my manuscript has 5 pages before chapter one.
These pages are numbered numbered before the start of chapter one of my book
I wish to make the numbered pages of the book start at Chapter one
Can someone please guide me through the process of doing this?
[retagged from common to writer page-number]
Page numbering is indirectly an attribute of page styles. Consequently, you need at least two page styles for your book: one for the first 5 pages, one for the chapters. Unless your first 5 pages are not numbered (usually i, ii, iii, …), you’ll also need a separate page style for the cover without page number.
Once you have defined the needed page styles (or used some built-in ones), enable the header or footer where you want to insert page numbers. In the header or footer, Insert>Field>Page number.
You must now force page numbering to start at 1 on the first page of the first chapter.
At the end of the first part of your book (after the last paragraph of the first 5 pages), Insert>Manual break (don’t use Insert>Page break because it does not grant you access to break attributes). Select the chapter page Style from the drop-down menu and force page numbering to restart from 1.
Follow @gabix’s advice and read the manual or, at least, the built-in help.
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Thanks for your response
I’m making the manual page break and following the instructions so that the next page (CH ONE) should become page no. 1 The number 1 appears in the bottom footer BUT the page now has no text is blank and the text now appears on page 2. Am I doing something wrong??
You probably added previously a page break to the first paragraph of your now page 2. Check with Format>Paragraph. You may also have an empty paragraph at the beginning of now page 1. If you haven’t yet done so, View>Formatting marks to get a visual feed-back on your actual content. You can leave View>Formatting marks permanently enables because the visual clues do not print and are not stored in the saved document (they are only screen reminders for what is really typed).
Well I know this has been asked many times, but, having had problems with OO on this issue, and having read and followed the instructions in the Libre manual and searched YouTube I still can’t get the damned thing to work. Having created 7 pages without headers and footers and inserted a manual break on page 7, I double clicked a style I set up with a footer. All the pages then revert to that style so when I enter my page number it starts on the first page as 1 and the page I want to be 1 is numbered 8! The manual mentions Next Style. That’s doesn’t appear in my latest version of Libre. You provima mentions “the chapter page style from the drop down menu.” What is this? None of those word appear in the drop down. Though I’m very grateful to all those who contribute to these systems I’m fed up and frustrated with the lack of clarity on this subject. If anyone wants to reply to this, please ensure your terminology matches what can be seen on the screen. Screen dumps would be helpful.
The “common” page break with Ctrl+Enter or Insert>Page Break will only jump to next page without changing the page style.
You must Insert>More Breaks>Manual Break to pop up a dialog allowing you to choose to which page style you switch and force a new page number.
Otherwise you remain in the same page style and whatever you do applies to all pages.
Many thanks for the quick reply. I have now solved it. The problem seemed to be in that the answers to a lot of the questions started too far down the process for me. I needed to go back a step and actually know how the style was set up from the menu. Otherwise I was following instructions for the drop down and assuming I was editing the style. The manual really needs to have a section dealing with this in one place, I suggest. I had to bring information together from various area. It’s not surprising that so many people get confused. Anyway. I’m there. Thank you.