Creating special border or line style to a box

[jnwrigh]

How can I create a rectangular (text) box with a border consisting of a series of symbols?
The border could be
a) simple, eg asterisks
b) directional eg mini arrows pointing inward/clockwise etc all round
c) composite eg repeated text

The border width and symbol size need to be variable.
Extension
An alternative way of looking at this is as a line style. In that case, the border might even be applied to a shape (star?, circle?)

[EarnestAl]

I cannot find a way to convert a shape to a curve in Writer.
It is easily done in Draw

1. Draw a rectangle (or other shape) and set the fill to None
2. With it selected, click Shape > Convert > To curve
3. Double click the border to add text to it. Type your character, e.g. → in OpenSymbol. as many times as it looks it needs to go around the circumference, so about twice the length plus double the height. Copy and paste is easier than typing.
4. Click Format > Text along path. In the dialogue under Style click Rotate
5. Click Format > Line > Line and select for line style None
   
6. Copy the shape to Writer. (make sure View > Text Boundaries is highlighted, that is, turned on)
7. Click Insert > Frame > Frame interactively and draw a frame slightly larger than the shape
8. Drag the anchor of the shape into the frame and then position the shape roughly inside the frame
9. Right click on the frame and select Properties > Borders. Set the padding large enough that the text area will be totally inside the shape, for the sample, something like 0.7 cm
10. Adjust the shape to its final position evenly inside the frame. With it still selected, click Format > Text box and shape > Position and size > Position and size and under Protect, tick Position, OK. The shape will be fixed in position relative to the frame.
11. Select the frame, right click and select Properties > Borders and select none

You can move the frame around and the shape will be locked to it.
If you don’t like the characters, want to change the colour or fill in spaces, just double click the shape to edit the text within Writer.
ArrowsAsFrame.odt (32.4 KB)

[jnwrigh]

Many thanks. Just what I need.
Blessings

John

[ajlittoz]

You can’t customise line styles. Only built-in can be used.

A workaround is to design your object either in Draw (with somehow limited possibilities unless you create combined shapes and use Format>Text along Path) or an external program. You then paste the resulting object into Writer (and position it relative to its anchor point with a frame style).

Take care about a common misunderstanding about text boxes. Usually, they will not do what you expect. Text boxes are simple graphical decorations, just another shape, which you’ll have trouble to control interactions with text.

The adequate “object” is rather a text frame where interaction with text is accurately and predictably controlled by a frame style (but it is a concept difficult to master).

Unfortunately, frame borders have the same limitations: you can use only built-in ones. Then create a box (pure graphics, without text) you’ll anchor to the text inside the frame with the required aesthetics. Doing so will move the border with the frame.

[jnwrigh]

Many thanks for your efforts for me.
Blessings

john