More trouble with master slides edits not applying to slides

Hi,

LibreOffice 7.5.0.3 macOS Monterey 12.2.1

I can make changes to a master slide that I created (not the Default one).
I can apply the master slide to all slides.

The problem is that I cannot make the configuration I want. One particular problem is this:
I change the title to extend across the entire width of the slide (x = 0.0; y = 0.0).

I put a gradient background. I changed the gradient background color to be able to verify that it takes effect and that I can see it when I change the slide master on my slides. This works.

But on EVERY slide I see the title text area is centered and DOES NOT extend to the left margin as specified above.

I’ve attached a screen grab of the master slide in question as it appears in edit mode.
I’ve also attached a sample slide from the presentation to which the master slide has been applied.

The master slide appears as I want it – the title text area extends across the entire width. But the presentation slides do not reflect what I think the master slide configuration should be.

I’m reading the manual Impress Guide 7.5 (pages 44 - 50), but I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong if anything.

Thanks in advance,

Read and try:

My Master Slide in Impress


For more detailed examination, upload a sample file (1-2 pages) where the problem is present here.
Thank you.


My test:

Select Master View.
Click on “New Master”.
You can rename the master slide.
Select Close Master.
You can now select which master slide you want to use in the sidebar for each slide.

95100 HB Title left.odp (14,8 KB)

I don’t see anything on the web page you referenced that tells me how to do what I want:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Videos/My_Master_Slide_in_Impress

Here is what I want the slide to look like; see attached screen grab.
I want to set the title text area to extend to the left border of the slide frame and to the right border of the slide frame. Generally, I want to be able to set the x,y, width, height parameters. Where can I do this?

I know I can edit each slide, but then that’s not using the master slide. Where does the master slide accommodate these settings?

OK, here is what I think is happening (but tell me if I’m wrong).

I believe that I modified a slide (perhaps only one) that had the “Title, Content” layout to make the title text area extend to the left and right borders of the slide frame.

That action “set” that change as part of the “Title, Content” layout for my .odp file. Subsequently, resetting the slide layout to “Title, Content” for a given slide would “update” the layout of the slide. That is, even if the slide being updated already had the “Title, Content” slide layout, the layout would be updated to reflect the change I made to the formatting of the “Title, Content” slide layout.

Comments…?

There is only one problem with the technique of making a change to a slide whose layout is set. See the attached screen grab. The height of the title text area is greyed out; I cannot change it; I cannot figure out how to change it. I have the “Keep ratio” box unchecked.

Basically, the “Title” fields and the “Outline” fields (below them) are layout-dependent and assigned to the presentation styles.
This means that these fields are pre-programmed, so to speak, to give them a specific function.
However, all these fields are also text fields.
What you don’t find in the presentation styles is the specification for width and height of the fields.
But what you do find in the styles, like “Title”, is the “Text” tab, where for example a check mark is set for “Fit height to text”.
That’s why the height value in the sidebar is grayed out, because the height automatically adjusts to the text, such as multi-line or a large font height.
If you want to adjust the height in the sidebar, you have to uncheck the checkbox “Fit height to text” in the style “Title” of the selected heading.

Here is what I have:

All 3 of these parameters are unchecked (see attached screen grab):

  • Fit width to text
  • Fit height to text
  • Fit to frame

I CAN change the dimensions of the title text area in the master slide (see the second screen grab).
However, when I close the master slide and then select a slide and select “Slide → Change Master Slide…” from the menu, nothing happens.

Am I missing a “save” operation somewhere to save the master slide changes? When I re-open the master slide, my changes are present.

I’m trying to adjust the width of the title. I want the width to extend from the left edge of the slide to the right edge.

My comment about the height was ancillary.

Please upload a file in which the problem is present here.


Try First steps to take before submitting a bug

So it seems to me that this is the idiom for Impress:

Only a few things can be configured via Master Slides.

For those elements that cannot be configured via the Master Slide, one must modify the slide layout of which there are 12 pre-defined ones it appears.

And if one wants some variation of a particular pre-existing slide layout, one must create a new Layout, perhaps based on the Layout that one wants to vary. In this way, there are two Layouts, slightly different, but they can be applied to any slide in the presentation via the Layouts pane that’s part of the slide Properties.

Is this correct? Is this the intended design of Impress?

English documentation

Here is not a 100% guarantee but:
1 Do not use direct formatting at master slides, use styles
2 If the Ctrl+M(New slides) changes, but existed slides not. Try to clear direct formatting at elements in existed slides

Well, do I have to modify the style in that case? I mean, do I have to edit the style?
In my case, I see no controls to change the width (neither height nor width) of the title style (text box).

What I tried first is to select the title text box.
The “Title” style is then highlighted in the “Styles” pane on the right side of the window.
I right-click and select “Modify…”
I see no place where I can set the width and height of the title text area.

So I have had to make changes to the width of the title text box on the master slide itself.

@rhimbo ,
I think in earlier versions of LibreOffice you could create your own styles in Impress.
This is no longer the case in version 7.6, for example.
So if you want to have different master slides with different titles, the only option left is direct formatting (not to be confused with Writer, there formatting with styles is almost indispensable). In Impress, the format styles play a subordinate role.


But you can also use the format styles.
But each style, e.g. “Title”, can be set up differently for each slide.

95100 HB Title 02.odp (15,0 KB)

You’re right, the position and size is not in styles. Here is another tip may works: Re-select the layout of your target slide by Toolbar\Slide\Layout\The right layout(the layout of its master slides) then things may go better

In 7.6 and 7.5.5 we can still create drawing styles, but can not do it at presentation styles

1 Like

Thanks. Yeah, I thought of that. But the “Format → Clear Direct Formatting” menu item is greyed out on all slides.

But, the overarching problem is that I cannot see where to set the x,y,width,height of the title text area.

Set up differently for each slide? Are you talking about just editing each slide manually (not the master slide but just modifying the visual elements on a given slide)?

OK, here is what I did.

  1. I selected a slide in the left slide pane.
  2. I clicked “Toolbar → Slide layout” as you suggested.
  3. I selected “Title, Content” for slides that had that layout (like the screen grab attached).

That worked. But I have no idea why. Where could I have modified the parameters for that particular slide layout (Title, Content) ? I might be losing my mind, but I absolutely cannot recall how or where I would have done that.

By the way, there is some inconsistency. One time I selected 3 slides in the left slide pane and did the above steps. The result was (as I expected) that all three slides were modified to have the title text area extend to the left and right slide borders.

But subsequently, it did not work. I could only get the changes to take effect if I selected one slide at a time in the left slide pane.

Strange. I think there are a few bugs here.

it is F4, or Format\Text Box and Shape\Position and Size, when you select the textbox(for example, a Title at slides or master slides)

it is not for slides, but for elements. Select Titles at slides or master slides then try it one by one. if you wanna try.

Yes, do it to slides one by one(can not select all slides then do it within one action), it takes 3 seconds for me to re-select it at a slide, well, I’m familiar with it.

Waiting for your response .