[Issue] Cross-reference to line numbers

[Mr. Harrison]

First post and a question, naturally.

I am writing a book in which I would like to reference line numbers in notes at the end of each chapter. Posts from several years ago suggest that this is not possible without inserting the numbers manually, and looking around the settings seems to confirm that this is still the case.

Is there any way to automatically reference line numbers elsewhere in the same document? Is there a feasible workaround? A Macro? The document is very long and I would not like to have to edit all of the line number references manually should the text change.

If this is not possible - and this is probably not the place to ask - are members aware of any other program in which this can be achieved?

Many thanks

[Villeroy]

Use bookmarks.

[RoryOF]

To do this using the line numbers will need a macro. A quick search threw up the following, which may give you some useful information for your macro

Search by line number

I think there is also some information in
Andrew Pitonyak's books on OO macro programming

[Mr. Harrison]

Thanks for the replies. Bookmarks almost do what is required except that cross-references to them cannot automatically be made to their line numbers, as far as I can tell.

So it seems that, as mentioned, I need to write a macro, which I don't know how to do and don't really have time to investigate at the moment as I need to get this book done!

I may fall back on footnotes but I wanted to avoid them as they clutter up the text and distract the reader.

Being able to reference line numbers seems like a functionality that would be very useful though.

[RoryOF]

I only use footnotes for something that is relevant to the understanding of the text - typically translation of a foreign phrase. For all other notes I use Endnotes; which can be quite extensive, in a way that, if it were a footnote, would interfere with the flow of the text.

Note that you can place endnotes at end of Section (if you use OO Sections), or at end of text.

Placing each Chapter in an OO Section allows one to put endnotes at end of Chapter.

[Mr. Harrison]

The book is a sort of 'reader', intended for language students. The use of line number references is common in these kind of books, where notes can be extensive. The use of line number references has the advantage that the reader is not distracted all the time by superscript numbers littering the text, which they naturally want to look up, distracting them from the text and the target language. With line number notes, if the reader doesn't understand something they can refer to the notes at the end of the chapter or page and see if there is a note for that line. It is also useful for verse.

Perhaps something for the developers to consider.

[robleyd]

Given the developers don't visit here, they need to be made aware of your proposal through the appropriate channels - see [Tutorial] Reporting bugs or suggestions

[CannedMan]

Thanks for the replies. Bookmarks almost do what is required except that cross-references to them cannot automatically be made to their line numbers, as far as I can tell.

So it seems that, as mentioned, I need to write a macro, which I don't know how to do and don't really have time to investigate at the moment as I need to get this book done!

I may fall back on footnotes but I wanted to avoid them as they clutter up the text and distract the reader.

Being able to reference line numbers seems like a functionality that would be very useful though.

I’m in the same boat as OP Mr. Harrison. I am writing a Norwegian language course in the spirit of Hans H. Ørberg’s Lingua Latīna per sē illūstrāta. In the end of his book, he has a glossary with references to the line number of each word’s first occurrence. I find this very helpful and want to do the same thing in my course, but have found it necessary to hard-type these as per now. A way to cross-reference line numbers would be very useful.

[Hagar Delest]

As said:

Given the developers don't visit here, they need to be made aware of your proposal through the appropriate channels - see [Tutorial] Reporting bugs or suggestions

[RoryOF]

A possible method of doing this would be to use a suitable macro editor, such as M4, and use it to process content.xml in the .odt file. This would not be dynamic, occurring at the time of writing, but post-processing on the finished file.

[JeJe]

If instead of line numbering, you convert every line to a paragraph by replacing each line wrap with a paragraph mark, and use paragraph numbering, then you can then cross reference to the paragraph numbers.

[JeJe]

Below is a simple script to replace wrapping with paragraphs.

Code: Select all

Sub replaceSoftBreaksWithParagraphMarks
vc =thiscomponent.currentcontroller.viewcursor
vc.gotorange(vc.text.start,false)
ret = -1
on error goto hr
do
if ret = 0 then exit do
vc.gotoendofline(false)
tc = vc.text.createtextcursorbyrange(vC)
tc.goright(1,true)
if asc(tc.string) <>13 then 
'vc.string ="​" & chr(13) 'zero width space and paragraph
vc.string =chr(13) 'paragraph
end if
vc.collapsetostart
vc.gotostartofline(false)
ret =vc.godown(1,false)

loop
hr:
End Sub

To make it easily reversable, it could be modified by inserting something like a zero-width space in front of the paragraph mark to mark the amended paragraphs.

Edit: oops changed to the version without the zero-width space.

[cwolan]

As said:

Given the developers don't visit here, they need to be made aware of your proposal through the appropriate channels - see [Tutorial] Reporting bugs or suggestions

• Apache OpenOffice: Issue 127888 ("Suggestion: use line numbers in footnotes and bookmarks etc.")
  ⠀
• LibreOffice: Bug 146905 ("Allow cross-references to bookmarks to show the line number")
  Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX