Basic styling questions Open Office Writer

March 9, 2009 8:04 AM

n00b Open Office Writer: 2 questions

1. Page styles, they are driving me insane. I have a long doc. The first page is "first page" style, after that are "default" styles. I want, after a number of default pages, to set up a few landscaped pages. I am starting to cry, every time I try to do it, the god damned thing wants to go up and convert my first page. HOW DO I GET A NEW PAGE TO TAKE A NEW STYLE WITHOUT IT FUCKING ABOUT WITH PREVIOUS PAGES????

2. I would like to define text styles once, and have them become the defaults for subsequent documents. How do I tell writer that the default style of heading one, on any new document, should be 14pt centered Arial, just for example? Or that the default for any bullet list, on any new doc, should be checkmarks?

Please help me? Please? I am going for a walk now, before I throw my expensive laptop out the window in frustration. AAAAAARGH!!! I WANT TO KILL SOMETHING BY BEATING IT TO A PULP WITH A HEAVY STICK!!!

My office colleagues thank you in advance.

posted by Meatbomb to computers & internet (2 comments total)

From the Help:

To Use Landscape and Portrait Page Orientation in the Same Document
Before you begin, ensure that you have created a page style that uses landscape page orientation. See To Change the Page Orientation to Landscape or Portrait for details.

1. Click into the first paragraph where you want to change the page orientation.
2. Choose Format - Paragraph.
3. Click theText Flow tab.
4. Under Breaks, enable Insert. Then enable With Page Style. Select a page style that uses the landscape or portrait page orientation.
   • To change the orientation of the current page only, select a page style where the Next Style option is set to "Default".
   • To change the orientation of the current and subsequent pages, select a page style where the Next Style option is set to the name of the page style.
   • If you want to change the page orientation later on in the document, repeat these steps for the first paragraph on the page.
5. Click OK

Changing the Default Template
The default template contains the default formatting information for new text documents. If you want, you can create a new template and use it as the default template.

1. Create a document and the content and formatting styles that you want.
2. Choose File - Templates - Save.
3. In the New Template box, type a name for the new template.
4. In the Categories list, select "My Templates", and then click OK.
5. Choose File - Templates - Organize.
6. In the category list, double-click the "My Templates" folder.
7. Right-click the template that you created, and choose Set as Default Template.
8. Click Close.

To reset the default template:

1. Choose File - Templates - Organize.
2. Right-click a folder in the category list, choose Reset Default Template - Text Document
3. Click Close

posted by odinsdream at 8:43 AM on March 9, 2009

I'm at work and can't spend a lot of time looking for this, but every time I've needed an answer to an Open Office question, I've found it here and here.

I know the second one is doable, but I don't have that piece of information in front of me right now. If you're still stumped for an answer or no one else has chimed in yet with the right one, I'll try to find it once my shift is over.

On preview, what odinsdreamsaid. That matches what I recall doing previously.
posted by ralan at 8:47 AM on March 9, 2009