Writing in the margins + html writers + other thoughts

[wordsworm]

Ok, I'm working on a project right now, and was wondering if it was possible to 'write in the margins.' Now, to explain what I mean: so I'm writing this story and I'd like to have certain information available in the margins which would print or not print, convert or not convert to PDF, depending on how I wanted it to print or show.

The second thing I was thinking about was how easy certain types of margins are made in html writers, to make the coding easier to read, but such things don't seem possible to do with the writer program. I guess I can do it with a list function - but what if I don't want to do it that way?

For example, if I were to write:

Outline
<tab>Chapter 1
<dbl tab>Characters:
<Triple tab>Bob
<Triple tab>Fred
<Triple tab>Sam

<dbl tab>Setting:
<Triple tab>At home
<Triple tab>At the store

After writing the name 'Bob', the html writer will automatically indent each subsequent line so that it appears as a block. I could then reverse tab to write 'setting,' hit 'enter' then 'tab' to start the second series.


Document groups:

It would be nice to have a group of documents which are capable of interacting with each other. As I mentioned at the top, the ability to have a 'margin zone' where I could write brief notes on the left and/or right which floats and scrolls or doesn't scroll (depending on what I want it to do), would be very helpful. Another might be to have the ability to insert invisible markers which could give me scene information about each section which might update itself. So, if I have chapter two with Sam, but not Fred, a summary could be had in the right margin. It could also contain scene information such as setting, or even have one margin for the setting and the other for characters, with another floating screen that shows an outline or research documents or lists with hyperlinks to documents or images used for the writing of the text.

I don't know if stuff like this is already possible or not, but it would be mightily handy if it existed - as far as I know, MS Word doesn't do anything like that. Some stuff is possible, but it usually seems like such an onerous task that's neither efficient nor capable of getting it 'right.'

[RoryOF]

There is a pre-existing style in OpenOffice called Marginalia which may be of help to you in your search.

[wordsworm]

There is a pre-existing style in OpenOffice called Marginalia which may be of help to you in your search.

The only thing it seemed to do was align the text to the right rather than to the left... what I mean is to be able to write notes in the margin which are just for the writer of the document - notes to oneself, similar to footnotes, but in the margins. When I write in a notebook (paper and pen I mean), it's not unusual to put remarks in the margins which are meant to stand out, but not be considered as 'the text' that you're working on.

[RoryOF]

In that case try Insert / Note (Comment from OOo 3.2) and you get yellow Pots-It type notes, which are non-printing or can be printed End of Page or End of document.

[acknak]

You may want to take a look at this thread: http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/ ... =7&t=23368

There is a sample document attached there, showing "sidebar" text blurbs in text frames. A text frame in Writer can be included or excluded from printed (and PDF) output.

If your marginal notes are only for your use while writing the document, then I agree with RoryOF: Insert > Note is the best approach--although the notes cannot be printed in the margins, currently.

As for "interacting" documents, as long as the information is static, you could use a "mail merge" document. You put the extra information in a database, then include it--in the margins, if you like--by referencing it with fields. If you update the information in the database, then the fields can be easily updated to show the new information.

[JohnV]

You can use a two column, one row table. Set the right page margin to zero and adjust the left border of the second table column to mimic the right margin.

To print without notes put your cursor in the left column, do Ctrl+A then copy and paste to a new document. To print with notes set the right page margin to the minimum allowed by your printer (or set it to that to start with).

To make it easy to insert notes anywhere in the second column you might want to turn on Direct Cursor at Tools > Options > Writer > Formatting Aids.

Example attached.

[wordsworm]

I appreciate the helpful comments. But they are definitely workarounds that don't really simplify. The 'insert note' was somewhat gauche. The insertion of a frame every time I want to make a comment is definitely too onerous. The idea of setting a table with two columns, one for main text and second for notes, was probably the closest. However, I could not simply throw in text at any time. In order to, for example, post a comment next to the paragraph that begins, "Is this the end of the line?" I'd have to insert a lot of <enters> to get to the same vertical level as that paragraph. I guess that's a small price to pay, but I just have this sense that there would be a much better way of doing this.

Hopefully if my business works out I can hire someone to program OOW to do what I want it to do ) But, for now, I'll have to go with the workaround.

Cheers!

[JohnV]

In order to, for example, post a comment next to the paragraph that begins, "Is this the end of the line?" I'd have to insert a lot of <enters> to get to the same vertical level as that paragraph. I guess that's a small price to pay, but I just have this sense that there would be a much better way of doing this.

Try:

To make it easy to insert notes anywhere in the second column you might want to turn on Direct Cursor at Tools > Options > Writer > Formatting Aids.

and click where you want to insert the note.

[shinyhalo]

Oh snap! That Table + Direct Cursor method works awesome for me. Thanks

In order to, for example, post a comment next to the paragraph that begins, "Is this the end of the line?" I'd have to insert a lot of <enters> to get to the same vertical level as that paragraph. I guess that's a small price to pay, but I just have this sense that there would be a much better way of doing this.

Try:

To make it easy to insert notes anywhere in the second column you might want to turn on Direct Cursor at Tools > Options > Writer > Formatting Aids.

and click where you want to insert the note.