Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Quite often I have incomplete paragraph, reminders or simple notes in my documents. I use hidden text to hide this kind of text.
For this hidden text I need a very simple method to

1) hide / view

2) print / not print

3) change hidden text in standard text

I tried with conditional text but it's too complicated.

OOo has a number of ways to do this; they all have different features, advantages and disadvantages. I don't think it's possible to tell you "how to do it" without know exactly what you need to do and how you want it to work.

Basically, there are two approaches:

• Apply the "hidden" attribute to some text, either through Format > Character or Format > Paragraph, or with a custom style. Display of that text can be toggled by View > Nonprinting Characters. If you use styles for this, it's easy to modify the style to hide/show the text.
• Use a hidden text field. This can be controlled for display or printing by assigning a variable as the condition.
  Use a hidden paragraph field. Viewing can be controlled by View > Hidden Paragraphs, or through a variable.

Printing for any of these can be controlled by File > Print > Options > Content > Hidden Text

The File > Page Preview rendering is not always accurate as to what will be printed when parts of the text are hidden.

Thank you for immediate and complete answer.

Use a hidden text field. This can be controlled for display or printing by assigning a variable as the condition.
Use a hidden paragraph field. Viewing can be controlled by View > Hidden Paragraphs, or through a variable.[/list]
Printing for any of these can be controlled by File > Print > Options > Content > Hidden Text

I've already tried. This is what I called "conditional text". It's very powerful but very complicated, it don't works for me.

Apply the "hidden" attribute to some text, .... through Format > Character ...... Display of that text can be toggled by View > Nonprinting Characters.

I tried this too. But I don't like at all too have a lot of nonprinting characters in the text, this is very ugly to see and disturbing when you're checking the text.

Apply the "hidden" attribute to some text ...... with a custom style. .......... If you use styles for this, it's easy to modify the style to hide/show the text.

This is new for me and seems interesting. I'll try to understand how it works.

I don't think it's possible to tell you "how to do it" without know exactly what you need to do and how you want it to work.

I would apply "hidden" attribute to a text and hide/show that text (and nothing else) just with a button or a setting found in the menu. I had this feature in MSWord and I used it a lot.

I tried to follow this way

Apply the "hidden" attribute to some text ...... with a custom style. .......... If you use styles for this, it's easy to modify the style to hide/show the text.

but I don't find how to hide text using styles.
Can you please show me how ?
Thanks.

Open the Stylist (F11), click the Character styles button at left, right click the Default entry, click New, give it a name and in the Font Effects tab, check the Hidden option. To apply it, select the text and double-click that new style in the Stylist.

Thanks to add '[Solved]' at beginning of your first post title (edit button) if your issue has been fixed.

With your clear explication I can hide text using Stylist. The effect is the same as Format > Character. Right ?

The only way I found to view hidden text is Ctrl + F10 but I get a lot of characters between text. It seems there isn't a way to view only hidden text. Is it right ?

If I want to ask for a simple way to see only hidden text in next versions how can I do ?

giopo wrote:I can hide text using Stylist. The effect is the same as Format > Character. Right ?

Not at all. The Format>Character is a direct formatting. Using the style allows you to control all the parts that have got that style. It means that to see the hidden text, you can also change the style, give it a blue or red font color and then uncheck (temporarily) the Hidden option. Then you'll see again your "hidden" text.

giopo wrote:If I want to ask for a simple way to see only hidden text in next versions how can I do ?

-> [Tutorial] Reporting bugs or suggestions. But that's a quite strange request, I'm not sure you'll get many votes.

Thanks again for answer. So Stylist seems a good way to "manage" hidden text in whole document.

I saw that the new style is available only in the document where it has been created. How can I create a new style (for hidden text) that is available for all documents ?

I think I'm not alone to use hidden text. To have a quick way to view it seems useful, In MSWord I had it. It's not the most useful feature but I don't see why it's strange.

giopo wrote:The only way I found to view hidden text is Ctrl + F10 but I get a lot of characters between text.

But that's exactly the same with MS Word! What's the difference???

To make the style available, see here: [Tutorial] Creating a new default template.

The last version of MSWord I used is 2003 then I switch to Open Office and Star Office. In that version you can choose if hide or view hidden text, when you make it visible you don't have any nonprinting character (space, paragraph ...) that make the text unclear.
Simply and only hidden text.
Not a small difference in my opinion.

Thank you for useful tutorial.