[Dropped] Complely independent columns

[GMH]

What I want is two completely independent columns, one column for a particular text, the other column for commentary on that text. I've worked with the Section function, but I'm having trouble with the text in the one column jumping over into the other column. I want my text to stay in the one column and my commentary to stay in the other column.

[FJCC]

Have you tried using a table with two columns? You can turn off the borders so it doesn't look like a table.

[Zizi64]

What I want is two completely independent columns, one column for a particular text, the other column for commentary on that text.

There is not such dedicated feature in the LO Writer. The text always will flow into the second column first, then only when the page is full, will flow onto the next page.

Page-scope workarounds:
Two column table, Two frames, etc...

[RoryOF]

The usual solution is a two column table. See
.
[Tutorial] Using translations/commentary in Writer
.
for hints about this.

It is best not to use a giant table covering an entire work as that will slow Writer dramatically. Keep your tables each to (say) one Chapter. {later edit: provided the chapters are of reasonable length, not gigantic]

Also, see
.
[Tutorial] Columns in Writer: an introduction
.
for information on columns.

It might be possible to use linked fields where the first column on a page is linked to the first column on the next page, the second column to the second column etc, but such a structure must be set up manually for each page. I have never discovered any method of automating that structure for an entire book - it would be quite a complex macro, if a macro could lend itself to automating that structure, which I doubt.

[keme]

Table is also my first thought. Assuming of course that the editorial commenting - Insert -> Comment - is not what you need.

If a table doesn't work for you, another approach may be to have a wide margin on the "commentary side", insert frames for your commentary and position the frames in that margin area.

[RoryOF]

The columns linked by frames is subject to the risk that the commentary - be it a commentary or a translation - will get out of sync with the main text as editing proceeds. I am certain that tables is the best approach.

Remember that tables do not have to have a printing border, although they can maintain an indication of their borders on the edit screen.

[JeJe]

What type of commentary is it? If its the occasional note, could you perhaps put each in a separate textframe in an enlarged margin?

If the frames are set to follow the textflow they'll remain parallel to the appropriate text if there's editing earlier on in the document (you'd just have to worry about the textframe position where the page breaks)

If the frames are anchored to the paragraph or a character they'll remain parallel to the appropriate text. Look at the follow the textflow option to see the different effects at page breaks though.