[Solved] Wordwrap is always grayed out

[spcdngr]

On my Windows 8.1 computer with Apache Open Office 4.1.5 (and earlier versions), for new and existing WRITER text documents, wordwrap is always grayed out. How do I enable it?

[John_Ha]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't understand what you are saying - can you rephrase it or upload an image or file. Word wrap is a process which causes words to spill. The process happens invisibly and cannot be "greyed out".

Do you mean View > Non printing characters ...?

As a new poster you will find much useful information in the Writer FAQ, the Writer Tutorials, the up to date Writer guide and the Writer Manual. May I suggest you bookmark the pages.

Press F1 to access the Help screen and search for your problem

The chapter headings in the manual are:

1 - Introducing Writer
2 - Setting up Writer
3 - Working with Text
4 - Formatting Pages
5 - Printing, Exporting, Faxing and E-Mailing
6 - Introduction to Styles
7 - Working with Styles
8 - Working with Graphics
9 - Working with Tables
10 - Working with Templates
11 - Using Mail Merge
12 - Tables of Contents, Indexes and Bibliographies
13 - Working with Master Documents
14 - Working with Fields
15 - Using Forms in Writer
16 - Customizing Writer – Keyboard shortcuts.

When a pop-up window opens, click the Help button for extensive help on that function - it is often more comprehensive than the manual.

[Bill]

A forum search found this: [Solved] Word Wrap for graphics not available

Does that solve the problem?

[spcdngr]

None of the affected "odt" files contain graphics. The process "Format->Wrap" yields a grayed-out panel with options ["Wrap off" to "Edit"] that cannot be exercised in any file. I have one "odt" file which the Formatting toolbar calls "Preformatted text" where wordwrap is actually on and text wraps to the window. All my other "odt"s Formatting toolbar calls "Default", and wordwrap is off and cannot be activated. For these files "Preformatted text" is not a choice in the Formatting toolbar. Incidentally your prompt reply to my original query via email was profoundly appreciated.

[RoryOF]

If I do not misunderstand you, that Wrap option is for wrapping text around a graphic or a frame, and remains inactive until a graphic or frame is available. If you require text "wrapped" to fit the line length, this is controlled by the four Alignment buttons on the Formatting toolbar, just to the right of the underlined U button. Hover over them and they will popup Align Left, Centre, Align Right, and Justified. You possibly want the Justified button, but should not use "Enter"key while typing, except for the ends of paragraphs.

It is helpful to turn on /View /Non printing characters to see how your line ends and spaces are being handled, That same option turns off the display.

[Bill]

None of the affected "odt" files contain graphics. The process "Format->Wrap" yields a grayed-out panel with options ["Wrap off" to "Edit"] that cannot be exercised in any file.

The options in Format > Wrap are options that can be applied to an object, not to text. They will be grayed out if no object has been selected.

I have one "odt" file which the Formatting toolbar calls "Preformatted text" where wordwrap is actually on and text wraps to the window. All my other "odt"s Formatting toolbar calls "Default", and wordwrap is off and cannot be activated. For these files "Preformatted text" is not a choice in the Formatting toolbar.

"Preformatted text" and "Default" are names of paragraph styles. They have nothing to do with the Format > Wrap options. The word wrap "to the window" that you describe is a setting found in text editors. It isn't used in word processors because text in word processors is usually wrapped automatically close to the right margin.

If you're wanting the text to align with the right margin on every line and not leave space between the text and the margin, then select Format > Alignment > Justified which is an option that can be applied to text. Note, however that the Justified setting doesn't work on "Preformatted text".

[spcdngr]

"Wordwrap to window" can be invoked by opening and saving "odt" files in the Windows Wordpad text editor as I just discovered. That kind of "wordwrap" is a useful feature found in text editors which is all I ever used before I found OpenOffice. I used OpenOffice for years before stumbling only recently on the lack of that kind of "wordwrap" therein. Many thanks for your insights to this user stuck in the 1980s.