How to delete entire page when all items are already deleted?

[Francewhoa]

Usually it is easy and quick to delete any page in Writer. Simply by deleting all the visible items on the page. Then that page is automatically and magically deleted.

The challenge is that sometime, the above fails. Even if all the visible items on the page are deleted, somehow the page is not automatically deleted. How do we delete this page?

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Below is the same as above. But with details if you’re interested in those.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Using Writer, create a 2 pages document
2. On page 1, add one item. Anything.
3. Add a page break between page 1 and 2
4. On page 2, add a large table. Format this table so that it used the full page area. Still on page 2, double check that this table is formatted like this:
   • Absolutely no empty space above this table. We need this.
   • Fixed width size in pixels. Equivalent to the full width of the page.
   • This whole table is aligned left
   • Table automatically “jump” if its length is more than the length of the page. In other words, it would span more than one page. Activate this feature. But double check that the table on page two does not jump to page 3.
5. Go back to page 1. Delete all visible items on page 1.
6. There is no visible item on page 1. Everything is deleted. But somehow, page 1 is not automatically deleted. This is the challenge.

[Francewhoa]

We found a quick and easy solution. First, on the page that need to be deleted, deleting all the items. Then, simply press the Delete key. Not the Backspace key.

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Below is the same as above. But with details if you’re interested in those.

Steps:

1. If not already done, on the page that needs to be deleted, delete all the items. To do so, depending on the type of items, choose one option:
   • Using your keyboard, simply press the Backspace key
   • Right-click on the item. Selection Delete option.
   • Using the appropriate menu. For example, the Table menu, selection the option Delete —> Table
2. Click anywhere on the page that needs to be deleted. In this example, page 1.
3. Using your keyboard, simply press the Delete key. Double check that you press on the Delete key. Not the Backspace key. The page will magically and easily be deleted.

[ajlittoz]

Enable View>Formatting Marks to see exactly what is on the page and between pages.

You mentioned a (manual) page break which effectively creates a boundary in your document. This page break does not live by itself. It is attached to some paragraph. In your case, this is the first paragraph on page two.

When you put back your cursor in page 1 to “delete all visible items”, are you sure you really deleted everything. If View>Formatting Marks is not enabled, it is likely that your cursor was positioned immediately before the last paragraph mark in the page (invisible if you didn’t request the clues). Bksp erases everything before this position leaving you with an empty paragraph in the first page. Since the first is not void, the page break still causes a “jump” to page 2.

By using Del, you forward-deleted the remaining paragraph mark.

Morale of the story:

• always enable the visual formatting clues when creating or reviewing a document
• avoid working with direct formatting as I suspect you do
• learn to work with styles which offer a more reliable formatting approach and automate your task