[SOLVED] Set paragraph style to have page breaks?

[posaune]

My apologies if I'm posting this twice. I thought I had but it's nowhere to be seen.

Is it possible to set a paragraph style, in this case 'scene heading,' to have a page break immediately before it, so that each new scene starts on a new page, but the paragraph style can be easily re-set later so that 'scene heading' is no longer associated with a page break?

[robleyd]

Yes; in fact using the organiser tab you can have the paragraph following the 'scene heading' default to the default, or other chosen, style.

So you apply the 'scene heading' style to a paragraph and a page break will be inserted before; then after adding the text you need in the 'scene heading' paragraph press enter and the next paragraph will be the default style; or such other style as you choose.

[posaune]

Is this the organizer tab that is in the dialogue box I get when I am in scene heading and click 'edit paragraph style?'

If so, that organizer tab already has the next style set to default, and I'm not getting a page break before the scene heading.

[robleyd]

Step by step to create and modify your 'scene heading' style. I'll assume that you want to follow it with, and base it on, the 'Default' style.

Open the Styles and Formatting tools window. You may need to select the paragraph icon at the top, and then check the drop down list at the bottom for applied styles to display Default in the list of styles.

Right click on Default and select New and name the style. Change the Next style to Default.

Select the Text flow tab; under Breaks ensure the Insert box is checked, the Type is set to Page and Position is Before; this gives the page break before the paragraph. Click OK to save your new style.

You'll need to look under "Custom Styles" or "All Styles" in the drop down on the styles window to find your new style, then just apply it to paragraphs as needed.

[Bill]

Is it possible to set a paragraph style, in this case 'scene heading,' to have a page break immediately before it, so that each new scene starts on a new page, but the paragraph style can be easily re-set later so that 'scene heading' is no longer associated with a page break?

No. A paragraph style can't have two different sets of attributes within one document. You have to use two different paragraph styles. What you can do is create a new style based on the 'scene heading' style and remove the page break from the new style, then apply the new style instead of the 'scene heading' style when you don't want a page break.

[floris v]

If I understand you correctly, you're writing a script with several scenes, and while you're working on it, you want the title of each scene to act like a chapter title in a book, that is that it starts on a new page. But when you're finished, it's okay to drop the page breaks for all scene headings. The answer is: yes. In fact, that's what styles were invented for: so that you can change formatting attributes for text with the same function in a document at one place. When you are ready to drop the page breaks, simply modify the paragraph style, select the Text flow tab and remove the tick mark in Page break before.

[posaune]

robleyd and floris, many thanks! How easy! Thank you for the step by step instructions. That's what I needed, and floris, yes that is exactly what I want.

[RoryOF]

Note that with the reformatting removal of the page breaks will introduce you may get some other unpleasant formatting, such as awkward widow or orphan lines. If this is for text of a play one might not wish short dialogs split over page breaks, so you should adjust widow/orphan settings to avoid this.