- os v.: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS
- lo v.: 7.3.7.2
- file format: *.odt
How do I put two sections side by side? Let’s say the first section has one column, the second has two. I would start with section A in column 1, then section B in column 1, and continue into column 2, starting at the level of the beginning of section A.
What would be different to “three-column layout”?
May be witrh TextFrames ?
https://books.libreoffice.org/en/WG252/WG2506-FormattingPagesAdvanced.html#toc11
No, you lose the automation provided by a table and you bump into many problems even if you master frame styles. One of the major issues is the impossibility for a frame to straddle page boundaries. You must workaround this with linked frames but you then end up with a manually laid out document unable to react to reflow caused by editing (text is either reduced or inflated).
It is another possibility, although the frames have to be configured manually and there is no text flow as in tables.
- What else are linked frames for?
I think that what you call “section” has no relationship with a Writer-technical section. You rather hint at what laymen consider a “part” of a document with specific properties.
Here, I understand you want “parallel flows” A and B and you maintain A and B in sync: i.e. when you create another item or topic in A, it must end text in B (and balance its contents between both columns) and start a new 2-column part in B, vertically aligned with what is in A.
“Parallel flows” can be simulated with a table. Here you have a 2-column table for A and B. Each row implements a separate topic or item.
In each cell of column B, you Insert>Section to force the cell 2-column.
I remind you that every cell in a table is a sub-document in its own right. You can format or layout just like you would outside the table, except for page-related directives like applying a page style (which always operate on the page) or inserting a page break.
You can experience a bad performance degradation if a table row spans several pages (because Writer must cache cell contents to compute column and page break. It can do so only after collecting full cell contents. So try to avoid “monster UFOs” where your text in a single cell covers too many pages.
A 3-column section would not give the expected result. When you reach bottom of page in part B column 2, you continue on next page in part A.
Well. I select a piece of text, then I go to Insert - Section... - Insert.
This will not achieve a “reserved” vertical area A for some kind of titling and vertical area B with text flowing into 2 columns. You need the more sophisticated suggestion (unless I misunderstood the specification).