Hello LibreOffice Community,
I am currently facing a persistent and highly frustrating issue with LibreOffice Writer that directly affects how I manage content for my website. The core problem is that when I create or edit website copy in Writer and then attempt to export it to formats suitable for web publishing, such as HTML or filtered HTML, the resulting output often contains formatting inconsistencies, broken styles, and extraneous tags. For example, headings, tables, and lists that appear perfectly structured in Writer frequently lose their alignment or indentation when exported, requiring manual cleanup before the content can be uploaded to the site. This is especially problematic for pages with complex nested elements, such as menus, subheadings, or tables displaying pricing and availability, as any structural error can break the website layout entirely.
The issue is particularly evident with styled text and custom paragraph or character styles. I have created a set of consistent styles for headings, body text, and special sections like notes or warnings, and these appear correctly within Writer itself. However, upon export, some styles are completely ignored while others are replaced with default HTML styling, causing inconsistencies across different pages. Inline formatting such as bold, italics, and underlining sometimes disappears or is duplicated in the HTML output. This behavior makes the workflow unreliable, as I cannot trust that what I see in Writer will translate accurately to the web format, which slows down content publishing significantly.
Another complicating factor is table handling. My website often uses tables to display structured data, including menus, prices, and product descriptions. While Writer displays these tables correctly, exporting them to HTML sometimes results in merged cells being split incorrectly, missing borders, or nested tables being flattened. Additionally, text wrapping and cell alignment often break, forcing me to manually edit the HTML output to restore the intended appearance. Even using different export settings or filtering options does not fully resolve the problem, and each attempt requires testing and verification, which is extremely time-consuming.
Lists, both ordered and unordered, are another area where Writer export introduces issues. Nested lists frequently lose their hierarchy, with sub-items being promoted to parent-level items or losing bullet styling entirely. Numbered lists sometimes restart numbering incorrectly or ignore indentation settings. This inconsistency is particularly problematic for multi-level menus or instructional content on the website, where the correct hierarchy is essential for readability and user comprehension. Manual intervention is often required to restore the correct structure, which defeats the purpose of using Writer as a content management tool.
I have also noticed that hyperlinks, cross-references, and bookmarks do not always translate properly to the exported HTML. Links may be removed, converted into plain text, or point to incorrect URLs, while cross-references may break entirely. Bookmarks used for navigating long pages or linking to specific sections sometimes vanish, rendering navigation features on the website dysfunctional. Given that accurate linking and references are critical for user experience, this issue undermines both the usability and credibility of the content.
I am seeking guidance from the LibreOffice community on best practices for using Writer as a content creation tool for websites while ensuring reliable HTML export. Specifically, I would appreciate advice on configuring export settings, managing styles and tables, preserving nested lists, and ensuring hyperlinks and bookmarks remain intact. Any recommendations on plugins, macros, or alternative workflows that bridge the gap between Writer’s rich formatting capabilities and clean, consistent web-ready HTML would be extremely valuable. My goal is to streamline content creation in Writer without having to manually correct the exported HTML each time, ensuring that website updates are efficient, accurate, and visually consistent. Sorry for long post