guess most of us here are not trained customer service personnel, and many of us do not even do this as part of our profession. We spend some of our available time here, to assist where needed for the “greater good”. We are different personalities with different manners of speaking. Not all of us have English as our first language. It also happens that time is tight, which may contribute to responses coming out bluntly.

I, and probably others with me, will be interested in knowing what you see as “dead paradigms”. That may at best be a discussion in a different thread, even on a different venue, to avoid muddying this thread with excessive side discussion. Again IDK.

[BooMai]

OP here.
I agree to some extent with dierinrw. The reply “…your style side pane is badly configured…” is an example of the terse sort of reply that might upset or annoy the more sensitive. The panel is configured exactly as I want it, to do more easily what I want to do and the fact that I do it differently from someone else doesn’t make me wrong.

The LO help forums aren’t as bad as, say, QNAP or Bugzilla (I deleted my Bugzilla account because I don’t want to be patronized and insulted by a clique of nasty pedantic sarcastic trolls) but they are certainly not a friendly place and for some topics there are some “helpers” who troll more than they help.

[robleyd]

@BooMai

your style side pane is badly configured

I see that the remark was followed by an explanation of why your panel might be seen as badly configured and how it might be better laid out so you can see relevant styles.

I would also reiterate that not all contributors here are native English speakers and may inadvertently phrase their replies in a manner that may offend some readers.

[BooMai]

I understand that and I agree with you. People are giving their time to help, they might not be native speakers, they might be in a hurry, etc., and, equaly, users might be too sensitive. Note that I wasn’t offended or annoyed by the reply I quoted. However, this forum is the last resort if I absolutely need help with LO because, on the whole, I don’t find it a very nice place. Other views, obviously, are available.