How can one search & replace direct formatting with styles?

[YouThere]

I understand how to use Find/Replace to grab things based on text and even specific formatting conditions, as well, but not how to find specific formatting and apply an existing style. I have a number of documents that I’d like to repair the formatting in by switching them to styles.

They are consistently formatted. If I could search for a specific combination of font, text color, and size, and apply a selected style, I’d be done swiftly.

A workaround in Word would be a simple little macro in VB to apply the formatting per, but I can’t get custom macros working worth a hang in LO, either, so I’m kinda stuck with doing this manually or fiddling around in the XML, which isn’t going to hot… or going back to the dark side, I suppose.

Options? Thoughts?

[mariosv]

Please, what is your LibreOffice version?

[YouThere]

Version 4.0.1.2
Why would that matter? Does 4.0.3 fix it or something?

@dajare: That does sound like it does what I need. Thanks. I wonder why that has yet to be folded into the program.

I gave up on OO/LO macros quite a while back. They have cost me far more time than they ever saved; It’s simply not a feature until I can trust it to consistently work. I’ll probably tinker with it a whit, but not seriously.

[YouThere]

Oh, and I can’t vote your answer up, BTW

[oweng]

All point releases (i.e., v4.0.1.2 > v4.0.3.3) are mainly bug fixes. You can check the details under the individual release details. I am not saying this particular issue has been addressed as I haven’t looked.

[dajare]

@YouThere - Re: LO macros: it took a bit of working out for me, too. I posted one use for them here: http://j.mp/Zk4mF3 It might help, especially if (as it sounds like) you’re already familiary with macros from MS Word.

[dajare]

I think you need the Alternative Find & Replace extension (“AltSearch”, below). Recently I was pointed to it for a different task, and it’s a very powerful tool. You will need to save it (from link above) locally, then Tools > Extension Manager… > Add > [browse to saved file, click, etc.] to install.

Once you’ve got it (for me, needed a LO restart; toolbar icon could be prettier! ) then … how to use it?! There is a help file (linked on the download page), and you can search AskLibo for other answers that explain it. (I had a very helpful reply about it recently which provides one good example.)

I just tried something akin to your question (I think!):

• Fire up AltSearch.
• In “Search for:” , choose Properties dropdown > Same format of characters (based on cursor) (= last option) > then FInd All.
• Give it some time! (Or maybe it’s just that I have an antique laptop!)
• Once it announces the number of hits found, click in “Replace:” dropdown, choose “Paragraph style”. The list of available styles will pop up.
• Choose the one you want to apply (double click), and the line will populate.
• Then > Replace all.
• Give it some time! (or maybe it’s my antique, etc.). That should do it.

I tried it with “Hanging indent” on a 15 page (single space) document. Worked a treat.

That might not be the precise set of steps for your use case, but it’s one approach that worked for me (on Linux Mint Xfce + LO 4.0.3). More expert users will hopefully be along shortly! Hope this helps in the meanwhile.

P.s. On macro recording, have you enabled it?

[Nordlöw]

Installation succeeds without errors on my swedish LibreOffice but I can’t find it anywhere in my menus. I’ve read that it should lie under the “Edit” menu but there is no extra “Ext S/R” there. Isn’t this extension supposed to work on the swedish version?!

[dajare]

@Nordlöw - it appears as an icon in your toolbar ← look for the “green binoculars”.

[Nordlöw]

I don’t see any such icon in my LibreOffice. Which toolbar should it lie in?

[dajare]

@Nordlöw - make sure that View > Toolbars > Alternative searching has a “check”.

[Nordlöw]

Sorry, but no Alternative searching entry is shown under View > Toolbars.

[dajare]

@Nordlöw - then it sounds like it has not installed properly. Your i18n or l10n version shouldn’t matter at all. What is your LibO version and platform?

[Nordlöw]

I’m using Ubuntu’s 13.10’s standard Version: 4.1.3.2 Build ID: 410m0(Build:2). Extension manager tells me “Alternative searching 1.4” is installed.

[dajare]

@Nordlöw - I use it regularly in the same setting. Beyond my competence now! The only thng I can think of is resetting the user profile (follow the “Resolving corruption” instructions) and see if that helps. It’s my last idea!

[jbonlinea]

Hi, I can’t fin d the extention anymore ?!
has it become obsolete ?

[dajare]

@jbonlinea - No, it’s not obsolete: it’s still available on the LibreOffice extensions website, which has been restructured since this answer was written. I’ll update the URL in the answer itself, too.

[jonjermey]

Unfortunately neither Find and Replace nor extended search seem capable of applying both a style and a formatting criterion at once: e.g. there is no way to find italic characters only in Level 3 headings. Until this can be done the program is going to lag seriously behind Word.

[oweng]

I think “lag seriously” is hyperbole since this is functionality that probably applies to less than a fraction of a percent of the user base. Would it be good to have? Sure. The related enhancement is fdo#64970.