Need Very Specific Help With Page Numbers In LibreOffice Writer

English
#1

I am not computer savvy; I am a writer who needs my format to be consistent between novels, so I am building a simple template for myself for my future works.

I am using LibreOffice 25.2.7.2 on a Windows 10/11 laptop.

I have built my template up 8 pages from scratch. Those pages are exactly how I want things. All of the pages so far are using the First Page page style.

With the next page, page 9, I would like to essentially start chapters. As such, I want physical page 9 to be the first page of the first chapter, BUT:

  • I do not want page numbers on the first page of the first chapter,
  • I want the first numbered page (page 10) to have the page number 4 in the header without changing the existing margins of my template.

Can anyone tell me EXACTLY what to do to make this happen, PLEASE? I reckon I have to start a new Page Style, but each time I have tried this, weird crap happens (like the page number only comes up on the right hand pages with even numbers, despite clicking the box for header on left and right pages; the page number shows up ONLY on the first page of the chapter and not thereafter).

So, I have deleted back to the last page that works and if anyone can help me with exactly what I have just asked, I would be very grateful. Thank you.

#2

There are two ways to handle your specification: a simplified one and a “professional” one.

The simplified approach works if your first, left and right pages all share the same “geometric” properties: same size, same margins. If you want a binding gutter, the type must be Mirrored or you activate the gutter feature (but I don’t recommend it because the implementation is not satisfactory for me and it is primarily a compatibility feature for DOCX documents).

In this case, you can “detach” first, left and right variants of the page style in the Header and Footer tabs by requesting different contents. The pages can then have different headers and footers. Consequently, you insert separately the pagenumber field, i.e. no field on first and explicit insertion on both left and right.

The “professional” approach allows for more versatility but requires three page styles you must link to each other to get automatic alternation.

In either case, restarting a sequence (i.e. at start of chapter) is done through a “special” page break to switch to the chapter first page style. The most convenient way is to configure the page switch in Header 1 Text Flow tab.

You say that your first 9 pages are controlled by First Page style. This means you have modified the built-in configuration because First Page is supposed to switch to Default Page Style at end of page.

I fear you didn’t follow the advice of reading documentation given previously. If you prefer to follow your existing routine (typewriter-style), I’d suggest you use a simple text editor (much simpler to control) and provide your plain text to the publisher to let the graphic artists do the formatting and definitive layout.

#3

This is not a useful answer to our problem.

In addition to not actually answering our specific question, you continue to try to upsell us on an entire suite of programming solutions that are both vague and require other materials to execute - mostly in the form of other writing/programming that is not actually laid-out to explain the answer you are providing.

If you don’t want to help by actually answering the question, please stop and don’t respond to our posts. Your solutions are neither solutions nor helpful; please don’t waste either of our time by responding. If you don’t have the answer, that’s fine, but it is only wasting my time (and yours) when you respond this way.

Please stop wasting our time.

Anyone else who might be reading this - especially from LibreOffice - if you have a solution to the original question asked and are willing to help by detailing the process, please interact with us; we would be very grateful for the help to solve this problem with clear step-by-step directions that generate the result we have requested.

Thank you.

#5
#6

It would be easier to advise you on how to make things happen if we have access to the environment where it is supposed to happen. In other words: if you could attach your template to the question, you are more likely to get useful answers.

I saw in your previous question (somewhat messy thread) that you supposedly had attached your template, but I was unable to locate it. Anyway, you may also have modified your template after that, so at best, edit your question to attach the template file you now have (no material content required, only the blanks).

That previous thread also mentioned some “Microsoft Word residue” complicating the process. Even when you have removed that, some less obvious elements may still remain. That is a good reason why we need “what you have” to determine that “what we suggest you do” actually works in the context of “where you are”. Less guesswork for us, and less work testing/failing for you.

Also, if you need a description of EXACTLY what to do, you need to describe EXACTLY what you need.

What about the first page of subsequent chapters?

Is that also what you want for the following pages? Page number in the header? Centered on every page, or to the outside corner (alternating left/right)?

Margins have differnt interpretation in different “schools of typography”.

  • Microsoft Word subscribes to the strategy where if you add a page header, it is placed within the existing margin area, so the page region used for your main content is the same. Page header is “marginalia”.
  • LibreOffice Writer will put an inserted page header within the region designated for “visible content”, reducing the space available for running text.

So, which version of “not changing the existing margin” do you want?

As a side note: If you are leaving some of the layout work to the printer (as also indicated by that previos thread), but want to impose rigid control of other layout aspects by way of the source file you submit, the result may be less predictable than what you assume. In particular this is a crooked path if the printer insists on you submitting MS Word format files (as I see that some do) and you are working in LibreOffice Writer.

1 Like
#7

Thank you for your response.

I appreciate your response, but your response continues to try to make things vastly more complicated for me by assuming I haven’t said exactly what I want out of things going forward.

I am up to the next page in my template, I have everything laid out the exact way I want, which means all of the existing margins and layout things are the way I want them. So, my specific question is looking for exactly what I want:

  • I want each new chapter starting here to have a first page that is unnumbered.
  • I want the second page of each new chapter and each subsequent page of the chapter to be numbered.
  • I do not want the numbering of the book pages to restart with each chapter.
  • I want the numbers centered on every page, not going to some outside corner.
  • I want the numbers always in the header.
  • I am trying to leave NO layout work to the printer; we work best when I provide exactly what I want to him and he prints it and we don’t have variables when the file leaves me.
  • Of your two “schools of typography,” the Microsoft Word one is the one that makes sense for what I need as I like the amount of space for the writing in the book; I’d not like to lose lines for text to page numbers.

Thank you.

#8

Create a ChapterFirstPage page style with your preferred settings (heading, footer, etc.)

In the Heading1 paragraph style – as usually used for chapter start – you define, in its TextFlow tab, Breaks area – Insert : Page, Before, With page style : ChapterFirstPage. Here, do not set Page Number.

Now, each time the document has a Heading1 paragraph sytle, you get a new (right) page starting there.

Feel free to set the other Heading1 settings to your liking (font, size, indents, spacing, etc.)

Just use the Default page style with a heading where you insert the (centered) page number.

With these settings, page numbers will be unaltered and progress from 1 to N.

(optional) Now, to have your first chapter page starting with any given number other than the default sequence, you set this value by inserting, at the desired page numbering change (click there), a page break (Insert > More breaks > Manual break) and specifying the page number to start with. All following page numbers will be adjusted.

This should have you get going.

1 Like
#9

Hi @JFN!

Your directions were exceptionally good, with one very minor thing.
I’ve got the template working where it continues with the ChapterFirstPage into Default Page and Default Page is set with the page numbers at the top, inside the margin at the top as I wanted… Looks great EXCEPT… the first page number is 11. Even though it is physical page 10, it is inexplicably numbered 11. I would like it to be number 4.

If you have a simple fix to this one problem that does not involve me messing up any of the rest of the template, you are my hero! Seriously. I very much appreciate all of your help.

#10

If your ChapterFirstPage is configured to be a right page, Writer unconditionally inserts a blank page if the previous chapter ended on a right (odd-numbered) page. You can monitor this behaviour by switching to ‘book mode’ view.

1 Like
#11

Thank you, but that is not the issue with this. I did no configure the template so the first page of a chapter is specifically left or right paged. I actually have been viewing in “book mode,” which is how I know exactly what my current problem is.

My current problem is that physical page 10 - left side - is showing page number 11 at the top of the page with the Page Number setting. I would like that to be the first numbered page and for it to be page 4. If you can help me change that, without messing up any other settings, that’s the last issue I have with my template!

Thanks so much.

#12

(sorry for my late comment. Had been “away”)

I’ve got a hard time understanding where the problem could lie. If you want, you may contact me in PM and send me the offending document (click on my name).

1 Like
#13

No need to apologize; my problems are not yours - though I DO appreciate your help!

I found a workaround - there was a place to change page numbers and I changed the starting number to -7, so the result was what I wanted… Not sure why this happened or where it went wrong in the program, but this fix seems to be working for my template, so now I have a plug and play template!

THANK YOU, again, SO MUCH for your help!

#14

Since a page number can’t be negative, I suppose you tweaked the Offset of the page number field. An offset does not change the number; it changes the page from which the number is retrieved. By using an offset of -7, you reference the 7th page preceding the current one. For pages 1-7, this previous page does not exist and you get a blank value.

99.99% of the time, using an offset is incorrect and returns faulty results (which are not noticeable in common documents). In particular, cross-references in your text or TOC will show the real page number, not the offset one. Offset is a very advanced feature reserved for special usages.

Once again, I repeat it: the only way to change a page number is to do it with Insert>Other Breaks>Manual Break.

1 Like
#15

The YouTube video linked from this comment to a French question addresses page numbering, Numérotation des pages qui se réinitialise à certains pages - #2 by maxima3_2000

Although the video (image) is for French locale, I found the commentary was auto-dubbed and came through in English. If you use Standard user interface the layout will be the same so it should look familiar even if the writing is in French.

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