Documents do strange things

Wanda_Moore · May 25, 2012, 8:36pm

I write simple documents all the time, but my preferences don't seem to
matter to LO. I choose a font, but it changes on me. I cut or copy and
paste, and the font changes, even though I copy the exact same thing.
Times New Roman seems to be the dictator here. And the size always
changes. Lines will suddenly become a 24 pt rather than 11 that I usually
use.

The spaces between lines and paragraphs will change, and I can't change
them back. Most of the time I can't even use the backspace to move a word
up to the last line. And I can't move the first word (indent it). If I
click on a word that starts in the wrong place, there are no little
triangles up in the top ruler, so I can't move the line or paragraph.
There are other things, too, but if you can help with this, maybe all will
be fixed.

I understand that I may have done something unawares, so I thank you
beforehand.

Wanda Moore

planas · May 25, 2012, 9:34pm

Wanda

I write simple documents all the time, but my preferences don't seem to
matter to LO. I choose a font, but it changes on me. I cut or copy and
paste, and the font changes, even though I copy the exact same thing.
Times New Roman seems to be the dictator here. And the size always
changes. Lines will suddenly become a 24 pt rather than 11 that I usually
use.

What paste method are you using?

The spaces between lines and paragraphs will change, and I can't change
them back. Most of the time I can't even use the backspace to move a word
up to the last line. And I can't move the first word (indent it). If I
click on a word that starts in the wrong place, there are no little
triangles up in the top ruler, so I can't move the line or paragraph.
There are other things, too, but if you can help with this, maybe all will
be fixed.

You may want to modify the styles used and update the default template

I understand that I may have done something unawares, so I thank you
beforehand.

Wanda Moore

Just for reference please advise the LO version and your OS.

Wanda_Moore · May 25, 2012, 9:56pm

I use the right click menu or edit in the toolbar. I've never used styles
or templates, as I don't really understand them, and just want to be able
to take notes and write things down for myself and my kids. (I homeschool,
so I'm always writing something and printing them out.)

I have LO 3.4.4 and Mac OS X 10.6.8 Hope this helps.
Wanda

planas · May 25, 2012, 10:28pm

I use the right click menu or edit in the toolbar. I've never used styles
or templates, as I don't really understand them, and just want to be able
to take notes and write things down for myself and my kids. (I homeschool,
so I'm always writing something and printing them out.)

I have LO 3.4.4 and Mac OS X 10.6.8 Hope this helps.

Wanda you can set the default fonts for LO documents using

LibreOffice Writer>Basic Fonts (Western). You can select

any installed Western font as the default font.

If you are pasting from the another document which has its own font,
etc. try using EDIT>PASTE SPECIAL and select unformatted text. LO will
use the document default for the text formatting. When you use the
normal PASTE LO assumes the formatting of the text to be pasted should
override the document defaults.

We like to know version and OS for reference and in case the issue is
specific to a version or OS; normally the issues are not.

Tom_Davies · May 26, 2012, 9:04pm

Hi
Is it something to do with "Styles and templates"? Chapter 3
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications#Getting_Started_with_LibreOffice
Even if not then it still might make formatting much easier
Regards from
Tom

Tinkerer · May 26, 2012, 10:47pm

Wanda you can set the default fonts for LO documents using

LibreOffice Writer>Basic Fonts (Western). You can select

any installed Western font as the default font.
Jay Lozier wrote

Tinkerer · May 26, 2012, 10:52pm

Something went wrong there.

I should have said:
There is no Tools> Options for LO in the Mac system.
To make the correction you need: Libre Office >Preferences >Writer etc.

Tink.

krackedpress · May 27, 2012, 2:30pm

I wonder why Mac systems use a different set of Menu options for Writer/etc..

That would make it a problem for the documentation people to "demonstrate" how to do something in Writer/etc. when there are different Menus and Option names in the sub-Menus in Mac, Linux [between distros and desktop environments], and Windows. With different Menu names and options, then you will have to have a different documentation for each OS and desktop that has a different menu version than the "normal" one.

planas · May 27, 2012, 2:57pm

Or could any menu differences in English be caused by different
localizations (US vs GB vs NZ vs etc) at the OS level?

Tinkerer · May 27, 2012, 5:46pm

No JL
All Mac Applications have their 'Preferences' where you set up all the
customization. It is outside the normal operating menus as it is very rarely
used once you have established everything.
It is also to a very large extent a System thing.
It also means one less item in the menus.
Most Mac users prefer it that way and the Libre O people appear to agree
with them.
BTW. Preferences do not just apply to Writer, you set up the whole of the LO
suite.

Tink.

Tom_Davies · May 28, 2012, 9:57pm

Hi
No, luckily not! It's just Mac being different. Sometimes there are miinor differences or odd things left out in some distro-specific, tweaked, versions but generally it's all the same which-ever platform you are on. Errr, except that diffeent way of getting to the options on Macs.
Regards from
Tom

JOE_Conner · May 29, 2012, 12:09am

You do realize that it is possible for menu's to have multiple paths to arrive at the same place... why not put BOTH the Mac-specific and the AOO/LO standardized items into the Mac menu items?

Joe Conner, Poulsbo, WA USA

Tom_Davies · May 29, 2012, 5:22am

Hi
I don't know why people don't do that sort of thing tbh. The
Tools - Options
route is typical only for Windows. In Gnu&Linux almost everything does
Edit - Preferences
instead. I don't see why we couldn't do all 3 ways on Macs and just the 2 ways on both Windows and Gnu&Linux.

Perhaps someone could request it as a "feature request", maybe someone already has?
Regards from
Tom

Tom_Davies · May 29, 2012, 5:54am

Hi
The Documentation Team get around it by having a simple table of Mac-equivalents at the bottom of one of the early pages, perhaps page 2?

There are a few other differences because Mac keyboards are different and there didn't used to be a right-button on their mice so right-clicks are still avoided. I think the table has about half a dozen things listed. Then the guides follow the Windows-and-Gnu&Linux way leaving Mac users to refer back to that table if they find they can't do a certain thing.

Of course the guides are given in Odt format as well as Pdf so Mac users could use search&replace to make their version specific to Mac. Even if there were enough people in the Docs Team it would still be tricky to have separate versions of the guide for even 2 different platforms let alone for different OSes.

Regards from
Tom