I cannot change tab stops for a selection of text. Writer does not respond

[muscogulus]

Writer does not allow me to change tab stops for selected text, as described in LibreOffice 7.2 Help.

You can set a tab stop by clicking on the ruler or by selecting Format - Paragraph - Tabs. Both methods affect the current paragraph or all selected paragraphs.

Clicking on the ruler has no effect. Right-clicking on the ruler brings up a pop-up menu for changing ruler units.

Selecting Format - Paragraph does not provide any Tab options.

Yes, text is selected while I attempt these steps.

The tab symbol at the left end of the ruler seems to be there just for decoration.

This is extremely frustrating.

(Windows 10, LibreOffice 7.2)

[anon87010807]

Are you sure that your document isn’t an HTML document? HTML doesn’t support tabs.

[muscogulus]

Definitely not. I should have said it’s in MS Word format because composed by someone else.

[LeroyG]

What happen if you don’t select any text? Just putting the cursor in the paragraph?

This issue affect only a specific document? Would you share a reduced copy of it to test?

In previous versions (6.4?), it was not allowed to change tab stops if selected text included two paragraphs with different tab stops; and the Tab tab, in the Paragraph dialog remained hidden.

[muscogulus]

@LeroyG is right, Writer will not allow a selection to be formatted if there is any difference in tab stops between the lines in the selection. In fact, Writer may balk at any difference in formatting such as a font change.

The signal that you are unable to add tab stops is the disappearance of all (default) tab stops in the ruler.

In that case it becomes necessary to set the tab stops for each individual line or paragraph, fiddling with them to make sure the stops have been placed in the identical place on each line.

[LeroyG]

@muscogulus

Writer will not allow

Version 7.1.8.1 allows to replace different tab stops in multiple paragraph at once. In other words, if you select more than one paragrap with different tab stops, and add a new tab stop, this new tab stop will be applied to all selected paragraphs and all previous tab stops will be deleted.

@muscogulus

it becomes necessary to set the tab stops for each individual line or paragraph

You can set the tab stops in one paragraph, then select the other paragraphs and choose menu Edit - Repeat: Apply Atributes (the same that Ctrl+Shift+Y).

[ajlittoz]

And a much better way to do it is to set tab stops in a paragraph style and apply this style. You are ensured to have a fully consistent formatting all over your document.