[Solved] Convert to Master Document?

[Corfy]

I recently started on a project with very little planning ahead of time, and after I got underway, I realized that it would be better to set up a Master Document rather than have everything in one big document.

Is there an easy way to convert a single file into a Master Document format (perhaps using the headers to create new documents within the Master Document), or do I just need to create a new Master Document and copy and paste my text? If I have to do the latter, I will. It isn't that long yet.

If I had thought ahead of time, I would have made it a Master Document to begin with, but I had about four hours preparation with a definite (and fairly close, for the size of the project) deadline, and was busy thinking about other things.

[Hagar Delest]

What I would do (but I'm not an expert with master document, you should wait for foxcole's comments) is :
- from the main document, save each part as a separate document;
- save the main document as a master one;
- in this new file, replace each part by its file (inserting them from the Navigator).

[Corfy]

You know, sometimes I get so used to searching the forums for my answers that I forget to RTFM. After I posted, I thought I probably should look at the Help file to see if it lists anything.

It turns out, this is really simple, apparently, although I have to wait until I get home to try it.

File -> Send -> Create Master Document

There are apparently a series of prompts that I can follow after that to get the output I need.

I'll wait until I try it to make sure it works before I list this thread as "Solved".

Thanks for your response, though, Hagar de l'Est. That was kind of how I was planning on doing it if I couldn't find a better way.

[Hagar Delest]

Right, I should have tried myslef ! I just did and there is a Styles field that allow you to automatically save each chapter (if you select a Heading level) as a separate document and make the link in the new master doc created.

NB: my test document had no header/footer so can't tell about that.

The only strange thing I've seen is that the sub-documents are saved as .sxw files !

[foxcole]

File -> Send -> Create Master Document

There are apparently a series of prompts that I can follow after that to get the output I need.

Not a series of prompts, just one action in the save dialog. At the bottom of the dialog, be sure to select your top-level chapter heading style, so Writer knows where to break out each chapter.

The other thing you'll want to do is rename each of the files it breaks out into sub documents... because it automatically names each file when you do the Send command, to whatever you named the master document followed by a sequential number. At least you'll know which chapter is which by this sequence, but for ease of use in the Navigator's master document view, you'll probably want the actual chapter names on the files.

If your heading styles are already set up to start a new right page, that setting is carried into the master document, along with any custom styles you've created or changes you've made to existing styles. If you create a template from either the master or a sub document, you'll have all the styles you need to keep adding new chapters.

You might have to be careful of items anchored to page, though. I haven't tested creating a master document from a file with page-level anchored items so I don't know if the conversion takes these into account. (By the "usual" method, if you create a sub document with items anchored to page, these items disappear in the master document because the page reference no longer exists, so there's nothing for the item to anchor to.) (NB: Corfy, I'm just noting this for the benefit of others reading this thread, who are less experienced than you.)

It's a very easy conversion if you're using styles correctly, which I know you do. Renaming the files is the biggest piece, and it's not that bad especially if you have only a few at this point.

[Corfy]

NB: my test document had no header/footer so can't tell about that.

The only strange thing I've seen is that the sub-documents are saved as .sxw files !

I don't have a header or footer, and I don't really care about the format. As long as OOo can read it, it won't matter to me. It will get converted to another format when I'm done.

[foxcole]

The only strange thing I've seen is that the sub-documents are saved as .sxw files !

Mine aren't, they're normal odt files in WinXP, with both portable OOo 2.1 and standard OOo 2.3.1.

[Corfy]

Sorry, foxcole, I didn't see your post until I got home.

If your heading styles are already set up to start a new right page, that setting is carried into the master document, along with any custom styles you've created or changes you've made to existing styles. If you create a template from either the master or a sub document, you'll have all the styles you need to keep adding new chapters.

Um, of the sub-documents it created, it used the styles from the original. However, I created a new sub-document, and it uses styles from my default template (which is different from the template I was using for the original document). At least, the styles are different when editing. When the text is pulled into the Master Document, it uses the same style as the rest of the document. This isn't a problem for me, but I can see this as being a problem for some.

You might have to be careful of items anchored to page, though....(NB: Corfy, I'm just noting this for the benefit of others reading this thread, who are less experienced than you.)

No anchored items in my document, so that isn't a concern for me.

It's a very easy conversion if you're using styles correctly, which I know you do.

I was only using two styles for this... Text Body and Heading. Other than using a Master Document for the first time and being rather sizable, this really isn't that complicated of a document. I did make the change on the Heading to include the page break (I didn't realize that was an option for styles... learn something new every day).

[foxcole]

Um, of the sub-documents it created, it used the styles from the original.

I'm sorry, that's exactly what I meant. OOo uses the styles from whatever document you're using. Because you were creating the master document from an existing file (in which the styles are stored) it uses the styles from that document. If you don't have those settings in your default template, and you create a new sub document, the sub document is created from your default template so naturally it wouldn't contain the same styles.

When the text is pulled into the Master Document, it uses the same style as the rest of the document. This isn't a problem for me, but I can see this as being a problem for some.

I've discussed this in the old forum, but should repeat that the master document styles override any of the same name in the sub document. If they're created from different templates, the Heading 1 in the master document styles will override the Heading 1 of the sub document style. The purpose of a master document is to create a unified and uniform product from an assortment of smaller pieces, so it naturally must take control of styles.

This would mainly become a problem if the sub documents contain a mess of custom styles. If the master document doesn't have a style that's defined in a sub document, it imports that style. (Otherwise, the master would have no way of displaying that style, especially if it's not linked to an existing standard one.) So if the sub documents all have their own sets of custom styles, the master document will not look unified, and it will contain a slough of new style definitions... Not the most desirable of results.

That's why it's recommended to plan and set up your styles ahead of time (or use standard styles only) and to base your document set (master and subs) all on the same template. If you're generating a new master document from an existing file, you'd want to make a template from one of the generated files to use for any new subs you create. You may end up having to import styles from sub to sub if you decide they need a new custom style... but as long as all the subs contain that style name (regardless of how they're defined in each), the master document's definition will determine how it looks.

Master documents are wonderful when styles are correctly used... they're also the best argument I can think of to avoid direct formatting and use defined styles for all your formatting needs.

[Corfy]

That's why it's recommended to plan and set up your styles ahead of time (or use standard styles only) and to base your document set (master and subs) all on the same template.

Oh, sure, blame my lack of planning... and the fact that I started it on one computer and moved it to another computer without synchronizing the default templates. I see how you are.

As I said, for me, it isn't a problem. The text body style is the same in both (Gentium, 12 point, 1/4" indent), so I'm good. The Header style is align left in Helvetica at 18 point in the Master Document and original sub-documents, centered in Gentium at 24 point in the new sub documents. I have no problem with that at all, at least for what I'm working on now. But I appreciate your help. And I figured if someone came across this thread later on, they might want to know about that.

In the end, my whole project is going to be converted into text, so styles won't matter at all at that point. But until that point, I need a good word processor to work on it, and the ability to break it up into sections/sub documents helps me organize it. Hence, Writer and not some text editor.

[Hagar Delest]

The only strange thing I've seen is that the sub-documents are saved as .sxw files !

Mine aren't, they're normal odt files in WinXP, with both portable OOo 2.1 and standard OOo 2.3.1.

Same on W2k.
I made a second test on my Ubuntu box but running OOo in French this time (because I had it already opened in French) and the sub-documents were in .odt this time ! So I closed OOo, launched it with the English locale and ... sub-documents are in .odt also