Cannot save my settings

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NixieKnox
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Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

I have searched and have not found this issue, I am tired of reading through every thread to find a solution. I apologize if this has been posted, but I did try to find the solution for two days. At any rate here goes!

I have the issue of my settings not saving. I am working on a project where each paragraph has certain changes unique to the paragraph. What I do is paste the paragraph into a blank page, use the "find and replace" feature to make the change through out said paragraph, then copy and paste the paragraph below the previous paragraph in a separate document. This is not the first project like this I have done. I have done this successfully several times over the past two years. However THIS time when I paste in the paragraph as mentioned above the document skips to the next page. I can change settings to stop this but the settings eventually go back to what ever is causing this.

Changes that have worked temporarily:

1) INSERT> MANUAL BREAK> LINE BREAK.
I come back later and " PAGE BREAK" Is selected tough I did not change it back to this. Skipping to the next page resumes.

2) FORMAT> PARAGRAPH> DO NOT SPLIT PARAGRAPH/KEEP WITH NEXT PARAGRAPH (I have also tried this using just one or the other) The changes stick for a temporary period of time, later they change back with out my help.

Any idea what is going on here? Why do my settings keep changing? Mind you, this is a NEW and SUDDEN problem. I have not had this problem in the past at all, in any way, shape, form, or fashion. I did not change any settings before beginning this new project or at the end of the last project so these changes are happening spontaneously and automatically. Thanks for your help!


******EDIT******
I just opened the document and attempted my work and now I find that I cannot make even a temporary change in settings. The problem is persisting no matter what settings I try to change. And yes, this is the necessary way of doing the document as each paragraph builds upon each other. In order to prevent having to type each out separately copy and pasting is best. This ensures that each unchanged aspect is exactly the same as the previous paragraph. While I don't feel that the nature of my project matters here I feel that I should say this so that those kind enough to respond know that I will need to copy and paste the paragraphs no matter what I do. This is a necessary part of this project unless I re-type each one individually. Thanks again! I appreciate all help here!
Last edited by NixieKnox on Thu May 31, 2018 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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RoryOF
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

Why not change your method of working? Instead of cutting, pasting your target paragraph, simply select it, then use Find and Replace to make the desired changes to the Selected paragraph (on F&R window, drop More options and check "Current Selection only"). Your paragraph will be in its original position and run no risk of picking up unwanted attributes.
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NixieKnox
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

Because that has proven to be a pain in the neck. Plus the paragraph skips to the next page anyway even when doing that. This method also ensures that I do not accidentally change unwanted items elsewhere as keeps happening. Which is why I choose to isolate the part which I plan to change on a separate page entirely. The paragraphs build upon each other. So I would still need to copy each paragraph and paste it below as I create it, other wise I am just changing the same paragraph over and over instead of having each changed paragraph be separate if that makes sense.

I appreciate your input but for ALL purposes I need to be able save my settings, not find work arounds for every project. I'm sure you see how that could pose a problem!
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RoryOF
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

You should not be changing either the applied paragraph style, or specifically the settings "Above paragraph" and "Below paragraph" on /Format /Paragraph : Indents and Spacing tab for the edited paragraphs; there may be other settings - I think of some on the paragraph style text flow tab. Applied Character formatting should be all right. You should also work in .odt format only; conversions to .doc and other formats often introduce strange formatting anomalies.
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NixieKnox
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

I will check those to see what they are. I have not touched them, but maybe something happened that I am not aware of. I only do .odt, but I appreciate that info for future reference! Thanks! I will check on what you mention here and let you know if it sticks! Thank you!

Okay, I just check this and here it is . I did hit "reset" to be sure it went back to default. The problem persists.
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

What does that window show for the Text flow tab? To what paragraph style is it being applied (shown towards top left of OO windows in the formatting toolbar)?
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NixieKnox
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

Here it is. I find that I must select "keep with next paragraph" for every paragraph separately because this setting does not save. It changes after each paragraph. There has to be a way to stop this from changing after each one.
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

When you start to edit your paragraph, what Paragraph format is in use? Then, when you Paste it in position, does the applied paragraph format change? It may be that in the one case it is Default, in the other Text body (or different names).
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NixieKnox
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Re: cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

It is the same on both pages. I double checked that because I thought it could be the problem. I find it odd because in the two years I have been doing this exact thing, this is the only time this has happened. Has there been an update that would be the culprit?
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

Okay! I did that exactly as instructed. When I restarted AOO there came another thing. Now there is an unwanted and apparently irremovable border around my pages. I did a system restore and made sure that the folder name went back as it was before I changed it. Now that border persists and I cannot make it go away, and the previous problems continue. I am ready to try the next idea! Hit me!

**EDIT**

There is a shred of good news here. While I was not able to remove all the excess white space caused by this problem, I was able to start a new document and copy and paste the entire thing into that new page and then I was able to screwball through and get all the funky white areas deleted. That border is there for good I'm afraid, but I guess I'll just live with that. I'm just happy I was able to get my document almost back the way It was supposed to be. I still don't know why the settings refuse to cooperate.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

The grey background is fine. I never actually even noticed that before. This border however, stays. I have changed margins, border settings etc... it will NOT go away. It was not visible until I changed the username of the file, once I did that the border appeared. I have went to border settings and selected "none" and chose "no border". Yet there it is.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by robleyd »

That appears to be the delimiter between the actual paper size and the printed area as defined by the top/bottom and left/right margins. It gives you a visual of where the page content fits - if you have e.g. footers they will show in a separate area. As far as I know, it is always there.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

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I have changed margins, border settings etc... it will NOT go away. It was not visible until I changed the username of the file, once I did that the border appeared. I have went to border settings and selected "none" and chose "no border". Yet there it is.
Those lines on the attached picture are visible, but they will not be printed and they will not be exported into PDF format. They are helper lines (for the margins) and they always will be appeared in the normal view.

You can change the View to "WEB layout" (from the "Print layout"). It is different, but the lines will be shown.

Or You can change the Zoom factor larger - until the lines "go outside of the screen". The slider of the Zoom factor adjuting function is in the right-bottom corner of the screen.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

Unselect /View /Text boundaries.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by Zizi64 »

Unselect /View /Text boundaries.
Oh, yes... I never used that function. It will hide the helper lines of the Header and the Footer too...
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

One cam also change the text boundary colour by /Tools /Options /OpenOffice /Appearance : Text boundaries.

They are non-printing indicators of where the text sits on the page - the margins.
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NixieKnox
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

THANK YOU SO MUCH! That took care of that annoying border! :bravo:
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

Many users will work with the text boundaries showing, as also non printing characters. It is merely a matter of getting used to them being displayed; concentration on one's input allows one to ignore them. Using them is a considerable help when doing fine formatting. But, as you found, they can be turned on or off - whether to do so is a matter of personal taste and working habits.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

I have also been using your suggestion to choose "current selection only". I was able to get that working where as in the past I just didn't know how to use it properly. So thanks again for that suggestion also. I appreciate all the helpful advice and info I have received here.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by Zizi64 »

I have the issue of my settings not saving. I am working on a project where each paragraph has certain changes unique to the paragraph. What I do is paste the paragraph into a blank page, use the "find and replace" feature to make the change through out said paragraph, then copy and paste the paragraph below the previous paragraph in a separate document. This is not the first project like this I have done. I have done this successfully several times over the past two years. However THIS time when I paste in the paragraph as mentioned above the document skips to the next page. I can change settings to stop this but the settings eventually go back to what ever is causing this.
I suppose (based on your description) that you are using the direct formatting method. Please study and use the Styles feature instead of the direct (manual) formatting method. The Styles feature is the most valuable feature of the AOO and the LO.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

One thing of importance: when you define a paragraph style, make sure that on its Organizer tab "AutoUpdate" is _NOT_ checked. If this is checked, changes made to a paragraph using this style may (read: will) echo back to all other paragraphs using this style.

(A comment: I see no reason why this annoying and potentially destructive facility should be incorporated into paragraph styles).
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NixieKnox
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

Zizi64 wrote:
I have the issue of my settings not saving. I am working on a project where each paragraph has certain changes unique to the paragraph. What I do is paste the paragraph into a blank page, use the "find and replace" feature to make the change through out said paragraph, then copy and paste the paragraph below the previous paragraph in a separate document. This is not the first project like this I have done. I have done this successfully several times over the past two years. However THIS time when I paste in the paragraph as mentioned above the document skips to the next page. I can change settings to stop this but the settings eventually go back to what ever is causing this.
I suppose (based on your description) that you are using the direct formatting method. Please study and use the Styles feature instead of the direct (manual) formatting method. The Styles feature is the most valuable feature of the AOO and the LO.
The settings DO NOT stay as I set them. This is the problem. And it still continues.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

RoryOF wrote:One thing of importance: when you define a paragraph style, make sure that on its Organizer tab "AutoUpdate" is _NOT_ checked. If this is checked, changes made to a paragraph using this style may (read: will) echo back to all other paragraphs using this style.

(A comment: I see no reason why this annoying and potentially destructive facility should be incorporated into paragraph styles).
This setting must be continually reset. I's been a while since I updated on the problem , but nothing has changed. No settings I use stay the way I set them.

When I tried to post this comment it tells me I may not make another post so soon after my last. What is the time between comments one must wait?
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by keme »

NixieKnox wrote:The grey background is fine. I never actually even noticed that before. This border however, stays. I have changed margins, border settings etc... it will NOT go away. It was not visible until I changed the username of the file, once I did that the border appeared. I have went to border settings and selected "none" and chose "no border". Yet there it is.
That grey border is not a part of your document, only an editing aid to show the outline of the body text area. Toggle it by an element on the View menu (On my setup it is the 7th element, and in English it should say "text outline/limits/area", something like that, I don't have an English user interface and do not care to change it at this time, but you'll figure it out).

Also, to me it seems (from your description) that you set every paragraph to "keep with next" and "do not split" (i.e. you tick both). Is that correct? If it is so, you disallow page breaks within paragraphs and between paragraphs. Writer tries to fit as much text as possible in each paga according to those rules, but when it grows to more than a page's worth, the task becomes impossible. This may be the reason why you experience erratic behavior.

If a format setting is not saved, the reason usually is that the file is saved in a foreign format (commonly MS Word format or plain text) which does not support that particular setting. What document type do you use when saving?

Instead of explaining what settings you want to use, perhaps explain what kind of result you want to achieve. There are many experienced users around here, and one of us can probably outline a way to achieve the goal, if we know what the goal is.
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by NixieKnox »

keme wrote:
NixieKnox wrote:The grey background is fine. I never actually even noticed that before. This border however, stays. I have changed margins, border settings etc... it will NOT go away. It was not visible until I changed the username of the file, once I did that the border appeared. I have went to border settings and selected "none" and chose "no border". Yet there it is.
That grey border is not a part of your document, only an editing aid to show the outline of the body text area. Toggle it by an element on the View menu (On my setup it is the 7th element, and in English it should say "text outline/limits/area", something like that, I don't have an English user interface and do not care to change it at this time, but you'll figure it out).



Also, to me it seems (from your description) that you set every paragraph to "keep with next" and "do not split" (i.e. you tick both). Is that correct? If it is so, you disallow page breaks within paragraphs and between paragraphs. Writer tries to fit as much text as possible in each paga according to those rules, but when it grows to more than a page's worth, the task becomes impossible. This may be the reason why you experience erratic behavior.



If a format setting is not saved, the reason usually is that the file is saved in a foreign format (commonly MS Word format or plain text) which does not support that particular setting. What document type do you use when saving?



Instead of explaining what settings you want to use, perhaps explain what kind of result you want to achieve. There are many experienced users around here, and one of us can probably outline a way to achieve the goal, if we know what the goal is.
The grey line around the border of my pages was visually annoying. That has been solved, but thank you!

I have tried checking both, not checking both etc... as described in other threads and NO MATTER how I change my settings they do not stay how I set them. They change sporadically. They may be okay for an hour, then suddenly they default back to what they were before I changed them. Or they may be fine for a day, then they default back again. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to this automatic change in settings.

I have saved format settings to no avail. However they change in the middle of my working. I should not have to save the settings repeatedly during my work, say 10-15 times in an hour.

The results I want to achieve are that the document does not skip entire pages by default. Sometimes it skips 6-8 lines, other times 2-3 pages.

So to recap, no settings will save no matter what I do, what I save, or what format I am using, what style etc... NO settings will save. They change at random. Which is why I was wondering if there is a bug in the program or something to that effect. I feel as though I spend 80% of my time attempting to change and save settings and styles. This problem is sudden, and I did not change a thing before the problem began. I am currently trying to find ways to work around the issue. If it helps, one thing that works (temporarily) is when I first open the document, I open a new document and copy and paste the entire thing into a new document and work from there. This usually alleviates the issue for a while, if not for my entire time that I am working that day. However I still have to do this at least once daily. Why this would work at all is beyond me. :ucrazy:
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Re: Cannot save my settings

Post by RoryOF »

How are you altering the Styles? /Format /Character or /Format /Paragraph changes only the current instance. Styles should be changed using /Format /Styles and Formatting.
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