Improvements to the program
in [Open Office]
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From: Mike Scott on 7 Apr 2010 03:05 Michael Scheff wrote: > Open Office Writer has imitated some of the worst features of Microsoft Word '97 formatting. Two examples: > > 1. Location of Page Numbers. > > After trying just about everything I could think of, I still found it impossible to put page numbers in the upper right corner of a document. > > The program's default is page numbers in the lower right corner, with no simple choice available for upper right corner page numbering. Yet novels, screenplays, journals, etc., require the page number to be in the upper right hand corner of the page. Selecting the location of page numbering should be simple and transparent For instance, Under the heading, Page Numbering, there should be a list of choices as to where the user would like the page number to be. Simple. (BTW. I still don't know how to put page numbers in the upper right corner of the page.) . I wasn't aware there even was a 'default position' -- other than exactly where you put it. Are you using Insert|Fields|Page Number ?? Don't understand what you mean by 'under the heading Page Numbering there should be a list of choices'. /Exactly/ what are you doing here? The (a?) normal way of positioning page numbers would be in a header or footer, possibly using tabs to place on the required side (or in the middle; or wherever). Or use the stylist to set up left and right page styles. The help file is actually quite helpful ("numbering pages") > > 2. Automatic Paragraph Numbering. > > The default for automatic paragraph numbering is single spacing. The result might look like this. > .... > > But suppose you want a double space between paragraphs so the result might look like this: .... > Well, just try and figure out how to accomplish that double space between automatic numbered paragraphs. It is extremely difficult to accomplish and not intuitive at all. (I still haven't figured out how to do this either!) Format|Paragraph perhaps. Although I'll grant you have to use cm or inches rather than 'double'. Or (better) use the stylist (F11) > > I feel that one of the goals for Open Office Writer is not to copy the horrors of Microsoft Word, but to create a much simpler and more intuitive interface for the user. These are just two examples. I'm sure each of you can supply more. BTW. If anyone knows how to accomplish the above two items, please shoot me an email. If not, just shoot me. Is there really a problem? --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: discuss-unsubscribe(a)openoffice.org For additional commands, e-mail: discuss-help(a)openoffice.org
From: Barbara Duprey on 7 Apr 2010 10:23 Michael Scheff wrote: > Open Office Writer has imitated some of the worst features of Microsoft Word '97 formatting. Two examples: > > 1. Location of Page Numbers. > > After trying just about everything I could think of, I still found it impossible to put page numbers in the upper right corner of a document. > > The program's default is page numbers in the lower right corner, with no simple choice available for upper right corner page numbering. Yet novels, screenplays, journals, etc., require the page number to be in the upper right hand corner of the page. Selecting the location of page numbering should be simple and transparent For instance, Under the heading, Page Numbering, there should be a list of choices as to where the user would like the page number to be. Simple. (BTW. I still don't know how to put page numbers in the upper right corner of the page.) . > It sounds as if you're inserting the Page Number field into the footer, accepting the default positioning of where the cursor appears in a new footer. To get the page number in the top right, you need to use a header instead of a footer, and specify right-justify (for instance, in the Formatting toolbar) either before doing the insertion or while the field is selected. Is there a heading called Page Numbering somewhere that you're referring to, or are you saying there should be one (and if so, where)? > 2. Automatic Paragraph Numbering. > > The default for automatic paragraph numbering is single spacing. The result might look like this. > > 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. > 2. More blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, > more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah. > > But suppose you want a double space between paragraphs so the result might look like this: > > 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > > 2. More blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, > more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah. > > Well, just try and figure out how to accomplish that double space between automatic numbered paragraphs. It is extremely difficult to accomplish and not intuitive at all. (I still haven't figured out how to do this either!) > > I feel that one of the goals for Open Office Writer is not to copy the horrors of Microsoft Word, but to create a much simpler and more intuitive interface for the user. These are just two examples. I'm sure each of you can supply more. BTW. If anyone knows how to accomplish the above two items, please shoot me an email. If not, just shoot me. In OOo, everything like this is done through use of styles. In this case, what you're trying to do can be accomplished by either creating your own style based on the automatic one, or modifying the automatic one, if you want to do this consistently. For occasional use, you can right-click on the paragraph in the list, choose Paragraph, then adjust the Spacing - Above paragraph value. This gives you much more control than simply choosing between single and double spacing. I think what you're running into here is that OOo is far more oriented towards use of styles (at character, paragraph, and page levels) than Word is. Once you get used to that, actions of this kind become very predictable. You might want to read up on styles in the Writer guide, wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/OOo3_User_Guides/Writer_Guide --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: discuss-unsubscribe(a)openoffice.org For additional commands, e-mail: discuss-help(a)openoffice.org
From: "Tony Pursell" on 7 Apr 2010 12:28 On 6 Apr 2010 at 22:16, Michael Scheff wrote: > 2. Automatic Paragraph Numbering. > > The default for automatic paragraph numbering is single spacing. The result might look like this. > > 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. > 2. More blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, > more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah. > > But suppose you want a double space between paragraphs so the result might look like this: > > 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, > > 2. More blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, > more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah. > No Problem - just do Shift-Return at the end of the paragraph, the Return to get the next paragraph number. Its a long time since I used Word, but I think its the same there as well. Tony --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: discuss-unsubscribe(a)openoffice.org For additional commands, e-mail: discuss-help(a)openoffice.org
From: John W Kennedy on 7 Apr 2010 13:23 On Apr 7, 2010, at 12:28 PM, Tony Pursell wrote: > On 6 Apr 2010 at 22:16, Michael Scheff wrote: > >> 2. Automatic Paragraph Numbering. >> >> The default for automatic paragraph numbering is single spacing. The result might look like this. >> >> 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, >> blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, >> blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. >> 2. More blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, >> more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah. >> >> But suppose you want a double space between paragraphs so the result might look like this: >> >> 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, >> blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, >> blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, >> >> 2. More blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, >> more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah, more blah. >> > > No Problem - just do Shift-Return at the end of the paragraph, the > Return to get the next paragraph number. Its a long time since I used > Word, but I think its the same there as well. No, that may have worked, up to a point, for EasyWriter thirty years ago, but it's an abuse of OpenOffice.org, and will sooner or later screw up your page layout. You can Format->Paragraph, pick (if it is not already picked) Indents & Spacing, and enter a value in Spacing:Below paragraph, but if you're sensible, you do the same thing, but apply it to a style, and then apply the style to the paragraphs. Same thing for Microsoft Word (going back to Word for DOS 1.0, back in 1983), same thing for Pages (in Apple iWork), same thing for any WYSIWYG word processor I know of. Same thing, too, for any modern markup language, for that matter, if you adjust the terminology a little -- even for HTML -- going back at least to when GML (without the S) was an IBM proprietary product for mainframes and laser printers were the size of a VW bus. You can use the point of a steak knife to turn a Philips-head screw if you insist on it, but it's bad for the knife and bad for the screw, and is likely to end in tears. -- John W Kennedy "The grand art mastered the thudding hammer of Thor And the heart of our lord Taliessin determined the war." -- Charles Williams. "Mount Badon" --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: discuss-unsubscribe(a)openoffice.org For additional commands, e-mail: discuss-help(a)openoffice.org
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