[Solved] Evenly distribute text to columns

[jwharton]

I would like to turn off the default behavior of having text evenly distributed across columns.
I scoured through the API documentation and could not find the name of the property to do it.
Is there a way to accomplish this via the API?

Thanks!

Jason Wharton

[FJCC]

Please provide more details. Which application are you talking about?

[Zizi64]

I would like to turn off the default behavior of having text evenly distributed across columns.
I scoured through the API documentation and could not find the name of the property to do it.
Is there a way to accomplish this via the API?

If you meant the Columns of the Writer:

The text in the columns of a Writer document always will flow to the next column on a specific page. You can not control the text to flow from the first column of a page to the first column of the next page. There is not way to do this (I think).

You must use a Table in the writer document for this task. It is a workaround only...

[jwharton]

What I am talking about is in Writer where you can have multiple columns and control the behavior of how the text flows in them. One way it keeps them balanced out side by side. The other way fills the one column entirely before putting anything in the other column.

I have attached a screenshot of where it can be controlled via the settings.

ColumnsDistributeText.png (14.45 KiB) Viewed 909 times

[JeJe]

The macro record function gives the same result whether that's ticked or not - so it looks to be only available via the dialog.

You might be able to open the dialog and manipulate it using the Accessible Context of the dialog - it would be difficult, see Useful Macro Information
For OpenOffice.org By Andrew Pitonyak

An alternative might be write your own routine to do the moving.

[Zizi64]

I just discovered that handling multiple columns in body text and in the sections is fundamentally different in this point of view. (Same in the AOO an in LO.)

[ms777]

... try the below code. The first one requires the cursor being in the multi column section

Good luck

ms777

Code: Select all

Sub Main
oDoc = ThisComponent
oSection = oDoc.currentSelection.getByIndex(0).TextSection
oSection.DontBalanceTextColumns = not oSection.DontBalanceTextColumns
msgbox oSection.DontBalanceTextColumns
End Sub

Code: Select all

Sub Main
oDoc = ThisComponent
with oDoc.TextSections
	for i=0 to .Count-1
		.getByIndex(i).DontBalanceTextColumns = false
	next i
end with
End Sub

[Lupp]

There is no OpenOffice 6.2. The current "still" version of LibreOffice is 7.3.7.

The addressed issue is one of th UI. The actual balancing of contents for an existing TextSection is ruled by the attribute .DontBalanceTextColumns of the section object as @ms777 already showed.

As far as I can see, the 'Expert Configuration' also doesn't offer a switch making the "other" setting the default.
Relevant and consistent enhancement would require the implementation of Section styles.

[jwharton]

.DontBalanceTextColumns is exactly what I needed!

I attached a screen shot of version that I am using.

Thanks everyone!
Jason Wharton