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Is there is technical solution to running parallel text in side by side
pages (the best example would be a text with a translation where you
have the original on one page and the translation on the facing page.
This is done easily enough in columns, but there must be some way to
pass two threads of raw text to a section in which one thread is passed
only to odd pages and the other only to even pages, or are we stuck
with alternating the text manually and inserting a gazillion page breaks?
I don't think columns works for this, as text in the first column flows to the next column on the same page, not to the same column on another page. You'd use a two-column table to display parallel material on single pages, I think. (I do.)
One possible technique is to use linked frames. You could put a page-sized frame into each page (anchored to the page) and then link appropriate frames together. In fact, you could get away with doing this for just one set of pages, perhaps putting frames into all the right pages and linking them all together in a chain. Your left and right page text would then flow as you need. You might find this as tedious as having all those manual page breaks, but it has the advantage that as you edit the text, the two streams will flow naturally between their respective pages.
Here's another thought. How about creating two separate documents and printing them both single-sided as separate print runs on the same stack of paper? You could display both documents together on the screen whilst you were editing them.
There may be neater solutions. I'm thinking vaguely of setting a page size to represent a double-page spread, using a two-column table, and somehow getting it to print across two pages - so one column appears on each page. But I'm not sure how ...
I trust this helps.
Brian Barker
I think that page styles will do it. Open an untitled document in Writer. Use the F4 key to open the Styles and Formating Window. Click the "Page Styles" icon at the top of this window. Double click "First Page" from the lists of page styles to apply this style to the page. Then right click "First Page" and select Modify from the context menu. Change the "Next Style" property to "Left Page". Click OK.
This should do it. Enter the original text on the left pages and the translations on the right pages.
The reason this works is because of styles. They insure that each left page is followed by a right page which is followed by a left page... Writer is designed to begin with the first page on the right, so you need the "First Page" to fulfill this need. From then on the left and right pages will follow correctly. (No page breaks are needed.)
In the bottom right corner of the Writer window are three icons of pages. The one of the right is the one you should click if it is not highlighted. This places two pages in the window beginning with a right page first followed by a left right page combination.
Dan
a quick top note ... yes, being able to use a Master Doc such that two
files can be displayed at the same time on facing pages might well solve
my problem, but frankly I can't figure out how to manage that....
I don't think columns works for this, as text in the first column
flows to the next column on the same page, not to the same column on
another page. You'd use a two-column table to display parallel
material on single pages, I think. (I do.)
They can -- you can run columns in parallel and then just pour the two
different sets of text into two different columns and then just break
the flow as necessary.
One possible technique is to use linked frames. You could put a
page-sized frame into each page (anchored to the page) and then link
appropriate frames together. In fact, you could get away with doing
this for just one set of pages, perhaps putting frames into all the
right pages and linking them all together in a chain. Your left and
right page text would then flow as you need. You might find this as
tedious as having all those manual page breaks, but it has the
advantage that as you edit the text, the two streams will flow
naturally between their respective pages.
That is an intriguing idea -- unfortunately the docs suggest that the
linked frames have to all be manually created and anchored, so yes,
this is almost as much trouble as alternating the text, though it does
offer the benefits... I guess I might want to do the same thing on the
facing page though it would not be necessary just to maintain style
consistency between the treatments. I there a way to automate an
anchorage frame in a new page by a page style? That way I could create
a new subdoc with that style, add pages, link frame and pour in the text
files into their respect frames....
Here's another thought. How about creating two separate documents and
printing them both single-sided as separate print runs on the same
stack of paper? You could display both documents together on the
screen whilst you were editing them.
Not happening
There may be neater solutions. I'm thinking vaguely of setting a page
size to represent a double-page spread, using a two-column table, and
somehow getting it to print across two pages - so one column appears
on each page. But I'm not sure how ...
That is something I think could be done with a master document (but I am
not sure how) which is really what I was looking for when I posted the
question in the first place 
I was thinking that two sub docs could be place on side by side pages in
the master doc, with one sub doc only appearing on odd pages, and the
other appearing on even pages...
BUT the documentation on Master Docs is not all that helpful, there is
only one template on the LO site which is not all that explanatory, and
what is present makes it look like a project of such complexity that one
would not want to bother, lol
Anyone have enough expertise with Master Documents to address this?
Dan,
If I place 1000 words in the left page, the words are still going to overflow onto the right page - I am not sure what your idea is actually accomplishing.
Dan,
If I place 1000 words in the left page, the words are still going to overflow onto the right page - I am not sure what your idea is actually accomplishing.
In my reply, I keyed on having the original on the left page and the translation on the right page. By having these appear side by side, one can see both at the same time and compare them if desired.
What seems to be obvious to me is that the number of words required for a given thought in different languages can be different. So what would be a full page for one language may be less than or more than a page. So there is no guarantee that the the same thoughts will be contained in side by side pages. So, what purpose does having original and translation being side by side? It is quite possible that in a rather long article, some of the side by side pages may not have any thoughts in common.
My thoughts came from how a Bible program handles this situation. For example, I have German and English translations of the Bible side by side. There the same verses are shown for them. Sometimes there are extra spaces on the German side, and sometimes there are extra on the English side. I also have a German-English New Testament from the 1800's. It also has the same print layout.
A very important question is: What is the purpose of having the original and the translation side by side? This should determine the layout.
Dan
Sorry Dan, but I really don't understand where you are going with this.
I have two streams of text. I would like to have one stream on one
side, and the other stream on the other side of facing pages. That way I
can break the flow of either without having to alternate text (which how
it is done now)
Have you considered using Calc for this, you can adjust the formatting to have text roll into a new line automatically. Then you can copy/paste into a word document if you find it necessary.
Blessings, Joe Conner: Poulsbo, WA USA
Intriguing idea, but it would still require the use of anchored linked
frames, and if I am going to use anchored linked frames, I don;t need Calc.
I still am thinking that there should be some way to do this from a
master document, so that subdocuments can interleave by way of how the
subdocument is styled.
The other option seems to be to treat the two facing pages as one two
column page, but that creates so much trouble when it comes to dealing
with everything else it becomes a case of the tail wagging the dog.
Hi 
I think text-boxes linked together might do the trick. Text boxes on
odd-numbered pages or to the right-hand side of the page would only link to
other odd-numbered pages or to the right-hand side on subsequent pages.
Similarly with even-numbered or left-hand boxes.
I still haven't figured this out for myself and only have a very minor
quarterly case where it might be useful.
Regards from
Tom
Hi
Actually i kinda like the idea of using Calc as Joe Conner suggested. My
idea was to use Draw or Writer.
Regards from
Tom
Hi
+1
That seems the most sensible.
Regards from
Tom