Wndows7/64 LO28 latest
I imported a WPx6 document and used ctrl-1 to create the TOC for the 15 chapters
Headers imported fine, footers not so, nor TOC nor index
Page numbering is Roman through preface etc and arabic at chapter 1
Chapter 2 and 8 reset the page number to 1 but other chapters do not reset.
All chapters start on a new page, pages are Left/Right
I have deleted/reset the footers named PM9 PM14 … etc but numbering not affected.
Open new footer for chapter and INSERT-page number/centre but still resets to 1.
What to do to allow document to number throughout whole document?
Any comments welcome
What is WPx6?
- I recall MS Word v.6 as the first version I used from a “full” Office suite.
- The initials “WP” do not fit the app name “Word”, but rather they suggest …
- WordPad (which. IIRC, at some time had “Word 6” as the standard file format for saving).
- WordPerfect (for which v.6 was the first version for Windows, IIRC).
Aside from that, any content imported from “alien” file formats may have structural (but not readily visible) elements which Writer cannot use directly, but will handle in some manner; either discard them or emulate the result of them. Emulation priority is usually visual before structural. This tends to have effects similar to what you describe: erratic behavior when editing, in particular when it comes to page layout elements.
Can you attach the document here?
Remember that this is a public spot, so take care with any confidential or copyright protected (or not yet protected) material.
What does it mean? Quote exact version number with all 4 components, e.g. 24.8.4.2. Note that releases evolve at different paces on different platforms and that users update at irregular interval. So “latest” is not helpful.
I am not familiar with Word Perfect format. I can’t tell how it translates into Writer internal format and which constructs need careful adaptation. I’d bet there are issues with page styles and “special” breaks needed for numbering schemas.
Also, save format plays an important role in layout stability. This can be guaranteed only if you save native .odt.
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Version: 24.8.4.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: bb3cfa12c7b1bf994ecc5649a80400d06cd71002
CPU threads: 12; OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 X86_64 (6.1 build 7601);
Importing document from WordPerfect X6
Trying to attach my imported document now saved as ODT
Why do page numbers reset for no obvious reason to a newcomer?
Where have the styles PM4 PM5 …PM19 PM20 come from?
It is a real mess and quite unuseable as it is.
Can you recommend a good tutorial?
File just too large at 2.9Kb on disk so to Dropbox
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/96ywj2t4dwd7jgeioy3py/AJOrdkjhWhXn1rHEeU-2yvw?rlkey=da1fy1xr2ixxdstertxmb47jv&dl=0
which I hope you will look at
Thank you
regards
Can’t download the document (requires id and password). This is necessary to diagnode the file.
Regarding PMx, this looks like Converted99 page styles when opening DOCX: the features are so different between formats that Writer can’t but “isolate” every page and approximate as much as it can the visual look of the page (not its structure nor its “logical” design and relationship with others) with direct formatting. This is the worst possible case. It can’t easily be fixed.
The only known workaround is to paste existing contents into a new blank document as unformatted text and to reconstruct all formatting and layout, preferentially with styles to minimise the amount of work.
The page number resets are part of manual paragraph formatting in your sample (not named styles), so they seem to come from translating a manual setting tied to a page break in the source (WordPerfect) file. I can’t give more specific info on that. Sorry! I have forgotten now how that was done in WordPerfect.
IIRC, WordPerfect allows for page format changes “on the fly” by direct formatting, and will enforce the changes from the subsequent page break. Writer only allows for page format changes connected to a forced page break, and requires that it be done through a named page style.
This fundamentally different way to address page layout causes some forced breaks when the author used WP functionality which is impossible to fully implement in LO Writer. It also creates the page styles which Writer requires. This happens similarly when converting MS Word documents, cf. comment from @ajlittoz
Manual numbering of chapters is fine, until you insert or remove a chapter. Then it becomes unmanageable. Not sure whether this is created in the WP-LO translation or it was also typed so in the original document.
Text font is also “victim” to direct formatting, not by way of style. Again, not sure where it happened.
I also see a few headings which are styled with an “alternative heading style” which inherits visual settings from Heading 1, but without outline level set. Automated generation of table of contents will then, by default, avoid those headings.
I agree. Lots of work to be done. Save a work copy so you have a fallback if anything goes very wrong.
- First step is to remove all manual formatting. ctrl-A / ctrl-M.
Large document, so you may have to wait a little while. - Next, go through your document and structure your chapters.
Select each heading, then press ctrl-1
From there, the path depends on what outcome you have from the initial steps. Images may need repositioning/-anchoring. You probably want to address pagination (front matter/body/end matter). Remove the manually entered ToC and insert an automatic ToC. Etc.
Post back with your findings/issues. Post as a new question if it is not directly related to the subject initially covered.
We are here to help.
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That was also my first reaction. Then at the bottom of the dropbox login/registration dialog I saw the “fine print”: a link to skip registration and just proceed with download.
Thank you for your effort. Much appreciated. After a 3Tb hard disk crash and subsequent computer rebuild, my beloved WordPerfect X3/X6 will no longer install, and since it is hardly maintained I decided to try LO, I’m sure I will get there, but the LO documentation is a “little on the light side” and seems to assume more knowledge than I have as yet. The cut and paste is the correct advice, and paste into a validated page-style numbering-scheme structure. The graphics etc is tedious but trivial to do. I hope I am good-to-go.
Did you work with built-in help only? On the LO site, you can download the Writer Guide which is oriented towards Writer usage (describing dialogs and menu commands) and gives an introductory course about styles. You can also download Bruce Byfield’s Designing with LO which puts a strong emphasis on style benefits.
Not trivial at all. I assume you have some deadline with your book and can wait until you fully master Writer. Therefore, I suggest you insert your image (at the right location) without caring for details. Select the image and Insert>Caption. This is relatively fast and applies commonly agreed trade-offs. The left-over tuning is minimal.