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openoffice.org package

Problem with Open Office consecutive numbering

Asked by wordsmyth2

I've used Open Office for several years with Ubuntu, having no problems whatsoever, but since installing the 64bit version of Ubuntu 10.10 I have the ongoing problem: Open Office will not do consecutive numbering of pages to my needs - it keeps inserting apparently random numbers (it seems to favour 41 and 33) to begin numbering, instead of the number I select (such as 137). The numbers I select are shown on the screen while working, and print out okay. But when I save and later retrieve the file, these numbers have been replaced by a sequence I have not requested - such as 41-50, for example, instead of 137-146. I have tried re-installing Open Office, to no avail, and I'm wondering if this is a problem with the 64bit version. I tried Mint 10 64bit on a dual boot - and Open Office there has the same numbering anomoly! It is certainly peculiar, and frustrating. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I could sure use some help on this - I'm currently working on a 300+ page assignment ...

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Tony Pursell (ajpursell) said : 		#1

Hi

This is certainly a strange problem that I haven't seen reported before.

Can you give us some more description of the document. Is it in odt or doc format? Is it a single document or a collection, each having a starting page number? When you talk about "a sequence I have not requested", how did you request the sequence it has replaced, etc.

Also, which version of OOo are you using?

Tony

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wordsmyth2 (wordsmyth2) said : 		#2

Hi Tony:
Thanks for the prompt response. I'm writing a book ms. in chapters. If I insert No.1 in the footer via fields-insert number as I'm accustomed to doing, the following pages are numbered correctly until the chapter end - say, p. 35. If I then enter the number 36 for the beginning of Chapter 2 - via Text Flow - the numbering continues fine, until, say, end of chapter at p.50 - ON SCREEN. If I then print out chapter 2, it carries the appropriate numbers. BUT if I save the file in .doc format, and then re-open it, what should be page 36 could be 41 or 63 or 33 , and subsequent page numbers continue this sequence. These numbers appear to be starting page numbers for previous chapters of different works and I am at a loss to explain what's happening. I'm using the latest Open Office and it seems that for some for reason the pagination I'm entering is not being kept when I save the file., and others substituted. Is this clear enough? I hope so, for as I said in my previous question, I didn't encounter this problem till I started using the 64 bit version (I have a new 64bit machine). What I'm doing is typing the first page number at the top of each chapter, so I have some idea of the page numbering and can re-insert the correct numbers when I print out. Maddening....!

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Tony Pursell (ajpursell) said : 		#3

Hi again

What happens if you save the document as an odt file (the native OOo format).

Also, if you are starting the page numbering for a new chapter using Format > Paragraph > Text Flow tab > Breaks, what are you specifying (I would use Insert=checked, Type=Page, Position=Before, With Page Style=checked and set to a page style, Page Number=whatever I want to start at). And you must make sure the cursor is at the very first position on the page, before any characters, for this to work properly.

Tony

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