Please fix random indent shifts, etc.

[dbaker586]

I'm writing a patent document, which I first designed in MS Word 97. The international application patent format requires numbered paragraphs with leading zeros that I'm not sure OO can even produce. It was a challenge in Word, which keeps going buggy. The paragraphs are indented from the headings, but when I cut or paste text, OO will randomly left-shift the entire paragraph to the margin. If I jiggle the double-triangle indent icon in the upper ruler, it shifts back. That's really annoying. Can you please fix it?

Also, I have really missed the Word split window feature, which allows one to view and edit different portions of text in the same document.

You specifically might note in the Help that if one wishes to pull a table from an OO spreadsheet into a Write document, that one must use "paste special" with the RTF formatted text option. Merely cutting and pasting produces an "image" of the data, which is counter-intuitive. IMHO, those features should be reversed. Cutting and pasting an image of a graph would make sense, but not table text.

[RoryOF]

Such random shifts will not occur if you systematically apply Styles to your document. OpenOffice uses a different formatting strategy to MS Word, where one is inclined to use Direct Formatting. OpenOffice is based on the use of Styles - the direct formatting icons should mostly be used for defining such Styles.


You may find it helpful to consult
Introduction to Styles

[acknak]

... requires numbered paragraphs with leading zeros that I'm not sure OO can even produce. ...

This isn't supported in OO but you can get it with a little effort: you just define a separate list style for each number range that needs a different prefix:
000_ for 1-9
00__ for 10 to 99
0___ for 100 to 999
____ for 1000 to 9999

Sample attached.

... Merely cutting and pasting produces an "image" of the data, ...

It's an image of an embedded spreadsheet. Double-click to activate it.

[dbaker586]

Thanks, RoryOF and acknak. I've downloaded them and will check them both out when I get this document finished.

[dbaker586]

"It's an image of an embedded spreadsheet. Double-click to activate it." - acknak

Unfortunately the double-click produces a narrow window and very small type with a slider bar on the left - suitable for a web page, maybe, but not for a printed report. It still has to be loaded with "paste special" in formatted text (RTF). Perhaps this could appear in the Help.

On a separate note, I'm well used to Lotus 1-2-3, having started in DOS, Quattro and Excel. I was having a heck of a time getting X-Y plots figured out in OO. The others are close enough to make things intuitive after learning just one of them. Not so OO. For example, right clicking on a series or plot did not bring up the expected controls. Just moving plots around on the screen turned out to be a headache, as it moved slowly and shifted from one mode to another unexpectedly. But that was not on this computer. It was on a Mac Mini PPC running OSX 10.4.11.

[acknak]

Please feel free to ask questions. OO is a large, complex piece of software and it's not altogether intuitive or conducive to learning by trial and error, especially if you're used to other applications. \

However, if you do have questions, please give each one a new topic so we don't have separate discussions going on all in the same thread.