Table Column Formatting

English
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#1

I’m attaching a screen shot of table I’d like to make and insert.
I’m also attaching the .odt file with the table found on page 220

UPDATE:
I created a single gradient shaded bar 0.44" wide x 5.8" high in Draw, saved it and exported it as a png file.

The table is landscape and I’d like to reproduce the same shading as shown in every other column.

Is there a way to merge a column and set the background shading as gradient from white to dark grey? NOTE: this has been solved by the solution below

See screenshot:

image description
image description1944×2592 490 KB

See UPDATED document with the table I’m trying to adjust on page 220:
A Guide for Listening and Inner-Healing ODT.odt

UPDATE: 11/13
I have the table shaded columns merged and set at 0.44". There are 7 shaded columns. The table width is 9.5".

Check my math? 7 x 0.44" = 3.08"
So 9.5" - 3.08" = 6.42" for the remaining 7 columns where the words are listed.
6.42 / 7 = 0.917"

I have adjusted all of the shaded columns to their width of 0.44" but now as I try to adjust columns 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 to 0.92" the shaded column widths are getting changed AND it acts as if the spacing I have set is not calculated correctly.

Can I protect the column width of all the shaded columns and evenly space the remaining odd columns?

#2

You can insert a new page landscape oriented. See LibreOffice Help on Creating and Applying Page Styles.

#3

I did try that.

I put a manual page break before that page. When I go to switch just that page’s orientation to Landscape it changes the previous page before that even though there is a manual page break before the table .page

#4

It just occurred to me that I have to create a new page style for landscape layout.

#5

Cell height in Draw is font size limited. With a 6 pt font, you can make the table shorter. But I think that using Draw for the table is not a good idea.

#6

Table column widths: this is one of the worst shortcommings in Writer table implementation. As soon as you start fiddling with one column width, the column at right is changed and this propagates progressively. Consequently, start with the leftmost to-be-modified columns and proceed rightward.

You can’t freeze any column width.

#7

Does my math check out? 7 columns at 0.44" + 7 columns at 0.92" = table width 9.5" (with slight fudge of one column)

#8

Starting from left to right did the trick

Thank you!

#10

Working in Writer (Draw is just for to create the gradient background):

  1. Select the second column
  2. Choose menu Table - Properties… - Borders tab
  3. Unselect the middle horizontal border
  4. OK
  5. Select the column and use the Clone Formatting tool (paintbrush) to repeat the format in every other column
  6. Merge cells from row 2 to 32, repeat in every other column
  7. Select one merged cell
  8. Choose menu Table - Properties… - Background tab
  9. Click the Bitmap button
  10. Click the Add / Import button
  11. Select the gradient file and click Open (the gradient file is a .png file created in Draw.)
  12. For Style select Stretched (this way the gradient will adapt if you change table size)
  13. OK
  14. Select the cell and use the Clone Formatting tool (paintbrush) to repeat the format in every other column
  15. Select the cell in row 33
  16. Choose menu Table - Properties… - Background tab
  17. Click the Color button
  18. Select the same color used in the gradient (in my sample is Dark Gray 3)
  19. OK

Tested with LibreOffice 6.4.7.2 (x86); OS: Windows 6.1.

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#11

When I try step 10 it takes me to my Documents folder. Where is the gradient file?

#12

Attached in step 11.

#13

Ahhh, I create that.

#14

Draw will not let me save the gradient rectangle shape as a .png file.

#15

Select the rectangle, choose menu File - Export… - check Selection - select File Type:…

#16

Ironically I was just doing that. THANK YOU

#17

After resizing I have the 7 columns set to width 0.56" = 3.92" for those 7 columns. The overall table width is 9.5" so that leaves 5.58" for the remaining 7 columns with the words = 5.58" / 7 = 0.8" yes?

How do I select column 1 and clone it to the other 6? I can’t seem to get columns 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 to be the same width.

#18

Try to select all the table, and choose menu Table - Size - Optimal Column Width. You can repeat the longest word in all text columns, so that all text columns get the same width.

Other option is to manually type the width for each column in the Columns tab of the Table Properties dialog.

#19

How can I un-merge a column? I realized that the merged shaded cells are 1 cell too high.

#20

No need to split (un-merge) the cell in a column to delete one row. Just delete a central row.

To un-merge, choose menu Table - Split Cells….

You can’t lock the column width. See Help on Modifying Rows and Columns by Keyboard.

See my previous comment to adjust columns width.

optimal column width
optimal column width891×158 13 KB

(Acho que você tem que usar Pouco e Muito em vez de fraco e vários.)

#9

Writer does not manage gradient background.

Draw can handle this but I don’t recommend you try it.

According to the example, a column is dedicated to the gray scale. You can eventually put the words Little and Lots (blurry, difficult to read) in their own cells. The last one may be “negative” (white on black) to emphasize the “weight”. The other cells in-between may be or not merged.

In Draw, you create a rectangle with the desired gradient. The nasty part is to adjust the rectangle height to the column dimension. This is nasty for 2 reasons:

  • there is a slight scaling between Draw and Writer when pasting, thus the end dimensions in Writer are not exactly the same as in Draw;
  • you can’t guarantee that your table will always have the same height (it may be edited and you’ll have to restart the procedure)

And then, you’ll have a hell of a time to tune the frame properties for position and wrap. Any slight adjustment on your page styles on paragraph styles will cause mis-alignment and the need to restart.

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