OTM documents

users
#1

All:

How does one construct an .OTM document?

I found the justification for including it in ODF 1.2, and who pushed
for its inclusion in LibO 4.4, and who wrote the LibO code. But narry a
word anywhere on how to create the document.

Reading source code is all very well, but it doesn't contain any hints
about how to create it. It did provide pointers in how to disable
importing it.

Reading the original proposal --- not the one from RedHat --- one senses
that there was a very low expectation that any otm documents would be
created.

In as much as the item at
https://extensions.libreoffice.org/en/english/show/a-master-document-template
does not utilize the otm file format, it can not be legitimately
described as a master document template.

#2

toki wrote

How does one construct an .OTM document?
...

At this stage, I'd settle for a sample.otm.

Jonathon,

Just assemble one. It works as expected, if you need help perhaps see
Byfield's "Designing with LibreOffice"
<https://designingwithlibreoffice.com/download-buy/> pgs. 324 - 342

Stuart

#3

toki wrote
> How does one construct an .OTM document?
> ...
>
> At this stage, I'd settle for a sample.otm.

Jonathon,

Just assemble one. It works as expected, if you need help perhaps see
Byfield's "Designing with LibreOffice"
<https://designingwithlibreoffice.com/download-buy/> pgs. 324 - 342

I'm confused 'otm' does not appear in that book? (Whatever a .OTM is)

#4

See page 334 "Using master documents".
OTM = OpenDocument Text Master

#5

That is a document template for master documents.

You start with making a master document. File > New > Master Document.
If you would make a normal Master Document, you would save it as "ODF Master Document (*.odm)".
To get a document template instead, use File > Templates > 'Save as template...'. Using that way, it is automatically managed by the Template Manager and master documents created from this template will have a link to the template.
Or you use File > 'Save as...' and select the type "ODF Master Document Template (*.otm)". You can still create a master document from this template, but it will not be linked to the template.

All that is the same as for other kind of document templates. In general the file name extension ot* is used for document templates and od* for normal documents.

The master document template belongs to the ODF 1.3 standard, which is supported by LibreOffice starting with version 7.0.

Kind regards
Regina

#6

I think that page 334 describes master documents (suffix .odm) rather
than master templates (suffix .otm), which I see appear in the save
dialog as an option, so I'm still confused (or at least I was until I
read Regina's answer).