Indendet paragraphs with names, hints or comments at the left side?

users
#1

Hello,

I am trying to write a protocol- or storyboard-alike document in which
the paragraphs are indented and a name is put before the paragraphs
(like a bulletin list with a text-field instead of the bullet.) I tried
several ways to make this work without using cumbersome tables...

Actually I'd want indentions to be remembered across linebreaks. <TAB>
and <SHIFT>-<TAB> would hop over the division borders forth and back.
That would be easiest to use...

...Is there another way? At the moment I use tabs and push every new
line to proper position. But changing the text means reformating it :frowning:

regards,

#2

Hello,

I am trying to write a protocol- or storyboard-alike document in which
the paragraphs are indented and a name is put before the paragraphs
(like a bulletin list with a text-field instead of the bullet.) I tried
several ways to make this work without using cumbersome tables...

Actually I'd want indentions to be remembered across linebreaks. <TAB>
and <SHIFT>-<TAB> would hop over the division borders forth and back.
That would be easiest to use...

...Is there another way? At the moment I use tabs and push every new
line to proper position. But changing the text means reformating it :frowning:

You can always define tab stops on a paragraph style level. The "trick"
goes like this:

1- Define a paragraph style with "space before" at, say, 3cm, a negative
indent of -3cm (both under Space and and indenting) and a left aligned tab
stop at 3cm (under Tabs)

2- On a paragraph with that style applied, type the Name, press tab (only
once) and start typing :slight_smile: You'll get something like this

https://elpinguinotolkiano.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/tab-tabla.png

Each time you start a new paragraph you only need one tab stop to get the
text aligned to the desired "margin".

Regards,
Ricardo

#3

Hi Dennis,

Dennis Heuer schrieb:

Hello,

I am trying to write a protocol- or storyboard-alike document in which
the paragraphs are indented and a name is put before the paragraphs
(like a bulletin list with a text-field instead of the bullet.) I tried
several ways to make this work without using cumbersome tables...

Actually I'd want indentions to be remembered across linebreaks. <TAB>
and <SHIFT>-<TAB> would hop over the division borders forth and back.
That would be easiest to use...

...Is there another way? At the moment I use tabs and push every new
line to proper position. But changing the text means reformating it :frowning:

I suggest to use lists. Define for each person a numbering style. Set the "before" field to the name of the person and the "after" field to a colon for example. You can set the numbering itself to "none". Or you keep the numbering - in case you need to refer to paragraphs.

If you name the style the same as the person, you can easily manage then. The way lists are rendered give you the needed indentation automatically, you only need to apply the respective list to the text of the person.

Kind regards
Regina

#4

The Marginalia frame style might help you. It will require some setup to get
the indentation right.

#5

What Ricardo reported is something I never miss to teach at my trainings.

I add that the tabulation is not required as the paragraph margin (3cm in
that example) is an implicit tabulation itself.

Lists function uses the same technique, since automation can't invent magic
solutions but just do something you could do manually.

Anyway the idea of customizing list to have a name for each level is really
interesting indeed.

In that way you could just switch among people with tabulations and avoid
to write their names every time.

I hope to remember it when I'll have some time to test it!

#6

Hello,

Anyway the idea of customizing list to have a name for each level is
really interesting indeed.

In that way you could just switch among people with tabulations and
avoid to write their names every time.

I hope to remember it when I'll have some time to test it!

I tried this but got strange behaviour:

First, I cannot make the tabbing stay at place, i.e. for later names the
indention ist farther

Second, I cannot delete a list point with the backspace key (markation
still works)

Further fiddling just destroyed all normal behaviour

However, ten levels are too few for a storyboard

regards,

#7

Hi Gabriele,

Gabriele Ponzo schrieb:
[..]

Anyway the idea of customizing list to have a name for each level is really
interesting indeed.

In that way you could just switch among people with tabulations and avoid
to write their names every time.

I do not mean, to bind the people to levels, but to make a new list style for each person.

If you do it that way, it would even be possible to make a paragraph style for each person and bind the numbering to the paragraph. In a paragraph you can style more, e.g. colors.

Kind regards
Regina

#8

Hello,

You can always define tab stops on a paragraph style level. The
"trick" goes like this:

1- Define a paragraph style with "space before" at, say, 3cm, a
negative indent of -3cm (both under Space and and indenting) and a
left aligned tab stop at 3cm (under Tabs)

2- On a paragraph with that style applied, type the Name, press tab
(only once) and start typing :slight_smile: You'll get something like this

https://elpinguinotolkiano.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/tab-tabla.png

Each time you start a new paragraph you only need one tab stop to get
the text aligned to the desired "margin".

Regards,
Ricardo

I tried this, and it works nice even with <shift>-<enter>. However,
when (and only) the first line breaks, the whole paragraph slips two
lines below the name???

regards,

#9

Hi Dennis,

Dennis Heuer schrieb:

Hello,

Anyway the idea of customizing list to have a name for each level is
really interesting indeed.

In that way you could just switch among people with tabulations and
avoid to write their names every time.

I hope to remember it when I'll have some time to test it!

I tried this but got strange behaviour:

First, I cannot make the tabbing stay at place, i.e. for later names the
indention ist farther

I want to give each person its own numbering style.

Second, I cannot delete a list point with the backspace key (markation
still works)

Using backspace means, that you get a further paragraph, which belongs to the same list item. In my suggestion it would mean, that a person can have two adjacent paragraphs with the same indent, without repeating the name.

Further fiddling just destroyed all normal behaviour

However, ten levels are too few for a storyboard

How many persons do you need?

Kind regards
Regina

#10

Indeed this is the right and canonical way to do that (as I use to teach :slight_smile:

Could you link a screenshot or the document somewhere to analyze your issue?

#11

Hello,

Hi Dennis,

I suggest to use lists. Define for each person a numbering style. Set
the "before" field to the name of the person and the "after" field to
a colon for example. You can set the numbering itself to "none". Or
you keep the numbering - in case you need to refer to paragraphs.

If you name the style the same as the person, you can easily manage
then. The way lists are rendered give you the needed indentation
automatically, you only need to apply the respective list to the text
of the person.

Kind regards
Regina

Well, the whole templating is cumbersome and even weird. For example,
I cannot first define a generic type to later inherit defaults from it
because the dialog doesn't show me list details – only paragraph
details. The only provided way to configure list details is to edit the
source type, and that I definetely don't want. I have to define the
generic type, then use it and then open the list dialog and then
configure the list details. However, inheriting from it causes the same
problem for the named type, i.e. I have to use the list to be able to
set the proper name. When I define a second named type, the same
problem appears. But when I change the properties for it, LibreOffice
even changes all lists already existing in the document, no matter what
type they belong to...

I'm pissed by this mess... Go to sleep...

#12

Hello, and many thanks!

Indeed this is the right and canonical way to do that (as I use to
teach :slight_smile:

You're right! Today it works. I guess that I managed to misconfigure
something else with some definitely buggy side-effect. For example,
this time I had a line with "default style" left below my part with the
"new style". I sucked it up with the delete key so that never anymore
LibreOffice showed "default style" in the toolbar. However, even though
it showed "new style", the tabs and the indention were gone for that
line. A second markation as "new style" did correct this issue. I found
tons of those bugs everywhere. Quite messy state LibreOffice is into....

However, many thanks! You made my day!

#13

Hello,

Hi Dennis,

>
> Second, I cannot delete a list point with the backspace key
> (markation still works)

Using backspace means, that you get a further paragraph, which
belongs to the same list item. In my suggestion it would mean, that a
person can have two adjacent paragraphs with the same indent, without
repeating the name.

using backspace twice normally leads to the end of the previous list
item. But in my case, I was just stuck. The current list item just
didn't disappear...

>
> Further fiddling just destroyed all normal behaviour
>
> However, ten levels are too few for a storyboard

How many persons do you need?

Depending on the project. Think of a movie with lots of secondary actors
like "customer1..., or zombie1... (in some movies they speak)"...