Columns not evenly distributing

[djwebb1969]

My file, 391KB, is uploaded at https://www.mediafire.com/file/zb0mixwo ... 1.odt/file (I saw Rory OF's comment in a post here about using mediafire).

I have several sections with columns in my document, and in the first 4 of them, the columns are evenly distributed. In the final one, I have formatted it the same as the rest, but the columns are not evenly distributed.

I have checked the box saying "evenly distribute", but it is not working. Note that at first it does appear to evenly distribute, then if you wait 2 seconds for the whole document to repaginate, it suddenly stops even distribution.

The section is called Deuteronomí - it's a version of the Bible in Irish, but the first 4 books of the Bible work well, but Deuteronomy isn't working. Thanks for any advice.

[FJCC]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the problem, but the columns look equal to me.

IrishDeut.PNG (28.93 KiB) Viewed 322 times

[djwebb1969]

They are not aligned at the end of the section (which is where the column ends), which is what even distribution, if I understand it right, means. So at the end of that section, the left column extends down much further than the right column. You can see this on the second-to-last page of the document.

[FJCC]

Here is the second to last page as I see it.

IrishDeut2.PNG (58.68 KiB) Viewed 313 times

On the last page of the document, where I think that section ends, the two columns end at exactly the same place vertically. I'm assuming that the heading Nótaí is not in the section. Sorry if I'm missing the point.

[djwebb1969]

There is one more paragraph after that - you showed a part very near the end in that image, but the final paragraph ends "a míorúiltí móra a dhein Maois os cómhair chlainne Israél go léir" - and the columns are misaligned on that final page where that sentence occurs.

[FJCC]

The columns look correct to me if Nótaí is not in the section.

IrishDeut3PNG.PNG (39.49 KiB) Viewed 306 times

[djwebb1969]

That is how it should look. I'm not sure why it doesn't look that way on my computer, but interesting to see that it is working fine for you.

[FJCC]

Can you post an image of your last page with View -> Nonprinting Characters turned on?

[djwebb1969]

Here it is.

[FJCC]

I suspect our different results are due to my system not having the font the document calls for. Whatever font has been substituted changes the layout enough to avoid the problem. You can test this by making a copy of your file and changing the Main Text paragraph style to use a different font size or another font. I can get various amounts of misalignment at the end of the section by changing the font size.
I don't know a clean way to fix this. You could insert or remove some space somewhere in the section, but that isn't a robust solution.

[djwebb1969]

I see. It is Linux Libertine font. But I have now put in a page break before the section (before the words Leabhar Deuteronomí), and it has resolved the issue for some reason. Still odd though that it wouldn't work without that.

[djwebb1969]

Here is the file now - and with a page break inserted there is no longer any problem - https://www.mediafire.com/file/rgwnqiom ... w.odt/file

[djwebb1969]

I think maybe it is the case that the fancier the formatting gets, Open Writer will cope better by putting in a page break.

[RoryOF]

I got results identical to FJCC. I note there are some blank paragraphs inserted in Deuteronomi which may confuse the issue; in terms of formatting using styles these ought be removed.

I note that Preface, Geinisis, Ecsodus, Leabhar na nUimhreach, Uimhreacha all start on a selected fresh page, whereas Leviticus and Deuteronomi do not. Is there a reason for this, or merely an oversight?

I would normally cause every chapter of a text to commence on a right page, even if it mean a blank page before that, but that is my style; yours may differ.

[RoryOF]

Also, in Deuteronomi there are two areas where one might adjust formatting: one area after "Caib. Trí Deich a Dó", where the individual verses are broken into (spurious?) paragraphs. This extends to the end of verse 43. In "Caib. Trí Deich a Tri", verses 18 and 19 are unpleasantly line-spaced.

[RoryOF]

One last formatting remark before I go out for the morning: in dealing with the Bible or similar texts, it is conventional to commence each verse as a separate paragraph, not to run them one into the other as an extended paragraph.

[djwebb1969]

Thank you for all those points. The superfluous carriage returns will be removed. The text has not yet been edited - it is pasted in from another file. And all books will begin on a new page, although I can't yet tell what is a right page as the preface hasn't been finished. Those were all good points.

[RoryOF]

If you decide to use (say) Heading 1 for the title of each Book, all you need to is adjust the Text Flow tab on its style definition in /Format /Styles and Formatting, highlight Heading 1, choose Modify. Now select Text Flow tab: under "Breaks" check Insert, check "With Page Style", then select Right Page from the dropdown, and leave Page number at 0 (this means continue page numbering from the previous page).

When you have done that, highlighting a Book title and choosing Heading 1 for it will automatically start that Book on a right page.

It might be that instead of using Heading 1, you may decide to use Heading 2, which would leave Heading 1 for use to define Old and new Testaments. The necessary settings are identical.

[djwebb1969]

OK, thank you. I'll look into that. I normally do use the Page Break followed by Right page when doing the final formatting - because the headers in my books are different on the right and left pages and the margins are different too. But as there are parts of the text that haven't gone in yet, I can't decide what is left and right page yet. But I will note your comments for the final formatting. Thanks.

[RoryOF]

By worrying about right/left pages you are giving yourself a lot of work. You could choose to start each book on a Right Page, as I outlined before. Then, modifying the Right Page Style definition in /Format /Styles and Formatting, 4th icon from left to access Page Styles, Modify Right Page, Organiser tab, and choose Next Style as Default. OK out of that. Then choose to Modify Default Page Style. Header tab, check Header on, and uncheck Same Content Left and Right; this will allow the customisation of headers on Left and Right pages (if you wish different headers on those).

In a conventional book it is often the case that the left page has the Book Title, the Right Page the Chapter name, with in addition each page having the sequential page number. To insert such changing items in Headers or Footers, one must use Fields (/Insert /Fields /Page Number, for example). In your case you may only wish the Book name, so you need not uncheck Same Content Left and Right.

Consistent use of Styles greatly simplifies complex formatting. I suggest getting your body text correctly formatted, with the books starting on Right pages; leave the subtleties of the Page Headers until the main work is complete.

[RoryOF]

In your Preface you mention "edited by Gerald O'Nolan". As far as I remember, he usually signed himself Gearóid Ó Nuallain, and in the case of his editing of PUL's Gospels, he certainly did so sign himself.