Creating a thick line in Libre Draw and Writer

users
#1

Hi Folks,

I hope I’m describing this correctly.

I wanted to create a straight line horizontally across the page in
Libre Writer or Draw (that would be preferable).

I’m using Libre Writer/Draw/Offcice 5.1.1.3

It’s my understanding that when I choose the key on my PC keyboard
next to the zero key that I’m choosing an ASCI character?

Anyway, I use that key (line key) and keep pressing that key until I
reach a line length across the page I desire and it creates a straight
line.

Now, the tricky part.

How do I make that straight line thicker?

In Libre Writer, I’ve opened Insert > Horizontal Line and it inserts a
line but I don’t see how you can make that line thicker?

I’ve highlighted the entire line and hit bold – still no thicker.

I’ve highlighted that entire line and chosen a larger font (as large
as 26) still no thicker.

I’ve chosen Insert > Shape (singular not plural Shapes as in earlier
versions there is the plural Shapes) > Line > then Line again and it
inserts nothing.

In Libre Draw, I choose Format > Line where you can adjust width which
appears in the little box to be thicker except when I click OK there
is no line in the Libre Draw document.

Thanks so much for your help.

Charles.

#2

charles meyer wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>
> I hope I’m describing this correctly.
>
> I wanted to create a straight line horizontally across the page in
> Libre Writer or Draw (that would be preferable).
>
> I’m using Libre Writer/Draw/Offcice 5.1.1.3
>
> It’s my understanding that when I choose the key on my PC keyboard
> next to the zero key that I’m choosing an ASCI character?
>
> Anyway, I use that key (line key) and keep pressing that key until I
> reach a line length across the page I desire and it creates a straight
> line.
>
> Now, the tricky part.
>
> How do I make that straight line thicker?

This usually is not a proper way to draw a line in Writer. It actually is not a line, but a sequence of character that happen to look like aline (depending on the font).
>
> In Libre Writer, I’ve opened Insert > Horizontal Line and it inserts a
> line but I don’t see how you can make that line thicker?
>
The line actually is the bottom border of a paragraph. So you can change the thickness by positioning the cursor just above the line and then Format > Paragraph > Borders > Width.

> I’ve highlighted the entire line and hit bold – still no thicker.

No, because the line is a border and bold only applies to characters
>
> I’ve highlighted that entire line and chosen a larger font (as large
> as 26) still no thicker.

Same here, the line is not characters.
>
> I’ve chosen Insert > Shape (singular not plural Shapes as in earlier
> versions there is the plural Shapes) > Line > then Line again and it
> inserts nothing.

That is the other way to insert a line, but after that selection you have to draw the line with your mouse: click where you want the line to start and then drag to its endpoint. To keep it precisely horizontal, press SHIFT while dragging.
The you can select the line and change the thickness with Format > Text box and Shape > Line
Instead of Insert > Shape etc. you can also make the drawing toolbar visible with View > Toolbars > Drawing. There is a line icon (a small diagonal piece of line). Maybe that icon is also visible in the top toolbar.

> In Libre Draw, I choose Format > Line where you can adjust width which
> appears in the little box to be thicker except when I click OK there
> is no line in the Libre Draw document.

You first have to draw a line, in the same way as I described above by clicking on the line icon in the drawing toolbar. Then drag a line across the page.

#3

Piet,

Thank you so very much.

That works in Libre Writer.

Is there a way to create and thicken a line in Libre Draw, too?

Thank you again for your helpful instructions and explanation.

Charles.

#4

charles meyer wrote:

> Piet,
>
> Thank you so very much.
>
> That works in Libre Writer.
>
> Is there a way to create and thicken a line in Libre Draw, too?
>
> Thank you again for your helpful instructions and explanation.
>
> Charles.

Yes, select the line, and then Format > Line. There is also a Line Width field in the Toolbar on to where you can change the line width. For me it is on the righthand side. If it is not there, you can get it with View > Toolbars > Line and Filling.

You can also set the line width there before you draw the line. That is easier if you want to draw several lines with the same thickness.

You can find the manuals for LibreOffice here: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/documentation/
It is very useful to read through them. It takes some time, but then you get an idea of all the possibilities and you have an handy reference to look things up.

#5

02.07.2016 u 23:17, charles meyer je napisao/la:

Now, the tricky part.

How do I make that straight line thicker?

In Libre Writer, I’ve opened Insert > Horizontal Line and it inserts a
line but I don’t see how you can make that line thicker?

Use styles and there find paragraph style 'Horizontal line'. Right click it and choose 'Modify'.

Next step is choose 'Border' tab and there you can choose line style ('style' filed) and thickness under a 'width' field. Try input 1 pt (or more) and click 'Apply'.

Although, it sometimes seams that LO doesn't show fine differences in line widths: I can't see the difference between line of 0.1 pt and 0.25 pt which is bad...

Kruno

#6

03.07.2016 u 08:13, Kruno je napisao/la:

02.07.2016 u 23:17, charles meyer je napisao/la:

Now, the tricky part.

How do I make that straight line thicker?

In Libre Writer, I’ve opened Insert > Horizontal Line and it inserts a
line but I don’t see how you can make that line thicker?

Use styles and there find paragraph style 'Horizontal line'. Right click it and choose 'Modify'.

Next step is choose 'Border' tab and there you can choose line style ('style' filed) and thickness under a 'width' field. Try input 1 pt (or more) and click 'Apply'.

Although, it sometimes seams that LO doesn't show fine differences in line widths: I can't see the difference between line of 0.1 pt and 0.25 pt which is bad...

It shows fine differences in line widths, I was wrong. It just uses line style with two parallel lines by default (===). But when that is changed to one solid line (---), difference in line width is noticeable.

Kruno

#7

03.07.2016 u 00:36, Piet van Oostrum je napisao/la:

The line actually is the bottom border of a paragraph. So you can change the thickness by positioning the cursor just above the line and then Format > Paragraph > Borders > Width.

Wouldn't that change thickness to just one occurrence of horizontal line. Modifying it appearance trough styles makes it uniform throughout a document, if horizontal line inserted more then once.

Kruno

#8

Kruno wrote:

>
> 03.07.2016 u 00:36, Piet van Oostrum je napisao/la:
> > The line actually is the bottom border of a paragraph. So you can change the thickness by positioning the cursor just above the line and then Format > Paragraph > Borders > Width.
>
> Wouldn't that change thickness to just one occurrence of horizontal
> line. Modifying it appearance trough styles makes it uniform throughout
> a document, if horizontal line inserted more then once.
>
> Kruno

Yes.

#9

Kruno wrote:

>
> 02.07.2016 u 23:17, charles meyer je napisao/la:
> > Now, the tricky part.
> >
> > How do I make that straight line thicker?
> >
> > In Libre Writer, I’ve opened Insert > Horizontal Line and it inserts a
> > line but I don’t see how you can make that line thicker?
>
> Use styles and there find paragraph style 'Horizontal line'. Right click
> it and choose 'Modify'.
>
I had not noticed that there is a special paragraph style for Horizontal Line. Never too old to learn.

#10

03.07.2016 u 08:50, Piet van Oostrum je napisao/la:

Kruno wrote:

  >
  > 02.07.2016 u 23:17, charles meyer je napisao/la:
  > > Now, the tricky part.
  > >
  > > How do I make that straight line thicker?
  > >
  > > In Libre Writer, I’ve opened Insert > Horizontal Line and it inserts a
  > > line but I don’t see how you can make that line thicker?
  >
  > Use styles and there find paragraph style 'Horizontal line'. Right click
  > it and choose 'Modify'.
  >
I had not noticed that there is a special paragraph style for Horizontal Line. Never too old to learn.

I find inserting horizontal line quite odd and I avoid it...

So you write a paragraph and then go Insert → Horizontal rule and your paragraph font size shrinks to 6 pt. Why?

If there is necessity for linking bottom border to a paragraph with small font size or such, why doesn't 'Insert → Horizontal rule' inserts new (empty) paragraph instead? Why change format of a paragraph which is not intended to bi changed with action which is not intended for changing content's formatting?

But that's just me :smiley:

Kruno

#11

Kruno wrote:

> I find inserting horizontal line quite odd and I avoid it...
>
> So you write a paragraph and then go Insert → Horizontal rule and your
> paragraph font size shrinks to 6 pt. Why?
>
Maybe the format for the Horizontal Style has a font size of 6pt in your settings.

> If there is necessity for linking bottom border to a paragraph with
> small font size or such, why doesn't 'Insert → Horizontal rule' inserts
> new (empty) paragraph instead? Why change format of a paragraph which is
> not intended to bi changed with action which is not intended for
> changing content's formatting?

I would also have expected Insert Horizontal Line to start a new paragraph. Instead it changes the current paragraph to paragraph style Horizontal Line. Not nice.

#12

Piet van Oostrum wrote:

> Kruno wrote:
>
> > I find inserting horizontal line quite odd and I avoid it...
> >
> > So you write a paragraph and then go Insert → Horizontal rule and your
> > paragraph font size shrinks to 6 pt. Why?
> >
> Maybe the format for the Horizontal Style has a font size of 6pt in your settings.
>
> > If there is necessity for linking bottom border to a paragraph with
> > small font size or such, why doesn't 'Insert → Horizontal rule' inserts
> > new (empty) paragraph instead? Why change format of a paragraph which is
> > not intended to bi changed with action which is not intended for
> > changing content's formatting?
>
> I would also have expected Insert Horizontal Line to start a new paragraph. Instead it changes the current paragraph to paragraph style Horizontal Line. Not nice.

Actually, thinking about it: THIS IS DEAD WRONG!
Insert a horizontal line should definitely NOT mean: change the whole paragraph layout, including fonts, line spacing, indentation, font color, background color, etc.
Suppose you have your carefully defined paragraph style, now you want to insert a horizontal line below the text, not as part of the text. Now the whole paragraph style changes to the predefined Horizontal Line style. That's not what I mean with Insert horizontal line. So it should either insert a new paragraph with only a horizontal line, or it should add a horizontal line to the current paragraph by changing its bottom border attribute only. The latter option robs you of the possibility of styling the line in advance.
Of course you can just hit RETURN first, and that's what I do when I insert a horizontal line. I must admit that I almost never insert horizontal lines, except in tables.

#13

03.07.2016 u 15:05, Piet van Oostrum je napisao/la:

Piet van Oostrum wrote:

  > Kruno wrote:
  >
  > > I find inserting horizontal line quite odd and I avoid it...
  > >
  > > So you write a paragraph and then go Insert → Horizontal rule and your
  > > paragraph font size shrinks to 6 pt. Why?
  > >
  > Maybe the format for the Horizontal Style has a font size of 6pt in your settings.
  >
  > > If there is necessity for linking bottom border to a paragraph with
  > > small font size or such, why doesn't 'Insert → Horizontal rule' inserts
  > > new (empty) paragraph instead? Why change format of a paragraph which is
  > > not intended to bi changed with action which is not intended for
  > > changing content's formatting?
  >
  > I would also have expected Insert Horizontal Line to start a new paragraph. Instead it changes the current paragraph to paragraph style Horizontal Line. Not nice.

Insert a horizontal line should definitely NOT mean: change the whole paragraph layout, including fonts, line spacing, indentation, font color, background color, etc.
Suppose you have your carefully defined paragraph style, now you want to insert a horizontal line below the text, not as part of the text. Now the whole paragraph style changes to the predefined Horizontal Line style. That's not what I mean with Insert horizontal line. So it should either insert a new paragraph with only a horizontal line, or it should add a horizontal line to the current paragraph by changing its bottom border attribute only. The latter option robs you of the possibility of styling the line in advance.

At first, I was against that empty paragraph. Now I think it's better solution then just changing border attribute (for reason you mentioned at the very end).

I guess the cache is that 'Horizontal rule' style is within the same category as any other paragraph style so LO can't make difference weather you wanted to apply style 'Horizontal rule' to selected text or you just wanted to insert a horizontal rule in a new paragraph below selected one.

It doesn't work how we conceptualize it, but then again - it working as designed (it's not broken or a bug).

I guess it's just the way it is...

Kruno

#14

....
It doesn't work how we conceptualize it, but then again - it working as
designed (it's not broken or a bug).

The code isn't broken. The design is.

I guess it's just the way it is...

No. Water is wet. That really is "just the way it is". I would hope software designers are not so fatalistic.

In this case, simply changing the menu function to add a new paragraph with the appropriate style and line (and a 1pt font probably) would seem a "better design". Hardly more than a few minutes work if you're into the internals.

But it's by no means the only, nor the worst, craziness in LO's (inherited) design.

#15

Piet and all who contributed to this topic.

Thank you so very much.

It was very helpful and much appreciated.

Libre Office provides so many easier solutions for all sorts of
computer needs for which I'm very grateful.

This list is very appreciated as well.

Charles.