Create style with border around multiple paragraphs

[L-user]

Hi,

using LibreOffice 4.1.4.2 Writer on Windows XP sp3 I would like to have a border around multiple lines (lines are separated by ENTER key - so there are actually paragraphs).

1. Because I have a large document I have decided to create a new paragraph style by selecting from menu: Format | Styles and Formatting.
   
2. Click on Page style tab on top new opened dialog.
   
3. Right click on top of “Default Style” and selected New.
   
4. Organizer tab | Style | Name: My_border_style
   
5. Borders tab | Line arrangement | Default | Set All Four Borders.
   
6. OK button to close a dialog. My_border_style appears in list of paragraph styles.
   
7. In document I have typed in the following text: my text
   
8. Pressed Enter to get into new line.
   
9. From toolbar I clicked on icon “Bullets On” to create a new bullet and typed text: my first bullet
   
10. I have selected both lines.
    
11. From “Styles and Formatting dialog” still displayed, double clicked on My_border_style. And the result is two borders around each of line:
    
    
    But I would like to have a border outside both text lines (border created in image manipulation program):
    
    
    How to do this?
    
    
    Thanks

[Regina]

I assume, that you have already checked “Merge with next paragraph” in the border dialog page. But merging does only work if, “These styles are only merged if the indent, border, and shadow styles of the next paragraph are the same as the current paragraph.” (cite from help). So you need to give the list and the normal paragraph identical indent.

[oweng]

I can’t find that statement in the online help. In any case, this is essentially correct, and is a constant annoyance that indents and borders are related in this manner.

[Regina]

Click on button Help in the paragraph style dialog, tab Borders.

[oweng]

I tried that. I get this page using v4.1.4.2.

[Regina]

I have used the build-in help of Version: 4.1.5.1. The lower part of that text is missing in the version on help.libreoffice.org. There are sections “Properties”, “Merge with next paragraph”, and “Merge adjacent line styles”. It is in http://opengrok.libreoffice.org/xref/help/source/text/shared/01/05030500.xhp

Look at the source in help.libreoffice.org. There you see the text. Something is broken there.

[L-user]

Yes, “Merge with next paragraph” is checked.

[Oldbwl]

One quick solution: You can draw a shape - say a rectangle with no colour fill. Type your text as nornal, draw a shape over it and then send the shape to the background.

[oweng]

You can actually just set the area to None rather than send the object to the background, but your workaround is decent advice.

[oweng]

This is a difficult shortcoming that I feel is complicated by differences in the way indents are defined / catered for under ODF and OOXML. It should be easy to define borders and indents for paragraphs of multiple style in a manner that is unrelated, or at least related only at the request of the user, but unfortunately this is not the case.

This is also one area where the relationship between paragraph styles and list styles is made more complex than it needs to be e.g., as both use separate definitions for indents. By way of example, it should be relatively straightforward to style content like:

… but sadly this generally requires use of either a table or the suggested workaround by @Oldbwl.

[L-user]

Thanks for help. Now I understand that there is a problem with paragraph styles and list styles when using a border. Now I come up with new idea - solution. I decided to not use “lists styles”, but instead use and “-” character at front of “bullet 1 text” and the rest is classic:

1. Select both lines.
   
2. Menu Format | Paragraph.
   
   a) Border tab.
   
   b) Line arrangement | Default - Set All Four Borders.
   
   c) Shadow style | Position | Cast Shadow to Bottom Right.
   
   d) Properties | “Merge with next paragraph” checked as default.
   
3. Click on OK button.
   
   
   P.S. Does someone know if there exists a new feature (like enhancement) request for this problem?
   
   Thanks.
   
   
   

[oweng]

Thanks. I forgot to mention this workaround. You can use the List 1 style as a basis and create a series of custom paragraph styles (e.g., List 1 border L1, List 1 border L2, etc.) and simply set the tabs for these accordingly, to use a style-based solution. Inelegant, but effective. Bug fdo#54669 indicates a related problem with indent+border, however I can’t find an existing enhancement request for this so please create one. It may get closed due to ODF/OOXML issues, but at least this will be recorded.