Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Could someone please tell me how to format a book - it seems you need to be a software engineer to understand the complexity of this program - but all I want to do is to have a regular page size and a number on each page - I've spent all morning trying to figure it out and I'm still completely in the dark
Thanks, Peter

What you want (as you have stated it) is easy: /Format /Styles and Formatting, then click 4th icon from left to select Page Styles. It will be easiest if you use the dropdown in the bottom bar to select "Applied Styles". Now right click on Default, select "Modify" from the popup. On the Page tab, choose your desired page size and margins. On the Footer tab, check the "Footer on" box. Now Press OK. At bottom of first page, click in the footer box (long thin box at page bottom). Press tab key, then /Insert /Fields /Page number.

Now click at the top of the page and start writing your book.

Edit: A useful text is Designing with LibreOffice which can be downloaded in pdf and other formats; it is largely applicable to OpenOffice. Another useful text is Writer for students (several languages)

Wow - thanks for the quick reply - the problem is I have already written the book - I don't see a long thin box and I can't tell where the first page ends

All the best

Peter

Open your book file, then switch to /View /Print layout. Now make the settings I described.

Many thanks - it's looking good - the only thing is I can insert the page number for the first page but it doesn't automatically do the other pages

Correction - it is numbering the pages but only the odd numbered ones

Click in the footer on an even page then enter tab, /Insert /Fields /Page Number or go to the Page Style modification set out above and on the Page tab, instead of Left/Right selection under Layout heading, select "Mirrored" from the dropdown.

Brilliant - thanks very much for taking the time - its much appreciated

Read the two texts I cited - the second is very succinct, the first is extremely comprehensive.