One would expect it to work like in MS PowerPoint : using the ruler you can add some space between the bullet point icon and the first letter of your line/sentence.
One would set the cursors in the ruler above: the top cursor to the left aligning the bullet point and the bottom cursor slightly to the right aligning the start of the line/sentence.
In Impress it is just impossible to do that and the global experience in using the UI suffers perceptible lag.
This is pretty annoying and I’d like to know if and how I can contribute to fix this.
A huge effort is necessary here to get Libre Office more readily usable when someone does not want to bow down to the all powerful MS Office suite.
Impress is not Powerpoint. You must accept to re-learn the workflow. This is true for any application change.
Ideally, you would define a style so that all your list item are guaranteed to be formatted the same, but style concept in Impress is less developed than in Writer. Also working with styles needs a mind shift.
So let’s look at the quick’n’dirty solution for M$ switchers.
A bullet point is indeed a list item. Geometry of lists is defined by Bullets & Numbering attributes.
- display the Properties side pane (topmost icon in the sidepane vertical toolbar)
- with the cursor in your list item, press on the little down-pointing arrow if the Lists section (left button is for bullet lists, right button is for numered lists) and
More BulletsorMore Numbering - adjust the Width parameter which will allocate space to the bullet/number
- Indent is used to shift the list as a whole
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Thanks for your reply.
Impress is not PowerPoint, you’re right. It’s inferior. You can’t dismiss that similar looking UI features SHOULD work the same. But let’s work to make it better, shall we?
If I move the cursor in the ruler, I EXPECT the bullet point to align versus the start of the sentence. I DO NOT expect to go through a painful procedure as you describe.
This being said, I am not able to go through the steps you kindly propose because I can’t find this Properties side pane. Could you illustrate?
Ok I got it, I had tio first swith the UI to use the side pane toolbar instead of the strip toolbar. Which was not obvious.
This actually works but the global experience is still a true mess. Applying change propagates apparently randomly to other slides.
Also this DOES NOT solve the problem of the triangular cursors in the ruler that are utterly useless with respect to aligning bullet points.
Developers should either remove them or fix this. If I can help fix the code, do not hesitate to point me to the file where I can propose a pull request on my own free time.
In Writer and Impress, confering the list property to paragraphs dramatically changes the actions on the rulers.
The rulers are an “ersatz” tool for more accurate and detailed settings through what is named paragraph styles. But bullet/numbering properties are attributes defined outside paragraph because they involve the definition of a sequence counter (even if the “numbering” is reduced to a bullet) and also because all lists in LO are multi-level. Bullet/numbering settings are grouped in a list style. You must then associate a list style with a paragraph style through the use of a button.
When a paragraph is made into a list item, the list style takes over some paragraph properties, notably the left side “geometry” like indent and number alignment. This means you no longer control them finely with the ruler.
This is a personal opinion because you’re used to PowerPoint induced workflow. Through its style machinery, Impress allows a very versatile, consistent and powerful formatting. This becomes particularly important when you tune the appearance of your slides. Styling allows to change them all from a single location (style definition) instead of tracking them one by one.
The style system in Impress is not as developed as in Writer (it is closer to the one in Draw) but gives you a tremendous advantage over PowerPoint. But, once again, you must accept to re-learn the basics of a different product. Would you use screws like you used nails? With the same tool (hammer vs. screwdriver)? The workflow here is the equivalent of the mechanical tool.
This is because your slides are formatted manually instead of using the style system. Only styling guarantees consistency across slides and only if you don’t patch your formatting with direct additions.
I admit, though, that mastering the style systems requires 1) to read the user’s manual and 2) quite a bit of practice.
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If I can help fix the code, do not hesitate to point me to the file…
I assume that, as is customary, you have read the instructions to this page here where you have registered. Basically you are here on a site where users help other users.
So if you have a feature request, you can post it on Bugzilla.
If you want to contribute to the programming of LibreOffice, you should contact the developers.
Thank you very much.
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I may have asked here out of ignorance. It should’ve been in bugzilla now that I’ve read more.
It’s my first time interacting with the community and my approach is to try to fix problems with user adoption in LO. I could even fork it into a new project that would make the transition from MS less painful.
Thanks for your reply.
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