How to modify "indent" style

[paulindr]

Can't find this anywhere!

This is about MODIFYING an existing style, not creating a new style.

I have the existing Heading1,2,3 styles. All Word Processor solutions always set the default values so that a user's Heading title doesn't fit properly when using Outline Numbering at the second and higher levels , especially when the numbering exceeds 9 at a level (10, 1.10, 1.1.10, etc.) . So I need to change the values.

Graphically, my current level 2 creates a Heading 2 (with outline numbering) style such as: 1.1 This is my heading title
What I want to do is set the default spacing so that I get: 1.1 This is my heading title
The letter "T" will represent the first TAB setting and also whatever is the name for the SECOND triangle seen on the ruler.

I can MODIFY change tab settings for an existing Heading style.
I can MODIFY the left-most INDENT setting (but I don't want to, I want zero indent to the Heading, so 1.1 would be at the left margin).
But the next setting, represented on the ruler by the second triangle symbol, is what I need to reset so that it corresponds to whatever value I've set for the first tab position. But HOW do I MODIFY that triangle's setting value in an excisting style (and what is the setting called)?

[Bill]

Don't set the tab stop or indent in the paragraph style. Select Tools > Outline Numbering. Click the Position tab and set the tab stops and indents there.

[paulindr]

Thanks Bill.

I tried what you said but it allowed me to change the first tab stop, nothing more. I did reset the Heading2 style. I've no other formatting applied to level 2 (I used Control M). I still couldn't find a way to move that second triangle.

Anyone.
To go back to my original statement, I added an image. On that image, the top shows a Level 1 heading. The first tab stop shows a triangle (don't know the name of what this represents). I want to MODIFY an existing level 2 heading (shown in the bottom of the image), so that two tab stops exist where shown in hat diagram and the second triangle sits over the first tab stop. This will more the whote totle of the Level 2 heading to begin at the first tab stop.

How do I achieve this. (I have reset the Level 2 heading so it now looks like the one shown for Level 1.)

[Bill]

The triangle on the right side of the ruler is the after text paragraph indent. The bottom triangle on the left side is the before text paragraph indent. The top triangle is the first line indent. To modify the settings in the style, right-click the heading and select Edit Paragraph Style. The settings are on the Indents and Spacing tab of the Paragraph Style dialog. However, it has been my experience that Writer does not use the paragraph style settings for indents and spacing or tabs in Outline Numbering, so changing the paragraph style setting is pointless.

[Bill]

...However, it has been my experience that Writer does not use the paragraph style settings for indents and spacing or tabs in Outline Numbering, so changing the paragraph style setting is pointless.

I need to look at this some more. There may be a bug that's causing a problem. While changing the indents in the paragraph style moved the triangles in the ruler, the text itself still used the settings from Outline Numbering, but after saving and reopening the document, the text followed the indents in the paragraph style and followed the tab setting in Outline Numbering.

[Bill]

I remember years ago coming to the conclusion that the position settings in Outline Numbering should always be used instead of the indents settings in the paragraph style but had forgotten exactly why. This is probably why. Initially, the position settings in Outline Numbering take precedence over the the indent settings in the paragraph styles used for Outline Numbering. However, once the Indent settings in a paragraph style are changed by the user, those settings take precedence over the position settings in Outline Numbering and it is no longer possible to set the indents using the position settings in Outline Numbering. To correct this situation, right-click on the heading you need to modify and select Edit Paragraph Style... On the Paragraph Style dialog, click the Indents & Spacing tab then click "Standard" and "OK" to close the dialog. You should now be able to change all of the settings on the Outline Numbering dialog and not have to change the indents on the Paragraph Style dialog.

[paulindr]

Bill
I really appreciate all your comments. I haven't had time to do more than read the new cmments (just now) but I'll try following your advise ASAP.

I have to say that, in my experience, everything to do with outline Numbering is far from easy in any word processor. NONE are intuitive as regards this function and all are pretty misleading or unhelpful in presenting what exists (settings values) and what to change. To me, all the designers seemed to have started with how Word works and then tried to improve on it, rather than starteing from scratch.

Anyway, as I said, I'll try your advice, maybe tonigt but soon, and then report results.

Many thanks indeed.

[paulindr]

Bill

I'm now thoroughly pissed off. I typed a long reply and posted it. This page dumped the reply, losing all the text, took me to the logon pae (I was already logged on) and took me to my contributions, minus the message I had typed. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I'm not going to repeat it - it recorded every action i took following your advice. Sffice to say that I couldn't find ANY way to use settings to move the Left Text Indent marker (the middle triangle on the ruler). this seems to me to make a mockery of styling since it seems to be controlled by no part of any style.

I did eventually find that I can force a Heading title (the text) to the right by applying leading spaces. these can be added in
Formats|Bullets and Numbering...|Options(tab) in the "After" field.
It is NOT a solution to my need but it is a work-around that sort of mimics what I need.

So I won't close this as solved but I suggest we don't continue unless someone can explain how a Style Setting can actually move the Left Text Indent marker (middle triangle of the ruler). I think Outline Numbering is awful, though not necessarily worse than in Word or other Word processors. Same can be said for Outline Numbering documentation, though it is even more unhelpful than the functionality itself! I hope the developers take note of this.

Thanks for ALL your help, truly appreciated, but I don't want to bog you down in this.

Cheers.

[Bill]

...I couldn't find ANY way to use settings to move the Left Text Indent marker (the middle triangle on the ruler).

The indent marker indents the whole paragraph, including the number, so it can't be used to move the heading text to the right. You have to open Tools > Outline Numbering, select the level, then set the Tab stop. That "Tab stop" setting is what sets the position of the first line of the heading text. The "Aligned at" setting sets the position of the number. The "Indent at" setting sets the position of the second line of heading text. You will get nowhere trying to use the paragraph style indents.